1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
2 @c Copyright (C) 1988-2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
5 @c makeinfo ignores cmds prev to setfilename, so its arg cannot make use
6 @c of @set vars. However, you can override filename with makeinfo -o.
13 @settitle Debugging with @value{GDBN}
14 @setchapternewpage odd
23 @c To avoid file-name clashes between index.html and Index.html, when
24 @c the manual is produced on a Posix host and then moved to a
25 @c case-insensitive filesystem (e.g., MS-Windows), we separate the
26 @c indices into two: Concept Index and all the rest.
30 @c readline appendices use @vindex, @findex and @ftable,
31 @c annotate.texi and gdbmi use @findex.
34 @c !!set GDB manual's edition---not the same as GDB version!
35 @c This is updated by GNU Press.
38 @c !!set GDB edit command default editor
41 @c THIS MANUAL REQUIRES TEXINFO 4.0 OR LATER.
43 @c This is a dir.info fragment to support semi-automated addition of
44 @c manuals to an info tree.
45 @dircategory Software development
47 * Gdb: (gdb). The GNU debugger.
48 * gdbserver: (gdb) Server. The GNU debugging server.
52 @c man begin COPYRIGHT
53 Copyright @copyright{} 1988-2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
55 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
56 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
57 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
58 Invariant Sections being ``Free Software'' and ``Free Software Needs
59 Free Documentation'', with the Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
60 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.
62 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You are free to copy and modify
63 this GNU Manual. Buying copies from GNU Press supports the FSF in
64 developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''
69 This file documents the @sc{gnu} debugger @value{GDBN}.
71 This is the @value{EDITION} Edition, of @cite{Debugging with
72 @value{GDBN}: the @sc{gnu} Source-Level Debugger} for @value{GDBN}
73 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
74 @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
76 Version @value{GDBVN}.
82 @title Debugging with @value{GDBN}
83 @subtitle The @sc{gnu} Source-Level Debugger
85 @subtitle @value{EDITION} Edition, for @value{GDBN} version @value{GDBVN}
86 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
88 @subtitle @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
90 @author Richard Stallman, Roland Pesch, Stan Shebs, et al.
94 \hfill (Send bugs and comments on @value{GDBN} to @value{BUGURL}.)\par
95 \hfill {\it Debugging with @value{GDBN}}\par
96 \hfill \TeX{}info \texinfoversion\par
100 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
101 Published by the Free Software Foundation @*
102 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor,
103 Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA@*
104 ISBN 978-0-9831592-3-0 @*
111 @node Top, Summary, (dir), (dir)
113 @top Debugging with @value{GDBN}
115 This file describes @value{GDBN}, the @sc{gnu} symbolic debugger.
117 This is the @value{EDITION} Edition, for @value{GDBN}
118 @ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
119 @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
121 Version @value{GDBVN}.
123 Copyright (C) 1988-2018 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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.
130 * Summary:: Summary of @value{GDBN}
131 * Sample Session:: A sample @value{GDBN} session
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
147 * Languages:: Using @value{GDBN} with different languages
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 * In-Process Agent:: In-Process Agent
165 * GDB Bugs:: Reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
167 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
168 * Command Line Editing: (rluserman). Command Line Editing
169 * Using History Interactively: (history). Using History Interactively
171 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
172 * Command Line Editing:: Command Line Editing
173 * Using History Interactively:: Using History Interactively
175 * In Memoriam:: In Memoriam
176 * Formatting Documentation:: How to format and print @value{GDBN} documentation
177 * Installing GDB:: Installing GDB
178 * Maintenance Commands:: Maintenance Commands
179 * Remote Protocol:: GDB Remote Serial Protocol
180 * Agent Expressions:: The GDB Agent Expression Mechanism
181 * Target Descriptions:: How targets can describe themselves to
183 * Operating System Information:: Getting additional information from
185 * Trace File Format:: GDB trace file format
186 * Index Section Format:: .gdb_index section format
187 * Man Pages:: Manual pages
188 * Copying:: GNU General Public License says
189 how you can copy and share GDB
190 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation
191 * Concept Index:: Index of @value{GDBN} concepts
192 * Command and Variable Index:: Index of @value{GDBN} commands, variables,
193 functions, and Python data types
201 @unnumbered Summary of @value{GDBN}
203 The purpose of a debugger such as @value{GDBN} is to allow you to see what is
204 going on ``inside'' another program while it executes---or what another
205 program was doing at the moment it crashed.
207 @value{GDBN} can do four main kinds of things (plus other things in support of
208 these) to help you catch bugs in the act:
212 Start your program, specifying anything that might affect its behavior.
215 Make your program stop on specified conditions.
218 Examine what has happened, when your program has stopped.
221 Change things in your program, so you can experiment with correcting the
222 effects of one bug and go on to learn about another.
225 You can use @value{GDBN} to debug programs written in C and C@t{++}.
226 For more information, see @ref{Supported Languages,,Supported Languages}.
227 For more information, see @ref{C,,C and C++}.
229 Support for D is partial. For information on D, see
233 Support for Modula-2 is partial. For information on Modula-2, see
234 @ref{Modula-2,,Modula-2}.
236 Support for OpenCL C is partial. For information on OpenCL C, see
237 @ref{OpenCL C,,OpenCL C}.
240 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
241 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
242 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
246 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, although
247 it may be necessary to refer to some variables with a trailing
250 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Objective-C,
251 using either the Apple/NeXT or the GNU Objective-C runtime.
254 * Free Software:: Freely redistributable software
255 * Free Documentation:: Free Software Needs Free Documentation
256 * Contributors:: Contributors to GDB
260 @unnumberedsec Free Software
262 @value{GDBN} is @dfn{free software}, protected by the @sc{gnu}
263 General Public License
264 (GPL). The GPL gives you the freedom to copy or adapt a licensed
265 program---but every person getting a copy also gets with it the
266 freedom to modify that copy (which means that they must get access to
267 the source code), and the freedom to distribute further copies.
268 Typical software companies use copyrights to limit your freedoms; the
269 Free Software Foundation uses the GPL to preserve these freedoms.
271 Fundamentally, the General Public License is a license which says that
272 you have these freedoms and that you cannot take these freedoms away
275 @node Free Documentation
276 @unnumberedsec Free Software Needs Free Documentation
278 The biggest deficiency in the free software community today is not in
279 the software---it is the lack of good free documentation that we can
280 include with the free software. Many of our most important
281 programs do not come with free reference manuals and free introductory
282 texts. Documentation is an essential part of any software package;
283 when an important free software package does not come with a free
284 manual and a free tutorial, that is a major gap. We have many such
287 Consider Perl, for instance. The tutorial manuals that people
288 normally use are non-free. How did this come about? Because the
289 authors of those manuals published them with restrictive terms---no
290 copying, no modification, source files not available---which exclude
291 them from the free software world.
293 That wasn't the first time this sort of thing happened, and it was far
294 from the last. Many times we have heard a GNU user eagerly describe a
295 manual that he is writing, his intended contribution to the community,
296 only to learn that he had ruined everything by signing a publication
297 contract to make it non-free.
299 Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom, not
300 price. The problem with the non-free manual is not that publishers
301 charge a price for printed copies---that in itself is fine. (The Free
302 Software Foundation sells printed copies of manuals, too.) The
303 problem is the restrictions on the use of the manual. Free manuals
304 are available in source code form, and give you permission to copy and
305 modify. Non-free manuals do not allow this.
307 The criteria of freedom for a free manual are roughly the same as for
308 free software. Redistribution (including the normal kinds of
309 commercial redistribution) must be permitted, so that the manual can
310 accompany every copy of the program, both on-line and on paper.
312 Permission for modification of the technical content is crucial too.
313 When people modify the software, adding or changing features, if they
314 are conscientious they will change the manual too---so they can
315 provide accurate and clear documentation for the modified program. A
316 manual that leaves you no choice but to write a new manual to document
317 a changed version of the program is not really available to our
320 Some kinds of limits on the way modification is handled are
321 acceptable. For example, requirements to preserve the original
322 author's copyright notice, the distribution terms, or the list of
323 authors, are ok. It is also no problem to require modified versions
324 to include notice that they were modified. Even entire sections that
325 may not be deleted or changed are acceptable, as long as they deal
326 with nontechnical topics (like this one). These kinds of restrictions
327 are acceptable because they don't obstruct the community's normal use
330 However, it must be possible to modify all the @emph{technical}
331 content of the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual
332 media, through all the usual channels. Otherwise, the restrictions
333 obstruct the use of the manual, it is not free, and we need another
334 manual to replace it.
336 Please spread the word about this issue. Our community continues to
337 lose manuals to proprietary publishing. If we spread the word that
338 free software needs free reference manuals and free tutorials, perhaps
339 the next person who wants to contribute by writing documentation will
340 realize, before it is too late, that only free manuals contribute to
341 the free software community.
343 If you are writing documentation, please insist on publishing it under
344 the GNU Free Documentation License or another free documentation
345 license. Remember that this decision requires your approval---you
346 don't have to let the publisher decide. Some commercial publishers
347 will use a free license if you insist, but they will not propose the
348 option; it is up to you to raise the issue and say firmly that this is
349 what you want. If the publisher you are dealing with refuses, please
350 try other publishers. If you're not sure whether a proposed license
351 is free, write to @email{licensing@@gnu.org}.
353 You can encourage commercial publishers to sell more free, copylefted
354 manuals and tutorials by buying them, and particularly by buying
355 copies from the publishers that paid for their writing or for major
356 improvements. Meanwhile, try to avoid buying non-free documentation
357 at all. Check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it,
358 and insist that whoever seeks your business must respect your freedom.
359 Check the history of the book, and try to reward the publishers that
360 have paid or pay the authors to work on it.
362 The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of free documentation
363 published by other publishers, at
364 @url{http://www.fsf.org/doc/other-free-books.html}.
367 @unnumberedsec Contributors to @value{GDBN}
369 Richard Stallman was the original author of @value{GDBN}, and of many
370 other @sc{gnu} programs. Many others have contributed to its
371 development. This section attempts to credit major contributors. One
372 of the virtues of free software is that everyone is free to contribute
373 to it; with regret, we cannot actually acknowledge everyone here. The
374 file @file{ChangeLog} in the @value{GDBN} distribution approximates a
375 blow-by-blow account.
377 Changes much prior to version 2.0 are lost in the mists of time.
380 @emph{Plea:} Additions to this section are particularly welcome. If you
381 or your friends (or enemies, to be evenhanded) have been unfairly
382 omitted from this list, we would like to add your names!
385 So that they may not regard their many labors as thankless, we
386 particularly thank those who shepherded @value{GDBN} through major
388 Andrew Cagney (releases 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, 6.0, 5.3, 5.2, 5.1 and 5.0);
389 Jim Blandy (release 4.18);
390 Jason Molenda (release 4.17);
391 Stan Shebs (release 4.14);
392 Fred Fish (releases 4.16, 4.15, 4.13, 4.12, 4.11, 4.10, and 4.9);
393 Stu Grossman and John Gilmore (releases 4.8, 4.7, 4.6, 4.5, and 4.4);
394 John Gilmore (releases 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, 4.0, and 3.9);
395 Jim Kingdon (releases 3.5, 3.4, and 3.3);
396 and Randy Smith (releases 3.2, 3.1, and 3.0).
398 Richard Stallman, assisted at various times by Peter TerMaat, Chris
399 Hanson, and Richard Mlynarik, handled releases through 2.8.
401 Michael Tiemann is the author of most of the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} support
402 in @value{GDBN}, with significant additional contributions from Per
403 Bothner and Daniel Berlin. James Clark wrote the @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
404 demangler. Early work on C@t{++} was by Peter TerMaat (who also did
405 much general update work leading to release 3.0).
407 @value{GDBN} uses the BFD subroutine library to examine multiple
408 object-file formats; BFD was a joint project of David V.
409 Henkel-Wallace, Rich Pixley, Steve Chamberlain, and John Gilmore.
411 David Johnson wrote the original COFF support; Pace Willison did
412 the original support for encapsulated COFF.
414 Brent Benson of Harris Computer Systems contributed DWARF 2 support.
416 Adam de Boor and Bradley Davis contributed the ISI Optimum V support.
417 Per Bothner, Noboyuki Hikichi, and Alessandro Forin contributed MIPS
419 Jean-Daniel Fekete contributed Sun 386i support.
420 Chris Hanson improved the HP9000 support.
421 Noboyuki Hikichi and Tomoyuki Hasei contributed Sony/News OS 3 support.
422 David Johnson contributed Encore Umax support.
423 Jyrki Kuoppala contributed Altos 3068 support.
424 Jeff Law contributed HP PA and SOM support.
425 Keith Packard contributed NS32K support.
426 Doug Rabson contributed Acorn Risc Machine support.
427 Bob Rusk contributed Harris Nighthawk CX-UX support.
428 Chris Smith contributed Convex support (and Fortran debugging).
429 Jonathan Stone contributed Pyramid support.
430 Michael Tiemann contributed SPARC support.
431 Tim Tucker contributed support for the Gould NP1 and Gould Powernode.
432 Pace Willison contributed Intel 386 support.
433 Jay Vosburgh contributed Symmetry support.
434 Marko Mlinar contributed OpenRISC 1000 support.
436 Andreas Schwab contributed M68K @sc{gnu}/Linux support.
438 Rich Schaefer and Peter Schauer helped with support of SunOS shared
441 Jay Fenlason and Roland McGrath ensured that @value{GDBN} and GAS agree
442 about several machine instruction sets.
444 Patrick Duval, Ted Goldstein, Vikram Koka and Glenn Engel helped develop
445 remote debugging. Intel Corporation, Wind River Systems, AMD, and ARM
446 contributed remote debugging modules for the i960, VxWorks, A29K UDI,
447 and RDI targets, respectively.
449 Brian Fox is the author of the readline libraries providing
450 command-line editing and command history.
452 Andrew Beers of SUNY Buffalo wrote the language-switching code, the
453 Modula-2 support, and contributed the Languages chapter of this manual.
455 Fred Fish wrote most of the support for Unix System Vr4.
456 He also enhanced the command-completion support to cover C@t{++} overloaded
459 Hitachi America (now Renesas America), Ltd. sponsored the support for
460 H8/300, H8/500, and Super-H processors.
462 NEC sponsored the support for the v850, Vr4xxx, and Vr5xxx processors.
464 Mitsubishi (now Renesas) sponsored the support for D10V, D30V, and M32R/D
467 Toshiba sponsored the support for the TX39 Mips processor.
469 Matsushita sponsored the support for the MN10200 and MN10300 processors.
471 Fujitsu sponsored the support for SPARClite and FR30 processors.
473 Kung Hsu, Jeff Law, and Rick Sladkey added support for hardware
476 Michael Snyder added support for tracepoints.
478 Stu Grossman wrote gdbserver.
480 Jim Kingdon, Peter Schauer, Ian Taylor, and Stu Grossman made
481 nearly innumerable bug fixes and cleanups throughout @value{GDBN}.
483 The following people at the Hewlett-Packard Company contributed
484 support for the PA-RISC 2.0 architecture, HP-UX 10.20, 10.30, and 11.0
485 (narrow mode), HP's implementation of kernel threads, HP's aC@t{++}
486 compiler, and the Text User Interface (nee Terminal User Interface):
487 Ben Krepp, Richard Title, John Bishop, Susan Macchia, Kathy Mann,
488 Satish Pai, India Paul, Steve Rehrauer, and Elena Zannoni. Kim Haase
489 provided HP-specific information in this manual.
491 DJ Delorie ported @value{GDBN} to MS-DOS, for the DJGPP project.
492 Robert Hoehne made significant contributions to the DJGPP port.
494 Cygnus Solutions has sponsored @value{GDBN} maintenance and much of its
495 development since 1991. Cygnus engineers who have worked on @value{GDBN}
496 fulltime include Mark Alexander, Jim Blandy, Per Bothner, Kevin
497 Buettner, Edith Epstein, Chris Faylor, Fred Fish, Martin Hunt, Jim
498 Ingham, John Gilmore, Stu Grossman, Kung Hsu, Jim Kingdon, John Metzler,
499 Fernando Nasser, Geoffrey Noer, Dawn Perchik, Rich Pixley, Zdenek
500 Radouch, Keith Seitz, Stan Shebs, David Taylor, and Elena Zannoni. In
501 addition, Dave Brolley, Ian Carmichael, Steve Chamberlain, Nick Clifton,
502 JT Conklin, Stan Cox, DJ Delorie, Ulrich Drepper, Frank Eigler, Doug
503 Evans, Sean Fagan, David Henkel-Wallace, Richard Henderson, Jeff
504 Holcomb, Jeff Law, Jim Lemke, Tom Lord, Bob Manson, Michael Meissner,
505 Jason Merrill, Catherine Moore, Drew Moseley, Ken Raeburn, Gavin
506 Romig-Koch, Rob Savoye, Jamie Smith, Mike Stump, Ian Taylor, Angela
507 Thomas, Michael Tiemann, Tom Tromey, Ron Unrau, Jim Wilson, and David
508 Zuhn have made contributions both large and small.
510 Andrew Cagney, Fernando Nasser, and Elena Zannoni, while working for
511 Cygnus Solutions, implemented the original @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
513 Jim Blandy added support for preprocessor macros, while working for Red
516 Andrew Cagney designed @value{GDBN}'s architecture vector. Many
517 people including Andrew Cagney, Stephane Carrez, Randolph Chung, Nick
518 Duffek, Richard Henderson, Mark Kettenis, Grace Sainsbury, Kei
519 Sakamoto, Yoshinori Sato, Michael Snyder, Andreas Schwab, Jason
520 Thorpe, Corinna Vinschen, Ulrich Weigand, and Elena Zannoni, helped
521 with the migration of old architectures to this new framework.
523 Andrew Cagney completely re-designed and re-implemented @value{GDBN}'s
524 unwinder framework, this consisting of a fresh new design featuring
525 frame IDs, independent frame sniffers, and the sentinel frame. Mark
526 Kettenis implemented the @sc{dwarf 2} unwinder, Jeff Johnston the
527 libunwind unwinder, and Andrew Cagney the dummy, sentinel, tramp, and
528 trad unwinders. The architecture-specific changes, each involving a
529 complete rewrite of the architecture's frame code, were carried out by
530 Jim Blandy, Joel Brobecker, Kevin Buettner, Andrew Cagney, Stephane
531 Carrez, Randolph Chung, Orjan Friberg, Richard Henderson, Daniel
532 Jacobowitz, Jeff Johnston, Mark Kettenis, Theodore A. Roth, Kei
533 Sakamoto, Yoshinori Sato, Michael Snyder, Corinna Vinschen, and Ulrich
536 Christian Zankel, Ross Morley, Bob Wilson, and Maxim Grigoriev from
537 Tensilica, Inc.@: contributed support for Xtensa processors. Others
538 who have worked on the Xtensa port of @value{GDBN} in the past include
539 Steve Tjiang, John Newlin, and Scott Foehner.
541 Michael Eager and staff of Xilinx, Inc., contributed support for the
542 Xilinx MicroBlaze architecture.
544 Initial support for the FreeBSD/mips target and native configuration
545 was developed by SRI International and the University of Cambridge
546 Computer Laboratory under DARPA/AFRL contract FA8750-10-C-0237
547 ("CTSRD"), as part of the DARPA CRASH research programme.
549 Initial support for the FreeBSD/riscv target and native configuration
550 was developed by SRI International and the University of Cambridge
551 Computer Laboratory (Department of Computer Science and Technology)
552 under DARPA contract HR0011-18-C-0016 ("ECATS"), as part of the DARPA
553 SSITH research programme.
555 The original port to the OpenRISC 1000 is believed to be due to
556 Alessandro Forin and Per Bothner. More recent ports have been the work
557 of Jeremy Bennett, Franck Jullien, Stefan Wallentowitz and
561 @chapter A Sample @value{GDBN} Session
563 You can use this manual at your leisure to read all about @value{GDBN}.
564 However, a handful of commands are enough to get started using the
565 debugger. This chapter illustrates those commands.
568 In this sample session, we emphasize user input like this: @b{input},
569 to make it easier to pick out from the surrounding output.
572 @c FIXME: this example may not be appropriate for some configs, where
573 @c FIXME...primary interest is in remote use.
575 One of the preliminary versions of @sc{gnu} @code{m4} (a generic macro
576 processor) exhibits the following bug: sometimes, when we change its
577 quote strings from the default, the commands used to capture one macro
578 definition within another stop working. In the following short @code{m4}
579 session, we define a macro @code{foo} which expands to @code{0000}; we
580 then use the @code{m4} built-in @code{defn} to define @code{bar} as the
581 same thing. However, when we change the open quote string to
582 @code{<QUOTE>} and the close quote string to @code{<UNQUOTE>}, the same
583 procedure fails to define a new synonym @code{baz}:
592 @b{define(bar,defn(`foo'))}
596 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
598 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
601 m4: End of input: 0: fatal error: EOF in string
605 Let us use @value{GDBN} to try to see what is going on.
608 $ @b{@value{GDBP} m4}
609 @c FIXME: this falsifies the exact text played out, to permit smallbook
610 @c FIXME... format to come out better.
611 @value{GDBN} is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies
612 of it under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see
614 There is absolutely no warranty for @value{GDBN}; type "show warranty"
617 @value{GDBN} @value{GDBVN}, Copyright 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc...
622 @value{GDBN} reads only enough symbol data to know where to find the
623 rest when needed; as a result, the first prompt comes up very quickly.
624 We now tell @value{GDBN} to use a narrower display width than usual, so
625 that examples fit in this manual.
628 (@value{GDBP}) @b{set width 70}
632 We need to see how the @code{m4} built-in @code{changequote} works.
633 Having looked at the source, we know the relevant subroutine is
634 @code{m4_changequote}, so we set a breakpoint there with the @value{GDBN}
635 @code{break} command.
638 (@value{GDBP}) @b{break m4_changequote}
639 Breakpoint 1 at 0x62f4: file builtin.c, line 879.
643 Using the @code{run} command, we start @code{m4} running under @value{GDBN}
644 control; as long as control does not reach the @code{m4_changequote}
645 subroutine, the program runs as usual:
648 (@value{GDBP}) @b{run}
649 Starting program: /work/Editorial/gdb/gnu/m4/m4
657 To trigger the breakpoint, we call @code{changequote}. @value{GDBN}
658 suspends execution of @code{m4}, displaying information about the
659 context where it stops.
662 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
664 Breakpoint 1, m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
666 879 if (bad_argc(TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[0]),argc,1,3))
670 Now we use the command @code{n} (@code{next}) to advance execution to
671 the next line of the current function.
675 882 set_quotes((argc >= 2) ? TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[1])\
680 @code{set_quotes} looks like a promising subroutine. We can go into it
681 by using the command @code{s} (@code{step}) instead of @code{next}.
682 @code{step} goes to the next line to be executed in @emph{any}
683 subroutine, so it steps into @code{set_quotes}.
687 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
689 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
693 The display that shows the subroutine where @code{m4} is now
694 suspended (and its arguments) is called a stack frame display. It
695 shows a summary of the stack. We can use the @code{backtrace}
696 command (which can also be spelled @code{bt}), to see where we are
697 in the stack as a whole: the @code{backtrace} command displays a
698 stack frame for each active subroutine.
701 (@value{GDBP}) @b{bt}
702 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
704 #1 0x6344 in m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
706 #2 0x8174 in expand_macro (sym=0x33320) at macro.c:242
707 #3 0x7a88 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=209696, td=0xf7fffa30)
709 #4 0x79dc in expand_input () at macro.c:40
710 #5 0x2930 in main (argc=0, argv=0xf7fffb20) at m4.c:195
714 We step through a few more lines to see what happens. The first two
715 times, we can use @samp{s}; the next two times we use @code{n} to avoid
716 falling into the @code{xstrdup} subroutine.
720 0x3b5c 532 if (rquote != def_rquote)
722 0x3b80 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? \
723 def_lquote : xstrdup(lq);
725 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
728 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
732 The last line displayed looks a little odd; we can examine the variables
733 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} to see if they are in fact the new left
734 and right quotes we specified. We use the command @code{p}
735 (@code{print}) to see their values.
738 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p lquote}
739 $1 = 0x35d40 "<QUOTE>"
740 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p rquote}
741 $2 = 0x35d50 "<UNQUOTE>"
745 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} are indeed the new left and right quotes.
746 To look at some context, we can display ten lines of source
747 surrounding the current line with the @code{l} (@code{list}) command.
753 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? def_lquote\
755 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
758 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
759 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
766 Let us step past the two lines that set @code{len_lquote} and
767 @code{len_rquote}, and then examine the values of those variables.
771 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
774 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote}
776 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote}
781 That certainly looks wrong, assuming @code{len_lquote} and
782 @code{len_rquote} are meant to be the lengths of @code{lquote} and
783 @code{rquote} respectively. We can set them to better values using
784 the @code{p} command, since it can print the value of
785 any expression---and that expression can include subroutine calls and
789 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote=strlen(lquote)}
791 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote=strlen(rquote)}
796 Is that enough to fix the problem of using the new quotes with the
797 @code{m4} built-in @code{defn}? We can allow @code{m4} to continue
798 executing with the @code{c} (@code{continue}) command, and then try the
799 example that caused trouble initially:
805 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
812 Success! The new quotes now work just as well as the default ones. The
813 problem seems to have been just the two typos defining the wrong
814 lengths. We allow @code{m4} exit by giving it an EOF as input:
818 Program exited normally.
822 The message @samp{Program exited normally.} is from @value{GDBN}; it
823 indicates @code{m4} has finished executing. We can end our @value{GDBN}
824 session with the @value{GDBN} @code{quit} command.
827 (@value{GDBP}) @b{quit}
831 @chapter Getting In and Out of @value{GDBN}
833 This chapter discusses how to start @value{GDBN}, and how to get out of it.
837 type @samp{@value{GDBP}} to start @value{GDBN}.
839 type @kbd{quit} or @kbd{Ctrl-d} to exit.
843 * Invoking GDB:: How to start @value{GDBN}
844 * Quitting GDB:: How to quit @value{GDBN}
845 * Shell Commands:: How to use shell commands inside @value{GDBN}
846 * Logging Output:: How to log @value{GDBN}'s output to a file
850 @section Invoking @value{GDBN}
852 Invoke @value{GDBN} by running the program @code{@value{GDBP}}. Once started,
853 @value{GDBN} reads commands from the terminal until you tell it to exit.
855 You can also run @code{@value{GDBP}} with a variety of arguments and options,
856 to specify more of your debugging environment at the outset.
858 The command-line options described here are designed
859 to cover a variety of situations; in some environments, some of these
860 options may effectively be unavailable.
862 The most usual way to start @value{GDBN} is with one argument,
863 specifying an executable program:
866 @value{GDBP} @var{program}
870 You can also start with both an executable program and a core file
874 @value{GDBP} @var{program} @var{core}
877 You can, instead, specify a process ID as a second argument, if you want
878 to debug a running process:
881 @value{GDBP} @var{program} 1234
885 would attach @value{GDBN} to process @code{1234} (unless you also have a file
886 named @file{1234}; @value{GDBN} does check for a core file first).
888 Taking advantage of the second command-line argument requires a fairly
889 complete operating system; when you use @value{GDBN} as a remote
890 debugger attached to a bare board, there may not be any notion of
891 ``process'', and there is often no way to get a core dump. @value{GDBN}
892 will warn you if it is unable to attach or to read core dumps.
894 You can optionally have @code{@value{GDBP}} pass any arguments after the
895 executable file to the inferior using @code{--args}. This option stops
898 @value{GDBP} --args gcc -O2 -c foo.c
900 This will cause @code{@value{GDBP}} to debug @code{gcc}, and to set
901 @code{gcc}'s command-line arguments (@pxref{Arguments}) to @samp{-O2 -c foo.c}.
903 You can run @code{@value{GDBP}} without printing the front material, which describes
904 @value{GDBN}'s non-warranty, by specifying @code{--silent}
905 (or @code{-q}/@code{--quiet}):
908 @value{GDBP} --silent
912 You can further control how @value{GDBN} starts up by using command-line
913 options. @value{GDBN} itself can remind you of the options available.
923 to display all available options and briefly describe their use
924 (@samp{@value{GDBP} -h} is a shorter equivalent).
926 All options and command line arguments you give are processed
927 in sequential order. The order makes a difference when the
928 @samp{-x} option is used.
932 * File Options:: Choosing files
933 * Mode Options:: Choosing modes
934 * Startup:: What @value{GDBN} does during startup
938 @subsection Choosing Files
940 When @value{GDBN} starts, it reads any arguments other than options as
941 specifying an executable file and core file (or process ID). This is
942 the same as if the arguments were specified by the @samp{-se} and
943 @samp{-c} (or @samp{-p}) options respectively. (@value{GDBN} reads the
944 first argument that does not have an associated option flag as
945 equivalent to the @samp{-se} option followed by that argument; and the
946 second argument that does not have an associated option flag, if any, as
947 equivalent to the @samp{-c}/@samp{-p} option followed by that argument.)
948 If the second argument begins with a decimal digit, @value{GDBN} will
949 first attempt to attach to it as a process, and if that fails, attempt
950 to open it as a corefile. If you have a corefile whose name begins with
951 a digit, you can prevent @value{GDBN} from treating it as a pid by
952 prefixing it with @file{./}, e.g.@: @file{./12345}.
954 If @value{GDBN} has not been configured to included core file support,
955 such as for most embedded targets, then it will complain about a second
956 argument and ignore it.
958 Many options have both long and short forms; both are shown in the
959 following list. @value{GDBN} also recognizes the long forms if you truncate
960 them, so long as enough of the option is present to be unambiguous.
961 (If you prefer, you can flag option arguments with @samp{--} rather
962 than @samp{-}, though we illustrate the more usual convention.)
964 @c NOTE: the @cindex entries here use double dashes ON PURPOSE. This
965 @c way, both those who look for -foo and --foo in the index, will find
969 @item -symbols @var{file}
971 @cindex @code{--symbols}
973 Read symbol table from file @var{file}.
975 @item -exec @var{file}
977 @cindex @code{--exec}
979 Use file @var{file} as the executable file to execute when appropriate,
980 and for examining pure data in conjunction with a core dump.
984 Read symbol table from file @var{file} and use it as the executable
987 @item -core @var{file}
989 @cindex @code{--core}
991 Use file @var{file} as a core dump to examine.
993 @item -pid @var{number}
994 @itemx -p @var{number}
997 Connect to process ID @var{number}, as with the @code{attach} command.
999 @item -command @var{file}
1000 @itemx -x @var{file}
1001 @cindex @code{--command}
1003 Execute commands from file @var{file}. The contents of this file is
1004 evaluated exactly as the @code{source} command would.
1005 @xref{Command Files,, Command files}.
1007 @item -eval-command @var{command}
1008 @itemx -ex @var{command}
1009 @cindex @code{--eval-command}
1011 Execute a single @value{GDBN} command.
1013 This option may be used multiple times to call multiple commands. It may
1014 also be interleaved with @samp{-command} as required.
1017 @value{GDBP} -ex 'target sim' -ex 'load' \
1018 -x setbreakpoints -ex 'run' a.out
1021 @item -init-command @var{file}
1022 @itemx -ix @var{file}
1023 @cindex @code{--init-command}
1025 Execute commands from file @var{file} before loading the inferior (but
1026 after loading gdbinit files).
1029 @item -init-eval-command @var{command}
1030 @itemx -iex @var{command}
1031 @cindex @code{--init-eval-command}
1033 Execute a single @value{GDBN} command before loading the inferior (but
1034 after loading gdbinit files).
1037 @item -directory @var{directory}
1038 @itemx -d @var{directory}
1039 @cindex @code{--directory}
1041 Add @var{directory} to the path to search for source and script files.
1045 @cindex @code{--readnow}
1047 Read each symbol file's entire symbol table immediately, rather than
1048 the default, which is to read it incrementally as it is needed.
1049 This makes startup slower, but makes future operations faster.
1052 @anchor{--readnever}
1053 @cindex @code{--readnever}, command-line option
1054 Do not read each symbol file's symbolic debug information. This makes
1055 startup faster but at the expense of not being able to perform
1056 symbolic debugging. DWARF unwind information is also not read,
1057 meaning backtraces may become incomplete or inaccurate. One use of
1058 this is when a user simply wants to do the following sequence: attach,
1059 dump core, detach. Loading the debugging information in this case is
1060 an unnecessary cause of delay.
1064 @subsection Choosing Modes
1066 You can run @value{GDBN} in various alternative modes---for example, in
1067 batch mode or quiet mode.
1075 Do not execute commands found in any initialization file.
1076 There are three init files, loaded in the following order:
1079 @item @file{system.gdbinit}
1080 This is the system-wide init file.
1081 Its location is specified with the @code{--with-system-gdbinit}
1082 configure option (@pxref{System-wide configuration}).
1083 It is loaded first when @value{GDBN} starts, before command line options
1084 have been processed.
1085 @item @file{~/.gdbinit}
1086 This is the init file in your home directory.
1087 It is loaded next, after @file{system.gdbinit}, and before
1088 command options have been processed.
1089 @item @file{./.gdbinit}
1090 This is the init file in the current directory.
1091 It is loaded last, after command line options other than @code{-x} and
1092 @code{-ex} have been processed. Command line options @code{-x} and
1093 @code{-ex} are processed last, after @file{./.gdbinit} has been loaded.
1096 For further documentation on startup processing, @xref{Startup}.
1097 For documentation on how to write command files,
1098 @xref{Command Files,,Command Files}.
1103 Do not execute commands found in @file{~/.gdbinit}, the init file
1104 in your home directory.
1110 @cindex @code{--quiet}
1111 @cindex @code{--silent}
1113 ``Quiet''. Do not print the introductory and copyright messages. These
1114 messages are also suppressed in batch mode.
1117 @cindex @code{--batch}
1118 Run in batch mode. Exit with status @code{0} after processing all the
1119 command files specified with @samp{-x} (and all commands from
1120 initialization files, if not inhibited with @samp{-n}). Exit with
1121 nonzero status if an error occurs in executing the @value{GDBN} commands
1122 in the command files. Batch mode also disables pagination, sets unlimited
1123 terminal width and height @pxref{Screen Size}, and acts as if @kbd{set confirm
1124 off} were in effect (@pxref{Messages/Warnings}).
1126 Batch mode may be useful for running @value{GDBN} as a filter, for
1127 example to download and run a program on another computer; in order to
1128 make this more useful, the message
1131 Program exited normally.
1135 (which is ordinarily issued whenever a program running under
1136 @value{GDBN} control terminates) is not issued when running in batch
1140 @cindex @code{--batch-silent}
1141 Run in batch mode exactly like @samp{-batch}, but totally silently. All
1142 @value{GDBN} output to @code{stdout} is prevented (@code{stderr} is
1143 unaffected). This is much quieter than @samp{-silent} and would be useless
1144 for an interactive session.
1146 This is particularly useful when using targets that give @samp{Loading section}
1147 messages, for example.
1149 Note that targets that give their output via @value{GDBN}, as opposed to
1150 writing directly to @code{stdout}, will also be made silent.
1152 @item -return-child-result
1153 @cindex @code{--return-child-result}
1154 The return code from @value{GDBN} will be the return code from the child
1155 process (the process being debugged), with the following exceptions:
1159 @value{GDBN} exits abnormally. E.g., due to an incorrect argument or an
1160 internal error. In this case the exit code is the same as it would have been
1161 without @samp{-return-child-result}.
1163 The user quits with an explicit value. E.g., @samp{quit 1}.
1165 The child process never runs, or is not allowed to terminate, in which case
1166 the exit code will be -1.
1169 This option is useful in conjunction with @samp{-batch} or @samp{-batch-silent},
1170 when @value{GDBN} is being used as a remote program loader or simulator
1175 @cindex @code{--nowindows}
1177 ``No windows''. If @value{GDBN} comes with a graphical user interface
1178 (GUI) built in, then this option tells @value{GDBN} to only use the command-line
1179 interface. If no GUI is available, this option has no effect.
1183 @cindex @code{--windows}
1185 If @value{GDBN} includes a GUI, then this option requires it to be
1188 @item -cd @var{directory}
1190 Run @value{GDBN} using @var{directory} as its working directory,
1191 instead of the current directory.
1193 @item -data-directory @var{directory}
1194 @itemx -D @var{directory}
1195 @cindex @code{--data-directory}
1197 Run @value{GDBN} using @var{directory} as its data directory.
1198 The data directory is where @value{GDBN} searches for its
1199 auxiliary files. @xref{Data Files}.
1203 @cindex @code{--fullname}
1205 @sc{gnu} Emacs sets this option when it runs @value{GDBN} as a
1206 subprocess. It tells @value{GDBN} to output the full file name and line
1207 number in a standard, recognizable fashion each time a stack frame is
1208 displayed (which includes each time your program stops). This
1209 recognizable format looks like two @samp{\032} characters, followed by
1210 the file name, line number and character position separated by colons,
1211 and a newline. The Emacs-to-@value{GDBN} interface program uses the two
1212 @samp{\032} characters as a signal to display the source code for the
1215 @item -annotate @var{level}
1216 @cindex @code{--annotate}
1217 This option sets the @dfn{annotation level} inside @value{GDBN}. Its
1218 effect is identical to using @samp{set annotate @var{level}}
1219 (@pxref{Annotations}). The annotation @var{level} controls how much
1220 information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt, values of
1221 expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0 is the
1222 normal, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a subprocess of
1223 @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable for programs
1224 that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 has been deprecated.
1226 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseded by @sc{gdb/mi}
1230 @cindex @code{--args}
1231 Change interpretation of command line so that arguments following the
1232 executable file are passed as command line arguments to the inferior.
1233 This option stops option processing.
1235 @item -baud @var{bps}
1237 @cindex @code{--baud}
1239 Set the line speed (baud rate or bits per second) of any serial
1240 interface used by @value{GDBN} for remote debugging.
1242 @item -l @var{timeout}
1244 Set the timeout (in seconds) of any communication used by @value{GDBN}
1245 for remote debugging.
1247 @item -tty @var{device}
1248 @itemx -t @var{device}
1249 @cindex @code{--tty}
1251 Run using @var{device} for your program's standard input and output.
1252 @c FIXME: kingdon thinks there is more to -tty. Investigate.
1254 @c resolve the situation of these eventually
1256 @cindex @code{--tui}
1257 Activate the @dfn{Text User Interface} when starting. The Text User
1258 Interface manages several text windows on the terminal, showing
1259 source, assembly, registers and @value{GDBN} command outputs
1260 (@pxref{TUI, ,@value{GDBN} Text User Interface}). Do not use this
1261 option if you run @value{GDBN} from Emacs (@pxref{Emacs, ,
1262 Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}).
1264 @item -interpreter @var{interp}
1265 @cindex @code{--interpreter}
1266 Use the interpreter @var{interp} for interface with the controlling
1267 program or device. This option is meant to be set by programs which
1268 communicate with @value{GDBN} using it as a back end.
1269 @xref{Interpreters, , Command Interpreters}.
1271 @samp{--interpreter=mi} (or @samp{--interpreter=mi2}) causes
1272 @value{GDBN} to use the @dfn{@sc{gdb/mi} interface} (@pxref{GDB/MI, ,
1273 The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface}) included since @value{GDBN} version 6.0. The
1274 previous @sc{gdb/mi} interface, included in @value{GDBN} version 5.3 and
1275 selected with @samp{--interpreter=mi1}, is deprecated. Earlier
1276 @sc{gdb/mi} interfaces are no longer supported.
1279 @cindex @code{--write}
1280 Open the executable and core files for both reading and writing. This
1281 is equivalent to the @samp{set write on} command inside @value{GDBN}
1285 @cindex @code{--statistics}
1286 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print statistics about time and
1287 memory usage after it completes each command and returns to the prompt.
1290 @cindex @code{--version}
1291 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print its version number and
1292 no-warranty blurb, and exit.
1294 @item -configuration
1295 @cindex @code{--configuration}
1296 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print details about its build-time
1297 configuration parameters, and then exit. These details can be
1298 important when reporting @value{GDBN} bugs (@pxref{GDB Bugs}).
1303 @subsection What @value{GDBN} Does During Startup
1304 @cindex @value{GDBN} startup
1306 Here's the description of what @value{GDBN} does during session startup:
1310 Sets up the command interpreter as specified by the command line
1311 (@pxref{Mode Options, interpreter}).
1315 Reads the system-wide @dfn{init file} (if @option{--with-system-gdbinit} was
1316 used when building @value{GDBN}; @pxref{System-wide configuration,
1317 ,System-wide configuration and settings}) and executes all the commands in
1320 @anchor{Home Directory Init File}
1322 Reads the init file (if any) in your home directory@footnote{On
1323 DOS/Windows systems, the home directory is the one pointed to by the
1324 @code{HOME} environment variable.} and executes all the commands in
1327 @anchor{Option -init-eval-command}
1329 Executes commands and command files specified by the @samp{-iex} and
1330 @samp{-ix} options in their specified order. Usually you should use the
1331 @samp{-ex} and @samp{-x} options instead, but this way you can apply
1332 settings before @value{GDBN} init files get executed and before inferior
1336 Processes command line options and operands.
1338 @anchor{Init File in the Current Directory during Startup}
1340 Reads and executes the commands from init file (if any) in the current
1341 working directory as long as @samp{set auto-load local-gdbinit} is set to
1342 @samp{on} (@pxref{Init File in the Current Directory}).
1343 This is only done if the current directory is
1344 different from your home directory. Thus, you can have more than one
1345 init file, one generic in your home directory, and another, specific
1346 to the program you are debugging, in the directory where you invoke
1350 If the command line specified a program to debug, or a process to
1351 attach to, or a core file, @value{GDBN} loads any auto-loaded
1352 scripts provided for the program or for its loaded shared libraries.
1353 @xref{Auto-loading}.
1355 If you wish to disable the auto-loading during startup,
1356 you must do something like the following:
1359 $ gdb -iex "set auto-load python-scripts off" myprogram
1362 Option @samp{-ex} does not work because the auto-loading is then turned
1366 Executes commands and command files specified by the @samp{-ex} and
1367 @samp{-x} options in their specified order. @xref{Command Files}, for
1368 more details about @value{GDBN} command files.
1371 Reads the command history recorded in the @dfn{history file}.
1372 @xref{Command History}, for more details about the command history and the
1373 files where @value{GDBN} records it.
1376 Init files use the same syntax as @dfn{command files} (@pxref{Command
1377 Files}) and are processed by @value{GDBN} in the same way. The init
1378 file in your home directory can set options (such as @samp{set
1379 complaints}) that affect subsequent processing of command line options
1380 and operands. Init files are not executed if you use the @samp{-nx}
1381 option (@pxref{Mode Options, ,Choosing Modes}).
1383 To display the list of init files loaded by gdb at startup, you
1384 can use @kbd{gdb --help}.
1386 @cindex init file name
1387 @cindex @file{.gdbinit}
1388 @cindex @file{gdb.ini}
1389 The @value{GDBN} init files are normally called @file{.gdbinit}.
1390 The DJGPP port of @value{GDBN} uses the name @file{gdb.ini}, due to
1391 the limitations of file names imposed by DOS filesystems. The Windows
1392 port of @value{GDBN} uses the standard name, but if it finds a
1393 @file{gdb.ini} file in your home directory, it warns you about that
1394 and suggests to rename the file to the standard name.
1398 @section Quitting @value{GDBN}
1399 @cindex exiting @value{GDBN}
1400 @cindex leaving @value{GDBN}
1403 @kindex quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1404 @kindex q @r{(@code{quit})}
1405 @item quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1407 To exit @value{GDBN}, use the @code{quit} command (abbreviated
1408 @code{q}), or type an end-of-file character (usually @kbd{Ctrl-d}). If you
1409 do not supply @var{expression}, @value{GDBN} will terminate normally;
1410 otherwise it will terminate using the result of @var{expression} as the
1415 An interrupt (often @kbd{Ctrl-c}) does not exit from @value{GDBN}, but rather
1416 terminates the action of any @value{GDBN} command that is in progress and
1417 returns to @value{GDBN} command level. It is safe to type the interrupt
1418 character at any time because @value{GDBN} does not allow it to take effect
1419 until a time when it is safe.
1421 If you have been using @value{GDBN} to control an attached process or
1422 device, you can release it with the @code{detach} command
1423 (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an Already-running Process}).
1425 @node Shell Commands
1426 @section Shell Commands
1428 If you need to execute occasional shell commands during your
1429 debugging session, there is no need to leave or suspend @value{GDBN}; you can
1430 just use the @code{shell} command.
1435 @cindex shell escape
1436 @item shell @var{command-string}
1437 @itemx !@var{command-string}
1438 Invoke a standard shell to execute @var{command-string}.
1439 Note that no space is needed between @code{!} and @var{command-string}.
1440 If it exists, the environment variable @code{SHELL} determines which
1441 shell to run. Otherwise @value{GDBN} uses the default shell
1442 (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix systems, @file{COMMAND.COM} on MS-DOS, etc.).
1445 The utility @code{make} is often needed in development environments.
1446 You do not have to use the @code{shell} command for this purpose in
1451 @cindex calling make
1452 @item make @var{make-args}
1453 Execute the @code{make} program with the specified
1454 arguments. This is equivalent to @samp{shell make @var{make-args}}.
1457 @node Logging Output
1458 @section Logging Output
1459 @cindex logging @value{GDBN} output
1460 @cindex save @value{GDBN} output to a file
1462 You may want to save the output of @value{GDBN} commands to a file.
1463 There are several commands to control @value{GDBN}'s logging.
1467 @item set logging on
1469 @item set logging off
1471 @cindex logging file name
1472 @item set logging file @var{file}
1473 Change the name of the current logfile. The default logfile is @file{gdb.txt}.
1474 @item set logging overwrite [on|off]
1475 By default, @value{GDBN} will append to the logfile. Set @code{overwrite} if
1476 you want @code{set logging on} to overwrite the logfile instead.
1477 @item set logging redirect [on|off]
1478 By default, @value{GDBN} output will go to both the terminal and the logfile.
1479 Set @code{redirect} if you want output to go only to the log file.
1480 @kindex show logging
1482 Show the current values of the logging settings.
1486 @chapter @value{GDBN} Commands
1488 You can abbreviate a @value{GDBN} command to the first few letters of the command
1489 name, if that abbreviation is unambiguous; and you can repeat certain
1490 @value{GDBN} commands by typing just @key{RET}. You can also use the @key{TAB}
1491 key to get @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest of a word in a command (or to
1492 show you the alternatives available, if there is more than one possibility).
1495 * Command Syntax:: How to give commands to @value{GDBN}
1496 * Completion:: Command completion
1497 * Help:: How to ask @value{GDBN} for help
1500 @node Command Syntax
1501 @section Command Syntax
1503 A @value{GDBN} command is a single line of input. There is no limit on
1504 how long it can be. It starts with a command name, which is followed by
1505 arguments whose meaning depends on the command name. For example, the
1506 command @code{step} accepts an argument which is the number of times to
1507 step, as in @samp{step 5}. You can also use the @code{step} command
1508 with no arguments. Some commands do not allow any arguments.
1510 @cindex abbreviation
1511 @value{GDBN} command names may always be truncated if that abbreviation is
1512 unambiguous. Other possible command abbreviations are listed in the
1513 documentation for individual commands. In some cases, even ambiguous
1514 abbreviations are allowed; for example, @code{s} is specially defined as
1515 equivalent to @code{step} even though there are other commands whose
1516 names start with @code{s}. You can test abbreviations by using them as
1517 arguments to the @code{help} command.
1519 @cindex repeating commands
1520 @kindex RET @r{(repeat last command)}
1521 A blank line as input to @value{GDBN} (typing just @key{RET}) means to
1522 repeat the previous command. Certain commands (for example, @code{run})
1523 will not repeat this way; these are commands whose unintentional
1524 repetition might cause trouble and which you are unlikely to want to
1525 repeat. User-defined commands can disable this feature; see
1526 @ref{Define, dont-repeat}.
1528 The @code{list} and @code{x} commands, when you repeat them with
1529 @key{RET}, construct new arguments rather than repeating
1530 exactly as typed. This permits easy scanning of source or memory.
1532 @value{GDBN} can also use @key{RET} in another way: to partition lengthy
1533 output, in a way similar to the common utility @code{more}
1534 (@pxref{Screen Size,,Screen Size}). Since it is easy to press one
1535 @key{RET} too many in this situation, @value{GDBN} disables command
1536 repetition after any command that generates this sort of display.
1538 @kindex # @r{(a comment)}
1540 Any text from a @kbd{#} to the end of the line is a comment; it does
1541 nothing. This is useful mainly in command files (@pxref{Command
1542 Files,,Command Files}).
1544 @cindex repeating command sequences
1545 @kindex Ctrl-o @r{(operate-and-get-next)}
1546 The @kbd{Ctrl-o} binding is useful for repeating a complex sequence of
1547 commands. This command accepts the current line, like @key{RET}, and
1548 then fetches the next line relative to the current line from the history
1552 @section Command Completion
1555 @cindex word completion
1556 @value{GDBN} can fill in the rest of a word in a command for you, if there is
1557 only one possibility; it can also show you what the valid possibilities
1558 are for the next word in a command, at any time. This works for @value{GDBN}
1559 commands, @value{GDBN} subcommands, and the names of symbols in your program.
1561 Press the @key{TAB} key whenever you want @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest
1562 of a word. If there is only one possibility, @value{GDBN} fills in the
1563 word, and waits for you to finish the command (or press @key{RET} to
1564 enter it). For example, if you type
1566 @c FIXME "@key" does not distinguish its argument sufficiently to permit
1567 @c complete accuracy in these examples; space introduced for clarity.
1568 @c If texinfo enhancements make it unnecessary, it would be nice to
1569 @c replace " @key" by "@key" in the following...
1571 (@value{GDBP}) info bre @key{TAB}
1575 @value{GDBN} fills in the rest of the word @samp{breakpoints}, since that is
1576 the only @code{info} subcommand beginning with @samp{bre}:
1579 (@value{GDBP}) info breakpoints
1583 You can either press @key{RET} at this point, to run the @code{info
1584 breakpoints} command, or backspace and enter something else, if
1585 @samp{breakpoints} does not look like the command you expected. (If you
1586 were sure you wanted @code{info breakpoints} in the first place, you
1587 might as well just type @key{RET} immediately after @samp{info bre},
1588 to exploit command abbreviations rather than command completion).
1590 If there is more than one possibility for the next word when you press
1591 @key{TAB}, @value{GDBN} sounds a bell. You can either supply more
1592 characters and try again, or just press @key{TAB} a second time;
1593 @value{GDBN} displays all the possible completions for that word. For
1594 example, you might want to set a breakpoint on a subroutine whose name
1595 begins with @samp{make_}, but when you type @kbd{b make_@key{TAB}} @value{GDBN}
1596 just sounds the bell. Typing @key{TAB} again displays all the
1597 function names in your program that begin with those characters, for
1601 (@value{GDBP}) b make_ @key{TAB}
1602 @exdent @value{GDBN} sounds bell; press @key{TAB} again, to see:
1603 make_a_section_from_file make_environ
1604 make_abs_section make_function_type
1605 make_blockvector make_pointer_type
1606 make_cleanup make_reference_type
1607 make_command make_symbol_completion_list
1608 (@value{GDBP}) b make_
1612 After displaying the available possibilities, @value{GDBN} copies your
1613 partial input (@samp{b make_} in the example) so you can finish the
1616 If you just want to see the list of alternatives in the first place, you
1617 can press @kbd{M-?} rather than pressing @key{TAB} twice. @kbd{M-?}
1618 means @kbd{@key{META} ?}. You can type this either by holding down a
1619 key designated as the @key{META} shift on your keyboard (if there is
1620 one) while typing @kbd{?}, or as @key{ESC} followed by @kbd{?}.
1622 If the number of possible completions is large, @value{GDBN} will
1623 print as much of the list as it has collected, as well as a message
1624 indicating that the list may be truncated.
1627 (@value{GDBP}) b m@key{TAB}@key{TAB}
1629 <... the rest of the possible completions ...>
1630 *** List may be truncated, max-completions reached. ***
1635 This behavior can be controlled with the following commands:
1638 @kindex set max-completions
1639 @item set max-completions @var{limit}
1640 @itemx set max-completions unlimited
1641 Set the maximum number of completion candidates. @value{GDBN} will
1642 stop looking for more completions once it collects this many candidates.
1643 This is useful when completing on things like function names as collecting
1644 all the possible candidates can be time consuming.
1645 The default value is 200. A value of zero disables tab-completion.
1646 Note that setting either no limit or a very large limit can make
1648 @kindex show max-completions
1649 @item show max-completions
1650 Show the maximum number of candidates that @value{GDBN} will collect and show
1654 @cindex quotes in commands
1655 @cindex completion of quoted strings
1656 Sometimes the string you need, while logically a ``word'', may contain
1657 parentheses or other characters that @value{GDBN} normally excludes from
1658 its notion of a word. To permit word completion to work in this
1659 situation, you may enclose words in @code{'} (single quote marks) in
1660 @value{GDBN} commands.
1662 A likely situation where you might need this is in typing an
1663 expression that involves a C@t{++} symbol name with template
1664 parameters. This is because when completing expressions, GDB treats
1665 the @samp{<} character as word delimiter, assuming that it's the
1666 less-than comparison operator (@pxref{C Operators, , C and C@t{++}
1669 For example, when you want to call a C@t{++} template function
1670 interactively using the @code{print} or @code{call} commands, you may
1671 need to distinguish whether you mean the version of @code{name} that
1672 was specialized for @code{int}, @code{name<int>()}, or the version
1673 that was specialized for @code{float}, @code{name<float>()}. To use
1674 the word-completion facilities in this situation, type a single quote
1675 @code{'} at the beginning of the function name. This alerts
1676 @value{GDBN} that it may need to consider more information than usual
1677 when you press @key{TAB} or @kbd{M-?} to request word completion:
1680 (@value{GDBP}) p 'func< @kbd{M-?}
1681 func<int>() func<float>()
1682 (@value{GDBP}) p 'func<
1685 When setting breakpoints however (@pxref{Specify Location}), you don't
1686 usually need to type a quote before the function name, because
1687 @value{GDBN} understands that you want to set a breakpoint on a
1691 (@value{GDBP}) b func< @kbd{M-?}
1692 func<int>() func<float>()
1693 (@value{GDBP}) b func<
1696 This is true even in the case of typing the name of C@t{++} overloaded
1697 functions (multiple definitions of the same function, distinguished by
1698 argument type). For example, when you want to set a breakpoint you
1699 don't need to distinguish whether you mean the version of @code{name}
1700 that takes an @code{int} parameter, @code{name(int)}, or the version
1701 that takes a @code{float} parameter, @code{name(float)}.
1704 (@value{GDBP}) b bubble( @kbd{M-?}
1705 bubble(int) bubble(double)
1706 (@value{GDBP}) b bubble(dou @kbd{M-?}
1710 See @ref{quoting names} for a description of other scenarios that
1713 For more information about overloaded functions, see @ref{C Plus Plus
1714 Expressions, ,C@t{++} Expressions}. You can use the command @code{set
1715 overload-resolution off} to disable overload resolution;
1716 see @ref{Debugging C Plus Plus, ,@value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}}.
1718 @cindex completion of structure field names
1719 @cindex structure field name completion
1720 @cindex completion of union field names
1721 @cindex union field name completion
1722 When completing in an expression which looks up a field in a
1723 structure, @value{GDBN} also tries@footnote{The completer can be
1724 confused by certain kinds of invalid expressions. Also, it only
1725 examines the static type of the expression, not the dynamic type.} to
1726 limit completions to the field names available in the type of the
1730 (@value{GDBP}) p gdb_stdout.@kbd{M-?}
1731 magic to_fputs to_rewind
1732 to_data to_isatty to_write
1733 to_delete to_put to_write_async_safe
1738 This is because the @code{gdb_stdout} is a variable of the type
1739 @code{struct ui_file} that is defined in @value{GDBN} sources as
1746 ui_file_flush_ftype *to_flush;
1747 ui_file_write_ftype *to_write;
1748 ui_file_write_async_safe_ftype *to_write_async_safe;
1749 ui_file_fputs_ftype *to_fputs;
1750 ui_file_read_ftype *to_read;
1751 ui_file_delete_ftype *to_delete;
1752 ui_file_isatty_ftype *to_isatty;
1753 ui_file_rewind_ftype *to_rewind;
1754 ui_file_put_ftype *to_put;
1761 @section Getting Help
1762 @cindex online documentation
1765 You can always ask @value{GDBN} itself for information on its commands,
1766 using the command @code{help}.
1769 @kindex h @r{(@code{help})}
1772 You can use @code{help} (abbreviated @code{h}) with no arguments to
1773 display a short list of named classes of commands:
1777 List of classes of commands:
1779 aliases -- Aliases of other commands
1780 breakpoints -- Making program stop at certain points
1781 data -- Examining data
1782 files -- Specifying and examining files
1783 internals -- Maintenance commands
1784 obscure -- Obscure features
1785 running -- Running the program
1786 stack -- Examining the stack
1787 status -- Status inquiries
1788 support -- Support facilities
1789 tracepoints -- Tracing of program execution without
1790 stopping the program
1791 user-defined -- User-defined commands
1793 Type "help" followed by a class name for a list of
1794 commands in that class.
1795 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1797 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1800 @c the above line break eliminates huge line overfull...
1802 @item help @var{class}
1803 Using one of the general help classes as an argument, you can get a
1804 list of the individual commands in that class. For example, here is the
1805 help display for the class @code{status}:
1808 (@value{GDBP}) help status
1813 @c Line break in "show" line falsifies real output, but needed
1814 @c to fit in smallbook page size.
1815 info -- Generic command for showing things
1816 about the program being debugged
1817 show -- Generic command for showing things
1820 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1822 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1826 @item help @var{command}
1827 With a command name as @code{help} argument, @value{GDBN} displays a
1828 short paragraph on how to use that command.
1831 @item apropos @var{args}
1832 The @code{apropos} command searches through all of the @value{GDBN}
1833 commands, and their documentation, for the regular expression specified in
1834 @var{args}. It prints out all matches found. For example:
1845 alias -- Define a new command that is an alias of an existing command
1846 aliases -- Aliases of other commands
1847 d -- Delete some breakpoints or auto-display expressions
1848 del -- Delete some breakpoints or auto-display expressions
1849 delete -- Delete some breakpoints or auto-display expressions
1854 @item complete @var{args}
1855 The @code{complete @var{args}} command lists all the possible completions
1856 for the beginning of a command. Use @var{args} to specify the beginning of the
1857 command you want completed. For example:
1863 @noindent results in:
1874 @noindent This is intended for use by @sc{gnu} Emacs.
1877 In addition to @code{help}, you can use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{info}
1878 and @code{show} to inquire about the state of your program, or the state
1879 of @value{GDBN} itself. Each command supports many topics of inquiry; this
1880 manual introduces each of them in the appropriate context. The listings
1881 under @code{info} and under @code{show} in the Command, Variable, and
1882 Function Index point to all the sub-commands. @xref{Command and Variable
1888 @kindex i @r{(@code{info})}
1890 This command (abbreviated @code{i}) is for describing the state of your
1891 program. For example, you can show the arguments passed to a function
1892 with @code{info args}, list the registers currently in use with @code{info
1893 registers}, or list the breakpoints you have set with @code{info breakpoints}.
1894 You can get a complete list of the @code{info} sub-commands with
1895 @w{@code{help info}}.
1899 You can assign the result of an expression to an environment variable with
1900 @code{set}. For example, you can set the @value{GDBN} prompt to a $-sign with
1901 @code{set prompt $}.
1905 In contrast to @code{info}, @code{show} is for describing the state of
1906 @value{GDBN} itself.
1907 You can change most of the things you can @code{show}, by using the
1908 related command @code{set}; for example, you can control what number
1909 system is used for displays with @code{set radix}, or simply inquire
1910 which is currently in use with @code{show radix}.
1913 To display all the settable parameters and their current
1914 values, you can use @code{show} with no arguments; you may also use
1915 @code{info set}. Both commands produce the same display.
1916 @c FIXME: "info set" violates the rule that "info" is for state of
1917 @c FIXME...program. Ck w/ GNU: "info set" to be called something else,
1918 @c FIXME...or change desc of rule---eg "state of prog and debugging session"?
1922 Here are several miscellaneous @code{show} subcommands, all of which are
1923 exceptional in lacking corresponding @code{set} commands:
1926 @kindex show version
1927 @cindex @value{GDBN} version number
1929 Show what version of @value{GDBN} is running. You should include this
1930 information in @value{GDBN} bug-reports. If multiple versions of
1931 @value{GDBN} are in use at your site, you may need to determine which
1932 version of @value{GDBN} you are running; as @value{GDBN} evolves, new
1933 commands are introduced, and old ones may wither away. Also, many
1934 system vendors ship variant versions of @value{GDBN}, and there are
1935 variant versions of @value{GDBN} in @sc{gnu}/Linux distributions as well.
1936 The version number is the same as the one announced when you start
1939 @kindex show copying
1940 @kindex info copying
1941 @cindex display @value{GDBN} copyright
1944 Display information about permission for copying @value{GDBN}.
1946 @kindex show warranty
1947 @kindex info warranty
1949 @itemx info warranty
1950 Display the @sc{gnu} ``NO WARRANTY'' statement, or a warranty,
1951 if your version of @value{GDBN} comes with one.
1953 @kindex show configuration
1954 @item show configuration
1955 Display detailed information about the way @value{GDBN} was configured
1956 when it was built. This displays the optional arguments passed to the
1957 @file{configure} script and also configuration parameters detected
1958 automatically by @command{configure}. When reporting a @value{GDBN}
1959 bug (@pxref{GDB Bugs}), it is important to include this information in
1965 @chapter Running Programs Under @value{GDBN}
1967 When you run a program under @value{GDBN}, you must first generate
1968 debugging information when you compile it.
1970 You may start @value{GDBN} with its arguments, if any, in an environment
1971 of your choice. If you are doing native debugging, you may redirect
1972 your program's input and output, debug an already running process, or
1973 kill a child process.
1976 * Compilation:: Compiling for debugging
1977 * Starting:: Starting your program
1978 * Arguments:: Your program's arguments
1979 * Environment:: Your program's environment
1981 * Working Directory:: Your program's working directory
1982 * Input/Output:: Your program's input and output
1983 * Attach:: Debugging an already-running process
1984 * Kill Process:: Killing the child process
1986 * Inferiors and Programs:: Debugging multiple inferiors and programs
1987 * Threads:: Debugging programs with multiple threads
1988 * Forks:: Debugging forks
1989 * Checkpoint/Restart:: Setting a @emph{bookmark} to return to later
1993 @section Compiling for Debugging
1995 In order to debug a program effectively, you need to generate
1996 debugging information when you compile it. This debugging information
1997 is stored in the object file; it describes the data type of each
1998 variable or function and the correspondence between source line numbers
1999 and addresses in the executable code.
2001 To request debugging information, specify the @samp{-g} option when you run
2004 Programs that are to be shipped to your customers are compiled with
2005 optimizations, using the @samp{-O} compiler option. However, some
2006 compilers are unable to handle the @samp{-g} and @samp{-O} options
2007 together. Using those compilers, you cannot generate optimized
2008 executables containing debugging information.
2010 @value{NGCC}, the @sc{gnu} C/C@t{++} compiler, supports @samp{-g} with or
2011 without @samp{-O}, making it possible to debug optimized code. We
2012 recommend that you @emph{always} use @samp{-g} whenever you compile a
2013 program. You may think your program is correct, but there is no sense
2014 in pushing your luck. For more information, see @ref{Optimized Code}.
2016 Older versions of the @sc{gnu} C compiler permitted a variant option
2017 @w{@samp{-gg}} for debugging information. @value{GDBN} no longer supports this
2018 format; if your @sc{gnu} C compiler has this option, do not use it.
2020 @value{GDBN} knows about preprocessor macros and can show you their
2021 expansion (@pxref{Macros}). Most compilers do not include information
2022 about preprocessor macros in the debugging information if you specify
2023 the @option{-g} flag alone. Version 3.1 and later of @value{NGCC},
2024 the @sc{gnu} C compiler, provides macro information if you are using
2025 the DWARF debugging format, and specify the option @option{-g3}.
2027 @xref{Debugging Options,,Options for Debugging Your Program or GCC,
2028 gcc, Using the @sc{gnu} Compiler Collection (GCC)}, for more
2029 information on @value{NGCC} options affecting debug information.
2031 You will have the best debugging experience if you use the latest
2032 version of the DWARF debugging format that your compiler supports.
2033 DWARF is currently the most expressive and best supported debugging
2034 format in @value{GDBN}.
2038 @section Starting your Program
2044 @kindex r @r{(@code{run})}
2047 Use the @code{run} command to start your program under @value{GDBN}.
2048 You must first specify the program name with an argument to
2049 @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Invocation, ,Getting In and Out of
2050 @value{GDBN}}), or by using the @code{file} or @code{exec-file}
2051 command (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
2055 If you are running your program in an execution environment that
2056 supports processes, @code{run} creates an inferior process and makes
2057 that process run your program. In some environments without processes,
2058 @code{run} jumps to the start of your program. Other targets,
2059 like @samp{remote}, are always running. If you get an error
2060 message like this one:
2063 The "remote" target does not support "run".
2064 Try "help target" or "continue".
2068 then use @code{continue} to run your program. You may need @code{load}
2069 first (@pxref{load}).
2071 The execution of a program is affected by certain information it
2072 receives from its superior. @value{GDBN} provides ways to specify this
2073 information, which you must do @emph{before} starting your program. (You
2074 can change it after starting your program, but such changes only affect
2075 your program the next time you start it.) This information may be
2076 divided into four categories:
2079 @item The @emph{arguments.}
2080 Specify the arguments to give your program as the arguments of the
2081 @code{run} command. If a shell is available on your target, the shell
2082 is used to pass the arguments, so that you may use normal conventions
2083 (such as wildcard expansion or variable substitution) in describing
2085 In Unix systems, you can control which shell is used with the
2086 @code{SHELL} environment variable. If you do not define @code{SHELL},
2087 @value{GDBN} uses the default shell (@file{/bin/sh}). You can disable
2088 use of any shell with the @code{set startup-with-shell} command (see
2091 @item The @emph{environment.}
2092 Your program normally inherits its environment from @value{GDBN}, but you can
2093 use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{set environment} and @code{unset
2094 environment} to change parts of the environment that affect
2095 your program. @xref{Environment, ,Your Program's Environment}.
2097 @item The @emph{working directory.}
2098 You can set your program's working directory with the command
2099 @kbd{set cwd}. If you do not set any working directory with this
2100 command, your program will inherit @value{GDBN}'s working directory if
2101 native debugging, or the remote server's working directory if remote
2102 debugging. @xref{Working Directory, ,Your Program's Working
2105 @item The @emph{standard input and output.}
2106 Your program normally uses the same device for standard input and
2107 standard output as @value{GDBN} is using. You can redirect input and output
2108 in the @code{run} command line, or you can use the @code{tty} command to
2109 set a different device for your program.
2110 @xref{Input/Output, ,Your Program's Input and Output}.
2113 @emph{Warning:} While input and output redirection work, you cannot use
2114 pipes to pass the output of the program you are debugging to another
2115 program; if you attempt this, @value{GDBN} is likely to wind up debugging the
2119 When you issue the @code{run} command, your program begins to execute
2120 immediately. @xref{Stopping, ,Stopping and Continuing}, for discussion
2121 of how to arrange for your program to stop. Once your program has
2122 stopped, you may call functions in your program, using the @code{print}
2123 or @code{call} commands. @xref{Data, ,Examining Data}.
2125 If the modification time of your symbol file has changed since the last
2126 time @value{GDBN} read its symbols, @value{GDBN} discards its symbol
2127 table, and reads it again. When it does this, @value{GDBN} tries to retain
2128 your current breakpoints.
2133 @cindex run to main procedure
2134 The name of the main procedure can vary from language to language.
2135 With C or C@t{++}, the main procedure name is always @code{main}, but
2136 other languages such as Ada do not require a specific name for their
2137 main procedure. The debugger provides a convenient way to start the
2138 execution of the program and to stop at the beginning of the main
2139 procedure, depending on the language used.
2141 The @samp{start} command does the equivalent of setting a temporary
2142 breakpoint at the beginning of the main procedure and then invoking
2143 the @samp{run} command.
2145 @cindex elaboration phase
2146 Some programs contain an @dfn{elaboration} phase where some startup code is
2147 executed before the main procedure is called. This depends on the
2148 languages used to write your program. In C@t{++}, for instance,
2149 constructors for static and global objects are executed before
2150 @code{main} is called. It is therefore possible that the debugger stops
2151 before reaching the main procedure. However, the temporary breakpoint
2152 will remain to halt execution.
2154 Specify the arguments to give to your program as arguments to the
2155 @samp{start} command. These arguments will be given verbatim to the
2156 underlying @samp{run} command. Note that the same arguments will be
2157 reused if no argument is provided during subsequent calls to
2158 @samp{start} or @samp{run}.
2160 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration. In
2161 these cases, using the @code{start} command would stop the execution
2162 of your program too late, as the program would have already completed
2163 the elaboration phase. Under these circumstances, either insert
2164 breakpoints in your elaboration code before running your program or
2165 use the @code{starti} command.
2169 @cindex run to first instruction
2170 The @samp{starti} command does the equivalent of setting a temporary
2171 breakpoint at the first instruction of a program's execution and then
2172 invoking the @samp{run} command. For programs containing an
2173 elaboration phase, the @code{starti} command will stop execution at
2174 the start of the elaboration phase.
2176 @anchor{set exec-wrapper}
2177 @kindex set exec-wrapper
2178 @item set exec-wrapper @var{wrapper}
2179 @itemx show exec-wrapper
2180 @itemx unset exec-wrapper
2181 When @samp{exec-wrapper} is set, the specified wrapper is used to
2182 launch programs for debugging. @value{GDBN} starts your program
2183 with a shell command of the form @kbd{exec @var{wrapper}
2184 @var{program}}. Quoting is added to @var{program} and its
2185 arguments, but not to @var{wrapper}, so you should add quotes if
2186 appropriate for your shell. The wrapper runs until it executes
2187 your program, and then @value{GDBN} takes control.
2189 You can use any program that eventually calls @code{execve} with
2190 its arguments as a wrapper. Several standard Unix utilities do
2191 this, e.g.@: @code{env} and @code{nohup}. Any Unix shell script ending
2192 with @code{exec "$@@"} will also work.
2194 For example, you can use @code{env} to pass an environment variable to
2195 the debugged program, without setting the variable in your shell's
2199 (@value{GDBP}) set exec-wrapper env 'LD_PRELOAD=libtest.so'
2203 This command is available when debugging locally on most targets, excluding
2204 @sc{djgpp}, Cygwin, MS Windows, and QNX Neutrino.
2206 @kindex set startup-with-shell
2207 @anchor{set startup-with-shell}
2208 @item set startup-with-shell
2209 @itemx set startup-with-shell on
2210 @itemx set startup-with-shell off
2211 @itemx show startup-with-shell
2212 On Unix systems, by default, if a shell is available on your target,
2213 @value{GDBN}) uses it to start your program. Arguments of the
2214 @code{run} command are passed to the shell, which does variable
2215 substitution, expands wildcard characters and performs redirection of
2216 I/O. In some circumstances, it may be useful to disable such use of a
2217 shell, for example, when debugging the shell itself or diagnosing
2218 startup failures such as:
2222 Starting program: ./a.out
2223 During startup program terminated with signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
2227 which indicates the shell or the wrapper specified with
2228 @samp{exec-wrapper} crashed, not your program. Most often, this is
2229 caused by something odd in your shell's non-interactive mode
2230 initialization file---such as @file{.cshrc} for C-shell,
2231 $@file{.zshenv} for the Z shell, or the file specified in the
2232 @samp{BASH_ENV} environment variable for BASH.
2234 @anchor{set auto-connect-native-target}
2235 @kindex set auto-connect-native-target
2236 @item set auto-connect-native-target
2237 @itemx set auto-connect-native-target on
2238 @itemx set auto-connect-native-target off
2239 @itemx show auto-connect-native-target
2241 By default, if not connected to any target yet (e.g., with
2242 @code{target remote}), the @code{run} command starts your program as a
2243 native process under @value{GDBN}, on your local machine. If you're
2244 sure you don't want to debug programs on your local machine, you can
2245 tell @value{GDBN} to not connect to the native target automatically
2246 with the @code{set auto-connect-native-target off} command.
2248 If @code{on}, which is the default, and if @value{GDBN} is not
2249 connected to a target already, the @code{run} command automaticaly
2250 connects to the native target, if one is available.
2252 If @code{off}, and if @value{GDBN} is not connected to a target
2253 already, the @code{run} command fails with an error:
2257 Don't know how to run. Try "help target".
2260 If @value{GDBN} is already connected to a target, @value{GDBN} always
2261 uses it with the @code{run} command.
2263 In any case, you can explicitly connect to the native target with the
2264 @code{target native} command. For example,
2267 (@value{GDBP}) set auto-connect-native-target off
2269 Don't know how to run. Try "help target".
2270 (@value{GDBP}) target native
2272 Starting program: ./a.out
2273 [Inferior 1 (process 10421) exited normally]
2276 In case you connected explicitly to the @code{native} target,
2277 @value{GDBN} remains connected even if all inferiors exit, ready for
2278 the next @code{run} command. Use the @code{disconnect} command to
2281 Examples of other commands that likewise respect the
2282 @code{auto-connect-native-target} setting: @code{attach}, @code{info
2283 proc}, @code{info os}.
2285 @kindex set disable-randomization
2286 @item set disable-randomization
2287 @itemx set disable-randomization on
2288 This option (enabled by default in @value{GDBN}) will turn off the native
2289 randomization of the virtual address space of the started program. This option
2290 is useful for multiple debugging sessions to make the execution better
2291 reproducible and memory addresses reusable across debugging sessions.
2293 This feature is implemented only on certain targets, including @sc{gnu}/Linux.
2294 On @sc{gnu}/Linux you can get the same behavior using
2297 (@value{GDBP}) set exec-wrapper setarch `uname -m` -R
2300 @item set disable-randomization off
2301 Leave the behavior of the started executable unchanged. Some bugs rear their
2302 ugly heads only when the program is loaded at certain addresses. If your bug
2303 disappears when you run the program under @value{GDBN}, that might be because
2304 @value{GDBN} by default disables the address randomization on platforms, such
2305 as @sc{gnu}/Linux, which do that for stand-alone programs. Use @kbd{set
2306 disable-randomization off} to try to reproduce such elusive bugs.
2308 On targets where it is available, virtual address space randomization
2309 protects the programs against certain kinds of security attacks. In these
2310 cases the attacker needs to know the exact location of a concrete executable
2311 code. Randomizing its location makes it impossible to inject jumps misusing
2312 a code at its expected addresses.
2314 Prelinking shared libraries provides a startup performance advantage but it
2315 makes addresses in these libraries predictable for privileged processes by
2316 having just unprivileged access at the target system. Reading the shared
2317 library binary gives enough information for assembling the malicious code
2318 misusing it. Still even a prelinked shared library can get loaded at a new
2319 random address just requiring the regular relocation process during the
2320 startup. Shared libraries not already prelinked are always loaded at
2321 a randomly chosen address.
2323 Position independent executables (PIE) contain position independent code
2324 similar to the shared libraries and therefore such executables get loaded at
2325 a randomly chosen address upon startup. PIE executables always load even
2326 already prelinked shared libraries at a random address. You can build such
2327 executable using @command{gcc -fPIE -pie}.
2329 Heap (malloc storage), stack and custom mmap areas are always placed randomly
2330 (as long as the randomization is enabled).
2332 @item show disable-randomization
2333 Show the current setting of the explicit disable of the native randomization of
2334 the virtual address space of the started program.
2339 @section Your Program's Arguments
2341 @cindex arguments (to your program)
2342 The arguments to your program can be specified by the arguments of the
2344 They are passed to a shell, which expands wildcard characters and
2345 performs redirection of I/O, and thence to your program. Your
2346 @code{SHELL} environment variable (if it exists) specifies what shell
2347 @value{GDBN} uses. If you do not define @code{SHELL}, @value{GDBN} uses
2348 the default shell (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix).
2350 On non-Unix systems, the program is usually invoked directly by
2351 @value{GDBN}, which emulates I/O redirection via the appropriate system
2352 calls, and the wildcard characters are expanded by the startup code of
2353 the program, not by the shell.
2355 @code{run} with no arguments uses the same arguments used by the previous
2356 @code{run}, or those set by the @code{set args} command.
2361 Specify the arguments to be used the next time your program is run. If
2362 @code{set args} has no arguments, @code{run} executes your program
2363 with no arguments. Once you have run your program with arguments,
2364 using @code{set args} before the next @code{run} is the only way to run
2365 it again without arguments.
2369 Show the arguments to give your program when it is started.
2373 @section Your Program's Environment
2375 @cindex environment (of your program)
2376 The @dfn{environment} consists of a set of environment variables and
2377 their values. Environment variables conventionally record such things as
2378 your user name, your home directory, your terminal type, and your search
2379 path for programs to run. Usually you set up environment variables with
2380 the shell and they are inherited by all the other programs you run. When
2381 debugging, it can be useful to try running your program with a modified
2382 environment without having to start @value{GDBN} over again.
2386 @item path @var{directory}
2387 Add @var{directory} to the front of the @code{PATH} environment variable
2388 (the search path for executables) that will be passed to your program.
2389 The value of @code{PATH} used by @value{GDBN} does not change.
2390 You may specify several directory names, separated by whitespace or by a
2391 system-dependent separator character (@samp{:} on Unix, @samp{;} on
2392 MS-DOS and MS-Windows). If @var{directory} is already in the path, it
2393 is moved to the front, so it is searched sooner.
2395 You can use the string @samp{$cwd} to refer to whatever is the current
2396 working directory at the time @value{GDBN} searches the path. If you
2397 use @samp{.} instead, it refers to the directory where you executed the
2398 @code{path} command. @value{GDBN} replaces @samp{.} in the
2399 @var{directory} argument (with the current path) before adding
2400 @var{directory} to the search path.
2401 @c 'path' is explicitly nonrepeatable, but RMS points out it is silly to
2402 @c document that, since repeating it would be a no-op.
2406 Display the list of search paths for executables (the @code{PATH}
2407 environment variable).
2409 @kindex show environment
2410 @item show environment @r{[}@var{varname}@r{]}
2411 Print the value of environment variable @var{varname} to be given to
2412 your program when it starts. If you do not supply @var{varname},
2413 print the names and values of all environment variables to be given to
2414 your program. You can abbreviate @code{environment} as @code{env}.
2416 @kindex set environment
2417 @anchor{set environment}
2418 @item set environment @var{varname} @r{[}=@var{value}@r{]}
2419 Set environment variable @var{varname} to @var{value}. The value
2420 changes for your program (and the shell @value{GDBN} uses to launch
2421 it), not for @value{GDBN} itself. The @var{value} may be any string; the
2422 values of environment variables are just strings, and any
2423 interpretation is supplied by your program itself. The @var{value}
2424 parameter is optional; if it is eliminated, the variable is set to a
2426 @c "any string" here does not include leading, trailing
2427 @c blanks. Gnu asks: does anyone care?
2429 For example, this command:
2436 tells the debugged program, when subsequently run, that its user is named
2437 @samp{foo}. (The spaces around @samp{=} are used for clarity here; they
2438 are not actually required.)
2440 Note that on Unix systems, @value{GDBN} runs your program via a shell,
2441 which also inherits the environment set with @code{set environment}.
2442 If necessary, you can avoid that by using the @samp{env} program as a
2443 wrapper instead of using @code{set environment}. @xref{set
2444 exec-wrapper}, for an example doing just that.
2446 Environment variables that are set by the user are also transmitted to
2447 @command{gdbserver} to be used when starting the remote inferior.
2448 @pxref{QEnvironmentHexEncoded}.
2450 @kindex unset environment
2451 @anchor{unset environment}
2452 @item unset environment @var{varname}
2453 Remove variable @var{varname} from the environment to be passed to your
2454 program. This is different from @samp{set env @var{varname} =};
2455 @code{unset environment} removes the variable from the environment,
2456 rather than assigning it an empty value.
2458 Environment variables that are unset by the user are also unset on
2459 @command{gdbserver} when starting the remote inferior.
2460 @pxref{QEnvironmentUnset}.
2463 @emph{Warning:} On Unix systems, @value{GDBN} runs your program using
2464 the shell indicated by your @code{SHELL} environment variable if it
2465 exists (or @code{/bin/sh} if not). If your @code{SHELL} variable
2466 names a shell that runs an initialization file when started
2467 non-interactively---such as @file{.cshrc} for C-shell, $@file{.zshenv}
2468 for the Z shell, or the file specified in the @samp{BASH_ENV}
2469 environment variable for BASH---any variables you set in that file
2470 affect your program. You may wish to move setting of environment
2471 variables to files that are only run when you sign on, such as
2472 @file{.login} or @file{.profile}.
2474 @node Working Directory
2475 @section Your Program's Working Directory
2477 @cindex working directory (of your program)
2478 Each time you start your program with @code{run}, the inferior will be
2479 initialized with the current working directory specified by the
2480 @kbd{set cwd} command. If no directory has been specified by this
2481 command, then the inferior will inherit @value{GDBN}'s current working
2482 directory as its working directory if native debugging, or it will
2483 inherit the remote server's current working directory if remote
2488 @cindex change inferior's working directory
2489 @anchor{set cwd command}
2490 @item set cwd @r{[}@var{directory}@r{]}
2491 Set the inferior's working directory to @var{directory}, which will be
2492 @code{glob}-expanded in order to resolve tildes (@file{~}). If no
2493 argument has been specified, the command clears the setting and resets
2494 it to an empty state. This setting has no effect on @value{GDBN}'s
2495 working directory, and it only takes effect the next time you start
2496 the inferior. The @file{~} in @var{directory} is a short for the
2497 @dfn{home directory}, usually pointed to by the @env{HOME} environment
2498 variable. On MS-Windows, if @env{HOME} is not defined, @value{GDBN}
2499 uses the concatenation of @env{HOMEDRIVE} and @env{HOMEPATH} as
2502 You can also change @value{GDBN}'s current working directory by using
2503 the @code{cd} command.
2507 @cindex show inferior's working directory
2509 Show the inferior's working directory. If no directory has been
2510 specified by @kbd{set cwd}, then the default inferior's working
2511 directory is the same as @value{GDBN}'s working directory.
2514 @cindex change @value{GDBN}'s working directory
2516 @item cd @r{[}@var{directory}@r{]}
2517 Set the @value{GDBN} working directory to @var{directory}. If not
2518 given, @var{directory} uses @file{'~'}.
2520 The @value{GDBN} working directory serves as a default for the
2521 commands that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate on.
2522 @xref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}.
2523 @xref{set cwd command}.
2527 Print the @value{GDBN} working directory.
2530 It is generally impossible to find the current working directory of
2531 the process being debugged (since a program can change its directory
2532 during its run). If you work on a system where @value{GDBN} supports
2533 the @code{info proc} command (@pxref{Process Information}), you can
2534 use the @code{info proc} command to find out the
2535 current working directory of the debuggee.
2538 @section Your Program's Input and Output
2543 By default, the program you run under @value{GDBN} does input and output to
2544 the same terminal that @value{GDBN} uses. @value{GDBN} switches the terminal
2545 to its own terminal modes to interact with you, but it records the terminal
2546 modes your program was using and switches back to them when you continue
2547 running your program.
2550 @kindex info terminal
2552 Displays information recorded by @value{GDBN} about the terminal modes your
2556 You can redirect your program's input and/or output using shell
2557 redirection with the @code{run} command. For example,
2564 starts your program, diverting its output to the file @file{outfile}.
2567 @cindex controlling terminal
2568 Another way to specify where your program should do input and output is
2569 with the @code{tty} command. This command accepts a file name as
2570 argument, and causes this file to be the default for future @code{run}
2571 commands. It also resets the controlling terminal for the child
2572 process, for future @code{run} commands. For example,
2579 directs that processes started with subsequent @code{run} commands
2580 default to do input and output on the terminal @file{/dev/ttyb} and have
2581 that as their controlling terminal.
2583 An explicit redirection in @code{run} overrides the @code{tty} command's
2584 effect on the input/output device, but not its effect on the controlling
2587 When you use the @code{tty} command or redirect input in the @code{run}
2588 command, only the input @emph{for your program} is affected. The input
2589 for @value{GDBN} still comes from your terminal. @code{tty} is an alias
2590 for @code{set inferior-tty}.
2592 @cindex inferior tty
2593 @cindex set inferior controlling terminal
2594 You can use the @code{show inferior-tty} command to tell @value{GDBN} to
2595 display the name of the terminal that will be used for future runs of your
2599 @item set inferior-tty [ @var{tty} ]
2600 @kindex set inferior-tty
2601 Set the tty for the program being debugged to @var{tty}. Omitting @var{tty}
2602 restores the default behavior, which is to use the same terminal as
2605 @item show inferior-tty
2606 @kindex show inferior-tty
2607 Show the current tty for the program being debugged.
2611 @section Debugging an Already-running Process
2616 @item attach @var{process-id}
2617 This command attaches to a running process---one that was started
2618 outside @value{GDBN}. (@code{info files} shows your active
2619 targets.) The command takes as argument a process ID. The usual way to
2620 find out the @var{process-id} of a Unix process is with the @code{ps} utility,
2621 or with the @samp{jobs -l} shell command.
2623 @code{attach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} a second time after
2624 executing the command.
2627 To use @code{attach}, your program must be running in an environment
2628 which supports processes; for example, @code{attach} does not work for
2629 programs on bare-board targets that lack an operating system. You must
2630 also have permission to send the process a signal.
2632 When you use @code{attach}, the debugger finds the program running in
2633 the process first by looking in the current working directory, then (if
2634 the program is not found) by using the source file search path
2635 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying Source Directories}). You can also use
2636 the @code{file} command to load the program. @xref{Files, ,Commands to
2639 The first thing @value{GDBN} does after arranging to debug the specified
2640 process is to stop it. You can examine and modify an attached process
2641 with all the @value{GDBN} commands that are ordinarily available when
2642 you start processes with @code{run}. You can insert breakpoints; you
2643 can step and continue; you can modify storage. If you would rather the
2644 process continue running, you may use the @code{continue} command after
2645 attaching @value{GDBN} to the process.
2650 When you have finished debugging the attached process, you can use the
2651 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control. Detaching
2652 the process continues its execution. After the @code{detach} command,
2653 that process and @value{GDBN} become completely independent once more, and you
2654 are ready to @code{attach} another process or start one with @code{run}.
2655 @code{detach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
2656 executing the command.
2659 If you exit @value{GDBN} while you have an attached process, you detach
2660 that process. If you use the @code{run} command, you kill that process.
2661 By default, @value{GDBN} asks for confirmation if you try to do either of these
2662 things; you can control whether or not you need to confirm by using the
2663 @code{set confirm} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
2667 @section Killing the Child Process
2672 Kill the child process in which your program is running under @value{GDBN}.
2675 This command is useful if you wish to debug a core dump instead of a
2676 running process. @value{GDBN} ignores any core dump file while your program
2679 On some operating systems, a program cannot be executed outside @value{GDBN}
2680 while you have breakpoints set on it inside @value{GDBN}. You can use the
2681 @code{kill} command in this situation to permit running your program
2682 outside the debugger.
2684 The @code{kill} command is also useful if you wish to recompile and
2685 relink your program, since on many systems it is impossible to modify an
2686 executable file while it is running in a process. In this case, when you
2687 next type @code{run}, @value{GDBN} notices that the file has changed, and
2688 reads the symbol table again (while trying to preserve your current
2689 breakpoint settings).
2691 @node Inferiors and Programs
2692 @section Debugging Multiple Inferiors and Programs
2694 @value{GDBN} lets you run and debug multiple programs in a single
2695 session. In addition, @value{GDBN} on some systems may let you run
2696 several programs simultaneously (otherwise you have to exit from one
2697 before starting another). In the most general case, you can have
2698 multiple threads of execution in each of multiple processes, launched
2699 from multiple executables.
2702 @value{GDBN} represents the state of each program execution with an
2703 object called an @dfn{inferior}. An inferior typically corresponds to
2704 a process, but is more general and applies also to targets that do not
2705 have processes. Inferiors may be created before a process runs, and
2706 may be retained after a process exits. Inferiors have unique
2707 identifiers that are different from process ids. Usually each
2708 inferior will also have its own distinct address space, although some
2709 embedded targets may have several inferiors running in different parts
2710 of a single address space. Each inferior may in turn have multiple
2711 threads running in it.
2713 To find out what inferiors exist at any moment, use @w{@code{info
2717 @kindex info inferiors [ @var{id}@dots{} ]
2718 @item info inferiors
2719 Print a list of all inferiors currently being managed by @value{GDBN}.
2720 By default all inferiors are printed, but the argument @var{id}@dots{}
2721 -- a space separated list of inferior numbers -- can be used to limit
2722 the display to just the requested inferiors.
2724 @value{GDBN} displays for each inferior (in this order):
2728 the inferior number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2731 the target system's inferior identifier
2734 the name of the executable the inferior is running.
2739 An asterisk @samp{*} preceding the @value{GDBN} inferior number
2740 indicates the current inferior.
2744 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2747 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2748 Num Description Executable
2749 2 process 2307 hello
2750 * 1 process 3401 goodbye
2753 To switch focus between inferiors, use the @code{inferior} command:
2756 @kindex inferior @var{infno}
2757 @item inferior @var{infno}
2758 Make inferior number @var{infno} the current inferior. The argument
2759 @var{infno} is the inferior number assigned by @value{GDBN}, as shown
2760 in the first field of the @samp{info inferiors} display.
2763 @vindex $_inferior@r{, convenience variable}
2764 The debugger convenience variable @samp{$_inferior} contains the
2765 number of the current inferior. You may find this useful in writing
2766 breakpoint conditional expressions, command scripts, and so forth.
2767 @xref{Convenience Vars,, Convenience Variables}, for general
2768 information on convenience variables.
2770 You can get multiple executables into a debugging session via the
2771 @code{add-inferior} and @w{@code{clone-inferior}} commands. On some
2772 systems @value{GDBN} can add inferiors to the debug session
2773 automatically by following calls to @code{fork} and @code{exec}. To
2774 remove inferiors from the debugging session use the
2775 @w{@code{remove-inferiors}} command.
2778 @kindex add-inferior
2779 @item add-inferior [ -copies @var{n} ] [ -exec @var{executable} ]
2780 Adds @var{n} inferiors to be run using @var{executable} as the
2781 executable; @var{n} defaults to 1. If no executable is specified,
2782 the inferiors begins empty, with no program. You can still assign or
2783 change the program assigned to the inferior at any time by using the
2784 @code{file} command with the executable name as its argument.
2786 @kindex clone-inferior
2787 @item clone-inferior [ -copies @var{n} ] [ @var{infno} ]
2788 Adds @var{n} inferiors ready to execute the same program as inferior
2789 @var{infno}; @var{n} defaults to 1, and @var{infno} defaults to the
2790 number of the current inferior. This is a convenient command when you
2791 want to run another instance of the inferior you are debugging.
2794 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2795 Num Description Executable
2796 * 1 process 29964 helloworld
2797 (@value{GDBP}) clone-inferior
2800 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
2801 Num Description Executable
2803 * 1 process 29964 helloworld
2806 You can now simply switch focus to inferior 2 and run it.
2808 @kindex remove-inferiors
2809 @item remove-inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2810 Removes the inferior or inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}. It is not
2811 possible to remove an inferior that is running with this command. For
2812 those, use the @code{kill} or @code{detach} command first.
2816 To quit debugging one of the running inferiors that is not the current
2817 inferior, you can either detach from it by using the @w{@code{detach
2818 inferior}} command (allowing it to run independently), or kill it
2819 using the @w{@code{kill inferiors}} command:
2822 @kindex detach inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2823 @item detach inferior @var{infno}@dots{}
2824 Detach from the inferior or inferiors identified by @value{GDBN}
2825 inferior number(s) @var{infno}@dots{}. Note that the inferior's entry
2826 still stays on the list of inferiors shown by @code{info inferiors},
2827 but its Description will show @samp{<null>}.
2829 @kindex kill inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2830 @item kill inferiors @var{infno}@dots{}
2831 Kill the inferior or inferiors identified by @value{GDBN} inferior
2832 number(s) @var{infno}@dots{}. Note that the inferior's entry still
2833 stays on the list of inferiors shown by @code{info inferiors}, but its
2834 Description will show @samp{<null>}.
2837 After the successful completion of a command such as @code{detach},
2838 @code{detach inferiors}, @code{kill} or @code{kill inferiors}, or after
2839 a normal process exit, the inferior is still valid and listed with
2840 @code{info inferiors}, ready to be restarted.
2843 To be notified when inferiors are started or exit under @value{GDBN}'s
2844 control use @w{@code{set print inferior-events}}:
2847 @kindex set print inferior-events
2848 @cindex print messages on inferior start and exit
2849 @item set print inferior-events
2850 @itemx set print inferior-events on
2851 @itemx set print inferior-events off
2852 The @code{set print inferior-events} command allows you to enable or
2853 disable printing of messages when @value{GDBN} notices that new
2854 inferiors have started or that inferiors have exited or have been
2855 detached. By default, these messages will not be printed.
2857 @kindex show print inferior-events
2858 @item show print inferior-events
2859 Show whether messages will be printed when @value{GDBN} detects that
2860 inferiors have started, exited or have been detached.
2863 Many commands will work the same with multiple programs as with a
2864 single program: e.g., @code{print myglobal} will simply display the
2865 value of @code{myglobal} in the current inferior.
2868 Occasionaly, when debugging @value{GDBN} itself, it may be useful to
2869 get more info about the relationship of inferiors, programs, address
2870 spaces in a debug session. You can do that with the @w{@code{maint
2871 info program-spaces}} command.
2874 @kindex maint info program-spaces
2875 @item maint info program-spaces
2876 Print a list of all program spaces currently being managed by
2879 @value{GDBN} displays for each program space (in this order):
2883 the program space number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2886 the name of the executable loaded into the program space, with e.g.,
2887 the @code{file} command.
2892 An asterisk @samp{*} preceding the @value{GDBN} program space number
2893 indicates the current program space.
2895 In addition, below each program space line, @value{GDBN} prints extra
2896 information that isn't suitable to display in tabular form. For
2897 example, the list of inferiors bound to the program space.
2900 (@value{GDBP}) maint info program-spaces
2904 Bound inferiors: ID 1 (process 21561)
2907 Here we can see that no inferior is running the program @code{hello},
2908 while @code{process 21561} is running the program @code{goodbye}. On
2909 some targets, it is possible that multiple inferiors are bound to the
2910 same program space. The most common example is that of debugging both
2911 the parent and child processes of a @code{vfork} call. For example,
2914 (@value{GDBP}) maint info program-spaces
2917 Bound inferiors: ID 2 (process 18050), ID 1 (process 18045)
2920 Here, both inferior 2 and inferior 1 are running in the same program
2921 space as a result of inferior 1 having executed a @code{vfork} call.
2925 @section Debugging Programs with Multiple Threads
2927 @cindex threads of execution
2928 @cindex multiple threads
2929 @cindex switching threads
2930 In some operating systems, such as GNU/Linux and Solaris, a single program
2931 may have more than one @dfn{thread} of execution. The precise semantics
2932 of threads differ from one operating system to another, but in general
2933 the threads of a single program are akin to multiple processes---except
2934 that they share one address space (that is, they can all examine and
2935 modify the same variables). On the other hand, each thread has its own
2936 registers and execution stack, and perhaps private memory.
2938 @value{GDBN} provides these facilities for debugging multi-thread
2942 @item automatic notification of new threads
2943 @item @samp{thread @var{thread-id}}, a command to switch among threads
2944 @item @samp{info threads}, a command to inquire about existing threads
2945 @item @samp{thread apply [@var{thread-id-list} | all] @var{args}},
2946 a command to apply a command to a list of threads
2947 @item thread-specific breakpoints
2948 @item @samp{set print thread-events}, which controls printing of
2949 messages on thread start and exit.
2950 @item @samp{set libthread-db-search-path @var{path}}, which lets
2951 the user specify which @code{libthread_db} to use if the default choice
2952 isn't compatible with the program.
2955 @cindex focus of debugging
2956 @cindex current thread
2957 The @value{GDBN} thread debugging facility allows you to observe all
2958 threads while your program runs---but whenever @value{GDBN} takes
2959 control, one thread in particular is always the focus of debugging.
2960 This thread is called the @dfn{current thread}. Debugging commands show
2961 program information from the perspective of the current thread.
2963 @cindex @code{New} @var{systag} message
2964 @cindex thread identifier (system)
2965 @c FIXME-implementors!! It would be more helpful if the [New...] message
2966 @c included GDB's numeric thread handle, so you could just go to that
2967 @c thread without first checking `info threads'.
2968 Whenever @value{GDBN} detects a new thread in your program, it displays
2969 the target system's identification for the thread with a message in the
2970 form @samp{[New @var{systag}]}, where @var{systag} is a thread identifier
2971 whose form varies depending on the particular system. For example, on
2972 @sc{gnu}/Linux, you might see
2975 [New Thread 0x41e02940 (LWP 25582)]
2979 when @value{GDBN} notices a new thread. In contrast, on other systems,
2980 the @var{systag} is simply something like @samp{process 368}, with no
2983 @c FIXME!! (1) Does the [New...] message appear even for the very first
2984 @c thread of a program, or does it only appear for the
2985 @c second---i.e.@: when it becomes obvious we have a multithread
2987 @c (2) *Is* there necessarily a first thread always? Or do some
2988 @c multithread systems permit starting a program with multiple
2989 @c threads ab initio?
2991 @anchor{thread numbers}
2992 @cindex thread number, per inferior
2993 @cindex thread identifier (GDB)
2994 For debugging purposes, @value{GDBN} associates its own thread number
2995 ---always a single integer---with each thread of an inferior. This
2996 number is unique between all threads of an inferior, but not unique
2997 between threads of different inferiors.
2999 @cindex qualified thread ID
3000 You can refer to a given thread in an inferior using the qualified
3001 @var{inferior-num}.@var{thread-num} syntax, also known as
3002 @dfn{qualified thread ID}, with @var{inferior-num} being the inferior
3003 number and @var{thread-num} being the thread number of the given
3004 inferior. For example, thread @code{2.3} refers to thread number 3 of
3005 inferior 2. If you omit @var{inferior-num} (e.g., @code{thread 3}),
3006 then @value{GDBN} infers you're referring to a thread of the current
3009 Until you create a second inferior, @value{GDBN} does not show the
3010 @var{inferior-num} part of thread IDs, even though you can always use
3011 the full @var{inferior-num}.@var{thread-num} form to refer to threads
3012 of inferior 1, the initial inferior.
3014 @anchor{thread ID lists}
3015 @cindex thread ID lists
3016 Some commands accept a space-separated @dfn{thread ID list} as
3017 argument. A list element can be:
3021 A thread ID as shown in the first field of the @samp{info threads}
3022 display, with or without an inferior qualifier. E.g., @samp{2.1} or
3026 A range of thread numbers, again with or without an inferior
3027 qualifier, as in @var{inf}.@var{thr1}-@var{thr2} or
3028 @var{thr1}-@var{thr2}. E.g., @samp{1.2-4} or @samp{2-4}.
3031 All threads of an inferior, specified with a star wildcard, with or
3032 without an inferior qualifier, as in @var{inf}.@code{*} (e.g.,
3033 @samp{1.*}) or @code{*}. The former refers to all threads of the
3034 given inferior, and the latter form without an inferior qualifier
3035 refers to all threads of the current inferior.
3039 For example, if the current inferior is 1, and inferior 7 has one
3040 thread with ID 7.1, the thread list @samp{1 2-3 4.5 6.7-9 7.*}
3041 includes threads 1 to 3 of inferior 1, thread 5 of inferior 4, threads
3042 7 to 9 of inferior 6 and all threads of inferior 7. That is, in
3043 expanded qualified form, the same as @samp{1.1 1.2 1.3 4.5 6.7 6.8 6.9
3047 @anchor{global thread numbers}
3048 @cindex global thread number
3049 @cindex global thread identifier (GDB)
3050 In addition to a @emph{per-inferior} number, each thread is also
3051 assigned a unique @emph{global} number, also known as @dfn{global
3052 thread ID}, a single integer. Unlike the thread number component of
3053 the thread ID, no two threads have the same global ID, even when
3054 you're debugging multiple inferiors.
3056 From @value{GDBN}'s perspective, a process always has at least one
3057 thread. In other words, @value{GDBN} assigns a thread number to the
3058 program's ``main thread'' even if the program is not multi-threaded.
3060 @vindex $_thread@r{, convenience variable}
3061 @vindex $_gthread@r{, convenience variable}
3062 The debugger convenience variables @samp{$_thread} and
3063 @samp{$_gthread} contain, respectively, the per-inferior thread number
3064 and the global thread number of the current thread. You may find this
3065 useful in writing breakpoint conditional expressions, command scripts,
3066 and so forth. @xref{Convenience Vars,, Convenience Variables}, for
3067 general information on convenience variables.
3069 If @value{GDBN} detects the program is multi-threaded, it augments the
3070 usual message about stopping at a breakpoint with the ID and name of
3071 the thread that hit the breakpoint.
3074 Thread 2 "client" hit Breakpoint 1, send_message () at client.c:68
3077 Likewise when the program receives a signal:
3080 Thread 1 "main" received signal SIGINT, Interrupt.
3084 @kindex info threads
3085 @item info threads @r{[}@var{thread-id-list}@r{]}
3087 Display information about one or more threads. With no arguments
3088 displays information about all threads. You can specify the list of
3089 threads that you want to display using the thread ID list syntax
3090 (@pxref{thread ID lists}).
3092 @value{GDBN} displays for each thread (in this order):
3096 the per-inferior thread number assigned by @value{GDBN}
3099 the global thread number assigned by @value{GDBN}, if the @samp{-gid}
3100 option was specified
3103 the target system's thread identifier (@var{systag})
3106 the thread's name, if one is known. A thread can either be named by
3107 the user (see @code{thread name}, below), or, in some cases, by the
3111 the current stack frame summary for that thread
3115 An asterisk @samp{*} to the left of the @value{GDBN} thread number
3116 indicates the current thread.
3120 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
3123 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
3125 * 1 process 35 thread 13 main (argc=1, argv=0x7ffffff8)
3126 2 process 35 thread 23 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
3127 3 process 35 thread 27 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
3131 If you're debugging multiple inferiors, @value{GDBN} displays thread
3132 IDs using the qualified @var{inferior-num}.@var{thread-num} format.
3133 Otherwise, only @var{thread-num} is shown.
3135 If you specify the @samp{-gid} option, @value{GDBN} displays a column
3136 indicating each thread's global thread ID:
3139 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
3140 Id GId Target Id Frame
3141 1.1 1 process 35 thread 13 main (argc=1, argv=0x7ffffff8)
3142 1.2 3 process 35 thread 23 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
3143 1.3 4 process 35 thread 27 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
3144 * 2.1 2 process 65 thread 1 main (argc=1, argv=0x7ffffff8)
3147 On Solaris, you can display more information about user threads with a
3148 Solaris-specific command:
3151 @item maint info sol-threads
3152 @kindex maint info sol-threads
3153 @cindex thread info (Solaris)
3154 Display info on Solaris user threads.
3158 @kindex thread @var{thread-id}
3159 @item thread @var{thread-id}
3160 Make thread ID @var{thread-id} the current thread. The command
3161 argument @var{thread-id} is the @value{GDBN} thread ID, as shown in
3162 the first field of the @samp{info threads} display, with or without an
3163 inferior qualifier (e.g., @samp{2.1} or @samp{1}).
3165 @value{GDBN} responds by displaying the system identifier of the
3166 thread you selected, and its current stack frame summary:
3169 (@value{GDBP}) thread 2
3170 [Switching to thread 2 (Thread 0xb7fdab70 (LWP 12747))]
3171 #0 some_function (ignore=0x0) at example.c:8
3172 8 printf ("hello\n");
3176 As with the @samp{[New @dots{}]} message, the form of the text after
3177 @samp{Switching to} depends on your system's conventions for identifying
3180 @kindex thread apply
3181 @cindex apply command to several threads
3182 @item thread apply [@var{thread-id-list} | all [-ascending]] [@var{flag}]@dots{} @var{command}
3183 The @code{thread apply} command allows you to apply the named
3184 @var{command} to one or more threads. Specify the threads that you
3185 want affected using the thread ID list syntax (@pxref{thread ID
3186 lists}), or specify @code{all} to apply to all threads. To apply a
3187 command to all threads in descending order, type @kbd{thread apply all
3188 @var{command}}. To apply a command to all threads in ascending order,
3189 type @kbd{thread apply all -ascending @var{command}}.
3191 The @var{flag} arguments control what output to produce and how to handle
3192 errors raised when applying @var{command} to a thread. @var{flag}
3193 must start with a @code{-} directly followed by one letter in
3194 @code{qcs}. If several flags are provided, they must be given
3195 individually, such as @code{-c -q}.
3197 By default, @value{GDBN} displays some thread information before the
3198 output produced by @var{command}, and an error raised during the
3199 execution of a @var{command} will abort @code{thread apply}. The
3200 following flags can be used to fine-tune this behavior:
3204 The flag @code{-c}, which stands for @samp{continue}, causes any
3205 errors in @var{command} to be displayed, and the execution of
3206 @code{thread apply} then continues.
3208 The flag @code{-s}, which stands for @samp{silent}, causes any errors
3209 or empty output produced by a @var{command} to be silently ignored.
3210 That is, the execution continues, but the thread information and errors
3213 The flag @code{-q} (@samp{quiet}) disables printing the thread
3217 Flags @code{-c} and @code{-s} cannot be used together.
3220 @cindex apply command to all threads (ignoring errors and empty output)
3221 @item taas @var{command}
3222 Shortcut for @code{thread apply all -s @var{command}}.
3223 Applies @var{command} on all threads, ignoring errors and empty output.
3226 @cindex apply a command to all frames of all threads (ignoring errors and empty output)
3227 @item tfaas @var{command}
3228 Shortcut for @code{thread apply all -s frame apply all -s @var{command}}.
3229 Applies @var{command} on all frames of all threads, ignoring errors
3230 and empty output. Note that the flag @code{-s} is specified twice:
3231 The first @code{-s} ensures that @code{thread apply} only shows the thread
3232 information of the threads for which @code{frame apply} produces
3233 some output. The second @code{-s} is needed to ensure that @code{frame
3234 apply} shows the frame information of a frame only if the
3235 @var{command} successfully produced some output.
3237 It can for example be used to print a local variable or a function
3238 argument without knowing the thread or frame where this variable or argument
3241 (@value{GDBP}) tfaas p some_local_var_i_do_not_remember_where_it_is
3246 @cindex name a thread
3247 @item thread name [@var{name}]
3248 This command assigns a name to the current thread. If no argument is
3249 given, any existing user-specified name is removed. The thread name
3250 appears in the @samp{info threads} display.
3252 On some systems, such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, @value{GDBN} is able to
3253 determine the name of the thread as given by the OS. On these
3254 systems, a name specified with @samp{thread name} will override the
3255 system-give name, and removing the user-specified name will cause
3256 @value{GDBN} to once again display the system-specified name.
3259 @cindex search for a thread
3260 @item thread find [@var{regexp}]
3261 Search for and display thread ids whose name or @var{systag}
3262 matches the supplied regular expression.
3264 As well as being the complement to the @samp{thread name} command,
3265 this command also allows you to identify a thread by its target
3266 @var{systag}. For instance, on @sc{gnu}/Linux, the target @var{systag}
3270 (@value{GDBN}) thread find 26688
3271 Thread 4 has target id 'Thread 0x41e02940 (LWP 26688)'
3272 (@value{GDBN}) info thread 4
3274 4 Thread 0x41e02940 (LWP 26688) 0x00000031ca6cd372 in select ()
3277 @kindex set print thread-events
3278 @cindex print messages on thread start and exit
3279 @item set print thread-events
3280 @itemx set print thread-events on
3281 @itemx set print thread-events off
3282 The @code{set print thread-events} command allows you to enable or
3283 disable printing of messages when @value{GDBN} notices that new threads have
3284 started or that threads have exited. By default, these messages will
3285 be printed if detection of these events is supported by the target.
3286 Note that these messages cannot be disabled on all targets.
3288 @kindex show print thread-events
3289 @item show print thread-events
3290 Show whether messages will be printed when @value{GDBN} detects that threads
3291 have started and exited.
3294 @xref{Thread Stops,,Stopping and Starting Multi-thread Programs}, for
3295 more information about how @value{GDBN} behaves when you stop and start
3296 programs with multiple threads.
3298 @xref{Set Watchpoints,,Setting Watchpoints}, for information about
3299 watchpoints in programs with multiple threads.
3301 @anchor{set libthread-db-search-path}
3303 @kindex set libthread-db-search-path
3304 @cindex search path for @code{libthread_db}
3305 @item set libthread-db-search-path @r{[}@var{path}@r{]}
3306 If this variable is set, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
3307 directories @value{GDBN} will use to search for @code{libthread_db}.
3308 If you omit @var{path}, @samp{libthread-db-search-path} will be reset to
3309 its default value (@code{$sdir:$pdir} on @sc{gnu}/Linux and Solaris systems).
3310 Internally, the default value comes from the @code{LIBTHREAD_DB_SEARCH_PATH}
3313 On @sc{gnu}/Linux and Solaris systems, @value{GDBN} uses a ``helper''
3314 @code{libthread_db} library to obtain information about threads in the
3315 inferior process. @value{GDBN} will use @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
3316 to find @code{libthread_db}. @value{GDBN} also consults first if inferior
3317 specific thread debugging library loading is enabled
3318 by @samp{set auto-load libthread-db} (@pxref{libthread_db.so.1 file}).
3320 A special entry @samp{$sdir} for @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
3321 refers to the default system directories that are
3322 normally searched for loading shared libraries. The @samp{$sdir} entry
3323 is the only kind not needing to be enabled by @samp{set auto-load libthread-db}
3324 (@pxref{libthread_db.so.1 file}).
3326 A special entry @samp{$pdir} for @samp{libthread-db-search-path}
3327 refers to the directory from which @code{libpthread}
3328 was loaded in the inferior process.
3330 For any @code{libthread_db} library @value{GDBN} finds in above directories,
3331 @value{GDBN} attempts to initialize it with the current inferior process.
3332 If this initialization fails (which could happen because of a version
3333 mismatch between @code{libthread_db} and @code{libpthread}), @value{GDBN}
3334 will unload @code{libthread_db}, and continue with the next directory.
3335 If none of @code{libthread_db} libraries initialize successfully,
3336 @value{GDBN} will issue a warning and thread debugging will be disabled.
3338 Setting @code{libthread-db-search-path} is currently implemented
3339 only on some platforms.
3341 @kindex show libthread-db-search-path
3342 @item show libthread-db-search-path
3343 Display current libthread_db search path.
3345 @kindex set debug libthread-db
3346 @kindex show debug libthread-db
3347 @cindex debugging @code{libthread_db}
3348 @item set debug libthread-db
3349 @itemx show debug libthread-db
3350 Turns on or off display of @code{libthread_db}-related events.
3351 Use @code{1} to enable, @code{0} to disable.
3355 @section Debugging Forks
3357 @cindex fork, debugging programs which call
3358 @cindex multiple processes
3359 @cindex processes, multiple
3360 On most systems, @value{GDBN} has no special support for debugging
3361 programs which create additional processes using the @code{fork}
3362 function. When a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug the
3363 parent process and the child process will run unimpeded. If you have
3364 set a breakpoint in any code which the child then executes, the child
3365 will get a @code{SIGTRAP} signal which (unless it catches the signal)
3366 will cause it to terminate.
3368 However, if you want to debug the child process there is a workaround
3369 which isn't too painful. Put a call to @code{sleep} in the code which
3370 the child process executes after the fork. It may be useful to sleep
3371 only if a certain environment variable is set, or a certain file exists,
3372 so that the delay need not occur when you don't want to run @value{GDBN}
3373 on the child. While the child is sleeping, use the @code{ps} program to
3374 get its process ID. Then tell @value{GDBN} (a new invocation of
3375 @value{GDBN} if you are also debugging the parent process) to attach to
3376 the child process (@pxref{Attach}). From that point on you can debug
3377 the child process just like any other process which you attached to.
3379 On some systems, @value{GDBN} provides support for debugging programs
3380 that create additional processes using the @code{fork} or @code{vfork}
3381 functions. On @sc{gnu}/Linux platforms, this feature is supported
3382 with kernel version 2.5.46 and later.
3384 The fork debugging commands are supported in native mode and when
3385 connected to @code{gdbserver} in either @code{target remote} mode or
3386 @code{target extended-remote} mode.
3388 By default, when a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug
3389 the parent process and the child process will run unimpeded.
3391 If you want to follow the child process instead of the parent process,
3392 use the command @w{@code{set follow-fork-mode}}.
3395 @kindex set follow-fork-mode
3396 @item set follow-fork-mode @var{mode}
3397 Set the debugger response to a program call of @code{fork} or
3398 @code{vfork}. A call to @code{fork} or @code{vfork} creates a new
3399 process. The @var{mode} argument can be:
3403 The original process is debugged after a fork. The child process runs
3404 unimpeded. This is the default.
3407 The new process is debugged after a fork. The parent process runs
3412 @kindex show follow-fork-mode
3413 @item show follow-fork-mode
3414 Display the current debugger response to a @code{fork} or @code{vfork} call.
3417 @cindex debugging multiple processes
3418 On Linux, if you want to debug both the parent and child processes, use the
3419 command @w{@code{set detach-on-fork}}.
3422 @kindex set detach-on-fork
3423 @item set detach-on-fork @var{mode}
3424 Tells gdb whether to detach one of the processes after a fork, or
3425 retain debugger control over them both.
3429 The child process (or parent process, depending on the value of
3430 @code{follow-fork-mode}) will be detached and allowed to run
3431 independently. This is the default.
3434 Both processes will be held under the control of @value{GDBN}.
3435 One process (child or parent, depending on the value of
3436 @code{follow-fork-mode}) is debugged as usual, while the other
3441 @kindex show detach-on-fork
3442 @item show detach-on-fork
3443 Show whether detach-on-fork mode is on/off.
3446 If you choose to set @samp{detach-on-fork} mode off, then @value{GDBN}
3447 will retain control of all forked processes (including nested forks).
3448 You can list the forked processes under the control of @value{GDBN} by
3449 using the @w{@code{info inferiors}} command, and switch from one fork
3450 to another by using the @code{inferior} command (@pxref{Inferiors and
3451 Programs, ,Debugging Multiple Inferiors and Programs}).
3453 To quit debugging one of the forked processes, you can either detach
3454 from it by using the @w{@code{detach inferiors}} command (allowing it
3455 to run independently), or kill it using the @w{@code{kill inferiors}}
3456 command. @xref{Inferiors and Programs, ,Debugging Multiple Inferiors
3459 If you ask to debug a child process and a @code{vfork} is followed by an
3460 @code{exec}, @value{GDBN} executes the new target up to the first
3461 breakpoint in the new target. If you have a breakpoint set on
3462 @code{main} in your original program, the breakpoint will also be set on
3463 the child process's @code{main}.
3465 On some systems, when a child process is spawned by @code{vfork}, you
3466 cannot debug the child or parent until an @code{exec} call completes.
3468 If you issue a @code{run} command to @value{GDBN} after an @code{exec}
3469 call executes, the new target restarts. To restart the parent
3470 process, use the @code{file} command with the parent executable name
3471 as its argument. By default, after an @code{exec} call executes,
3472 @value{GDBN} discards the symbols of the previous executable image.
3473 You can change this behaviour with the @w{@code{set follow-exec-mode}}
3477 @kindex set follow-exec-mode
3478 @item set follow-exec-mode @var{mode}
3480 Set debugger response to a program call of @code{exec}. An
3481 @code{exec} call replaces the program image of a process.
3483 @code{follow-exec-mode} can be:
3487 @value{GDBN} creates a new inferior and rebinds the process to this
3488 new inferior. The program the process was running before the
3489 @code{exec} call can be restarted afterwards by restarting the
3495 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3497 Id Description Executable
3500 process 12020 is executing new program: prog2
3501 Program exited normally.
3502 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3503 Id Description Executable
3509 @value{GDBN} keeps the process bound to the same inferior. The new
3510 executable image replaces the previous executable loaded in the
3511 inferior. Restarting the inferior after the @code{exec} call, with
3512 e.g., the @code{run} command, restarts the executable the process was
3513 running after the @code{exec} call. This is the default mode.
3518 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3519 Id Description Executable
3522 process 12020 is executing new program: prog2
3523 Program exited normally.
3524 (@value{GDBP}) info inferiors
3525 Id Description Executable
3532 @code{follow-exec-mode} is supported in native mode and
3533 @code{target extended-remote} mode.
3535 You can use the @code{catch} command to make @value{GDBN} stop whenever
3536 a @code{fork}, @code{vfork}, or @code{exec} call is made. @xref{Set
3537 Catchpoints, ,Setting Catchpoints}.
3539 @node Checkpoint/Restart
3540 @section Setting a @emph{Bookmark} to Return to Later
3545 @cindex snapshot of a process
3546 @cindex rewind program state
3548 On certain operating systems@footnote{Currently, only
3549 @sc{gnu}/Linux.}, @value{GDBN} is able to save a @dfn{snapshot} of a
3550 program's state, called a @dfn{checkpoint}, and come back to it
3553 Returning to a checkpoint effectively undoes everything that has
3554 happened in the program since the @code{checkpoint} was saved. This
3555 includes changes in memory, registers, and even (within some limits)
3556 system state. Effectively, it is like going back in time to the
3557 moment when the checkpoint was saved.
3559 Thus, if you're stepping thru a program and you think you're
3560 getting close to the point where things go wrong, you can save
3561 a checkpoint. Then, if you accidentally go too far and miss
3562 the critical statement, instead of having to restart your program
3563 from the beginning, you can just go back to the checkpoint and
3564 start again from there.
3566 This can be especially useful if it takes a lot of time or
3567 steps to reach the point where you think the bug occurs.
3569 To use the @code{checkpoint}/@code{restart} method of debugging:
3574 Save a snapshot of the debugged program's current execution state.
3575 The @code{checkpoint} command takes no arguments, but each checkpoint
3576 is assigned a small integer id, similar to a breakpoint id.
3578 @kindex info checkpoints
3579 @item info checkpoints
3580 List the checkpoints that have been saved in the current debugging
3581 session. For each checkpoint, the following information will be
3588 @item Source line, or label
3591 @kindex restart @var{checkpoint-id}
3592 @item restart @var{checkpoint-id}
3593 Restore the program state that was saved as checkpoint number
3594 @var{checkpoint-id}. All program variables, registers, stack frames
3595 etc.@: will be returned to the values that they had when the checkpoint
3596 was saved. In essence, gdb will ``wind back the clock'' to the point
3597 in time when the checkpoint was saved.
3599 Note that breakpoints, @value{GDBN} variables, command history etc.
3600 are not affected by restoring a checkpoint. In general, a checkpoint
3601 only restores things that reside in the program being debugged, not in
3604 @kindex delete checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
3605 @item delete checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
3606 Delete the previously-saved checkpoint identified by @var{checkpoint-id}.
3610 Returning to a previously saved checkpoint will restore the user state
3611 of the program being debugged, plus a significant subset of the system
3612 (OS) state, including file pointers. It won't ``un-write'' data from
3613 a file, but it will rewind the file pointer to the previous location,
3614 so that the previously written data can be overwritten. For files
3615 opened in read mode, the pointer will also be restored so that the
3616 previously read data can be read again.
3618 Of course, characters that have been sent to a printer (or other
3619 external device) cannot be ``snatched back'', and characters received
3620 from eg.@: a serial device can be removed from internal program buffers,
3621 but they cannot be ``pushed back'' into the serial pipeline, ready to
3622 be received again. Similarly, the actual contents of files that have
3623 been changed cannot be restored (at this time).
3625 However, within those constraints, you actually can ``rewind'' your
3626 program to a previously saved point in time, and begin debugging it
3627 again --- and you can change the course of events so as to debug a
3628 different execution path this time.
3630 @cindex checkpoints and process id
3631 Finally, there is one bit of internal program state that will be
3632 different when you return to a checkpoint --- the program's process
3633 id. Each checkpoint will have a unique process id (or @var{pid}),
3634 and each will be different from the program's original @var{pid}.
3635 If your program has saved a local copy of its process id, this could
3636 potentially pose a problem.
3638 @subsection A Non-obvious Benefit of Using Checkpoints
3640 On some systems such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, address space randomization
3641 is performed on new processes for security reasons. This makes it
3642 difficult or impossible to set a breakpoint, or watchpoint, on an
3643 absolute address if you have to restart the program, since the
3644 absolute location of a symbol will change from one execution to the
3647 A checkpoint, however, is an @emph{identical} copy of a process.
3648 Therefore if you create a checkpoint at (eg.@:) the start of main,
3649 and simply return to that checkpoint instead of restarting the
3650 process, you can avoid the effects of address randomization and
3651 your symbols will all stay in the same place.
3654 @chapter Stopping and Continuing
3656 The principal purposes of using a debugger are so that you can stop your
3657 program before it terminates; or so that, if your program runs into
3658 trouble, you can investigate and find out why.
3660 Inside @value{GDBN}, your program may stop for any of several reasons,
3661 such as a signal, a breakpoint, or reaching a new line after a
3662 @value{GDBN} command such as @code{step}. You may then examine and
3663 change variables, set new breakpoints or remove old ones, and then
3664 continue execution. Usually, the messages shown by @value{GDBN} provide
3665 ample explanation of the status of your program---but you can also
3666 explicitly request this information at any time.
3669 @kindex info program
3671 Display information about the status of your program: whether it is
3672 running or not, what process it is, and why it stopped.
3676 * Breakpoints:: Breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints
3677 * Continuing and Stepping:: Resuming execution
3678 * Skipping Over Functions and Files::
3679 Skipping over functions and files
3681 * Thread Stops:: Stopping and starting multi-thread programs
3685 @section Breakpoints, Watchpoints, and Catchpoints
3688 A @dfn{breakpoint} makes your program stop whenever a certain point in
3689 the program is reached. For each breakpoint, you can add conditions to
3690 control in finer detail whether your program stops. You can set
3691 breakpoints with the @code{break} command and its variants (@pxref{Set
3692 Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}), to specify the place where your program
3693 should stop by line number, function name or exact address in the
3696 On some systems, you can set breakpoints in shared libraries before
3697 the executable is run.
3700 @cindex data breakpoints
3701 @cindex memory tracing
3702 @cindex breakpoint on memory address
3703 @cindex breakpoint on variable modification
3704 A @dfn{watchpoint} is a special breakpoint that stops your program
3705 when the value of an expression changes. The expression may be a value
3706 of a variable, or it could involve values of one or more variables
3707 combined by operators, such as @samp{a + b}. This is sometimes called
3708 @dfn{data breakpoints}. You must use a different command to set
3709 watchpoints (@pxref{Set Watchpoints, ,Setting Watchpoints}), but aside
3710 from that, you can manage a watchpoint like any other breakpoint: you
3711 enable, disable, and delete both breakpoints and watchpoints using the
3714 You can arrange to have values from your program displayed automatically
3715 whenever @value{GDBN} stops at a breakpoint. @xref{Auto Display,,
3719 @cindex breakpoint on events
3720 A @dfn{catchpoint} is another special breakpoint that stops your program
3721 when a certain kind of event occurs, such as the throwing of a C@t{++}
3722 exception or the loading of a library. As with watchpoints, you use a
3723 different command to set a catchpoint (@pxref{Set Catchpoints, ,Setting
3724 Catchpoints}), but aside from that, you can manage a catchpoint like any
3725 other breakpoint. (To stop when your program receives a signal, use the
3726 @code{handle} command; see @ref{Signals, ,Signals}.)
3728 @cindex breakpoint numbers
3729 @cindex numbers for breakpoints
3730 @value{GDBN} assigns a number to each breakpoint, watchpoint, or
3731 catchpoint when you create it; these numbers are successive integers
3732 starting with one. In many of the commands for controlling various
3733 features of breakpoints you use the breakpoint number to say which
3734 breakpoint you want to change. Each breakpoint may be @dfn{enabled} or
3735 @dfn{disabled}; if disabled, it has no effect on your program until you
3738 @cindex breakpoint ranges
3739 @cindex breakpoint lists
3740 @cindex ranges of breakpoints
3741 @cindex lists of breakpoints
3742 Some @value{GDBN} commands accept a space-separated list of breakpoints
3743 on which to operate. A list element can be either a single breakpoint number,
3744 like @samp{5}, or a range of such numbers, like @samp{5-7}.
3745 When a breakpoint list is given to a command, all breakpoints in that list
3749 * Set Breaks:: Setting breakpoints
3750 * Set Watchpoints:: Setting watchpoints
3751 * Set Catchpoints:: Setting catchpoints
3752 * Delete Breaks:: Deleting breakpoints
3753 * Disabling:: Disabling breakpoints
3754 * Conditions:: Break conditions
3755 * Break Commands:: Breakpoint command lists
3756 * Dynamic Printf:: Dynamic printf
3757 * Save Breakpoints:: How to save breakpoints in a file
3758 * Static Probe Points:: Listing static probe points
3759 * Error in Breakpoints:: ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
3760 * Breakpoint-related Warnings:: ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
3764 @subsection Setting Breakpoints
3766 @c FIXME LMB what does GDB do if no code on line of breakpt?
3767 @c consider in particular declaration with/without initialization.
3769 @c FIXME 2 is there stuff on this already? break at fun start, already init?
3772 @kindex b @r{(@code{break})}
3773 @vindex $bpnum@r{, convenience variable}
3774 @cindex latest breakpoint
3775 Breakpoints are set with the @code{break} command (abbreviated
3776 @code{b}). The debugger convenience variable @samp{$bpnum} records the
3777 number of the breakpoint you've set most recently; see @ref{Convenience
3778 Vars,, Convenience Variables}, for a discussion of what you can do with
3779 convenience variables.
3782 @item break @var{location}
3783 Set a breakpoint at the given @var{location}, which can specify a
3784 function name, a line number, or an address of an instruction.
3785 (@xref{Specify Location}, for a list of all the possible ways to
3786 specify a @var{location}.) The breakpoint will stop your program just
3787 before it executes any of the code in the specified @var{location}.
3789 When using source languages that permit overloading of symbols, such as
3790 C@t{++}, a function name may refer to more than one possible place to break.
3791 @xref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous Expressions}, for a discussion of
3794 It is also possible to insert a breakpoint that will stop the program
3795 only if a specific thread (@pxref{Thread-Specific Breakpoints})
3796 or a specific task (@pxref{Ada Tasks}) hits that breakpoint.
3799 When called without any arguments, @code{break} sets a breakpoint at
3800 the next instruction to be executed in the selected stack frame
3801 (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the Stack}). In any selected frame but the
3802 innermost, this makes your program stop as soon as control
3803 returns to that frame. This is similar to the effect of a
3804 @code{finish} command in the frame inside the selected frame---except
3805 that @code{finish} does not leave an active breakpoint. If you use
3806 @code{break} without an argument in the innermost frame, @value{GDBN} stops
3807 the next time it reaches the current location; this may be useful
3810 @value{GDBN} normally ignores breakpoints when it resumes execution, until at
3811 least one instruction has been executed. If it did not do this, you
3812 would be unable to proceed past a breakpoint without first disabling the
3813 breakpoint. This rule applies whether or not the breakpoint already
3814 existed when your program stopped.
3816 @item break @dots{} if @var{cond}
3817 Set a breakpoint with condition @var{cond}; evaluate the expression
3818 @var{cond} each time the breakpoint is reached, and stop only if the
3819 value is nonzero---that is, if @var{cond} evaluates as true.
3820 @samp{@dots{}} stands for one of the possible arguments described
3821 above (or no argument) specifying where to break. @xref{Conditions,
3822 ,Break Conditions}, for more information on breakpoint conditions.
3825 @item tbreak @var{args}
3826 Set a breakpoint enabled only for one stop. The @var{args} are the
3827 same as for the @code{break} command, and the breakpoint is set in the same
3828 way, but the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the first time your
3829 program stops there. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}.
3832 @cindex hardware breakpoints
3833 @item hbreak @var{args}
3834 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint. The @var{args} are the same as for the
3835 @code{break} command and the breakpoint is set in the same way, but the
3836 breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware may not
3837 have this support. The main purpose of this is EPROM/ROM code
3838 debugging, so you can set a breakpoint at an instruction without
3839 changing the instruction. This can be used with the new trap-generation
3840 provided by SPARClite DSU and most x86-based targets. These targets
3841 will generate traps when a program accesses some data or instruction
3842 address that is assigned to the debug registers. However the hardware
3843 breakpoint registers can take a limited number of breakpoints. For
3844 example, on the DSU, only two data breakpoints can be set at a time, and
3845 @value{GDBN} will reject this command if more than two are used. Delete
3846 or disable unused hardware breakpoints before setting new ones
3847 (@pxref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}).
3848 @xref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}.
3849 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
3850 breakpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
3851 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
3854 @item thbreak @var{args}
3855 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint enabled only for one stop. The @var{args}
3856 are the same as for the @code{hbreak} command and the breakpoint is set in
3857 the same way. However, like the @code{tbreak} command,
3858 the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the
3859 first time your program stops there. Also, like the @code{hbreak}
3860 command, the breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware
3861 may not have this support. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling Breakpoints}.
3862 See also @ref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}.
3865 @cindex regular expression
3866 @cindex breakpoints at functions matching a regexp
3867 @cindex set breakpoints in many functions
3868 @item rbreak @var{regex}
3869 Set breakpoints on all functions matching the regular expression
3870 @var{regex}. This command sets an unconditional breakpoint on all
3871 matches, printing a list of all breakpoints it set. Once these
3872 breakpoints are set, they are treated just like the breakpoints set with
3873 the @code{break} command. You can delete them, disable them, or make
3874 them conditional the same way as any other breakpoint.
3876 The syntax of the regular expression is the standard one used with tools
3877 like @file{grep}. Note that this is different from the syntax used by
3878 shells, so for instance @code{foo*} matches all functions that include
3879 an @code{fo} followed by zero or more @code{o}s. There is an implicit
3880 @code{.*} leading and trailing the regular expression you supply, so to
3881 match only functions that begin with @code{foo}, use @code{^foo}.
3883 @cindex non-member C@t{++} functions, set breakpoint in
3884 When debugging C@t{++} programs, @code{rbreak} is useful for setting
3885 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
3888 @cindex set breakpoints on all functions
3889 The @code{rbreak} command can be used to set breakpoints in
3890 @strong{all} the functions in a program, like this:
3893 (@value{GDBP}) rbreak .
3896 @item rbreak @var{file}:@var{regex}
3897 If @code{rbreak} is called with a filename qualification, it limits
3898 the search for functions matching the given regular expression to the
3899 specified @var{file}. This can be used, for example, to set breakpoints on
3900 every function in a given file:
3903 (@value{GDBP}) rbreak file.c:.
3906 The colon separating the filename qualifier from the regex may
3907 optionally be surrounded by spaces.
3909 @kindex info breakpoints
3910 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info breakpoints}
3911 @item info breakpoints @r{[}@var{list}@dots{}@r{]}
3912 @itemx info break @r{[}@var{list}@dots{}@r{]}
3913 Print a table of all breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints set and
3914 not deleted. Optional argument @var{n} means print information only
3915 about the specified breakpoint(s) (or watchpoint(s) or catchpoint(s)).
3916 For each breakpoint, following columns are printed:
3919 @item Breakpoint Numbers
3921 Breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint.
3923 Whether the breakpoint is marked to be disabled or deleted when hit.
3924 @item Enabled or Disabled
3925 Enabled breakpoints are marked with @samp{y}. @samp{n} marks breakpoints
3926 that are not enabled.
3928 Where the breakpoint is in your program, as a memory address. For a
3929 pending breakpoint whose address is not yet known, this field will
3930 contain @samp{<PENDING>}. Such breakpoint won't fire until a shared
3931 library that has the symbol or line referred by breakpoint is loaded.
3932 See below for details. A breakpoint with several locations will
3933 have @samp{<MULTIPLE>} in this field---see below for details.
3935 Where the breakpoint is in the source for your program, as a file and
3936 line number. For a pending breakpoint, the original string passed to
3937 the breakpoint command will be listed as it cannot be resolved until
3938 the appropriate shared library is loaded in the future.
3942 If a breakpoint is conditional, there are two evaluation modes: ``host'' and
3943 ``target''. If mode is ``host'', breakpoint condition evaluation is done by
3944 @value{GDBN} on the host's side. If it is ``target'', then the condition
3945 is evaluated by the target. The @code{info break} command shows
3946 the condition on the line following the affected breakpoint, together with
3947 its condition evaluation mode in between parentheses.
3949 Breakpoint commands, if any, are listed after that. A pending breakpoint is
3950 allowed to have a condition specified for it. The condition is not parsed for
3951 validity until a shared library is loaded that allows the pending
3952 breakpoint to resolve to a valid location.
3955 @code{info break} with a breakpoint
3956 number @var{n} as argument lists only that breakpoint. The
3957 convenience variable @code{$_} and the default examining-address for
3958 the @code{x} command are set to the address of the last breakpoint
3959 listed (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}).
3962 @code{info break} displays a count of the number of times the breakpoint
3963 has been hit. This is especially useful in conjunction with the
3964 @code{ignore} command. You can ignore a large number of breakpoint
3965 hits, look at the breakpoint info to see how many times the breakpoint
3966 was hit, and then run again, ignoring one less than that number. This
3967 will get you quickly to the last hit of that breakpoint.
3970 For a breakpoints with an enable count (xref) greater than 1,
3971 @code{info break} also displays that count.
3975 @value{GDBN} allows you to set any number of breakpoints at the same place in
3976 your program. There is nothing silly or meaningless about this. When
3977 the breakpoints are conditional, this is even useful
3978 (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
3980 @cindex multiple locations, breakpoints
3981 @cindex breakpoints, multiple locations
3982 It is possible that a breakpoint corresponds to several locations
3983 in your program. Examples of this situation are:
3987 Multiple functions in the program may have the same name.
3990 For a C@t{++} constructor, the @value{NGCC} compiler generates several
3991 instances of the function body, used in different cases.
3994 For a C@t{++} template function, a given line in the function can
3995 correspond to any number of instantiations.
3998 For an inlined function, a given source line can correspond to
3999 several places where that function is inlined.
4002 In all those cases, @value{GDBN} will insert a breakpoint at all
4003 the relevant locations.
4005 A breakpoint with multiple locations is displayed in the breakpoint
4006 table using several rows---one header row, followed by one row for
4007 each breakpoint location. The header row has @samp{<MULTIPLE>} in the
4008 address column. The rows for individual locations contain the actual
4009 addresses for locations, and show the functions to which those
4010 locations belong. The number column for a location is of the form
4011 @var{breakpoint-number}.@var{location-number}.
4016 Num Type Disp Enb Address What
4017 1 breakpoint keep y <MULTIPLE>
4019 breakpoint already hit 1 time
4020 1.1 y 0x080486a2 in void foo<int>() at t.cc:8
4021 1.2 y 0x080486ca in void foo<double>() at t.cc:8
4024 You cannot delete the individual locations from a breakpoint. However,
4025 each location can be individually enabled or disabled by passing
4026 @var{breakpoint-number}.@var{location-number} as argument to the
4027 @code{enable} and @code{disable} commands. It's also possible to
4028 @code{enable} and @code{disable} a range of @var{location-number}
4029 locations using a @var{breakpoint-number} and two @var{location-number}s,
4030 in increasing order, separated by a hyphen, like
4031 @kbd{@var{breakpoint-number}.@var{location-number1}-@var{location-number2}},
4032 in which case @value{GDBN} acts on all the locations in the range (inclusive).
4033 Disabling or enabling the parent breakpoint (@pxref{Disabling}) affects
4034 all of the locations that belong to that breakpoint.
4036 @cindex pending breakpoints
4037 It's quite common to have a breakpoint inside a shared library.
4038 Shared libraries can be loaded and unloaded explicitly,
4039 and possibly repeatedly, as the program is executed. To support
4040 this use case, @value{GDBN} updates breakpoint locations whenever
4041 any shared library is loaded or unloaded. Typically, you would
4042 set a breakpoint in a shared library at the beginning of your
4043 debugging session, when the library is not loaded, and when the
4044 symbols from the library are not available. When you try to set
4045 breakpoint, @value{GDBN} will ask you if you want to set
4046 a so called @dfn{pending breakpoint}---breakpoint whose address
4047 is not yet resolved.
4049 After the program is run, whenever a new shared library is loaded,
4050 @value{GDBN} reevaluates all the breakpoints. When a newly loaded
4051 shared library contains the symbol or line referred to by some
4052 pending breakpoint, that breakpoint is resolved and becomes an
4053 ordinary breakpoint. When a library is unloaded, all breakpoints
4054 that refer to its symbols or source lines become pending again.
4056 This logic works for breakpoints with multiple locations, too. For
4057 example, if you have a breakpoint in a C@t{++} template function, and
4058 a newly loaded shared library has an instantiation of that template,
4059 a new location is added to the list of locations for the breakpoint.
4061 Except for having unresolved address, pending breakpoints do not
4062 differ from regular breakpoints. You can set conditions or commands,
4063 enable and disable them and perform other breakpoint operations.
4065 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling what
4066 happens when the @samp{break} command cannot resolve breakpoint
4067 address specification to an address:
4069 @kindex set breakpoint pending
4070 @kindex show breakpoint pending
4072 @item set breakpoint pending auto
4073 This is the default behavior. When @value{GDBN} cannot find the breakpoint
4074 location, it queries you whether a pending breakpoint should be created.
4076 @item set breakpoint pending on
4077 This indicates that an unrecognized breakpoint location should automatically
4078 result in a pending breakpoint being created.
4080 @item set breakpoint pending off
4081 This indicates that pending breakpoints are not to be created. Any
4082 unrecognized breakpoint location results in an error. This setting does
4083 not affect any pending breakpoints previously created.
4085 @item show breakpoint pending
4086 Show the current behavior setting for creating pending breakpoints.
4089 The settings above only affect the @code{break} command and its
4090 variants. Once breakpoint is set, it will be automatically updated
4091 as shared libraries are loaded and unloaded.
4093 @cindex automatic hardware breakpoints
4094 For some targets, @value{GDBN} can automatically decide if hardware or
4095 software breakpoints should be used, depending on whether the
4096 breakpoint address is read-only or read-write. This applies to
4097 breakpoints set with the @code{break} command as well as to internal
4098 breakpoints set by commands like @code{next} and @code{finish}. For
4099 breakpoints set with @code{hbreak}, @value{GDBN} will always use hardware
4102 You can control this automatic behaviour with the following commands:
4104 @kindex set breakpoint auto-hw
4105 @kindex show breakpoint auto-hw
4107 @item set breakpoint auto-hw on
4108 This is the default behavior. When @value{GDBN} sets a breakpoint, it
4109 will try to use the target memory map to decide if software or hardware
4110 breakpoint must be used.
4112 @item set breakpoint auto-hw off
4113 This indicates @value{GDBN} should not automatically select breakpoint
4114 type. If the target provides a memory map, @value{GDBN} will warn when
4115 trying to set software breakpoint at a read-only address.
4118 @value{GDBN} normally implements breakpoints by replacing the program code
4119 at the breakpoint address with a special instruction, which, when
4120 executed, given control to the debugger. By default, the program
4121 code is so modified only when the program is resumed. As soon as
4122 the program stops, @value{GDBN} restores the original instructions. This
4123 behaviour guards against leaving breakpoints inserted in the
4124 target should gdb abrubptly disconnect. However, with slow remote
4125 targets, inserting and removing breakpoint can reduce the performance.
4126 This behavior can be controlled with the following commands::
4128 @kindex set breakpoint always-inserted
4129 @kindex show breakpoint always-inserted
4131 @item set breakpoint always-inserted off
4132 All breakpoints, including newly added by the user, are inserted in
4133 the target only when the target is resumed. All breakpoints are
4134 removed from the target when it stops. This is the default mode.
4136 @item set breakpoint always-inserted on
4137 Causes all breakpoints to be inserted in the target at all times. If
4138 the user adds a new breakpoint, or changes an existing breakpoint, the
4139 breakpoints in the target are updated immediately. A breakpoint is
4140 removed from the target only when breakpoint itself is deleted.
4143 @value{GDBN} handles conditional breakpoints by evaluating these conditions
4144 when a breakpoint breaks. If the condition is true, then the process being
4145 debugged stops, otherwise the process is resumed.
4147 If the target supports evaluating conditions on its end, @value{GDBN} may
4148 download the breakpoint, together with its conditions, to it.
4150 This feature can be controlled via the following commands:
4152 @kindex set breakpoint condition-evaluation
4153 @kindex show breakpoint condition-evaluation
4155 @item set breakpoint condition-evaluation host
4156 This option commands @value{GDBN} to evaluate the breakpoint
4157 conditions on the host's side. Unconditional breakpoints are sent to
4158 the target which in turn receives the triggers and reports them back to GDB
4159 for condition evaluation. This is the standard evaluation mode.
4161 @item set breakpoint condition-evaluation target
4162 This option commands @value{GDBN} to download breakpoint conditions
4163 to the target at the moment of their insertion. The target
4164 is responsible for evaluating the conditional expression and reporting
4165 breakpoint stop events back to @value{GDBN} whenever the condition
4166 is true. Due to limitations of target-side evaluation, some conditions
4167 cannot be evaluated there, e.g., conditions that depend on local data
4168 that is only known to the host. Examples include
4169 conditional expressions involving convenience variables, complex types
4170 that cannot be handled by the agent expression parser and expressions
4171 that are too long to be sent over to the target, specially when the
4172 target is a remote system. In these cases, the conditions will be
4173 evaluated by @value{GDBN}.
4175 @item set breakpoint condition-evaluation auto
4176 This is the default mode. If the target supports evaluating breakpoint
4177 conditions on its end, @value{GDBN} will download breakpoint conditions to
4178 the target (limitations mentioned previously apply). If the target does
4179 not support breakpoint condition evaluation, then @value{GDBN} will fallback
4180 to evaluating all these conditions on the host's side.
4184 @cindex negative breakpoint numbers
4185 @cindex internal @value{GDBN} breakpoints
4186 @value{GDBN} itself sometimes sets breakpoints in your program for
4187 special purposes, such as proper handling of @code{longjmp} (in C
4188 programs). These internal breakpoints are assigned negative numbers,
4189 starting with @code{-1}; @samp{info breakpoints} does not display them.
4190 You can see these breakpoints with the @value{GDBN} maintenance command
4191 @samp{maint info breakpoints} (@pxref{maint info breakpoints}).
4194 @node Set Watchpoints
4195 @subsection Setting Watchpoints
4197 @cindex setting watchpoints
4198 You can use a watchpoint to stop execution whenever the value of an
4199 expression changes, without having to predict a particular place where
4200 this may happen. (This is sometimes called a @dfn{data breakpoint}.)
4201 The expression may be as simple as the value of a single variable, or
4202 as complex as many variables combined by operators. Examples include:
4206 A reference to the value of a single variable.
4209 An address cast to an appropriate data type. For example,
4210 @samp{*(int *)0x12345678} will watch a 4-byte region at the specified
4211 address (assuming an @code{int} occupies 4 bytes).
4214 An arbitrarily complex expression, such as @samp{a*b + c/d}. The
4215 expression can use any operators valid in the program's native
4216 language (@pxref{Languages}).
4219 You can set a watchpoint on an expression even if the expression can
4220 not be evaluated yet. For instance, you can set a watchpoint on
4221 @samp{*global_ptr} before @samp{global_ptr} is initialized.
4222 @value{GDBN} will stop when your program sets @samp{global_ptr} and
4223 the expression produces a valid value. If the expression becomes
4224 valid in some other way than changing a variable (e.g.@: if the memory
4225 pointed to by @samp{*global_ptr} becomes readable as the result of a
4226 @code{malloc} call), @value{GDBN} may not stop until the next time
4227 the expression changes.
4229 @cindex software watchpoints
4230 @cindex hardware watchpoints
4231 Depending on your system, watchpoints may be implemented in software or
4232 hardware. @value{GDBN} does software watchpointing by single-stepping your
4233 program and testing the variable's value each time, which is hundreds of
4234 times slower than normal execution. (But this may still be worth it, to
4235 catch errors where you have no clue what part of your program is the
4238 On some systems, such as most PowerPC or x86-based targets,
4239 @value{GDBN} includes support for hardware watchpoints, which do not
4240 slow down the running of your program.
4244 @item watch @r{[}-l@r{|}-location@r{]} @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{thread-id}@r{]} @r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}
4245 Set a watchpoint for an expression. @value{GDBN} will break when the
4246 expression @var{expr} is written into by the program and its value
4247 changes. The simplest (and the most popular) use of this command is
4248 to watch the value of a single variable:
4251 (@value{GDBP}) watch foo
4254 If the command includes a @code{@r{[}thread @var{thread-id}@r{]}}
4255 argument, @value{GDBN} breaks only when the thread identified by
4256 @var{thread-id} changes the value of @var{expr}. If any other threads
4257 change the value of @var{expr}, @value{GDBN} will not break. Note
4258 that watchpoints restricted to a single thread in this way only work
4259 with Hardware Watchpoints.
4261 Ordinarily a watchpoint respects the scope of variables in @var{expr}
4262 (see below). The @code{-location} argument tells @value{GDBN} to
4263 instead watch the memory referred to by @var{expr}. In this case,
4264 @value{GDBN} will evaluate @var{expr}, take the address of the result,
4265 and watch the memory at that address. The type of the result is used
4266 to determine the size of the watched memory. If the expression's
4267 result does not have an address, then @value{GDBN} will print an
4270 The @code{@r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}} argument allows creation
4271 of masked watchpoints, if the current architecture supports this
4272 feature (e.g., PowerPC Embedded architecture, see @ref{PowerPC
4273 Embedded}.) A @dfn{masked watchpoint} specifies a mask in addition
4274 to an address to watch. The mask specifies that some bits of an address
4275 (the bits which are reset in the mask) should be ignored when matching
4276 the address accessed by the inferior against the watchpoint address.
4277 Thus, a masked watchpoint watches many addresses simultaneously---those
4278 addresses whose unmasked bits are identical to the unmasked bits in the
4279 watchpoint address. The @code{mask} argument implies @code{-location}.
4283 (@value{GDBP}) watch foo mask 0xffff00ff
4284 (@value{GDBP}) watch *0xdeadbeef mask 0xffffff00
4288 @item rwatch @r{[}-l@r{|}-location@r{]} @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{thread-id}@r{]} @r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}
4289 Set a watchpoint that will break when the value of @var{expr} is read
4293 @item awatch @r{[}-l@r{|}-location@r{]} @var{expr} @r{[}thread @var{thread-id}@r{]} @r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}
4294 Set a watchpoint that will break when @var{expr} is either read from
4295 or written into by the program.
4297 @kindex info watchpoints @r{[}@var{list}@dots{}@r{]}
4298 @item info watchpoints @r{[}@var{list}@dots{}@r{]}
4299 This command prints a list of watchpoints, using the same format as
4300 @code{info break} (@pxref{Set Breaks}).
4303 If you watch for a change in a numerically entered address you need to
4304 dereference it, as the address itself is just a constant number which will
4305 never change. @value{GDBN} refuses to create a watchpoint that watches
4306 a never-changing value:
4309 (@value{GDBP}) watch 0x600850
4310 Cannot watch constant value 0x600850.
4311 (@value{GDBP}) watch *(int *) 0x600850
4312 Watchpoint 1: *(int *) 6293584
4315 @value{GDBN} sets a @dfn{hardware watchpoint} if possible. Hardware
4316 watchpoints execute very quickly, and the debugger reports a change in
4317 value at the exact instruction where the change occurs. If @value{GDBN}
4318 cannot set a hardware watchpoint, it sets a software watchpoint, which
4319 executes more slowly and reports the change in value at the next
4320 @emph{statement}, not the instruction, after the change occurs.
4322 @cindex use only software watchpoints
4323 You can force @value{GDBN} to use only software watchpoints with the
4324 @kbd{set can-use-hw-watchpoints 0} command. With this variable set to
4325 zero, @value{GDBN} will never try to use hardware watchpoints, even if
4326 the underlying system supports them. (Note that hardware-assisted
4327 watchpoints that were set @emph{before} setting
4328 @code{can-use-hw-watchpoints} to zero will still use the hardware
4329 mechanism of watching expression values.)
4332 @item set can-use-hw-watchpoints
4333 @kindex set can-use-hw-watchpoints
4334 Set whether or not to use hardware watchpoints.
4336 @item show can-use-hw-watchpoints
4337 @kindex show can-use-hw-watchpoints
4338 Show the current mode of using hardware watchpoints.
4341 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
4342 watchpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
4343 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
4345 When you issue the @code{watch} command, @value{GDBN} reports
4348 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: @var{expr}
4352 if it was able to set a hardware watchpoint.
4354 Currently, the @code{awatch} and @code{rwatch} commands can only set
4355 hardware watchpoints, because accesses to data that don't change the
4356 value of the watched expression cannot be detected without examining
4357 every instruction as it is being executed, and @value{GDBN} does not do
4358 that currently. If @value{GDBN} finds that it is unable to set a
4359 hardware breakpoint with the @code{awatch} or @code{rwatch} command, it
4360 will print a message like this:
4363 Expression cannot be implemented with read/access watchpoint.
4366 Sometimes, @value{GDBN} cannot set a hardware watchpoint because the
4367 data type of the watched expression is wider than what a hardware
4368 watchpoint on the target machine can handle. For example, some systems
4369 can only watch regions that are up to 4 bytes wide; on such systems you
4370 cannot set hardware watchpoints for an expression that yields a
4371 double-precision floating-point number (which is typically 8 bytes
4372 wide). As a work-around, it might be possible to break the large region
4373 into a series of smaller ones and watch them with separate watchpoints.
4375 If you set too many hardware watchpoints, @value{GDBN} might be unable
4376 to insert all of them when you resume the execution of your program.
4377 Since the precise number of active watchpoints is unknown until such
4378 time as the program is about to be resumed, @value{GDBN} might not be
4379 able to warn you about this when you set the watchpoints, and the
4380 warning will be printed only when the program is resumed:
4383 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: Could not insert watchpoint
4387 If this happens, delete or disable some of the watchpoints.
4389 Watching complex expressions that reference many variables can also
4390 exhaust the resources available for hardware-assisted watchpoints.
4391 That's because @value{GDBN} needs to watch every variable in the
4392 expression with separately allocated resources.
4394 If you call a function interactively using @code{print} or @code{call},
4395 any watchpoints you have set will be inactive until @value{GDBN} reaches another
4396 kind of breakpoint or the call completes.
4398 @value{GDBN} automatically deletes watchpoints that watch local
4399 (automatic) variables, or expressions that involve such variables, when
4400 they go out of scope, that is, when the execution leaves the block in
4401 which these variables were defined. In particular, when the program
4402 being debugged terminates, @emph{all} local variables go out of scope,
4403 and so only watchpoints that watch global variables remain set. If you
4404 rerun the program, you will need to set all such watchpoints again. One
4405 way of doing that would be to set a code breakpoint at the entry to the
4406 @code{main} function and when it breaks, set all the watchpoints.
4408 @cindex watchpoints and threads
4409 @cindex threads and watchpoints
4410 In multi-threaded programs, watchpoints will detect changes to the
4411 watched expression from every thread.
4414 @emph{Warning:} In multi-threaded programs, software watchpoints
4415 have only limited usefulness. If @value{GDBN} creates a software
4416 watchpoint, it can only watch the value of an expression @emph{in a
4417 single thread}. If you are confident that the expression can only
4418 change due to the current thread's activity (and if you are also
4419 confident that no other thread can become current), then you can use
4420 software watchpoints as usual. However, @value{GDBN} may not notice
4421 when a non-current thread's activity changes the expression. (Hardware
4422 watchpoints, in contrast, watch an expression in all threads.)
4425 @xref{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}.
4427 @node Set Catchpoints
4428 @subsection Setting Catchpoints
4429 @cindex catchpoints, setting
4430 @cindex exception handlers
4431 @cindex event handling
4433 You can use @dfn{catchpoints} to cause the debugger to stop for certain
4434 kinds of program events, such as C@t{++} exceptions or the loading of a
4435 shared library. Use the @code{catch} command to set a catchpoint.
4439 @item catch @var{event}
4440 Stop when @var{event} occurs. The @var{event} can be any of the following:
4443 @item throw @r{[}@var{regexp}@r{]}
4444 @itemx rethrow @r{[}@var{regexp}@r{]}
4445 @itemx catch @r{[}@var{regexp}@r{]}
4447 @kindex catch rethrow
4449 @cindex stop on C@t{++} exceptions
4450 The throwing, re-throwing, or catching of a C@t{++} exception.
4452 If @var{regexp} is given, then only exceptions whose type matches the
4453 regular expression will be caught.
4455 @vindex $_exception@r{, convenience variable}
4456 The convenience variable @code{$_exception} is available at an
4457 exception-related catchpoint, on some systems. This holds the
4458 exception being thrown.
4460 There are currently some limitations to C@t{++} exception handling in
4465 The support for these commands is system-dependent. Currently, only
4466 systems using the @samp{gnu-v3} C@t{++} ABI (@pxref{ABI}) are
4470 The regular expression feature and the @code{$_exception} convenience
4471 variable rely on the presence of some SDT probes in @code{libstdc++}.
4472 If these probes are not present, then these features cannot be used.
4473 These probes were first available in the GCC 4.8 release, but whether
4474 or not they are available in your GCC also depends on how it was
4478 The @code{$_exception} convenience variable is only valid at the
4479 instruction at which an exception-related catchpoint is set.
4482 When an exception-related catchpoint is hit, @value{GDBN} stops at a
4483 location in the system library which implements runtime exception
4484 support for C@t{++}, usually @code{libstdc++}. You can use @code{up}
4485 (@pxref{Selection}) to get to your code.
4488 If you call a function interactively, @value{GDBN} normally returns
4489 control to you when the function has finished executing. If the call
4490 raises an exception, however, the call may bypass the mechanism that
4491 returns control to you and cause your program either to abort or to
4492 simply continue running until it hits a breakpoint, catches a signal
4493 that @value{GDBN} is listening for, or exits. This is the case even if
4494 you set a catchpoint for the exception; catchpoints on exceptions are
4495 disabled within interactive calls. @xref{Calling}, for information on
4496 controlling this with @code{set unwind-on-terminating-exception}.
4499 You cannot raise an exception interactively.
4502 You cannot install an exception handler interactively.
4506 @kindex catch exception
4507 @cindex Ada exception catching
4508 @cindex catch Ada exceptions
4509 An Ada exception being raised. If an exception name is specified
4510 at the end of the command (eg @code{catch exception Program_Error}),
4511 the debugger will stop only when this specific exception is raised.
4512 Otherwise, the debugger stops execution when any Ada exception is raised.
4514 When inserting an exception catchpoint on a user-defined exception whose
4515 name is identical to one of the exceptions defined by the language, the
4516 fully qualified name must be used as the exception name. Otherwise,
4517 @value{GDBN} will assume that it should stop on the pre-defined exception
4518 rather than the user-defined one. For instance, assuming an exception
4519 called @code{Constraint_Error} is defined in package @code{Pck}, then
4520 the command to use to catch such exceptions is @kbd{catch exception
4521 Pck.Constraint_Error}.
4524 @kindex catch handlers
4525 @cindex Ada exception handlers catching
4526 @cindex catch Ada exceptions when handled
4527 An Ada exception being handled. If an exception name is
4528 specified at the end of the command
4529 (eg @kbd{catch handlers Program_Error}), the debugger will stop
4530 only when this specific exception is handled.
4531 Otherwise, the debugger stops execution when any Ada exception is handled.
4533 When inserting a handlers catchpoint on a user-defined
4534 exception whose name is identical to one of the exceptions
4535 defined by the language, the fully qualified name must be used
4536 as the exception name. Otherwise, @value{GDBN} will assume that it
4537 should stop on the pre-defined exception rather than the
4538 user-defined one. For instance, assuming an exception called
4539 @code{Constraint_Error} is defined in package @code{Pck}, then the
4540 command to use to catch such exceptions handling is
4541 @kbd{catch handlers Pck.Constraint_Error}.
4543 @item exception unhandled
4544 @kindex catch exception unhandled
4545 An exception that was raised but is not handled by the program.
4548 @kindex catch assert
4549 A failed Ada assertion.
4553 @cindex break on fork/exec
4554 A call to @code{exec}.
4557 @itemx syscall @r{[}@var{name} @r{|} @var{number} @r{|} @r{group:}@var{groupname} @r{|} @r{g:}@var{groupname}@r{]} @dots{}
4558 @kindex catch syscall
4559 @cindex break on a system call.
4560 A call to or return from a system call, a.k.a.@: @dfn{syscall}. A
4561 syscall is a mechanism for application programs to request a service
4562 from the operating system (OS) or one of the OS system services.
4563 @value{GDBN} can catch some or all of the syscalls issued by the
4564 debuggee, and show the related information for each syscall. If no
4565 argument is specified, calls to and returns from all system calls
4568 @var{name} can be any system call name that is valid for the
4569 underlying OS. Just what syscalls are valid depends on the OS. On
4570 GNU and Unix systems, you can find the full list of valid syscall
4571 names on @file{/usr/include/asm/unistd.h}.
4573 @c For MS-Windows, the syscall names and the corresponding numbers
4574 @c can be found, e.g., on this URL:
4575 @c http://www.metasploit.com/users/opcode/syscalls.html
4576 @c but we don't support Windows syscalls yet.
4578 Normally, @value{GDBN} knows in advance which syscalls are valid for
4579 each OS, so you can use the @value{GDBN} command-line completion
4580 facilities (@pxref{Completion,, command completion}) to list the
4583 You may also specify the system call numerically. A syscall's
4584 number is the value passed to the OS's syscall dispatcher to
4585 identify the requested service. When you specify the syscall by its
4586 name, @value{GDBN} uses its database of syscalls to convert the name
4587 into the corresponding numeric code, but using the number directly
4588 may be useful if @value{GDBN}'s database does not have the complete
4589 list of syscalls on your system (e.g., because @value{GDBN} lags
4590 behind the OS upgrades).
4592 You may specify a group of related syscalls to be caught at once using
4593 the @code{group:} syntax (@code{g:} is a shorter equivalent). For
4594 instance, on some platforms @value{GDBN} allows you to catch all
4595 network related syscalls, by passing the argument @code{group:network}
4596 to @code{catch syscall}. Note that not all syscall groups are
4597 available in every system. You can use the command completion
4598 facilities (@pxref{Completion,, command completion}) to list the
4599 syscall groups available on your environment.
4601 The example below illustrates how this command works if you don't provide
4605 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall
4606 Catchpoint 1 (syscall)
4608 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4610 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'close'), \
4611 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4615 Catchpoint 1 (returned from syscall 'close'), \
4616 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4620 Here is an example of catching a system call by name:
4623 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall chroot
4624 Catchpoint 1 (syscall 'chroot' [61])
4626 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4628 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'chroot'), \
4629 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4633 Catchpoint 1 (returned from syscall 'chroot'), \
4634 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4638 An example of specifying a system call numerically. In the case
4639 below, the syscall number has a corresponding entry in the XML
4640 file, so @value{GDBN} finds its name and prints it:
4643 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 252
4644 Catchpoint 1 (syscall(s) 'exit_group')
4646 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4648 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall 'exit_group'), \
4649 0xffffe424 in __kernel_vsyscall ()
4653 Program exited normally.
4657 Here is an example of catching a syscall group:
4660 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall group:process
4661 Catchpoint 1 (syscalls 'exit' [1] 'fork' [2] 'waitpid' [7]
4662 'execve' [11] 'wait4' [114] 'clone' [120] 'vfork' [190]
4663 'exit_group' [252] 'waitid' [284] 'unshare' [310])
4665 Starting program: /tmp/catch-syscall
4667 Catchpoint 1 (call to syscall fork), 0x00007ffff7df4e27 in open64 ()
4668 from /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2
4674 However, there can be situations when there is no corresponding name
4675 in XML file for that syscall number. In this case, @value{GDBN} prints
4676 a warning message saying that it was not able to find the syscall name,
4677 but the catchpoint will be set anyway. See the example below:
4680 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 764
4681 warning: The number '764' does not represent a known syscall.
4682 Catchpoint 2 (syscall 764)
4686 If you configure @value{GDBN} using the @samp{--without-expat} option,
4687 it will not be able to display syscall names. Also, if your
4688 architecture does not have an XML file describing its system calls,
4689 you will not be able to see the syscall names. It is important to
4690 notice that these two features are used for accessing the syscall
4691 name database. In either case, you will see a warning like this:
4694 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall
4695 warning: Could not open "syscalls/i386-linux.xml"
4696 warning: Could not load the syscall XML file 'syscalls/i386-linux.xml'.
4697 GDB will not be able to display syscall names.
4698 Catchpoint 1 (syscall)
4702 Of course, the file name will change depending on your architecture and system.
4704 Still using the example above, you can also try to catch a syscall by its
4705 number. In this case, you would see something like:
4708 (@value{GDBP}) catch syscall 252
4709 Catchpoint 1 (syscall(s) 252)
4712 Again, in this case @value{GDBN} would not be able to display syscall's names.
4716 A call to @code{fork}.
4720 A call to @code{vfork}.
4722 @item load @r{[}regexp@r{]}
4723 @itemx unload @r{[}regexp@r{]}
4725 @kindex catch unload
4726 The loading or unloading of a shared library. If @var{regexp} is
4727 given, then the catchpoint will stop only if the regular expression
4728 matches one of the affected libraries.
4730 @item signal @r{[}@var{signal}@dots{} @r{|} @samp{all}@r{]}
4731 @kindex catch signal
4732 The delivery of a signal.
4734 With no arguments, this catchpoint will catch any signal that is not
4735 used internally by @value{GDBN}, specifically, all signals except
4736 @samp{SIGTRAP} and @samp{SIGINT}.
4738 With the argument @samp{all}, all signals, including those used by
4739 @value{GDBN}, will be caught. This argument cannot be used with other
4742 Otherwise, the arguments are a list of signal names as given to
4743 @code{handle} (@pxref{Signals}). Only signals specified in this list
4746 One reason that @code{catch signal} can be more useful than
4747 @code{handle} is that you can attach commands and conditions to the
4750 When a signal is caught by a catchpoint, the signal's @code{stop} and
4751 @code{print} settings, as specified by @code{handle}, are ignored.
4752 However, whether the signal is still delivered to the inferior depends
4753 on the @code{pass} setting; this can be changed in the catchpoint's
4758 @item tcatch @var{event}
4760 Set a catchpoint that is enabled only for one stop. The catchpoint is
4761 automatically deleted after the first time the event is caught.
4765 Use the @code{info break} command to list the current catchpoints.
4769 @subsection Deleting Breakpoints
4771 @cindex clearing breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
4772 @cindex deleting breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
4773 It is often necessary to eliminate a breakpoint, watchpoint, or
4774 catchpoint once it has done its job and you no longer want your program
4775 to stop there. This is called @dfn{deleting} the breakpoint. A
4776 breakpoint that has been deleted no longer exists; it is forgotten.
4778 With the @code{clear} command you can delete breakpoints according to
4779 where they are in your program. With the @code{delete} command you can
4780 delete individual breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints by specifying
4781 their breakpoint numbers.
4783 It is not necessary to delete a breakpoint to proceed past it. @value{GDBN}
4784 automatically ignores breakpoints on the first instruction to be executed
4785 when you continue execution without changing the execution address.
4790 Delete any breakpoints at the next instruction to be executed in the
4791 selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}). When
4792 the innermost frame is selected, this is a good way to delete a
4793 breakpoint where your program just stopped.
4795 @item clear @var{location}
4796 Delete any breakpoints set at the specified @var{location}.
4797 @xref{Specify Location}, for the various forms of @var{location}; the
4798 most useful ones are listed below:
4801 @item clear @var{function}
4802 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{function}
4803 Delete any breakpoints set at entry to the named @var{function}.
4805 @item clear @var{linenum}
4806 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
4807 Delete any breakpoints set at or within the code of the specified
4808 @var{linenum} of the specified @var{filename}.
4811 @cindex delete breakpoints
4813 @kindex d @r{(@code{delete})}
4814 @item delete @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{list}@dots{}@r{]}
4815 Delete the breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints of the breakpoint
4816 list specified as argument. If no argument is specified, delete all
4817 breakpoints (@value{GDBN} asks confirmation, unless you have @code{set
4818 confirm off}). You can abbreviate this command as @code{d}.
4822 @subsection Disabling Breakpoints
4824 @cindex enable/disable a breakpoint
4825 Rather than deleting a breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint, you might
4826 prefer to @dfn{disable} it. This makes the breakpoint inoperative as if
4827 it had been deleted, but remembers the information on the breakpoint so
4828 that you can @dfn{enable} it again later.
4830 You disable and enable breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints with
4831 the @code{enable} and @code{disable} commands, optionally specifying
4832 one or more breakpoint numbers as arguments. Use @code{info break} to
4833 print a list of all breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints if you
4834 do not know which numbers to use.
4836 Disabling and enabling a breakpoint that has multiple locations
4837 affects all of its locations.
4839 A breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint can have any of several
4840 different states of enablement:
4844 Enabled. The breakpoint stops your program. A breakpoint set
4845 with the @code{break} command starts out in this state.
4847 Disabled. The breakpoint has no effect on your program.
4849 Enabled once. The breakpoint stops your program, but then becomes
4852 Enabled for a count. The breakpoint stops your program for the next
4853 N times, then becomes disabled.
4855 Enabled for deletion. The breakpoint stops your program, but
4856 immediately after it does so it is deleted permanently. A breakpoint
4857 set with the @code{tbreak} command starts out in this state.
4860 You can use the following commands to enable or disable breakpoints,
4861 watchpoints, and catchpoints:
4865 @kindex dis @r{(@code{disable})}
4866 @item disable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{list}@dots{}@r{]}
4867 Disable the specified breakpoints---or all breakpoints, if none are
4868 listed. A disabled breakpoint has no effect but is not forgotten. All
4869 options such as ignore-counts, conditions and commands are remembered in
4870 case the breakpoint is enabled again later. You may abbreviate
4871 @code{disable} as @code{dis}.
4874 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{list}@dots{}@r{]}
4875 Enable the specified breakpoints (or all defined breakpoints). They
4876 become effective once again in stopping your program.
4878 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} once @var{list}@dots{}
4879 Enable the specified breakpoints temporarily. @value{GDBN} disables any
4880 of these breakpoints immediately after stopping your program.
4882 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} count @var{count} @var{list}@dots{}
4883 Enable the specified breakpoints temporarily. @value{GDBN} records
4884 @var{count} with each of the specified breakpoints, and decrements a
4885 breakpoint's count when it is hit. When any count reaches 0,
4886 @value{GDBN} disables that breakpoint. If a breakpoint has an ignore
4887 count (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}), that will be
4888 decremented to 0 before @var{count} is affected.
4890 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} delete @var{list}@dots{}
4891 Enable the specified breakpoints to work once, then die. @value{GDBN}
4892 deletes any of these breakpoints as soon as your program stops there.
4893 Breakpoints set by the @code{tbreak} command start out in this state.
4896 @c FIXME: I think the following ``Except for [...] @code{tbreak}'' is
4897 @c confusing: tbreak is also initially enabled.
4898 Except for a breakpoint set with @code{tbreak} (@pxref{Set Breaks,
4899 ,Setting Breakpoints}), breakpoints that you set are initially enabled;
4900 subsequently, they become disabled or enabled only when you use one of
4901 the commands above. (The command @code{until} can set and delete a
4902 breakpoint of its own, but it does not change the state of your other
4903 breakpoints; see @ref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and
4907 @subsection Break Conditions
4908 @cindex conditional breakpoints
4909 @cindex breakpoint conditions
4911 @c FIXME what is scope of break condition expr? Context where wanted?
4912 @c in particular for a watchpoint?
4913 The simplest sort of breakpoint breaks every time your program reaches a
4914 specified place. You can also specify a @dfn{condition} for a
4915 breakpoint. A condition is just a Boolean expression in your
4916 programming language (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). A breakpoint with
4917 a condition evaluates the expression each time your program reaches it,
4918 and your program stops only if the condition is @emph{true}.
4920 This is the converse of using assertions for program validation; in that
4921 situation, you want to stop when the assertion is violated---that is,
4922 when the condition is false. In C, if you want to test an assertion expressed
4923 by the condition @var{assert}, you should set the condition
4924 @samp{! @var{assert}} on the appropriate breakpoint.
4926 Conditions are also accepted for watchpoints; you may not need them,
4927 since a watchpoint is inspecting the value of an expression anyhow---but
4928 it might be simpler, say, to just set a watchpoint on a variable name,
4929 and specify a condition that tests whether the new value is an interesting
4932 Break conditions can have side effects, and may even call functions in
4933 your program. This can be useful, for example, to activate functions
4934 that log program progress, or to use your own print functions to
4935 format special data structures. The effects are completely predictable
4936 unless there is another enabled breakpoint at the same address. (In
4937 that case, @value{GDBN} might see the other breakpoint first and stop your
4938 program without checking the condition of this one.) Note that
4939 breakpoint commands are usually more convenient and flexible than break
4941 purpose of performing side effects when a breakpoint is reached
4942 (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint Command Lists}).
4944 Breakpoint conditions can also be evaluated on the target's side if
4945 the target supports it. Instead of evaluating the conditions locally,
4946 @value{GDBN} encodes the expression into an agent expression
4947 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}) suitable for execution on the target,
4948 independently of @value{GDBN}. Global variables become raw memory
4949 locations, locals become stack accesses, and so forth.
4951 In this case, @value{GDBN} will only be notified of a breakpoint trigger
4952 when its condition evaluates to true. This mechanism may provide faster
4953 response times depending on the performance characteristics of the target
4954 since it does not need to keep @value{GDBN} informed about
4955 every breakpoint trigger, even those with false conditions.
4957 Break conditions can be specified when a breakpoint is set, by using
4958 @samp{if} in the arguments to the @code{break} command. @xref{Set
4959 Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}. They can also be changed at any time
4960 with the @code{condition} command.
4962 You can also use the @code{if} keyword with the @code{watch} command.
4963 The @code{catch} command does not recognize the @code{if} keyword;
4964 @code{condition} is the only way to impose a further condition on a
4969 @item condition @var{bnum} @var{expression}
4970 Specify @var{expression} as the break condition for breakpoint,
4971 watchpoint, or catchpoint number @var{bnum}. After you set a condition,
4972 breakpoint @var{bnum} stops your program only if the value of
4973 @var{expression} is true (nonzero, in C). When you use
4974 @code{condition}, @value{GDBN} checks @var{expression} immediately for
4975 syntactic correctness, and to determine whether symbols in it have
4976 referents in the context of your breakpoint. If @var{expression} uses
4977 symbols not referenced in the context of the breakpoint, @value{GDBN}
4978 prints an error message:
4981 No symbol "foo" in current context.
4986 not actually evaluate @var{expression} at the time the @code{condition}
4987 command (or a command that sets a breakpoint with a condition, like
4988 @code{break if @dots{}}) is given, however. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
4990 @item condition @var{bnum}
4991 Remove the condition from breakpoint number @var{bnum}. It becomes
4992 an ordinary unconditional breakpoint.
4995 @cindex ignore count (of breakpoint)
4996 A special case of a breakpoint condition is to stop only when the
4997 breakpoint has been reached a certain number of times. This is so
4998 useful that there is a special way to do it, using the @dfn{ignore
4999 count} of the breakpoint. Every breakpoint has an ignore count, which
5000 is an integer. Most of the time, the ignore count is zero, and
5001 therefore has no effect. But if your program reaches a breakpoint whose
5002 ignore count is positive, then instead of stopping, it just decrements
5003 the ignore count by one and continues. As a result, if the ignore count
5004 value is @var{n}, the breakpoint does not stop the next @var{n} times
5005 your program reaches it.
5009 @item ignore @var{bnum} @var{count}
5010 Set the ignore count of breakpoint number @var{bnum} to @var{count}.
5011 The next @var{count} times the breakpoint is reached, your program's
5012 execution does not stop; other than to decrement the ignore count, @value{GDBN}
5015 To make the breakpoint stop the next time it is reached, specify
5018 When you use @code{continue} to resume execution of your program from a
5019 breakpoint, you can specify an ignore count directly as an argument to
5020 @code{continue}, rather than using @code{ignore}. @xref{Continuing and
5021 Stepping,,Continuing and Stepping}.
5023 If a breakpoint has a positive ignore count and a condition, the
5024 condition is not checked. Once the ignore count reaches zero,
5025 @value{GDBN} resumes checking the condition.
5027 You could achieve the effect of the ignore count with a condition such
5028 as @w{@samp{$foo-- <= 0}} using a debugger convenience variable that
5029 is decremented each time. @xref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
5033 Ignore counts apply to breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints.
5036 @node Break Commands
5037 @subsection Breakpoint Command Lists
5039 @cindex breakpoint commands
5040 You can give any breakpoint (or watchpoint or catchpoint) a series of
5041 commands to execute when your program stops due to that breakpoint. For
5042 example, you might want to print the values of certain expressions, or
5043 enable other breakpoints.
5047 @kindex end@r{ (breakpoint commands)}
5048 @item commands @r{[}@var{list}@dots{}@r{]}
5049 @itemx @dots{} @var{command-list} @dots{}
5051 Specify a list of commands for the given breakpoints. The commands
5052 themselves appear on the following lines. Type a line containing just
5053 @code{end} to terminate the commands.
5055 To remove all commands from a breakpoint, type @code{commands} and
5056 follow it immediately with @code{end}; that is, give no commands.
5058 With no argument, @code{commands} refers to the last breakpoint,
5059 watchpoint, or catchpoint set (not to the breakpoint most recently
5060 encountered). If the most recent breakpoints were set with a single
5061 command, then the @code{commands} will apply to all the breakpoints
5062 set by that command. This applies to breakpoints set by
5063 @code{rbreak}, and also applies when a single @code{break} command
5064 creates multiple breakpoints (@pxref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous
5068 Pressing @key{RET} as a means of repeating the last @value{GDBN} command is
5069 disabled within a @var{command-list}.
5071 You can use breakpoint commands to start your program up again. Simply
5072 use the @code{continue} command, or @code{step}, or any other command
5073 that resumes execution.
5075 Any other commands in the command list, after a command that resumes
5076 execution, are ignored. This is because any time you resume execution
5077 (even with a simple @code{next} or @code{step}), you may encounter
5078 another breakpoint---which could have its own command list, leading to
5079 ambiguities about which list to execute.
5082 If the first command you specify in a command list is @code{silent}, the
5083 usual message about stopping at a breakpoint is not printed. This may
5084 be desirable for breakpoints that are to print a specific message and
5085 then continue. If none of the remaining commands print anything, you
5086 see no sign that the breakpoint was reached. @code{silent} is
5087 meaningful only at the beginning of a breakpoint command list.
5089 The commands @code{echo}, @code{output}, and @code{printf} allow you to
5090 print precisely controlled output, and are often useful in silent
5091 breakpoints. @xref{Output, ,Commands for Controlled Output}.
5093 For example, here is how you could use breakpoint commands to print the
5094 value of @code{x} at entry to @code{foo} whenever @code{x} is positive.
5100 printf "x is %d\n",x
5105 One application for breakpoint commands is to compensate for one bug so
5106 you can test for another. Put a breakpoint just after the erroneous line
5107 of code, give it a condition to detect the case in which something
5108 erroneous has been done, and give it commands to assign correct values
5109 to any variables that need them. End with the @code{continue} command
5110 so that your program does not stop, and start with the @code{silent}
5111 command so that no output is produced. Here is an example:
5122 @node Dynamic Printf
5123 @subsection Dynamic Printf
5125 @cindex dynamic printf
5127 The dynamic printf command @code{dprintf} combines a breakpoint with
5128 formatted printing of your program's data to give you the effect of
5129 inserting @code{printf} calls into your program on-the-fly, without
5130 having to recompile it.
5132 In its most basic form, the output goes to the GDB console. However,
5133 you can set the variable @code{dprintf-style} for alternate handling.
5134 For instance, you can ask to format the output by calling your
5135 program's @code{printf} function. This has the advantage that the
5136 characters go to the program's output device, so they can recorded in
5137 redirects to files and so forth.
5139 If you are doing remote debugging with a stub or agent, you can also
5140 ask to have the printf handled by the remote agent. In addition to
5141 ensuring that the output goes to the remote program's device along
5142 with any other output the program might produce, you can also ask that
5143 the dprintf remain active even after disconnecting from the remote
5144 target. Using the stub/agent is also more efficient, as it can do
5145 everything without needing to communicate with @value{GDBN}.
5149 @item dprintf @var{location},@var{template},@var{expression}[,@var{expression}@dots{}]
5150 Whenever execution reaches @var{location}, print the values of one or
5151 more @var{expressions} under the control of the string @var{template}.
5152 To print several values, separate them with commas.
5154 @item set dprintf-style @var{style}
5155 Set the dprintf output to be handled in one of several different
5156 styles enumerated below. A change of style affects all existing
5157 dynamic printfs immediately. (If you need individual control over the
5158 print commands, simply define normal breakpoints with
5159 explicitly-supplied command lists.)
5163 @kindex dprintf-style gdb
5164 Handle the output using the @value{GDBN} @code{printf} command.
5167 @kindex dprintf-style call
5168 Handle the output by calling a function in your program (normally
5172 @kindex dprintf-style agent
5173 Have the remote debugging agent (such as @code{gdbserver}) handle
5174 the output itself. This style is only available for agents that
5175 support running commands on the target.
5178 @item set dprintf-function @var{function}
5179 Set the function to call if the dprintf style is @code{call}. By
5180 default its value is @code{printf}. You may set it to any expression.
5181 that @value{GDBN} can evaluate to a function, as per the @code{call}
5184 @item set dprintf-channel @var{channel}
5185 Set a ``channel'' for dprintf. If set to a non-empty value,
5186 @value{GDBN} will evaluate it as an expression and pass the result as
5187 a first argument to the @code{dprintf-function}, in the manner of
5188 @code{fprintf} and similar functions. Otherwise, the dprintf format
5189 string will be the first argument, in the manner of @code{printf}.
5191 As an example, if you wanted @code{dprintf} output to go to a logfile
5192 that is a standard I/O stream assigned to the variable @code{mylog},
5193 you could do the following:
5196 (gdb) set dprintf-style call
5197 (gdb) set dprintf-function fprintf
5198 (gdb) set dprintf-channel mylog
5199 (gdb) dprintf 25,"at line 25, glob=%d\n",glob
5200 Dprintf 1 at 0x123456: file main.c, line 25.
5202 1 dprintf keep y 0x00123456 in main at main.c:25
5203 call (void) fprintf (mylog,"at line 25, glob=%d\n",glob)
5208 Note that the @code{info break} displays the dynamic printf commands
5209 as normal breakpoint commands; you can thus easily see the effect of
5210 the variable settings.
5212 @item set disconnected-dprintf on
5213 @itemx set disconnected-dprintf off
5214 @kindex set disconnected-dprintf
5215 Choose whether @code{dprintf} commands should continue to run if
5216 @value{GDBN} has disconnected from the target. This only applies
5217 if the @code{dprintf-style} is @code{agent}.
5219 @item show disconnected-dprintf off
5220 @kindex show disconnected-dprintf
5221 Show the current choice for disconnected @code{dprintf}.
5225 @value{GDBN} does not check the validity of function and channel,
5226 relying on you to supply values that are meaningful for the contexts
5227 in which they are being used. For instance, the function and channel
5228 may be the values of local variables, but if that is the case, then
5229 all enabled dynamic prints must be at locations within the scope of
5230 those locals. If evaluation fails, @value{GDBN} will report an error.
5232 @node Save Breakpoints
5233 @subsection How to save breakpoints to a file
5235 To save breakpoint definitions to a file use the @w{@code{save
5236 breakpoints}} command.
5239 @kindex save breakpoints
5240 @cindex save breakpoints to a file for future sessions
5241 @item save breakpoints [@var{filename}]
5242 This command saves all current breakpoint definitions together with
5243 their commands and ignore counts, into a file @file{@var{filename}}
5244 suitable for use in a later debugging session. This includes all
5245 types of breakpoints (breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints,
5246 tracepoints). To read the saved breakpoint definitions, use the
5247 @code{source} command (@pxref{Command Files}). Note that watchpoints
5248 with expressions involving local variables may fail to be recreated
5249 because it may not be possible to access the context where the
5250 watchpoint is valid anymore. Because the saved breakpoint definitions
5251 are simply a sequence of @value{GDBN} commands that recreate the
5252 breakpoints, you can edit the file in your favorite editing program,
5253 and remove the breakpoint definitions you're not interested in, or
5254 that can no longer be recreated.
5257 @node Static Probe Points
5258 @subsection Static Probe Points
5260 @cindex static probe point, SystemTap
5261 @cindex static probe point, DTrace
5262 @value{GDBN} supports @dfn{SDT} probes in the code. @acronym{SDT} stands
5263 for Statically Defined Tracing, and the probes are designed to have a tiny
5264 runtime code and data footprint, and no dynamic relocations.
5266 Currently, the following types of probes are supported on
5267 ELF-compatible systems:
5271 @item @code{SystemTap} (@uref{http://sourceware.org/systemtap/})
5272 @acronym{SDT} probes@footnote{See
5273 @uref{http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/AddingUserSpaceProbingToApps}
5274 for more information on how to add @code{SystemTap} @acronym{SDT}
5275 probes in your applications.}. @code{SystemTap} probes are usable
5276 from assembly, C and C@t{++} languages@footnote{See
5277 @uref{http://sourceware.org/systemtap/wiki/UserSpaceProbeImplementation}
5278 for a good reference on how the @acronym{SDT} probes are implemented.}.
5280 @item @code{DTrace} (@uref{http://oss.oracle.com/projects/DTrace})
5281 @acronym{USDT} probes. @code{DTrace} probes are usable from C and
5285 @cindex semaphores on static probe points
5286 Some @code{SystemTap} probes have an associated semaphore variable;
5287 for instance, this happens automatically if you defined your probe
5288 using a DTrace-style @file{.d} file. If your probe has a semaphore,
5289 @value{GDBN} will automatically enable it when you specify a
5290 breakpoint using the @samp{-probe-stap} notation. But, if you put a
5291 breakpoint at a probe's location by some other method (e.g.,
5292 @code{break file:line}), then @value{GDBN} will not automatically set
5293 the semaphore. @code{DTrace} probes do not support semaphores.
5295 You can examine the available static static probes using @code{info
5296 probes}, with optional arguments:
5300 @item info probes @r{[}@var{type}@r{]} @r{[}@var{provider} @r{[}@var{name} @r{[}@var{objfile}@r{]}@r{]}@r{]}
5301 If given, @var{type} is either @code{stap} for listing
5302 @code{SystemTap} probes or @code{dtrace} for listing @code{DTrace}
5303 probes. If omitted all probes are listed regardless of their types.
5305 If given, @var{provider} is a regular expression used to match against provider
5306 names when selecting which probes to list. If omitted, probes by all
5307 probes from all providers are listed.
5309 If given, @var{name} is a regular expression to match against probe names
5310 when selecting which probes to list. If omitted, probe names are not
5311 considered when deciding whether to display them.
5313 If given, @var{objfile} is a regular expression used to select which
5314 object files (executable or shared libraries) to examine. If not
5315 given, all object files are considered.
5317 @item info probes all
5318 List the available static probes, from all types.
5321 @cindex enabling and disabling probes
5322 Some probe points can be enabled and/or disabled. The effect of
5323 enabling or disabling a probe depends on the type of probe being
5324 handled. Some @code{DTrace} probes can be enabled or
5325 disabled, but @code{SystemTap} probes cannot be disabled.
5327 You can enable (or disable) one or more probes using the following
5328 commands, with optional arguments:
5331 @kindex enable probes
5332 @item enable probes @r{[}@var{provider} @r{[}@var{name} @r{[}@var{objfile}@r{]}@r{]}@r{]}
5333 If given, @var{provider} is a regular expression used to match against
5334 provider names when selecting which probes to enable. If omitted,
5335 all probes from all providers are enabled.
5337 If given, @var{name} is a regular expression to match against probe
5338 names when selecting which probes to enable. If omitted, probe names
5339 are not considered when deciding whether to enable them.
5341 If given, @var{objfile} is a regular expression used to select which
5342 object files (executable or shared libraries) to examine. If not
5343 given, all object files are considered.
5345 @kindex disable probes
5346 @item disable probes @r{[}@var{provider} @r{[}@var{name} @r{[}@var{objfile}@r{]}@r{]}@r{]}
5347 See the @code{enable probes} command above for a description of the
5348 optional arguments accepted by this command.
5351 @vindex $_probe_arg@r{, convenience variable}
5352 A probe may specify up to twelve arguments. These are available at the
5353 point at which the probe is defined---that is, when the current PC is
5354 at the probe's location. The arguments are available using the
5355 convenience variables (@pxref{Convenience Vars})
5356 @code{$_probe_arg0}@dots{}@code{$_probe_arg11}. In @code{SystemTap}
5357 probes each probe argument is an integer of the appropriate size;
5358 types are not preserved. In @code{DTrace} probes types are preserved
5359 provided that they are recognized as such by @value{GDBN}; otherwise
5360 the value of the probe argument will be a long integer. The
5361 convenience variable @code{$_probe_argc} holds the number of arguments
5362 at the current probe point.
5364 These variables are always available, but attempts to access them at
5365 any location other than a probe point will cause @value{GDBN} to give
5369 @c @ifclear BARETARGET
5370 @node Error in Breakpoints
5371 @subsection ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
5373 If you request too many active hardware-assisted breakpoints and
5374 watchpoints, you will see this error message:
5376 @c FIXME: the precise wording of this message may change; the relevant
5377 @c source change is not committed yet (Sep 3, 1999).
5379 Stopped; cannot insert breakpoints.
5380 You may have requested too many hardware breakpoints and watchpoints.
5384 This message is printed when you attempt to resume the program, since
5385 only then @value{GDBN} knows exactly how many hardware breakpoints and
5386 watchpoints it needs to insert.
5388 When this message is printed, you need to disable or remove some of the
5389 hardware-assisted breakpoints and watchpoints, and then continue.
5391 @node Breakpoint-related Warnings
5392 @subsection ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
5393 @cindex breakpoint address adjusted
5395 Some processor architectures place constraints on the addresses at
5396 which breakpoints may be placed. For architectures thus constrained,
5397 @value{GDBN} will attempt to adjust the breakpoint's address to comply
5398 with the constraints dictated by the architecture.
5400 One example of such an architecture is the Fujitsu FR-V. The FR-V is
5401 a VLIW architecture in which a number of RISC-like instructions may be
5402 bundled together for parallel execution. The FR-V architecture
5403 constrains the location of a breakpoint instruction within such a
5404 bundle to the instruction with the lowest address. @value{GDBN}
5405 honors this constraint by adjusting a breakpoint's address to the
5406 first in the bundle.
5408 It is not uncommon for optimized code to have bundles which contain
5409 instructions from different source statements, thus it may happen that
5410 a breakpoint's address will be adjusted from one source statement to
5411 another. Since this adjustment may significantly alter @value{GDBN}'s
5412 breakpoint related behavior from what the user expects, a warning is
5413 printed when the breakpoint is first set and also when the breakpoint
5416 A warning like the one below is printed when setting a breakpoint
5417 that's been subject to address adjustment:
5420 warning: Breakpoint address adjusted from 0x00010414 to 0x00010410.
5423 Such warnings are printed both for user settable and @value{GDBN}'s
5424 internal breakpoints. If you see one of these warnings, you should
5425 verify that a breakpoint set at the adjusted address will have the
5426 desired affect. If not, the breakpoint in question may be removed and
5427 other breakpoints may be set which will have the desired behavior.
5428 E.g., it may be sufficient to place the breakpoint at a later
5429 instruction. A conditional breakpoint may also be useful in some
5430 cases to prevent the breakpoint from triggering too often.
5432 @value{GDBN} will also issue a warning when stopping at one of these
5433 adjusted breakpoints:
5436 warning: Breakpoint 1 address previously adjusted from 0x00010414
5440 When this warning is encountered, it may be too late to take remedial
5441 action except in cases where the breakpoint is hit earlier or more
5442 frequently than expected.
5444 @node Continuing and Stepping
5445 @section Continuing and Stepping
5449 @cindex resuming execution
5450 @dfn{Continuing} means resuming program execution until your program
5451 completes normally. In contrast, @dfn{stepping} means executing just
5452 one more ``step'' of your program, where ``step'' may mean either one
5453 line of source code, or one machine instruction (depending on what
5454 particular command you use). Either when continuing or when stepping,
5455 your program may stop even sooner, due to a breakpoint or a signal. (If
5456 it stops due to a signal, you may want to use @code{handle}, or use
5457 @samp{signal 0} to resume execution (@pxref{Signals, ,Signals}),
5458 or you may step into the signal's handler (@pxref{stepping and signal
5463 @kindex c @r{(@code{continue})}
5464 @kindex fg @r{(resume foreground execution)}
5465 @item continue @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
5466 @itemx c @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
5467 @itemx fg @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
5468 Resume program execution, at the address where your program last stopped;
5469 any breakpoints set at that address are bypassed. The optional argument
5470 @var{ignore-count} allows you to specify a further number of times to
5471 ignore a breakpoint at this location; its effect is like that of
5472 @code{ignore} (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
5474 The argument @var{ignore-count} is meaningful only when your program
5475 stopped due to a breakpoint. At other times, the argument to
5476 @code{continue} is ignored.
5478 The synonyms @code{c} and @code{fg} (for @dfn{foreground}, as the
5479 debugged program is deemed to be the foreground program) are provided
5480 purely for convenience, and have exactly the same behavior as
5484 To resume execution at a different place, you can use @code{return}
5485 (@pxref{Returning, ,Returning from a Function}) to go back to the
5486 calling function; or @code{jump} (@pxref{Jumping, ,Continuing at a
5487 Different Address}) to go to an arbitrary location in your program.
5489 A typical technique for using stepping is to set a breakpoint
5490 (@pxref{Breakpoints, ,Breakpoints; Watchpoints; and Catchpoints}) at the
5491 beginning of the function or the section of your program where a problem
5492 is believed to lie, run your program until it stops at that breakpoint,
5493 and then step through the suspect area, examining the variables that are
5494 interesting, until you see the problem happen.
5498 @kindex s @r{(@code{step})}
5500 Continue running your program until control reaches a different source
5501 line, then stop it and return control to @value{GDBN}. This command is
5502 abbreviated @code{s}.
5505 @c "without debugging information" is imprecise; actually "without line
5506 @c numbers in the debugging information". (gcc -g1 has debugging info but
5507 @c not line numbers). But it seems complex to try to make that
5508 @c distinction here.
5509 @emph{Warning:} If you use the @code{step} command while control is
5510 within a function that was compiled without debugging information,
5511 execution proceeds until control reaches a function that does have
5512 debugging information. Likewise, it will not step into a function which
5513 is compiled without debugging information. To step through functions
5514 without debugging information, use the @code{stepi} command, described
5518 The @code{step} command only stops at the first instruction of a source
5519 line. This prevents the multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
5520 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc. @code{step} continues
5521 to stop if a function that has debugging information is called within
5522 the line. In other words, @code{step} @emph{steps inside} any functions
5523 called within the line.
5525 Also, the @code{step} command only enters a function if there is line
5526 number information for the function. Otherwise it acts like the
5527 @code{next} command. This avoids problems when using @code{cc -gl}
5528 on @acronym{MIPS} machines. Previously, @code{step} entered subroutines if there
5529 was any debugging information about the routine.
5531 @item step @var{count}
5532 Continue running as in @code{step}, but do so @var{count} times. If a
5533 breakpoint is reached, or a signal not related to stepping occurs before
5534 @var{count} steps, stepping stops right away.
5537 @kindex n @r{(@code{next})}
5538 @item next @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
5539 Continue to the next source line in the current (innermost) stack frame.
5540 This is similar to @code{step}, but function calls that appear within
5541 the line of code are executed without stopping. Execution stops when
5542 control reaches a different line of code at the original stack level
5543 that was executing when you gave the @code{next} command. This command
5544 is abbreviated @code{n}.
5546 An argument @var{count} is a repeat count, as for @code{step}.
5549 @c FIX ME!! Do we delete this, or is there a way it fits in with
5550 @c the following paragraph? --- Vctoria
5552 @c @code{next} within a function that lacks debugging information acts like
5553 @c @code{step}, but any function calls appearing within the code of the
5554 @c function are executed without stopping.
5556 The @code{next} command only stops at the first instruction of a
5557 source line. This prevents multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
5558 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc.
5560 @kindex set step-mode
5562 @cindex functions without line info, and stepping
5563 @cindex stepping into functions with no line info
5564 @itemx set step-mode on
5565 The @code{set step-mode on} command causes the @code{step} command to
5566 stop at the first instruction of a function which contains no debug line
5567 information rather than stepping over it.
5569 This is useful in cases where you may be interested in inspecting the
5570 machine instructions of a function which has no symbolic info and do not
5571 want @value{GDBN} to automatically skip over this function.
5573 @item set step-mode off
5574 Causes the @code{step} command to step over any functions which contains no
5575 debug information. This is the default.
5577 @item show step-mode
5578 Show whether @value{GDBN} will stop in or step over functions without
5579 source line debug information.
5582 @kindex fin @r{(@code{finish})}
5584 Continue running until just after function in the selected stack frame
5585 returns. Print the returned value (if any). This command can be
5586 abbreviated as @code{fin}.
5588 Contrast this with the @code{return} command (@pxref{Returning,
5589 ,Returning from a Function}).
5592 @kindex u @r{(@code{until})}
5593 @cindex run until specified location
5596 Continue running until a source line past the current line, in the
5597 current stack frame, is reached. This command is used to avoid single
5598 stepping through a loop more than once. It is like the @code{next}
5599 command, except that when @code{until} encounters a jump, it
5600 automatically continues execution until the program counter is greater
5601 than the address of the jump.
5603 This means that when you reach the end of a loop after single stepping
5604 though it, @code{until} makes your program continue execution until it
5605 exits the loop. In contrast, a @code{next} command at the end of a loop
5606 simply steps back to the beginning of the loop, which forces you to step
5607 through the next iteration.
5609 @code{until} always stops your program if it attempts to exit the current
5612 @code{until} may produce somewhat counterintuitive results if the order
5613 of machine code does not match the order of the source lines. For
5614 example, in the following excerpt from a debugging session, the @code{f}
5615 (@code{frame}) command shows that execution is stopped at line
5616 @code{206}; yet when we use @code{until}, we get to line @code{195}:
5620 #0 main (argc=4, argv=0xf7fffae8) at m4.c:206
5622 (@value{GDBP}) until
5623 195 for ( ; argc > 0; NEXTARG) @{
5626 This happened because, for execution efficiency, the compiler had
5627 generated code for the loop closure test at the end, rather than the
5628 start, of the loop---even though the test in a C @code{for}-loop is
5629 written before the body of the loop. The @code{until} command appeared
5630 to step back to the beginning of the loop when it advanced to this
5631 expression; however, it has not really gone to an earlier
5632 statement---not in terms of the actual machine code.
5634 @code{until} with no argument works by means of single
5635 instruction stepping, and hence is slower than @code{until} with an
5638 @item until @var{location}
5639 @itemx u @var{location}
5640 Continue running your program until either the specified @var{location} is
5641 reached, or the current stack frame returns. The location is any of
5642 the forms described in @ref{Specify Location}.
5643 This form of the command uses temporary breakpoints, and
5644 hence is quicker than @code{until} without an argument. The specified
5645 location is actually reached only if it is in the current frame. This
5646 implies that @code{until} can be used to skip over recursive function
5647 invocations. For instance in the code below, if the current location is
5648 line @code{96}, issuing @code{until 99} will execute the program up to
5649 line @code{99} in the same invocation of factorial, i.e., after the inner
5650 invocations have returned.
5653 94 int factorial (int value)
5655 96 if (value > 1) @{
5656 97 value *= factorial (value - 1);
5663 @kindex advance @var{location}
5664 @item advance @var{location}
5665 Continue running the program up to the given @var{location}. An argument is
5666 required, which should be of one of the forms described in
5667 @ref{Specify Location}.
5668 Execution will also stop upon exit from the current stack
5669 frame. This command is similar to @code{until}, but @code{advance} will
5670 not skip over recursive function calls, and the target location doesn't
5671 have to be in the same frame as the current one.
5675 @kindex si @r{(@code{stepi})}
5677 @itemx stepi @var{arg}
5679 Execute one machine instruction, then stop and return to the debugger.
5681 It is often useful to do @samp{display/i $pc} when stepping by machine
5682 instructions. This makes @value{GDBN} automatically display the next
5683 instruction to be executed, each time your program stops. @xref{Auto
5684 Display,, Automatic Display}.
5686 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{step}.
5690 @kindex ni @r{(@code{nexti})}
5692 @itemx nexti @var{arg}
5694 Execute one machine instruction, but if it is a function call,
5695 proceed until the function returns.
5697 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{next}.
5701 @anchor{range stepping}
5702 @cindex range stepping
5703 @cindex target-assisted range stepping
5704 By default, and if available, @value{GDBN} makes use of
5705 target-assisted @dfn{range stepping}. In other words, whenever you
5706 use a stepping command (e.g., @code{step}, @code{next}), @value{GDBN}
5707 tells the target to step the corresponding range of instruction
5708 addresses instead of issuing multiple single-steps. This speeds up
5709 line stepping, particularly for remote targets. Ideally, there should
5710 be no reason you would want to turn range stepping off. However, it's
5711 possible that a bug in the debug info, a bug in the remote stub (for
5712 remote targets), or even a bug in @value{GDBN} could make line
5713 stepping behave incorrectly when target-assisted range stepping is
5714 enabled. You can use the following command to turn off range stepping
5718 @kindex set range-stepping
5719 @kindex show range-stepping
5720 @item set range-stepping
5721 @itemx show range-stepping
5722 Control whether range stepping is enabled.
5724 If @code{on}, and the target supports it, @value{GDBN} tells the
5725 target to step a range of addresses itself, instead of issuing
5726 multiple single-steps. If @code{off}, @value{GDBN} always issues
5727 single-steps, even if range stepping is supported by the target. The
5728 default is @code{on}.
5732 @node Skipping Over Functions and Files
5733 @section Skipping Over Functions and Files
5734 @cindex skipping over functions and files
5736 The program you are debugging may contain some functions which are
5737 uninteresting to debug. The @code{skip} command lets you tell @value{GDBN} to
5738 skip a function, all functions in a file or a particular function in
5739 a particular file when stepping.
5741 For example, consider the following C function:
5752 Suppose you wish to step into the functions @code{foo} and @code{bar}, but you
5753 are not interested in stepping through @code{boring}. If you run @code{step}
5754 at line 103, you'll enter @code{boring()}, but if you run @code{next}, you'll
5755 step over both @code{foo} and @code{boring}!
5757 One solution is to @code{step} into @code{boring} and use the @code{finish}
5758 command to immediately exit it. But this can become tedious if @code{boring}
5759 is called from many places.
5761 A more flexible solution is to execute @kbd{skip boring}. This instructs
5762 @value{GDBN} never to step into @code{boring}. Now when you execute
5763 @code{step} at line 103, you'll step over @code{boring} and directly into
5766 Functions may be skipped by providing either a function name, linespec
5767 (@pxref{Specify Location}), regular expression that matches the function's
5768 name, file name or a @code{glob}-style pattern that matches the file name.
5770 On Posix systems the form of the regular expression is
5771 ``Extended Regular Expressions''. See for example @samp{man 7 regex}
5772 on @sc{gnu}/Linux systems. On non-Posix systems the form of the regular
5773 expression is whatever is provided by the @code{regcomp} function of
5774 the underlying system.
5775 See for example @samp{man 7 glob} on @sc{gnu}/Linux systems for a
5776 description of @code{glob}-style patterns.
5780 @item skip @r{[}@var{options}@r{]}
5781 The basic form of the @code{skip} command takes zero or more options
5782 that specify what to skip.
5783 The @var{options} argument is any useful combination of the following:
5786 @item -file @var{file}
5787 @itemx -fi @var{file}
5788 Functions in @var{file} will be skipped over when stepping.
5790 @item -gfile @var{file-glob-pattern}
5791 @itemx -gfi @var{file-glob-pattern}
5792 @cindex skipping over files via glob-style patterns
5793 Functions in files matching @var{file-glob-pattern} will be skipped
5797 (gdb) skip -gfi utils/*.c
5800 @item -function @var{linespec}
5801 @itemx -fu @var{linespec}
5802 Functions named by @var{linespec} or the function containing the line
5803 named by @var{linespec} will be skipped over when stepping.
5804 @xref{Specify Location}.
5806 @item -rfunction @var{regexp}
5807 @itemx -rfu @var{regexp}
5808 @cindex skipping over functions via regular expressions
5809 Functions whose name matches @var{regexp} will be skipped over when stepping.
5811 This form is useful for complex function names.
5812 For example, there is generally no need to step into C@t{++} @code{std::string}
5813 constructors or destructors. Plus with C@t{++} templates it can be hard to
5814 write out the full name of the function, and often it doesn't matter what
5815 the template arguments are. Specifying the function to be skipped as a
5816 regular expression makes this easier.
5819 (gdb) skip -rfu ^std::(allocator|basic_string)<.*>::~?\1 *\(
5822 If you want to skip every templated C@t{++} constructor and destructor
5823 in the @code{std} namespace you can do:
5826 (gdb) skip -rfu ^std::([a-zA-z0-9_]+)<.*>::~?\1 *\(
5830 If no options are specified, the function you're currently debugging
5833 @kindex skip function
5834 @item skip function @r{[}@var{linespec}@r{]}
5835 After running this command, the function named by @var{linespec} or the
5836 function containing the line named by @var{linespec} will be skipped over when
5837 stepping. @xref{Specify Location}.
5839 If you do not specify @var{linespec}, the function you're currently debugging
5842 (If you have a function called @code{file} that you want to skip, use
5843 @kbd{skip function file}.)
5846 @item skip file @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
5847 After running this command, any function whose source lives in @var{filename}
5848 will be skipped over when stepping.
5851 (gdb) skip file boring.c
5852 File boring.c will be skipped when stepping.
5855 If you do not specify @var{filename}, functions whose source lives in the file
5856 you're currently debugging will be skipped.
5859 Skips can be listed, deleted, disabled, and enabled, much like breakpoints.
5860 These are the commands for managing your list of skips:
5864 @item info skip @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5865 Print details about the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified,
5866 print a table with details about all functions and files marked for skipping.
5867 @code{info skip} prints the following information about each skip:
5871 A number identifying this skip.
5872 @item Enabled or Disabled
5873 Enabled skips are marked with @samp{y}.
5874 Disabled skips are marked with @samp{n}.
5876 If the file name is a @samp{glob} pattern this is @samp{y}.
5877 Otherwise it is @samp{n}.
5879 The name or @samp{glob} pattern of the file to be skipped.
5880 If no file is specified this is @samp{<none>}.
5882 If the function name is a @samp{regular expression} this is @samp{y}.
5883 Otherwise it is @samp{n}.
5885 The name or regular expression of the function to skip.
5886 If no function is specified this is @samp{<none>}.
5890 @item skip delete @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5891 Delete the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified, delete all
5895 @item skip enable @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5896 Enable the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified, enable all
5899 @kindex skip disable
5900 @item skip disable @r{[}@var{range}@r{]}
5901 Disable the specified skip(s). If @var{range} is not specified, disable all
5904 @kindex set debug skip
5905 @item set debug skip @r{[}on|off@r{]}
5906 Set whether to print the debug output about skipping files and functions.
5908 @kindex show debug skip
5909 @item show debug skip
5910 Show whether the debug output about skipping files and functions is printed.
5918 A signal is an asynchronous event that can happen in a program. The
5919 operating system defines the possible kinds of signals, and gives each
5920 kind a name and a number. For example, in Unix @code{SIGINT} is the
5921 signal a program gets when you type an interrupt character (often @kbd{Ctrl-c});
5922 @code{SIGSEGV} is the signal a program gets from referencing a place in
5923 memory far away from all the areas in use; @code{SIGALRM} occurs when
5924 the alarm clock timer goes off (which happens only if your program has
5925 requested an alarm).
5927 @cindex fatal signals
5928 Some signals, including @code{SIGALRM}, are a normal part of the
5929 functioning of your program. Others, such as @code{SIGSEGV}, indicate
5930 errors; these signals are @dfn{fatal} (they kill your program immediately) if the
5931 program has not specified in advance some other way to handle the signal.
5932 @code{SIGINT} does not indicate an error in your program, but it is normally
5933 fatal so it can carry out the purpose of the interrupt: to kill the program.
5935 @value{GDBN} has the ability to detect any occurrence of a signal in your
5936 program. You can tell @value{GDBN} in advance what to do for each kind of
5939 @cindex handling signals
5940 Normally, @value{GDBN} is set up to let the non-erroneous signals like
5941 @code{SIGALRM} be silently passed to your program
5942 (so as not to interfere with their role in the program's functioning)
5943 but to stop your program immediately whenever an error signal happens.
5944 You can change these settings with the @code{handle} command.
5947 @kindex info signals
5951 Print a table of all the kinds of signals and how @value{GDBN} has been told to
5952 handle each one. You can use this to see the signal numbers of all
5953 the defined types of signals.
5955 @item info signals @var{sig}
5956 Similar, but print information only about the specified signal number.
5958 @code{info handle} is an alias for @code{info signals}.
5960 @item catch signal @r{[}@var{signal}@dots{} @r{|} @samp{all}@r{]}
5961 Set a catchpoint for the indicated signals. @xref{Set Catchpoints},
5962 for details about this command.
5965 @item handle @var{signal} @r{[}@var{keywords}@dots{}@r{]}
5966 Change the way @value{GDBN} handles signal @var{signal}. The @var{signal}
5967 can be the number of a signal or its name (with or without the
5968 @samp{SIG} at the beginning); a list of signal numbers of the form
5969 @samp{@var{low}-@var{high}}; or the word @samp{all}, meaning all the
5970 known signals. Optional arguments @var{keywords}, described below,
5971 say what change to make.
5975 The keywords allowed by the @code{handle} command can be abbreviated.
5976 Their full names are:
5980 @value{GDBN} should not stop your program when this signal happens. It may
5981 still print a message telling you that the signal has come in.
5984 @value{GDBN} should stop your program when this signal happens. This implies
5985 the @code{print} keyword as well.
5988 @value{GDBN} should print a message when this signal happens.
5991 @value{GDBN} should not mention the occurrence of the signal at all. This
5992 implies the @code{nostop} keyword as well.
5996 @value{GDBN} should allow your program to see this signal; your program
5997 can handle the signal, or else it may terminate if the signal is fatal
5998 and not handled. @code{pass} and @code{noignore} are synonyms.
6002 @value{GDBN} should not allow your program to see this signal.
6003 @code{nopass} and @code{ignore} are synonyms.
6007 When a signal stops your program, the signal is not visible to the
6009 continue. Your program sees the signal then, if @code{pass} is in
6010 effect for the signal in question @emph{at that time}. In other words,
6011 after @value{GDBN} reports a signal, you can use the @code{handle}
6012 command with @code{pass} or @code{nopass} to control whether your
6013 program sees that signal when you continue.
6015 The default is set to @code{nostop}, @code{noprint}, @code{pass} for
6016 non-erroneous signals such as @code{SIGALRM}, @code{SIGWINCH} and
6017 @code{SIGCHLD}, and to @code{stop}, @code{print}, @code{pass} for the
6020 You can also use the @code{signal} command to prevent your program from
6021 seeing a signal, or cause it to see a signal it normally would not see,
6022 or to give it any signal at any time. For example, if your program stopped
6023 due to some sort of memory reference error, you might store correct
6024 values into the erroneous variables and continue, hoping to see more
6025 execution; but your program would probably terminate immediately as
6026 a result of the fatal signal once it saw the signal. To prevent this,
6027 you can continue with @samp{signal 0}. @xref{Signaling, ,Giving your
6030 @cindex stepping and signal handlers
6031 @anchor{stepping and signal handlers}
6033 @value{GDBN} optimizes for stepping the mainline code. If a signal
6034 that has @code{handle nostop} and @code{handle pass} set arrives while
6035 a stepping command (e.g., @code{stepi}, @code{step}, @code{next}) is
6036 in progress, @value{GDBN} lets the signal handler run and then resumes
6037 stepping the mainline code once the signal handler returns. In other
6038 words, @value{GDBN} steps over the signal handler. This prevents
6039 signals that you've specified as not interesting (with @code{handle
6040 nostop}) from changing the focus of debugging unexpectedly. Note that
6041 the signal handler itself may still hit a breakpoint, stop for another
6042 signal that has @code{handle stop} in effect, or for any other event
6043 that normally results in stopping the stepping command sooner. Also
6044 note that @value{GDBN} still informs you that the program received a
6045 signal if @code{handle print} is set.
6047 @anchor{stepping into signal handlers}
6049 If you set @code{handle pass} for a signal, and your program sets up a
6050 handler for it, then issuing a stepping command, such as @code{step}
6051 or @code{stepi}, when your program is stopped due to the signal will
6052 step @emph{into} the signal handler (if the target supports that).
6054 Likewise, if you use the @code{queue-signal} command to queue a signal
6055 to be delivered to the current thread when execution of the thread
6056 resumes (@pxref{Signaling, ,Giving your Program a Signal}), then a
6057 stepping command will step into the signal handler.
6059 Here's an example, using @code{stepi} to step to the first instruction
6060 of @code{SIGUSR1}'s handler:
6063 (@value{GDBP}) handle SIGUSR1
6064 Signal Stop Print Pass to program Description
6065 SIGUSR1 Yes Yes Yes User defined signal 1
6069 Program received signal SIGUSR1, User defined signal 1.
6070 main () sigusr1.c:28
6073 sigusr1_handler () at sigusr1.c:9
6077 The same, but using @code{queue-signal} instead of waiting for the
6078 program to receive the signal first:
6083 (@value{GDBP}) queue-signal SIGUSR1
6085 sigusr1_handler () at sigusr1.c:9
6090 @cindex extra signal information
6091 @anchor{extra signal information}
6093 On some targets, @value{GDBN} can inspect extra signal information
6094 associated with the intercepted signal, before it is actually
6095 delivered to the program being debugged. This information is exported
6096 by the convenience variable @code{$_siginfo}, and consists of data
6097 that is passed by the kernel to the signal handler at the time of the
6098 receipt of a signal. The data type of the information itself is
6099 target dependent. You can see the data type using the @code{ptype
6100 $_siginfo} command. On Unix systems, it typically corresponds to the
6101 standard @code{siginfo_t} type, as defined in the @file{signal.h}
6104 Here's an example, on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, printing the stray
6105 referenced address that raised a segmentation fault.
6109 (@value{GDBP}) continue
6110 Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault.
6111 0x0000000000400766 in main ()
6113 (@value{GDBP}) ptype $_siginfo
6120 struct @{...@} _kill;
6121 struct @{...@} _timer;
6123 struct @{...@} _sigchld;
6124 struct @{...@} _sigfault;
6125 struct @{...@} _sigpoll;
6128 (@value{GDBP}) ptype $_siginfo._sifields._sigfault
6132 (@value{GDBP}) p $_siginfo._sifields._sigfault.si_addr
6133 $1 = (void *) 0x7ffff7ff7000
6137 Depending on target support, @code{$_siginfo} may also be writable.
6139 @cindex Intel MPX boundary violations
6140 @cindex boundary violations, Intel MPX
6141 On some targets, a @code{SIGSEGV} can be caused by a boundary
6142 violation, i.e., accessing an address outside of the allowed range.
6143 In those cases @value{GDBN} may displays additional information,
6144 depending on how @value{GDBN} has been told to handle the signal.
6145 With @code{handle stop SIGSEGV}, @value{GDBN} displays the violation
6146 kind: "Upper" or "Lower", the memory address accessed and the
6147 bounds, while with @code{handle nostop SIGSEGV} no additional
6148 information is displayed.
6150 The usual output of a segfault is:
6152 Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault
6153 0x0000000000400d7c in upper () at i386-mpx-sigsegv.c:68
6154 68 value = *(p + len);
6157 While a bound violation is presented as:
6159 Program received signal SIGSEGV, Segmentation fault
6160 Upper bound violation while accessing address 0x7fffffffc3b3
6161 Bounds: [lower = 0x7fffffffc390, upper = 0x7fffffffc3a3]
6162 0x0000000000400d7c in upper () at i386-mpx-sigsegv.c:68
6163 68 value = *(p + len);
6167 @section Stopping and Starting Multi-thread Programs
6169 @cindex stopped threads
6170 @cindex threads, stopped
6172 @cindex continuing threads
6173 @cindex threads, continuing
6175 @value{GDBN} supports debugging programs with multiple threads
6176 (@pxref{Threads,, Debugging Programs with Multiple Threads}). There
6177 are two modes of controlling execution of your program within the
6178 debugger. In the default mode, referred to as @dfn{all-stop mode},
6179 when any thread in your program stops (for example, at a breakpoint
6180 or while being stepped), all other threads in the program are also stopped by
6181 @value{GDBN}. On some targets, @value{GDBN} also supports
6182 @dfn{non-stop mode}, in which other threads can continue to run freely while
6183 you examine the stopped thread in the debugger.
6186 * All-Stop Mode:: All threads stop when GDB takes control
6187 * Non-Stop Mode:: Other threads continue to execute
6188 * Background Execution:: Running your program asynchronously
6189 * Thread-Specific Breakpoints:: Controlling breakpoints
6190 * Interrupted System Calls:: GDB may interfere with system calls
6191 * Observer Mode:: GDB does not alter program behavior
6195 @subsection All-Stop Mode
6197 @cindex all-stop mode
6199 In all-stop mode, whenever your program stops under @value{GDBN} for any reason,
6200 @emph{all} threads of execution stop, not just the current thread. This
6201 allows you to examine the overall state of the program, including
6202 switching between threads, without worrying that things may change
6205 Conversely, whenever you restart the program, @emph{all} threads start
6206 executing. @emph{This is true even when single-stepping} with commands
6207 like @code{step} or @code{next}.
6209 In particular, @value{GDBN} cannot single-step all threads in lockstep.
6210 Since thread scheduling is up to your debugging target's operating
6211 system (not controlled by @value{GDBN}), other threads may
6212 execute more than one statement while the current thread completes a
6213 single step. Moreover, in general other threads stop in the middle of a
6214 statement, rather than at a clean statement boundary, when the program
6217 You might even find your program stopped in another thread after
6218 continuing or even single-stepping. This happens whenever some other
6219 thread runs into a breakpoint, a signal, or an exception before the
6220 first thread completes whatever you requested.
6222 @cindex automatic thread selection
6223 @cindex switching threads automatically
6224 @cindex threads, automatic switching
6225 Whenever @value{GDBN} stops your program, due to a breakpoint or a
6226 signal, it automatically selects the thread where that breakpoint or
6227 signal happened. @value{GDBN} alerts you to the context switch with a
6228 message such as @samp{[Switching to Thread @var{n}]} to identify the
6231 On some OSes, you can modify @value{GDBN}'s default behavior by
6232 locking the OS scheduler to allow only a single thread to run.
6235 @item set scheduler-locking @var{mode}
6236 @cindex scheduler locking mode
6237 @cindex lock scheduler
6238 Set the scheduler locking mode. It applies to normal execution,
6239 record mode, and replay mode. If it is @code{off}, then there is no
6240 locking and any thread may run at any time. If @code{on}, then only
6241 the current thread may run when the inferior is resumed. The
6242 @code{step} mode optimizes for single-stepping; it prevents other
6243 threads from preempting the current thread while you are stepping, so
6244 that the focus of debugging does not change unexpectedly. Other
6245 threads never get a chance to run when you step, and they are
6246 completely free to run when you use commands like @samp{continue},
6247 @samp{until}, or @samp{finish}. However, unless another thread hits a
6248 breakpoint during its timeslice, @value{GDBN} does not change the
6249 current thread away from the thread that you are debugging. The
6250 @code{replay} mode behaves like @code{off} in record mode and like
6251 @code{on} in replay mode.
6253 @item show scheduler-locking
6254 Display the current scheduler locking mode.
6257 @cindex resume threads of multiple processes simultaneously
6258 By default, when you issue one of the execution commands such as
6259 @code{continue}, @code{next} or @code{step}, @value{GDBN} allows only
6260 threads of the current inferior to run. For example, if @value{GDBN}
6261 is attached to two inferiors, each with two threads, the
6262 @code{continue} command resumes only the two threads of the current
6263 inferior. This is useful, for example, when you debug a program that
6264 forks and you want to hold the parent stopped (so that, for instance,
6265 it doesn't run to exit), while you debug the child. In other
6266 situations, you may not be interested in inspecting the current state
6267 of any of the processes @value{GDBN} is attached to, and you may want
6268 to resume them all until some breakpoint is hit. In the latter case,
6269 you can instruct @value{GDBN} to allow all threads of all the
6270 inferiors to run with the @w{@code{set schedule-multiple}} command.
6273 @kindex set schedule-multiple
6274 @item set schedule-multiple
6275 Set the mode for allowing threads of multiple processes to be resumed
6276 when an execution command is issued. When @code{on}, all threads of
6277 all processes are allowed to run. When @code{off}, only the threads
6278 of the current process are resumed. The default is @code{off}. The
6279 @code{scheduler-locking} mode takes precedence when set to @code{on},
6280 or while you are stepping and set to @code{step}.
6282 @item show schedule-multiple
6283 Display the current mode for resuming the execution of threads of
6288 @subsection Non-Stop Mode
6290 @cindex non-stop mode
6292 @c This section is really only a place-holder, and needs to be expanded
6293 @c with more details.
6295 For some multi-threaded targets, @value{GDBN} supports an optional
6296 mode of operation in which you can examine stopped program threads in
6297 the debugger while other threads continue to execute freely. This
6298 minimizes intrusion when debugging live systems, such as programs
6299 where some threads have real-time constraints or must continue to
6300 respond to external events. This is referred to as @dfn{non-stop} mode.
6302 In non-stop mode, when a thread stops to report a debugging event,
6303 @emph{only} that thread is stopped; @value{GDBN} does not stop other
6304 threads as well, in contrast to the all-stop mode behavior. Additionally,
6305 execution commands such as @code{continue} and @code{step} apply by default
6306 only to the current thread in non-stop mode, rather than all threads as
6307 in all-stop mode. This allows you to control threads explicitly in
6308 ways that are not possible in all-stop mode --- for example, stepping
6309 one thread while allowing others to run freely, stepping
6310 one thread while holding all others stopped, or stepping several threads
6311 independently and simultaneously.
6313 To enter non-stop mode, use this sequence of commands before you run
6314 or attach to your program:
6317 # If using the CLI, pagination breaks non-stop.
6320 # Finally, turn it on!
6324 You can use these commands to manipulate the non-stop mode setting:
6327 @kindex set non-stop
6328 @item set non-stop on
6329 Enable selection of non-stop mode.
6330 @item set non-stop off
6331 Disable selection of non-stop mode.
6332 @kindex show non-stop
6334 Show the current non-stop enablement setting.
6337 Note these commands only reflect whether non-stop mode is enabled,
6338 not whether the currently-executing program is being run in non-stop mode.
6339 In particular, the @code{set non-stop} preference is only consulted when
6340 @value{GDBN} starts or connects to the target program, and it is generally
6341 not possible to switch modes once debugging has started. Furthermore,
6342 since not all targets support non-stop mode, even when you have enabled
6343 non-stop mode, @value{GDBN} may still fall back to all-stop operation by
6346 In non-stop mode, all execution commands apply only to the current thread
6347 by default. That is, @code{continue} only continues one thread.
6348 To continue all threads, issue @code{continue -a} or @code{c -a}.
6350 You can use @value{GDBN}'s background execution commands
6351 (@pxref{Background Execution}) to run some threads in the background
6352 while you continue to examine or step others from @value{GDBN}.
6353 The MI execution commands (@pxref{GDB/MI Program Execution}) are
6354 always executed asynchronously in non-stop mode.
6356 Suspending execution is done with the @code{interrupt} command when
6357 running in the background, or @kbd{Ctrl-c} during foreground execution.
6358 In all-stop mode, this stops the whole process;
6359 but in non-stop mode the interrupt applies only to the current thread.
6360 To stop the whole program, use @code{interrupt -a}.
6362 Other execution commands do not currently support the @code{-a} option.
6364 In non-stop mode, when a thread stops, @value{GDBN} doesn't automatically make
6365 that thread current, as it does in all-stop mode. This is because the
6366 thread stop notifications are asynchronous with respect to @value{GDBN}'s
6367 command interpreter, and it would be confusing if @value{GDBN} unexpectedly
6368 changed to a different thread just as you entered a command to operate on the
6369 previously current thread.
6371 @node Background Execution
6372 @subsection Background Execution
6374 @cindex foreground execution
6375 @cindex background execution
6376 @cindex asynchronous execution
6377 @cindex execution, foreground, background and asynchronous
6379 @value{GDBN}'s execution commands have two variants: the normal
6380 foreground (synchronous) behavior, and a background
6381 (asynchronous) behavior. In foreground execution, @value{GDBN} waits for
6382 the program to report that some thread has stopped before prompting for
6383 another command. In background execution, @value{GDBN} immediately gives
6384 a command prompt so that you can issue other commands while your program runs.
6386 If the target doesn't support async mode, @value{GDBN} issues an error
6387 message if you attempt to use the background execution commands.
6389 @cindex @code{&}, background execution of commands
6390 To specify background execution, add a @code{&} to the command. For example,
6391 the background form of the @code{continue} command is @code{continue&}, or
6392 just @code{c&}. The execution commands that accept background execution
6398 @xref{Starting, , Starting your Program}.
6402 @xref{Attach, , Debugging an Already-running Process}.
6406 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, step}.
6410 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, stepi}.
6414 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, next}.
6418 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, nexti}.
6422 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, continue}.
6426 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, finish}.
6430 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, until}.
6434 Background execution is especially useful in conjunction with non-stop
6435 mode for debugging programs with multiple threads; see @ref{Non-Stop Mode}.
6436 However, you can also use these commands in the normal all-stop mode with
6437 the restriction that you cannot issue another execution command until the
6438 previous one finishes. Examples of commands that are valid in all-stop
6439 mode while the program is running include @code{help} and @code{info break}.
6441 You can interrupt your program while it is running in the background by
6442 using the @code{interrupt} command.
6449 Suspend execution of the running program. In all-stop mode,
6450 @code{interrupt} stops the whole process, but in non-stop mode, it stops
6451 only the current thread. To stop the whole program in non-stop mode,
6452 use @code{interrupt -a}.
6455 @node Thread-Specific Breakpoints
6456 @subsection Thread-Specific Breakpoints
6458 When your program has multiple threads (@pxref{Threads,, Debugging
6459 Programs with Multiple Threads}), you can choose whether to set
6460 breakpoints on all threads, or on a particular thread.
6463 @cindex breakpoints and threads
6464 @cindex thread breakpoints
6465 @kindex break @dots{} thread @var{thread-id}
6466 @item break @var{location} thread @var{thread-id}
6467 @itemx break @var{location} thread @var{thread-id} if @dots{}
6468 @var{location} specifies source lines; there are several ways of
6469 writing them (@pxref{Specify Location}), but the effect is always to
6470 specify some source line.
6472 Use the qualifier @samp{thread @var{thread-id}} with a breakpoint command
6473 to specify that you only want @value{GDBN} to stop the program when a
6474 particular thread reaches this breakpoint. The @var{thread-id} specifier
6475 is one of the thread identifiers assigned by @value{GDBN}, shown
6476 in the first column of the @samp{info threads} display.
6478 If you do not specify @samp{thread @var{thread-id}} when you set a
6479 breakpoint, the breakpoint applies to @emph{all} threads of your
6482 You can use the @code{thread} qualifier on conditional breakpoints as
6483 well; in this case, place @samp{thread @var{thread-id}} before or
6484 after the breakpoint condition, like this:
6487 (@value{GDBP}) break frik.c:13 thread 28 if bartab > lim
6492 Thread-specific breakpoints are automatically deleted when
6493 @value{GDBN} detects the corresponding thread is no longer in the
6494 thread list. For example:
6498 Thread-specific breakpoint 3 deleted - thread 28 no longer in the thread list.
6501 There are several ways for a thread to disappear, such as a regular
6502 thread exit, but also when you detach from the process with the
6503 @code{detach} command (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an Already-running
6504 Process}), or if @value{GDBN} loses the remote connection
6505 (@pxref{Remote Debugging}), etc. Note that with some targets,
6506 @value{GDBN} is only able to detect a thread has exited when the user
6507 explictly asks for the thread list with the @code{info threads}
6510 @node Interrupted System Calls
6511 @subsection Interrupted System Calls
6513 @cindex thread breakpoints and system calls
6514 @cindex system calls and thread breakpoints
6515 @cindex premature return from system calls
6516 There is an unfortunate side effect when using @value{GDBN} to debug
6517 multi-threaded programs. If one thread stops for a
6518 breakpoint, or for some other reason, and another thread is blocked in a
6519 system call, then the system call may return prematurely. This is a
6520 consequence of the interaction between multiple threads and the signals
6521 that @value{GDBN} uses to implement breakpoints and other events that
6524 To handle this problem, your program should check the return value of
6525 each system call and react appropriately. This is good programming
6528 For example, do not write code like this:
6534 The call to @code{sleep} will return early if a different thread stops
6535 at a breakpoint or for some other reason.
6537 Instead, write this:
6542 unslept = sleep (unslept);
6545 A system call is allowed to return early, so the system is still
6546 conforming to its specification. But @value{GDBN} does cause your
6547 multi-threaded program to behave differently than it would without
6550 Also, @value{GDBN} uses internal breakpoints in the thread library to
6551 monitor certain events such as thread creation and thread destruction.
6552 When such an event happens, a system call in another thread may return
6553 prematurely, even though your program does not appear to stop.
6556 @subsection Observer Mode
6558 If you want to build on non-stop mode and observe program behavior
6559 without any chance of disruption by @value{GDBN}, you can set
6560 variables to disable all of the debugger's attempts to modify state,
6561 whether by writing memory, inserting breakpoints, etc. These operate
6562 at a low level, intercepting operations from all commands.
6564 When all of these are set to @code{off}, then @value{GDBN} is said to
6565 be @dfn{observer mode}. As a convenience, the variable
6566 @code{observer} can be set to disable these, plus enable non-stop
6569 Note that @value{GDBN} will not prevent you from making nonsensical
6570 combinations of these settings. For instance, if you have enabled
6571 @code{may-insert-breakpoints} but disabled @code{may-write-memory},
6572 then breakpoints that work by writing trap instructions into the code
6573 stream will still not be able to be placed.
6578 @item set observer on
6579 @itemx set observer off
6580 When set to @code{on}, this disables all the permission variables
6581 below (except for @code{insert-fast-tracepoints}), plus enables
6582 non-stop debugging. Setting this to @code{off} switches back to
6583 normal debugging, though remaining in non-stop mode.
6586 Show whether observer mode is on or off.
6588 @kindex may-write-registers
6589 @item set may-write-registers on
6590 @itemx set may-write-registers off
6591 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to alter the values of
6592 registers, such as with assignment expressions in @code{print}, or the
6593 @code{jump} command. It defaults to @code{on}.
6595 @item show may-write-registers
6596 Show the current permission to write registers.
6598 @kindex may-write-memory
6599 @item set may-write-memory on
6600 @itemx set may-write-memory off
6601 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to alter the contents
6602 of memory, such as with assignment expressions in @code{print}. It
6603 defaults to @code{on}.
6605 @item show may-write-memory
6606 Show the current permission to write memory.
6608 @kindex may-insert-breakpoints
6609 @item set may-insert-breakpoints on
6610 @itemx set may-insert-breakpoints off
6611 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to insert breakpoints.
6612 This affects all breakpoints, including internal breakpoints defined
6613 by @value{GDBN}. It defaults to @code{on}.
6615 @item show may-insert-breakpoints
6616 Show the current permission to insert breakpoints.
6618 @kindex may-insert-tracepoints
6619 @item set may-insert-tracepoints on
6620 @itemx set may-insert-tracepoints off
6621 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to insert (regular)
6622 tracepoints at the beginning of a tracing experiment. It affects only
6623 non-fast tracepoints, fast tracepoints being under the control of
6624 @code{may-insert-fast-tracepoints}. It defaults to @code{on}.
6626 @item show may-insert-tracepoints
6627 Show the current permission to insert tracepoints.
6629 @kindex may-insert-fast-tracepoints
6630 @item set may-insert-fast-tracepoints on
6631 @itemx set may-insert-fast-tracepoints off
6632 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to insert fast
6633 tracepoints at the beginning of a tracing experiment. It affects only
6634 fast tracepoints, regular (non-fast) tracepoints being under the
6635 control of @code{may-insert-tracepoints}. It defaults to @code{on}.
6637 @item show may-insert-fast-tracepoints
6638 Show the current permission to insert fast tracepoints.
6640 @kindex may-interrupt
6641 @item set may-interrupt on
6642 @itemx set may-interrupt off
6643 This controls whether @value{GDBN} will attempt to interrupt or stop
6644 program execution. When this variable is @code{off}, the
6645 @code{interrupt} command will have no effect, nor will
6646 @kbd{Ctrl-c}. It defaults to @code{on}.
6648 @item show may-interrupt
6649 Show the current permission to interrupt or stop the program.
6653 @node Reverse Execution
6654 @chapter Running programs backward
6655 @cindex reverse execution
6656 @cindex running programs backward
6658 When you are debugging a program, it is not unusual to realize that
6659 you have gone too far, and some event of interest has already happened.
6660 If the target environment supports it, @value{GDBN} can allow you to
6661 ``rewind'' the program by running it backward.
6663 A target environment that supports reverse execution should be able
6664 to ``undo'' the changes in machine state that have taken place as the
6665 program was executing normally. Variables, registers etc.@: should
6666 revert to their previous values. Obviously this requires a great
6667 deal of sophistication on the part of the target environment; not
6668 all target environments can support reverse execution.
6670 When a program is executed in reverse, the instructions that
6671 have most recently been executed are ``un-executed'', in reverse
6672 order. The program counter runs backward, following the previous
6673 thread of execution in reverse. As each instruction is ``un-executed'',
6674 the values of memory and/or registers that were changed by that
6675 instruction are reverted to their previous states. After executing
6676 a piece of source code in reverse, all side effects of that code
6677 should be ``undone'', and all variables should be returned to their
6678 prior values@footnote{
6679 Note that some side effects are easier to undo than others. For instance,
6680 memory and registers are relatively easy, but device I/O is hard. Some
6681 targets may be able undo things like device I/O, and some may not.
6683 The contract between @value{GDBN} and the reverse executing target
6684 requires only that the target do something reasonable when
6685 @value{GDBN} tells it to execute backwards, and then report the
6686 results back to @value{GDBN}. Whatever the target reports back to
6687 @value{GDBN}, @value{GDBN} will report back to the user. @value{GDBN}
6688 assumes that the memory and registers that the target reports are in a
6689 consistant state, but @value{GDBN} accepts whatever it is given.
6692 If you are debugging in a target environment that supports
6693 reverse execution, @value{GDBN} provides the following commands.
6696 @kindex reverse-continue
6697 @kindex rc @r{(@code{reverse-continue})}
6698 @item reverse-continue @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
6699 @itemx rc @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
6700 Beginning at the point where your program last stopped, start executing
6701 in reverse. Reverse execution will stop for breakpoints and synchronous
6702 exceptions (signals), just like normal execution. Behavior of
6703 asynchronous signals depends on the target environment.
6705 @kindex reverse-step
6706 @kindex rs @r{(@code{step})}
6707 @item reverse-step @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
6708 Run the program backward until control reaches the start of a
6709 different source line; then stop it, and return control to @value{GDBN}.
6711 Like the @code{step} command, @code{reverse-step} will only stop
6712 at the beginning of a source line. It ``un-executes'' the previously
6713 executed source line. If the previous source line included calls to
6714 debuggable functions, @code{reverse-step} will step (backward) into
6715 the called function, stopping at the beginning of the @emph{last}
6716 statement in the called function (typically a return statement).
6718 Also, as with the @code{step} command, if non-debuggable functions are
6719 called, @code{reverse-step} will run thru them backward without stopping.
6721 @kindex reverse-stepi
6722 @kindex rsi @r{(@code{reverse-stepi})}
6723 @item reverse-stepi @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
6724 Reverse-execute one machine instruction. Note that the instruction
6725 to be reverse-executed is @emph{not} the one pointed to by the program
6726 counter, but the instruction executed prior to that one. For instance,
6727 if the last instruction was a jump, @code{reverse-stepi} will take you
6728 back from the destination of the jump to the jump instruction itself.
6730 @kindex reverse-next
6731 @kindex rn @r{(@code{reverse-next})}
6732 @item reverse-next @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
6733 Run backward to the beginning of the previous line executed in
6734 the current (innermost) stack frame. If the line contains function
6735 calls, they will be ``un-executed'' without stopping. Starting from
6736 the first line of a function, @code{reverse-next} will take you back
6737 to the caller of that function, @emph{before} the function was called,
6738 just as the normal @code{next} command would take you from the last
6739 line of a function back to its return to its caller
6740 @footnote{Unless the code is too heavily optimized.}.
6742 @kindex reverse-nexti
6743 @kindex rni @r{(@code{reverse-nexti})}
6744 @item reverse-nexti @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
6745 Like @code{nexti}, @code{reverse-nexti} executes a single instruction
6746 in reverse, except that called functions are ``un-executed'' atomically.
6747 That is, if the previously executed instruction was a return from
6748 another function, @code{reverse-nexti} will continue to execute
6749 in reverse until the call to that function (from the current stack
6752 @kindex reverse-finish
6753 @item reverse-finish
6754 Just as the @code{finish} command takes you to the point where the
6755 current function returns, @code{reverse-finish} takes you to the point
6756 where it was called. Instead of ending up at the end of the current
6757 function invocation, you end up at the beginning.
6759 @kindex set exec-direction
6760 @item set exec-direction
6761 Set the direction of target execution.
6762 @item set exec-direction reverse
6763 @cindex execute forward or backward in time
6764 @value{GDBN} will perform all execution commands in reverse, until the
6765 exec-direction mode is changed to ``forward''. Affected commands include
6766 @code{step, stepi, next, nexti, continue, and finish}. The @code{return}
6767 command cannot be used in reverse mode.
6768 @item set exec-direction forward
6769 @value{GDBN} will perform all execution commands in the normal fashion.
6770 This is the default.
6774 @node Process Record and Replay
6775 @chapter Recording Inferior's Execution and Replaying It
6776 @cindex process record and replay
6777 @cindex recording inferior's execution and replaying it
6779 On some platforms, @value{GDBN} provides a special @dfn{process record
6780 and replay} target that can record a log of the process execution, and
6781 replay it later with both forward and reverse execution commands.
6784 When this target is in use, if the execution log includes the record
6785 for the next instruction, @value{GDBN} will debug in @dfn{replay
6786 mode}. In the replay mode, the inferior does not really execute code
6787 instructions. Instead, all the events that normally happen during
6788 code execution are taken from the execution log. While code is not
6789 really executed in replay mode, the values of registers (including the
6790 program counter register) and the memory of the inferior are still
6791 changed as they normally would. Their contents are taken from the
6795 If the record for the next instruction is not in the execution log,
6796 @value{GDBN} will debug in @dfn{record mode}. In this mode, the
6797 inferior executes normally, and @value{GDBN} records the execution log
6800 The process record and replay target supports reverse execution
6801 (@pxref{Reverse Execution}), even if the platform on which the
6802 inferior runs does not. However, the reverse execution is limited in
6803 this case by the range of the instructions recorded in the execution
6804 log. In other words, reverse execution on platforms that don't
6805 support it directly can only be done in the replay mode.
6807 When debugging in the reverse direction, @value{GDBN} will work in
6808 replay mode as long as the execution log includes the record for the
6809 previous instruction; otherwise, it will work in record mode, if the
6810 platform supports reverse execution, or stop if not.
6812 For architecture environments that support process record and replay,
6813 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands:
6816 @kindex target record
6817 @kindex target record-full
6818 @kindex target record-btrace
6821 @kindex record btrace
6822 @kindex record btrace bts
6823 @kindex record btrace pt
6829 @kindex rec btrace bts
6830 @kindex rec btrace pt
6833 @item record @var{method}
6834 This command starts the process record and replay target. The
6835 recording method can be specified as parameter. Without a parameter
6836 the command uses the @code{full} recording method. The following
6837 recording methods are available:
6841 Full record/replay recording using @value{GDBN}'s software record and
6842 replay implementation. This method allows replaying and reverse
6845 @item btrace @var{format}
6846 Hardware-supported instruction recording. This method does not record
6847 data. Further, the data is collected in a ring buffer so old data will
6848 be overwritten when the buffer is full. It allows limited reverse
6849 execution. Variables and registers are not available during reverse
6850 execution. In remote debugging, recording continues on disconnect.
6851 Recorded data can be inspected after reconnecting. The recording may
6852 be stopped using @code{record stop}.
6854 The recording format can be specified as parameter. Without a parameter
6855 the command chooses the recording format. The following recording
6856 formats are available:
6860 @cindex branch trace store
6861 Use the @dfn{Branch Trace Store} (@acronym{BTS}) recording format. In
6862 this format, the processor stores a from/to record for each executed
6863 branch in the btrace ring buffer.
6866 @cindex Intel Processor Trace
6867 Use the @dfn{Intel Processor Trace} recording format. In this
6868 format, the processor stores the execution trace in a compressed form
6869 that is afterwards decoded by @value{GDBN}.
6871 The trace can be recorded with very low overhead. The compressed
6872 trace format also allows small trace buffers to already contain a big
6873 number of instructions compared to @acronym{BTS}.
6875 Decoding the recorded execution trace, on the other hand, is more
6876 expensive than decoding @acronym{BTS} trace. This is mostly due to the
6877 increased number of instructions to process. You should increase the
6878 buffer-size with care.
6881 Not all recording formats may be available on all processors.
6884 The process record and replay target can only debug a process that is
6885 already running. Therefore, you need first to start the process with
6886 the @kbd{run} or @kbd{start} commands, and then start the recording
6887 with the @kbd{record @var{method}} command.
6889 @cindex displaced stepping, and process record and replay
6890 Displaced stepping (@pxref{Maintenance Commands,, displaced stepping})
6891 will be automatically disabled when process record and replay target
6892 is started. That's because the process record and replay target
6893 doesn't support displaced stepping.
6895 @cindex non-stop mode, and process record and replay
6896 @cindex asynchronous execution, and process record and replay
6897 If the inferior is in the non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}) or in
6898 the asynchronous execution mode (@pxref{Background Execution}), not
6899 all recording methods are available. The @code{full} recording method
6900 does not support these two modes.
6905 Stop the process record and replay target. When process record and
6906 replay target stops, the entire execution log will be deleted and the
6907 inferior will either be terminated, or will remain in its final state.
6909 When you stop the process record and replay target in record mode (at
6910 the end of the execution log), the inferior will be stopped at the
6911 next instruction that would have been recorded. In other words, if
6912 you record for a while and then stop recording, the inferior process
6913 will be left in the same state as if the recording never happened.
6915 On the other hand, if the process record and replay target is stopped
6916 while in replay mode (that is, not at the end of the execution log,
6917 but at some earlier point), the inferior process will become ``live''
6918 at that earlier state, and it will then be possible to continue the
6919 usual ``live'' debugging of the process from that state.
6921 When the inferior process exits, or @value{GDBN} detaches from it,
6922 process record and replay target will automatically stop itself.
6926 Go to a specific location in the execution log. There are several
6927 ways to specify the location to go to:
6930 @item record goto begin
6931 @itemx record goto start
6932 Go to the beginning of the execution log.
6934 @item record goto end
6935 Go to the end of the execution log.
6937 @item record goto @var{n}
6938 Go to instruction number @var{n} in the execution log.
6942 @item record save @var{filename}
6943 Save the execution log to a file @file{@var{filename}}.
6944 Default filename is @file{gdb_record.@var{process_id}}, where
6945 @var{process_id} is the process ID of the inferior.
6947 This command may not be available for all recording methods.
6949 @kindex record restore
6950 @item record restore @var{filename}
6951 Restore the execution log from a file @file{@var{filename}}.
6952 File must have been created with @code{record save}.
6954 @kindex set record full
6955 @item set record full insn-number-max @var{limit}
6956 @itemx set record full insn-number-max unlimited
6957 Set the limit of instructions to be recorded for the @code{full}
6958 recording method. Default value is 200000.
6960 If @var{limit} is a positive number, then @value{GDBN} will start
6961 deleting instructions from the log once the number of the record
6962 instructions becomes greater than @var{limit}. For every new recorded
6963 instruction, @value{GDBN} will delete the earliest recorded
6964 instruction to keep the number of recorded instructions at the limit.
6965 (Since deleting recorded instructions loses information, @value{GDBN}
6966 lets you control what happens when the limit is reached, by means of
6967 the @code{stop-at-limit} option, described below.)
6969 If @var{limit} is @code{unlimited} or zero, @value{GDBN} will never
6970 delete recorded instructions from the execution log. The number of
6971 recorded instructions is limited only by the available memory.
6973 @kindex show record full
6974 @item show record full insn-number-max
6975 Show the limit of instructions to be recorded with the @code{full}
6978 @item set record full stop-at-limit
6979 Control the behavior of the @code{full} recording method when the
6980 number of recorded instructions reaches the limit. If ON (the
6981 default), @value{GDBN} will stop when the limit is reached for the
6982 first time and ask you whether you want to stop the inferior or
6983 continue running it and recording the execution log. If you decide
6984 to continue recording, each new recorded instruction will cause the
6985 oldest one to be deleted.
6987 If this option is OFF, @value{GDBN} will automatically delete the
6988 oldest record to make room for each new one, without asking.
6990 @item show record full stop-at-limit
6991 Show the current setting of @code{stop-at-limit}.
6993 @item set record full memory-query
6994 Control the behavior when @value{GDBN} is unable to record memory
6995 changes caused by an instruction for the @code{full} recording method.
6996 If ON, @value{GDBN} will query whether to stop the inferior in that
6999 If this option is OFF (the default), @value{GDBN} will automatically
7000 ignore the effect of such instructions on memory. Later, when
7001 @value{GDBN} replays this execution log, it will mark the log of this
7002 instruction as not accessible, and it will not affect the replay
7005 @item show record full memory-query
7006 Show the current setting of @code{memory-query}.
7008 @kindex set record btrace
7009 The @code{btrace} record target does not trace data. As a
7010 convenience, when replaying, @value{GDBN} reads read-only memory off
7011 the live program directly, assuming that the addresses of the
7012 read-only areas don't change. This for example makes it possible to
7013 disassemble code while replaying, but not to print variables.
7014 In some cases, being able to inspect variables might be useful.
7015 You can use the following command for that:
7017 @item set record btrace replay-memory-access
7018 Control the behavior of the @code{btrace} recording method when
7019 accessing memory during replay. If @code{read-only} (the default),
7020 @value{GDBN} will only allow accesses to read-only memory.
7021 If @code{read-write}, @value{GDBN} will allow accesses to read-only
7022 and to read-write memory. Beware that the accessed memory corresponds
7023 to the live target and not necessarily to the current replay
7026 @item set record btrace cpu @var{identifier}
7027 Set the processor to be used for enabling workarounds for processor
7028 errata when decoding the trace.
7030 Processor errata are defects in processor operation, caused by its
7031 design or manufacture. They can cause a trace not to match the
7032 specification. This, in turn, may cause trace decode to fail.
7033 @value{GDBN} can detect erroneous trace packets and correct them, thus
7034 avoiding the decoding failures. These corrections are known as
7035 @dfn{errata workarounds}, and are enabled based on the processor on
7036 which the trace was recorded.
7038 By default, @value{GDBN} attempts to detect the processor
7039 automatically, and apply the necessary workarounds for it. However,
7040 you may need to specify the processor if @value{GDBN} does not yet
7041 support it. This command allows you to do that, and also allows to
7042 disable the workarounds.
7044 The argument @var{identifier} identifies the @sc{cpu} and is of the
7045 form: @code{@var{vendor}:@var{procesor identifier}}. In addition,
7046 there are two special identifiers, @code{none} and @code{auto}
7049 The following vendor identifiers and corresponding processor
7050 identifiers are currently supported:
7052 @multitable @columnfractions .1 .9
7055 @tab @var{family}/@var{model}[/@var{stepping}]
7059 On GNU/Linux systems, the processor @var{family}, @var{model}, and
7060 @var{stepping} can be obtained from @code{/proc/cpuinfo}.
7062 If @var{identifier} is @code{auto}, enable errata workarounds for the
7063 processor on which the trace was recorded. If @var{identifier} is
7064 @code{none}, errata workarounds are disabled.
7066 For example, when using an old @value{GDBN} on a new system, decode
7067 may fail because @value{GDBN} does not support the new processor. It
7068 often suffices to specify an older processor that @value{GDBN}
7073 Active record target: record-btrace
7074 Recording format: Intel Processor Trace.
7076 Failed to configure the Intel Processor Trace decoder: unknown cpu.
7077 (gdb) set record btrace cpu intel:6/158
7079 Active record target: record-btrace
7080 Recording format: Intel Processor Trace.
7082 Recorded 84872 instructions in 3189 functions (0 gaps) for thread 1 (...).
7085 @kindex show record btrace
7086 @item show record btrace replay-memory-access
7087 Show the current setting of @code{replay-memory-access}.
7089 @item show record btrace cpu
7090 Show the processor to be used for enabling trace decode errata
7093 @kindex set record btrace bts
7094 @item set record btrace bts buffer-size @var{size}
7095 @itemx set record btrace bts buffer-size unlimited
7096 Set the requested ring buffer size for branch tracing in @acronym{BTS}
7097 format. Default is 64KB.
7099 If @var{size} is a positive number, then @value{GDBN} will try to
7100 allocate a buffer of at least @var{size} bytes for each new thread
7101 that uses the btrace recording method and the @acronym{BTS} format.
7102 The actually obtained buffer size may differ from the requested
7103 @var{size}. Use the @code{info record} command to see the actual
7104 buffer size for each thread that uses the btrace recording method and
7105 the @acronym{BTS} format.
7107 If @var{limit} is @code{unlimited} or zero, @value{GDBN} will try to
7108 allocate a buffer of 4MB.
7110 Bigger buffers mean longer traces. On the other hand, @value{GDBN} will
7111 also need longer to process the branch trace data before it can be used.
7113 @item show record btrace bts buffer-size @var{size}
7114 Show the current setting of the requested ring buffer size for branch
7115 tracing in @acronym{BTS} format.
7117 @kindex set record btrace pt
7118 @item set record btrace pt buffer-size @var{size}
7119 @itemx set record btrace pt buffer-size unlimited
7120 Set the requested ring buffer size for branch tracing in Intel
7121 Processor Trace format. Default is 16KB.
7123 If @var{size} is a positive number, then @value{GDBN} will try to
7124 allocate a buffer of at least @var{size} bytes for each new thread
7125 that uses the btrace recording method and the Intel Processor Trace
7126 format. The actually obtained buffer size may differ from the
7127 requested @var{size}. Use the @code{info record} command to see the
7128 actual buffer size for each thread.
7130 If @var{limit} is @code{unlimited} or zero, @value{GDBN} will try to
7131 allocate a buffer of 4MB.
7133 Bigger buffers mean longer traces. On the other hand, @value{GDBN} will
7134 also need longer to process the branch trace data before it can be used.
7136 @item show record btrace pt buffer-size @var{size}
7137 Show the current setting of the requested ring buffer size for branch
7138 tracing in Intel Processor Trace format.
7142 Show various statistics about the recording depending on the recording
7147 For the @code{full} recording method, it shows the state of process
7148 record and its in-memory execution log buffer, including:
7152 Whether in record mode or replay mode.
7154 Lowest recorded instruction number (counting from when the current execution log started recording instructions).
7156 Highest recorded instruction number.
7158 Current instruction about to be replayed (if in replay mode).
7160 Number of instructions contained in the execution log.
7162 Maximum number of instructions that may be contained in the execution log.
7166 For the @code{btrace} recording method, it shows:
7172 Number of instructions that have been recorded.
7174 Number of blocks of sequential control-flow formed by the recorded
7177 Whether in record mode or replay mode.
7180 For the @code{bts} recording format, it also shows:
7183 Size of the perf ring buffer.
7186 For the @code{pt} recording format, it also shows:
7189 Size of the perf ring buffer.
7193 @kindex record delete
7196 When record target runs in replay mode (``in the past''), delete the
7197 subsequent execution log and begin to record a new execution log starting
7198 from the current address. This means you will abandon the previously
7199 recorded ``future'' and begin recording a new ``future''.
7201 @kindex record instruction-history
7202 @kindex rec instruction-history
7203 @item record instruction-history
7204 Disassembles instructions from the recorded execution log. By
7205 default, ten instructions are disassembled. This can be changed using
7206 the @code{set record instruction-history-size} command. Instructions
7207 are printed in execution order.
7209 It can also print mixed source+disassembly if you specify the the
7210 @code{/m} or @code{/s} modifier, and print the raw instructions in hex
7211 as well as in symbolic form by specifying the @code{/r} modifier.
7213 The current position marker is printed for the instruction at the
7214 current program counter value. This instruction can appear multiple
7215 times in the trace and the current position marker will be printed
7216 every time. To omit the current position marker, specify the
7219 To better align the printed instructions when the trace contains
7220 instructions from more than one function, the function name may be
7221 omitted by specifying the @code{/f} modifier.
7223 Speculatively executed instructions are prefixed with @samp{?}. This
7224 feature is not available for all recording formats.
7226 There are several ways to specify what part of the execution log to
7230 @item record instruction-history @var{insn}
7231 Disassembles ten instructions starting from instruction number
7234 @item record instruction-history @var{insn}, +/-@var{n}
7235 Disassembles @var{n} instructions around instruction number
7236 @var{insn}. If @var{n} is preceded with @code{+}, disassembles
7237 @var{n} instructions after instruction number @var{insn}. If
7238 @var{n} is preceded with @code{-}, disassembles @var{n}
7239 instructions before instruction number @var{insn}.
7241 @item record instruction-history
7242 Disassembles ten more instructions after the last disassembly.
7244 @item record instruction-history -
7245 Disassembles ten more instructions before the last disassembly.
7247 @item record instruction-history @var{begin}, @var{end}
7248 Disassembles instructions beginning with instruction number
7249 @var{begin} until instruction number @var{end}. The instruction
7250 number @var{end} is included.
7253 This command may not be available for all recording methods.
7256 @item set record instruction-history-size @var{size}
7257 @itemx set record instruction-history-size unlimited
7258 Define how many instructions to disassemble in the @code{record
7259 instruction-history} command. The default value is 10.
7260 A @var{size} of @code{unlimited} means unlimited instructions.
7263 @item show record instruction-history-size
7264 Show how many instructions to disassemble in the @code{record
7265 instruction-history} command.
7267 @kindex record function-call-history
7268 @kindex rec function-call-history
7269 @item record function-call-history
7270 Prints the execution history at function granularity. It prints one
7271 line for each sequence of instructions that belong to the same
7272 function giving the name of that function, the source lines
7273 for this instruction sequence (if the @code{/l} modifier is
7274 specified), and the instructions numbers that form the sequence (if
7275 the @code{/i} modifier is specified). The function names are indented
7276 to reflect the call stack depth if the @code{/c} modifier is
7277 specified. The @code{/l}, @code{/i}, and @code{/c} modifiers can be
7281 (@value{GDBP}) @b{list 1, 10}
7292 (@value{GDBP}) @b{record function-call-history /ilc}
7293 1 bar inst 1,4 at foo.c:6,8
7294 2 foo inst 5,10 at foo.c:2,3
7295 3 bar inst 11,13 at foo.c:9,10
7298 By default, ten lines are printed. This can be changed using the
7299 @code{set record function-call-history-size} command. Functions are
7300 printed in execution order. There are several ways to specify what
7304 @item record function-call-history @var{func}
7305 Prints ten functions starting from function number @var{func}.
7307 @item record function-call-history @var{func}, +/-@var{n}
7308 Prints @var{n} functions around function number @var{func}. If
7309 @var{n} is preceded with @code{+}, prints @var{n} functions after
7310 function number @var{func}. If @var{n} is preceded with @code{-},
7311 prints @var{n} functions before function number @var{func}.
7313 @item record function-call-history
7314 Prints ten more functions after the last ten-line print.
7316 @item record function-call-history -
7317 Prints ten more functions before the last ten-line print.
7319 @item record function-call-history @var{begin}, @var{end}
7320 Prints functions beginning with function number @var{begin} until
7321 function number @var{end}. The function number @var{end} is included.
7324 This command may not be available for all recording methods.
7326 @item set record function-call-history-size @var{size}
7327 @itemx set record function-call-history-size unlimited
7328 Define how many lines to print in the
7329 @code{record function-call-history} command. The default value is 10.
7330 A size of @code{unlimited} means unlimited lines.
7332 @item show record function-call-history-size
7333 Show how many lines to print in the
7334 @code{record function-call-history} command.
7339 @chapter Examining the Stack
7341 When your program has stopped, the first thing you need to know is where it
7342 stopped and how it got there.
7345 Each time your program performs a function call, information about the call
7347 That information includes the location of the call in your program,
7348 the arguments of the call,
7349 and the local variables of the function being called.
7350 The information is saved in a block of data called a @dfn{stack frame}.
7351 The stack frames are allocated in a region of memory called the @dfn{call
7354 When your program stops, the @value{GDBN} commands for examining the
7355 stack allow you to see all of this information.
7357 @cindex selected frame
7358 One of the stack frames is @dfn{selected} by @value{GDBN} and many
7359 @value{GDBN} commands refer implicitly to the selected frame. In
7360 particular, whenever you ask @value{GDBN} for the value of a variable in
7361 your program, the value is found in the selected frame. There are
7362 special @value{GDBN} commands to select whichever frame you are
7363 interested in. @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
7365 When your program stops, @value{GDBN} automatically selects the
7366 currently executing frame and describes it briefly, similar to the
7367 @code{frame} command (@pxref{Frame Info, ,Information about a Frame}).
7370 * Frames:: Stack frames
7371 * Backtrace:: Backtraces
7372 * Selection:: Selecting a frame
7373 * Frame Info:: Information on a frame
7374 * Frame Apply:: Applying a command to several frames
7375 * Frame Filter Management:: Managing frame filters
7380 @section Stack Frames
7382 @cindex frame, definition
7384 The call stack is divided up into contiguous pieces called @dfn{stack
7385 frames}, or @dfn{frames} for short; each frame is the data associated
7386 with one call to one function. The frame contains the arguments given
7387 to the function, the function's local variables, and the address at
7388 which the function is executing.
7390 @cindex initial frame
7391 @cindex outermost frame
7392 @cindex innermost frame
7393 When your program is started, the stack has only one frame, that of the
7394 function @code{main}. This is called the @dfn{initial} frame or the
7395 @dfn{outermost} frame. Each time a function is called, a new frame is
7396 made. Each time a function returns, the frame for that function invocation
7397 is eliminated. If a function is recursive, there can be many frames for
7398 the same function. The frame for the function in which execution is
7399 actually occurring is called the @dfn{innermost} frame. This is the most
7400 recently created of all the stack frames that still exist.
7402 @cindex frame pointer
7403 Inside your program, stack frames are identified by their addresses. A
7404 stack frame consists of many bytes, each of which has its own address; each
7405 kind of computer has a convention for choosing one byte whose
7406 address serves as the address of the frame. Usually this address is kept
7407 in a register called the @dfn{frame pointer register}
7408 (@pxref{Registers, $fp}) while execution is going on in that frame.
7411 @cindex frame number
7412 @value{GDBN} labels each existing stack frame with a @dfn{level}, a
7413 number that is zero for the innermost frame, one for the frame that
7414 called it, and so on upward. These level numbers give you a way of
7415 designating stack frames in @value{GDBN} commands. The terms
7416 @dfn{frame number} and @dfn{frame level} can be used interchangeably to
7417 describe this number.
7419 @c The -fomit-frame-pointer below perennially causes hbox overflow
7420 @c underflow problems.
7421 @cindex frameless execution
7422 Some compilers provide a way to compile functions so that they operate
7423 without stack frames. (For example, the @value{NGCC} option
7425 @samp{-fomit-frame-pointer}
7427 generates functions without a frame.)
7428 This is occasionally done with heavily used library functions to save
7429 the frame setup time. @value{GDBN} has limited facilities for dealing
7430 with these function invocations. If the innermost function invocation
7431 has no stack frame, @value{GDBN} nevertheless regards it as though
7432 it had a separate frame, which is numbered zero as usual, allowing
7433 correct tracing of the function call chain. However, @value{GDBN} has
7434 no provision for frameless functions elsewhere in the stack.
7440 @cindex call stack traces
7441 A backtrace is a summary of how your program got where it is. It shows one
7442 line per frame, for many frames, starting with the currently executing
7443 frame (frame zero), followed by its caller (frame one), and on up the
7446 @anchor{backtrace-command}
7448 @kindex bt @r{(@code{backtrace})}
7449 To print a backtrace of the entire stack, use the @code{backtrace}
7450 command, or its alias @code{bt}. This command will print one line per
7451 frame for frames in the stack. By default, all stack frames are
7452 printed. You can stop the backtrace at any time by typing the system
7453 interrupt character, normally @kbd{Ctrl-c}.
7456 @item backtrace [@var{args}@dots{}]
7457 @itemx bt [@var{args}@dots{}]
7458 Print the backtrace of the entire stack. The optional @var{args} can
7459 be one of the following:
7464 Print only the innermost @var{n} frames, where @var{n} is a positive
7469 Print only the outermost @var{n} frames, where @var{n} is a positive
7473 Print the values of the local variables also. This can be combined
7474 with a number to limit the number of frames shown.
7477 Do not run Python frame filters on this backtrace. @xref{Frame
7478 Filter API}, for more information. Additionally use @ref{disable
7479 frame-filter all} to turn off all frame filters. This is only
7480 relevant when @value{GDBN} has been configured with @code{Python}
7484 A Python frame filter might decide to ``elide'' some frames. Normally
7485 such elided frames are still printed, but they are indented relative
7486 to the filtered frames that cause them to be elided. The @code{hide}
7487 option causes elided frames to not be printed at all.
7493 The names @code{where} and @code{info stack} (abbreviated @code{info s})
7494 are additional aliases for @code{backtrace}.
7496 @cindex multiple threads, backtrace
7497 In a multi-threaded program, @value{GDBN} by default shows the
7498 backtrace only for the current thread. To display the backtrace for
7499 several or all of the threads, use the command @code{thread apply}
7500 (@pxref{Threads, thread apply}). For example, if you type @kbd{thread
7501 apply all backtrace}, @value{GDBN} will display the backtrace for all
7502 the threads; this is handy when you debug a core dump of a
7503 multi-threaded program.
7505 Each line in the backtrace shows the frame number and the function name.
7506 The program counter value is also shown---unless you use @code{set
7507 print address off}. The backtrace also shows the source file name and
7508 line number, as well as the arguments to the function. The program
7509 counter value is omitted if it is at the beginning of the code for that
7512 Here is an example of a backtrace. It was made with the command
7513 @samp{bt 3}, so it shows the innermost three frames.
7517 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
7519 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=0x2b600, data=...) at macro.c:242
7520 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=177664, td=0xf7fffb08)
7522 (More stack frames follow...)
7527 The display for frame zero does not begin with a program counter
7528 value, indicating that your program has stopped at the beginning of the
7529 code for line @code{993} of @code{builtin.c}.
7532 The value of parameter @code{data} in frame 1 has been replaced by
7533 @code{@dots{}}. By default, @value{GDBN} prints the value of a parameter
7534 only if it is a scalar (integer, pointer, enumeration, etc). See command
7535 @kbd{set print frame-arguments} in @ref{Print Settings} for more details
7536 on how to configure the way function parameter values are printed.
7538 @cindex optimized out, in backtrace
7539 @cindex function call arguments, optimized out
7540 If your program was compiled with optimizations, some compilers will
7541 optimize away arguments passed to functions if those arguments are
7542 never used after the call. Such optimizations generate code that
7543 passes arguments through registers, but doesn't store those arguments
7544 in the stack frame. @value{GDBN} has no way of displaying such
7545 arguments in stack frames other than the innermost one. Here's what
7546 such a backtrace might look like:
7550 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
7552 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=<optimized out>) at macro.c:242
7553 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=<optimized out>, td=0xf7fffb08)
7555 (More stack frames follow...)
7560 The values of arguments that were not saved in their stack frames are
7561 shown as @samp{<optimized out>}.
7563 If you need to display the values of such optimized-out arguments,
7564 either deduce that from other variables whose values depend on the one
7565 you are interested in, or recompile without optimizations.
7567 @cindex backtrace beyond @code{main} function
7568 @cindex program entry point
7569 @cindex startup code, and backtrace
7570 Most programs have a standard user entry point---a place where system
7571 libraries and startup code transition into user code. For C this is
7572 @code{main}@footnote{
7573 Note that embedded programs (the so-called ``free-standing''
7574 environment) are not required to have a @code{main} function as the
7575 entry point. They could even have multiple entry points.}.
7576 When @value{GDBN} finds the entry function in a backtrace
7577 it will terminate the backtrace, to avoid tracing into highly
7578 system-specific (and generally uninteresting) code.
7580 If you need to examine the startup code, or limit the number of levels
7581 in a backtrace, you can change this behavior:
7584 @item set backtrace past-main
7585 @itemx set backtrace past-main on
7586 @kindex set backtrace
7587 Backtraces will continue past the user entry point.
7589 @item set backtrace past-main off
7590 Backtraces will stop when they encounter the user entry point. This is the
7593 @item show backtrace past-main
7594 @kindex show backtrace
7595 Display the current user entry point backtrace policy.
7597 @item set backtrace past-entry
7598 @itemx set backtrace past-entry on
7599 Backtraces will continue past the internal entry point of an application.
7600 This entry point is encoded by the linker when the application is built,
7601 and is likely before the user entry point @code{main} (or equivalent) is called.
7603 @item set backtrace past-entry off
7604 Backtraces will stop when they encounter the internal entry point of an
7605 application. This is the default.
7607 @item show backtrace past-entry
7608 Display the current internal entry point backtrace policy.
7610 @item set backtrace limit @var{n}
7611 @itemx set backtrace limit 0
7612 @itemx set backtrace limit unlimited
7613 @cindex backtrace limit
7614 Limit the backtrace to @var{n} levels. A value of @code{unlimited}
7615 or zero means unlimited levels.
7617 @item show backtrace limit
7618 Display the current limit on backtrace levels.
7621 You can control how file names are displayed.
7624 @item set filename-display
7625 @itemx set filename-display relative
7626 @cindex filename-display
7627 Display file names relative to the compilation directory. This is the default.
7629 @item set filename-display basename
7630 Display only basename of a filename.
7632 @item set filename-display absolute
7633 Display an absolute filename.
7635 @item show filename-display
7636 Show the current way to display filenames.
7640 @section Selecting a Frame
7642 Most commands for examining the stack and other data in your program work on
7643 whichever stack frame is selected at the moment. Here are the commands for
7644 selecting a stack frame; all of them finish by printing a brief description
7645 of the stack frame just selected.
7648 @kindex frame@r{, selecting}
7649 @kindex f @r{(@code{frame})}
7650 @item frame @r{[} @var{frame-selection-spec} @r{]}
7651 @item f @r{[} @var{frame-selection-spec} @r{]}
7652 The @command{frame} command allows different stack frames to be
7653 selected. The @var{frame-selection-spec} can be any of the following:
7658 @item level @var{num}
7659 Select frame level @var{num}. Recall that frame zero is the innermost
7660 (currently executing) frame, frame one is the frame that called the
7661 innermost one, and so on. The highest level frame is usually the one
7664 As this is the most common method of navigating the frame stack, the
7665 string @command{level} can be omitted. For example, the following two
7666 commands are equivalent:
7669 (@value{GDBP}) frame 3
7670 (@value{GDBP}) frame level 3
7673 @kindex frame address
7674 @item address @var{stack-address}
7675 Select the frame with stack address @var{stack-address}. The
7676 @var{stack-address} for a frame can be seen in the output of
7677 @command{info frame}, for example:
7681 Stack level 1, frame at 0x7fffffffda30:
7682 rip = 0x40066d in b (amd64-entry-value.cc:59); saved rip 0x4004c5
7683 tail call frame, caller of frame at 0x7fffffffda30
7684 source language c++.
7685 Arglist at unknown address.
7686 Locals at unknown address, Previous frame's sp is 0x7fffffffda30
7689 The @var{stack-address} for this frame is @code{0x7fffffffda30} as
7690 indicated by the line:
7693 Stack level 1, frame at 0x7fffffffda30:
7696 @kindex frame function
7697 @item function @var{function-name}
7698 Select the stack frame for function @var{function-name}. If there are
7699 multiple stack frames for function @var{function-name} then the inner
7700 most stack frame is selected.
7703 @item view @var{stack-address} @r{[} @var{pc-addr} @r{]}
7704 View a frame that is not part of @value{GDBN}'s backtrace. The frame
7705 viewed has stack address @var{stack-addr}, and optionally, a program
7706 counter address of @var{pc-addr}.
7708 This is useful mainly if the chaining of stack frames has been
7709 damaged by a bug, making it impossible for @value{GDBN} to assign
7710 numbers properly to all frames. In addition, this can be useful
7711 when your program has multiple stacks and switches between them.
7713 When viewing a frame outside the current backtrace using
7714 @command{frame view} then you can always return to the original
7715 stack using one of the previous stack frame selection instructions,
7716 for example @command{frame level 0}.
7722 Move @var{n} frames up the stack; @var{n} defaults to 1. For positive
7723 numbers @var{n}, this advances toward the outermost frame, to higher
7724 frame numbers, to frames that have existed longer.
7727 @kindex do @r{(@code{down})}
7729 Move @var{n} frames down the stack; @var{n} defaults to 1. For
7730 positive numbers @var{n}, this advances toward the innermost frame, to
7731 lower frame numbers, to frames that were created more recently.
7732 You may abbreviate @code{down} as @code{do}.
7735 All of these commands end by printing two lines of output describing the
7736 frame. The first line shows the frame number, the function name, the
7737 arguments, and the source file and line number of execution in that
7738 frame. The second line shows the text of that source line.
7746 #1 0x22f0 in main (argc=1, argv=0xf7fffbf4, env=0xf7fffbfc)
7748 10 read_input_file (argv[i]);
7752 After such a printout, the @code{list} command with no arguments
7753 prints ten lines centered on the point of execution in the frame.
7754 You can also edit the program at the point of execution with your favorite
7755 editing program by typing @code{edit}.
7756 @xref{List, ,Printing Source Lines},
7760 @kindex select-frame
7761 @item select-frame @r{[} @var{frame-selection-spec} @r{]}
7762 The @code{select-frame} command is a variant of @code{frame} that does
7763 not display the new frame after selecting it. This command is
7764 intended primarily for use in @value{GDBN} command scripts, where the
7765 output might be unnecessary and distracting. The
7766 @var{frame-selection-spec} is as for the @command{frame} command
7767 described in @ref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
7769 @kindex down-silently
7771 @item up-silently @var{n}
7772 @itemx down-silently @var{n}
7773 These two commands are variants of @code{up} and @code{down},
7774 respectively; they differ in that they do their work silently, without
7775 causing display of the new frame. They are intended primarily for use
7776 in @value{GDBN} command scripts, where the output might be unnecessary and
7781 @section Information About a Frame
7783 There are several other commands to print information about the selected
7789 When used without any argument, this command does not change which
7790 frame is selected, but prints a brief description of the currently
7791 selected stack frame. It can be abbreviated @code{f}. With an
7792 argument, this command is used to select a stack frame.
7793 @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}.
7796 @kindex info f @r{(@code{info frame})}
7799 This command prints a verbose description of the selected stack frame,
7804 the address of the frame
7806 the address of the next frame down (called by this frame)
7808 the address of the next frame up (caller of this frame)
7810 the language in which the source code corresponding to this frame is written
7812 the address of the frame's arguments
7814 the address of the frame's local variables
7816 the program counter saved in it (the address of execution in the caller frame)
7818 which registers were saved in the frame
7821 @noindent The verbose description is useful when
7822 something has gone wrong that has made the stack format fail to fit
7823 the usual conventions.
7825 @item info frame @r{[} @var{frame-selection-spec} @r{]}
7826 @itemx info f @r{[} @var{frame-selection-spec} @r{]}
7827 Print a verbose description of the frame selected by
7828 @var{frame-selection-spec}. The @var{frame-selection-spec} is the
7829 same as for the @command{frame} command (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting
7830 a Frame}). The selected frame remains unchanged by this command.
7834 Print the arguments of the selected frame, each on a separate line.
7838 Print the local variables of the selected frame, each on a separate
7839 line. These are all variables (declared either static or automatic)
7840 accessible at the point of execution of the selected frame.
7845 @section Applying a Command to Several Frames.
7847 @cindex apply command to several frames
7849 @item frame apply [all | @var{count} | @var{-count} | level @var{level}@dots{}] [@var{flag}]@dots{} @var{command}
7850 The @code{frame apply} command allows you to apply the named
7851 @var{command} to one or more frames.
7855 Specify @code{all} to apply @var{command} to all frames.
7858 Use @var{count} to apply @var{command} to the innermost @var{count}
7859 frames, where @var{count} is a positive number.
7862 Use @var{-count} to apply @var{command} to the outermost @var{count}
7863 frames, where @var{count} is a positive number.
7866 Use @code{level} to apply @var{command} to the set of frames identified
7867 by the @var{level} list. @var{level} is a frame level or a range of frame
7868 levels as @var{level1}-@var{level2}. The frame level is the number shown
7869 in the first field of the @samp{backtrace} command output.
7870 E.g., @samp{2-4 6-8 3} indicates to apply @var{command} for the frames
7871 at levels 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and then again on frame at level 3.
7877 Note that the frames on which @code{frame apply} applies a command are
7878 also influenced by the @code{set backtrace} settings such as @code{set
7879 backtrace past-main} and @code{set backtrace limit N}. See
7880 @xref{Backtrace,,Backtraces}.
7882 The @var{flag} arguments control what output to produce and how to handle
7883 errors raised when applying @var{command} to a frame. @var{flag}
7884 must start with a @code{-} directly followed by one letter in
7885 @code{qcs}. If several flags are provided, they must be given
7886 individually, such as @code{-c -q}.
7888 By default, @value{GDBN} displays some frame information before the
7889 output produced by @var{command}, and an error raised during the
7890 execution of a @var{command} will abort @code{frame apply}. The
7891 following flags can be used to fine-tune this behavior:
7895 The flag @code{-c}, which stands for @samp{continue}, causes any
7896 errors in @var{command} to be displayed, and the execution of
7897 @code{frame apply} then continues.
7899 The flag @code{-s}, which stands for @samp{silent}, causes any errors
7900 or empty output produced by a @var{command} to be silently ignored.
7901 That is, the execution continues, but the frame information and errors
7904 The flag @code{-q} (@samp{quiet}) disables printing the frame
7908 The following example shows how the flags @code{-c} and @code{-s} are
7909 working when applying the command @code{p j} to all frames, where
7910 variable @code{j} can only be successfully printed in the outermost
7911 @code{#1 main} frame.
7915 (gdb) frame apply all p j
7916 #0 some_function (i=5) at fun.c:4
7917 No symbol "j" in current context.
7918 (gdb) frame apply all -c p j
7919 #0 some_function (i=5) at fun.c:4
7920 No symbol "j" in current context.
7921 #1 0x565555fb in main (argc=1, argv=0xffffd2c4) at fun.c:11
7923 (gdb) frame apply all -s p j
7924 #1 0x565555fb in main (argc=1, argv=0xffffd2c4) at fun.c:11
7930 By default, @samp{frame apply}, prints the frame location
7931 information before the command output:
7935 (gdb) frame apply all p $sp
7936 #0 some_function (i=5) at fun.c:4
7937 $4 = (void *) 0xffffd1e0
7938 #1 0x565555fb in main (argc=1, argv=0xffffd2c4) at fun.c:11
7939 $5 = (void *) 0xffffd1f0
7944 If flag @code{-q} is given, no frame information is printed:
7947 (gdb) frame apply all -q p $sp
7948 $12 = (void *) 0xffffd1e0
7949 $13 = (void *) 0xffffd1f0
7957 @cindex apply a command to all frames (ignoring errors and empty output)
7958 @item faas @var{command}
7959 Shortcut for @code{frame apply all -s @var{command}}.
7960 Applies @var{command} on all frames, ignoring errors and empty output.
7962 It can for example be used to print a local variable or a function
7963 argument without knowing the frame where this variable or argument
7966 (@value{GDBP}) faas p some_local_var_i_do_not_remember_where_it_is
7969 Note that the command @code{tfaas @var{command}} applies @var{command}
7970 on all frames of all threads. See @xref{Threads,,Threads}.
7974 @node Frame Filter Management
7975 @section Management of Frame Filters.
7976 @cindex managing frame filters
7978 Frame filters are Python based utilities to manage and decorate the
7979 output of frames. @xref{Frame Filter API}, for further information.
7981 Managing frame filters is performed by several commands available
7982 within @value{GDBN}, detailed here.
7985 @kindex info frame-filter
7986 @item info frame-filter
7987 Print a list of installed frame filters from all dictionaries, showing
7988 their name, priority and enabled status.
7990 @kindex disable frame-filter
7991 @anchor{disable frame-filter all}
7992 @item disable frame-filter @var{filter-dictionary} @var{filter-name}
7993 Disable a frame filter in the dictionary matching
7994 @var{filter-dictionary} and @var{filter-name}. The
7995 @var{filter-dictionary} may be @code{all}, @code{global},
7996 @code{progspace}, or the name of the object file where the frame filter
7997 dictionary resides. When @code{all} is specified, all frame filters
7998 across all dictionaries are disabled. The @var{filter-name} is the name
7999 of the frame filter and is used when @code{all} is not the option for
8000 @var{filter-dictionary}. A disabled frame-filter is not deleted, it
8001 may be enabled again later.
8003 @kindex enable frame-filter
8004 @item enable frame-filter @var{filter-dictionary} @var{filter-name}
8005 Enable a frame filter in the dictionary matching
8006 @var{filter-dictionary} and @var{filter-name}. The
8007 @var{filter-dictionary} may be @code{all}, @code{global},
8008 @code{progspace} or the name of the object file where the frame filter
8009 dictionary resides. When @code{all} is specified, all frame filters across
8010 all dictionaries are enabled. The @var{filter-name} is the name of the frame
8011 filter and is used when @code{all} is not the option for
8012 @var{filter-dictionary}.
8017 (gdb) info frame-filter
8019 global frame-filters:
8020 Priority Enabled Name
8021 1000 No PrimaryFunctionFilter
8024 progspace /build/test frame-filters:
8025 Priority Enabled Name
8026 100 Yes ProgspaceFilter
8028 objfile /build/test frame-filters:
8029 Priority Enabled Name
8030 999 Yes BuildProgra Filter
8032 (gdb) disable frame-filter /build/test BuildProgramFilter
8033 (gdb) info frame-filter
8035 global frame-filters:
8036 Priority Enabled Name
8037 1000 No PrimaryFunctionFilter
8040 progspace /build/test frame-filters:
8041 Priority Enabled Name
8042 100 Yes ProgspaceFilter
8044 objfile /build/test frame-filters:
8045 Priority Enabled Name
8046 999 No BuildProgramFilter
8048 (gdb) enable frame-filter global PrimaryFunctionFilter
8049 (gdb) info frame-filter
8051 global frame-filters:
8052 Priority Enabled Name
8053 1000 Yes PrimaryFunctionFilter
8056 progspace /build/test frame-filters:
8057 Priority Enabled Name
8058 100 Yes ProgspaceFilter
8060 objfile /build/test frame-filters:
8061 Priority Enabled Name
8062 999 No BuildProgramFilter
8065 @kindex set frame-filter priority
8066 @item set frame-filter priority @var{filter-dictionary} @var{filter-name} @var{priority}
8067 Set the @var{priority} of a frame filter in the dictionary matching
8068 @var{filter-dictionary}, and the frame filter name matching
8069 @var{filter-name}. The @var{filter-dictionary} may be @code{global},
8070 @code{progspace} or the name of the object file where the frame filter
8071 dictionary resides. The @var{priority} is an integer.
8073 @kindex show frame-filter priority
8074 @item show frame-filter priority @var{filter-dictionary} @var{filter-name}
8075 Show the @var{priority} of a frame filter in the dictionary matching
8076 @var{filter-dictionary}, and the frame filter name matching
8077 @var{filter-name}. The @var{filter-dictionary} may be @code{global},
8078 @code{progspace} or the name of the object file where the frame filter
8084 (gdb) info frame-filter
8086 global frame-filters:
8087 Priority Enabled Name
8088 1000 Yes PrimaryFunctionFilter
8091 progspace /build/test frame-filters:
8092 Priority Enabled Name
8093 100 Yes ProgspaceFilter
8095 objfile /build/test frame-filters:
8096 Priority Enabled Name
8097 999 No BuildProgramFilter
8099 (gdb) set frame-filter priority global Reverse 50
8100 (gdb) info frame-filter
8102 global frame-filters:
8103 Priority Enabled Name
8104 1000 Yes PrimaryFunctionFilter
8107 progspace /build/test frame-filters:
8108 Priority Enabled Name
8109 100 Yes ProgspaceFilter
8111 objfile /build/test frame-filters:
8112 Priority Enabled Name
8113 999 No BuildProgramFilter
8118 @chapter Examining Source Files
8120 @value{GDBN} can print parts of your program's source, since the debugging
8121 information recorded in the program tells @value{GDBN} what source files were
8122 used to build it. When your program stops, @value{GDBN} spontaneously prints
8123 the line where it stopped. Likewise, when you select a stack frame
8124 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}), @value{GDBN} prints the line where
8125 execution in that frame has stopped. You can print other portions of
8126 source files by explicit command.
8128 If you use @value{GDBN} through its @sc{gnu} Emacs interface, you may
8129 prefer to use Emacs facilities to view source; see @ref{Emacs, ,Using
8130 @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}.
8133 * List:: Printing source lines
8134 * Specify Location:: How to specify code locations
8135 * Edit:: Editing source files
8136 * Search:: Searching source files
8137 * Source Path:: Specifying source directories
8138 * Machine Code:: Source and machine code
8142 @section Printing Source Lines
8145 @kindex l @r{(@code{list})}
8146 To print lines from a source file, use the @code{list} command
8147 (abbreviated @code{l}). By default, ten lines are printed.
8148 There are several ways to specify what part of the file you want to
8149 print; see @ref{Specify Location}, for the full list.
8151 Here are the forms of the @code{list} command most commonly used:
8154 @item list @var{linenum}
8155 Print lines centered around line number @var{linenum} in the
8156 current source file.
8158 @item list @var{function}
8159 Print lines centered around the beginning of function
8163 Print more lines. If the last lines printed were printed with a
8164 @code{list} command, this prints lines following the last lines
8165 printed; however, if the last line printed was a solitary line printed
8166 as part of displaying a stack frame (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the
8167 Stack}), this prints lines centered around that line.
8170 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
8173 @cindex @code{list}, how many lines to display
8174 By default, @value{GDBN} prints ten source lines with any of these forms of
8175 the @code{list} command. You can change this using @code{set listsize}:
8178 @kindex set listsize
8179 @item set listsize @var{count}
8180 @itemx set listsize unlimited
8181 Make the @code{list} command display @var{count} source lines (unless
8182 the @code{list} argument explicitly specifies some other number).
8183 Setting @var{count} to @code{unlimited} or 0 means there's no limit.
8185 @kindex show listsize
8187 Display the number of lines that @code{list} prints.
8190 Repeating a @code{list} command with @key{RET} discards the argument,
8191 so it is equivalent to typing just @code{list}. This is more useful
8192 than listing the same lines again. An exception is made for an
8193 argument of @samp{-}; that argument is preserved in repetition so that
8194 each repetition moves up in the source file.
8196 In general, the @code{list} command expects you to supply zero, one or two
8197 @dfn{locations}. Locations specify source lines; there are several ways
8198 of writing them (@pxref{Specify Location}), but the effect is always
8199 to specify some source line.
8201 Here is a complete description of the possible arguments for @code{list}:
8204 @item list @var{location}
8205 Print lines centered around the line specified by @var{location}.
8207 @item list @var{first},@var{last}
8208 Print lines from @var{first} to @var{last}. Both arguments are
8209 locations. When a @code{list} command has two locations, and the
8210 source file of the second location is omitted, this refers to
8211 the same source file as the first location.
8213 @item list ,@var{last}
8214 Print lines ending with @var{last}.
8216 @item list @var{first},
8217 Print lines starting with @var{first}.
8220 Print lines just after the lines last printed.
8223 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
8226 As described in the preceding table.
8229 @node Specify Location
8230 @section Specifying a Location
8231 @cindex specifying location
8233 @cindex source location
8236 * Linespec Locations:: Linespec locations
8237 * Explicit Locations:: Explicit locations
8238 * Address Locations:: Address locations
8241 Several @value{GDBN} commands accept arguments that specify a location
8242 of your program's code. Since @value{GDBN} is a source-level
8243 debugger, a location usually specifies some line in the source code.
8244 Locations may be specified using three different formats:
8245 linespec locations, explicit locations, or address locations.
8247 @node Linespec Locations
8248 @subsection Linespec Locations
8249 @cindex linespec locations
8251 A @dfn{linespec} is a colon-separated list of source location parameters such
8252 as file name, function name, etc. Here are all the different ways of
8253 specifying a linespec:
8257 Specifies the line number @var{linenum} of the current source file.
8260 @itemx +@var{offset}
8261 Specifies the line @var{offset} lines before or after the @dfn{current
8262 line}. For the @code{list} command, the current line is the last one
8263 printed; for the breakpoint commands, this is the line at which
8264 execution stopped in the currently selected @dfn{stack frame}
8265 (@pxref{Frames, ,Frames}, for a description of stack frames.) When
8266 used as the second of the two linespecs in a @code{list} command,
8267 this specifies the line @var{offset} lines up or down from the first
8270 @item @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
8271 Specifies the line @var{linenum} in the source file @var{filename}.
8272 If @var{filename} is a relative file name, then it will match any
8273 source file name with the same trailing components. For example, if
8274 @var{filename} is @samp{gcc/expr.c}, then it will match source file
8275 name of @file{/build/trunk/gcc/expr.c}, but not
8276 @file{/build/trunk/libcpp/expr.c} or @file{/build/trunk/gcc/x-expr.c}.
8278 @item @var{function}
8279 Specifies the line that begins the body of the function @var{function}.
8280 For example, in C, this is the line with the open brace.
8282 By default, in C@t{++} and Ada, @var{function} is interpreted as
8283 specifying all functions named @var{function} in all scopes. For
8284 C@t{++}, this means in all namespaces and classes. For Ada, this
8285 means in all packages.
8287 For example, assuming a program with C@t{++} symbols named
8288 @code{A::B::func} and @code{B::func}, both commands @w{@kbd{break
8289 func}} and @w{@kbd{break B::func}} set a breakpoint on both symbols.
8291 Commands that accept a linespec let you override this with the
8292 @code{-qualified} option. For example, @w{@kbd{break -qualified
8293 func}} sets a breakpoint on a free-function named @code{func} ignoring
8294 any C@t{++} class methods and namespace functions called @code{func}.
8296 @xref{Explicit Locations}.
8298 @item @var{function}:@var{label}
8299 Specifies the line where @var{label} appears in @var{function}.
8301 @item @var{filename}:@var{function}
8302 Specifies the line that begins the body of the function @var{function}
8303 in the file @var{filename}. You only need the file name with a
8304 function name to avoid ambiguity when there are identically named
8305 functions in different source files.
8308 Specifies the line at which the label named @var{label} appears
8309 in the function corresponding to the currently selected stack frame.
8310 If there is no current selected stack frame (for instance, if the inferior
8311 is not running), then @value{GDBN} will not search for a label.
8313 @cindex breakpoint at static probe point
8314 @item -pstap|-probe-stap @r{[}@var{objfile}:@r{[}@var{provider}:@r{]}@r{]}@var{name}
8315 The @sc{gnu}/Linux tool @code{SystemTap} provides a way for
8316 applications to embed static probes. @xref{Static Probe Points}, for more
8317 information on finding and using static probes. This form of linespec
8318 specifies the location of such a static probe.
8320 If @var{objfile} is given, only probes coming from that shared library
8321 or executable matching @var{objfile} as a regular expression are considered.
8322 If @var{provider} is given, then only probes from that provider are considered.
8323 If several probes match the spec, @value{GDBN} will insert a breakpoint at
8324 each one of those probes.
8327 @node Explicit Locations
8328 @subsection Explicit Locations
8329 @cindex explicit locations
8331 @dfn{Explicit locations} allow the user to directly specify the source
8332 location's parameters using option-value pairs.
8334 Explicit locations are useful when several functions, labels, or
8335 file names have the same name (base name for files) in the program's
8336 sources. In these cases, explicit locations point to the source
8337 line you meant more accurately and unambiguously. Also, using
8338 explicit locations might be faster in large programs.
8340 For example, the linespec @samp{foo:bar} may refer to a function @code{bar}
8341 defined in the file named @file{foo} or the label @code{bar} in a function
8342 named @code{foo}. @value{GDBN} must search either the file system or
8343 the symbol table to know.
8345 The list of valid explicit location options is summarized in the
8349 @item -source @var{filename}
8350 The value specifies the source file name. To differentiate between
8351 files with the same base name, prepend as many directories as is necessary
8352 to uniquely identify the desired file, e.g., @file{foo/bar/baz.c}. Otherwise
8353 @value{GDBN} will use the first file it finds with the given base
8354 name. This option requires the use of either @code{-function} or @code{-line}.
8356 @item -function @var{function}
8357 The value specifies the name of a function. Operations
8358 on function locations unmodified by other options (such as @code{-label}
8359 or @code{-line}) refer to the line that begins the body of the function.
8360 In C, for example, this is the line with the open brace.
8362 By default, in C@t{++} and Ada, @var{function} is interpreted as
8363 specifying all functions named @var{function} in all scopes. For
8364 C@t{++}, this means in all namespaces and classes. For Ada, this
8365 means in all packages.
8367 For example, assuming a program with C@t{++} symbols named
8368 @code{A::B::func} and @code{B::func}, both commands @w{@kbd{break
8369 -function func}} and @w{@kbd{break -function B::func}} set a
8370 breakpoint on both symbols.
8372 You can use the @kbd{-qualified} flag to override this (see below).
8376 This flag makes @value{GDBN} interpret a function name specified with
8377 @kbd{-function} as a complete fully-qualified name.
8379 For example, assuming a C@t{++} program with symbols named
8380 @code{A::B::func} and @code{B::func}, the @w{@kbd{break -qualified
8381 -function B::func}} command sets a breakpoint on @code{B::func}, only.
8383 (Note: the @kbd{-qualified} option can precede a linespec as well
8384 (@pxref{Linespec Locations}), so the particular example above could be
8385 simplified as @w{@kbd{break -qualified B::func}}.)
8387 @item -label @var{label}
8388 The value specifies the name of a label. When the function
8389 name is not specified, the label is searched in the function of the currently
8390 selected stack frame.
8392 @item -line @var{number}
8393 The value specifies a line offset for the location. The offset may either
8394 be absolute (@code{-line 3}) or relative (@code{-line +3}), depending on
8395 the command. When specified without any other options, the line offset is
8396 relative to the current line.
8399 Explicit location options may be abbreviated by omitting any non-unique
8400 trailing characters from the option name, e.g., @w{@kbd{break -s main.c -li 3}}.
8402 @node Address Locations
8403 @subsection Address Locations
8404 @cindex address locations
8406 @dfn{Address locations} indicate a specific program address. They have
8407 the generalized form *@var{address}.
8409 For line-oriented commands, such as @code{list} and @code{edit}, this
8410 specifies a source line that contains @var{address}. For @code{break} and
8411 other breakpoint-oriented commands, this can be used to set breakpoints in
8412 parts of your program which do not have debugging information or
8415 Here @var{address} may be any expression valid in the current working
8416 language (@pxref{Languages, working language}) that specifies a code
8417 address. In addition, as a convenience, @value{GDBN} extends the
8418 semantics of expressions used in locations to cover several situations
8419 that frequently occur during debugging. Here are the various forms
8423 @item @var{expression}
8424 Any expression valid in the current working language.
8426 @item @var{funcaddr}
8427 An address of a function or procedure derived from its name. In C,
8428 C@t{++}, Objective-C, Fortran, minimal, and assembly, this is
8429 simply the function's name @var{function} (and actually a special case
8430 of a valid expression). In Pascal and Modula-2, this is
8431 @code{&@var{function}}. In Ada, this is @code{@var{function}'Address}
8432 (although the Pascal form also works).
8434 This form specifies the address of the function's first instruction,
8435 before the stack frame and arguments have been set up.
8437 @item '@var{filename}':@var{funcaddr}
8438 Like @var{funcaddr} above, but also specifies the name of the source
8439 file explicitly. This is useful if the name of the function does not
8440 specify the function unambiguously, e.g., if there are several
8441 functions with identical names in different source files.
8445 @section Editing Source Files
8446 @cindex editing source files
8449 @kindex e @r{(@code{edit})}
8450 To edit the lines in a source file, use the @code{edit} command.
8451 The editing program of your choice
8452 is invoked with the current line set to
8453 the active line in the program.
8454 Alternatively, there are several ways to specify what part of the file you
8455 want to print if you want to see other parts of the program:
8458 @item edit @var{location}
8459 Edit the source file specified by @code{location}. Editing starts at
8460 that @var{location}, e.g., at the specified source line of the
8461 specified file. @xref{Specify Location}, for all the possible forms
8462 of the @var{location} argument; here are the forms of the @code{edit}
8463 command most commonly used:
8466 @item edit @var{number}
8467 Edit the current source file with @var{number} as the active line number.
8469 @item edit @var{function}
8470 Edit the file containing @var{function} at the beginning of its definition.
8475 @subsection Choosing your Editor
8476 You can customize @value{GDBN} to use any editor you want
8478 The only restriction is that your editor (say @code{ex}), recognizes the
8479 following command-line syntax:
8481 ex +@var{number} file
8483 The optional numeric value +@var{number} specifies the number of the line in
8484 the file where to start editing.}.
8485 By default, it is @file{@value{EDITOR}}, but you can change this
8486 by setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR} before using
8487 @value{GDBN}. For example, to configure @value{GDBN} to use the
8488 @code{vi} editor, you could use these commands with the @code{sh} shell:
8494 or in the @code{csh} shell,
8496 setenv EDITOR /usr/bin/vi
8501 @section Searching Source Files
8502 @cindex searching source files
8504 There are two commands for searching through the current source file for a
8509 @kindex forward-search
8510 @kindex fo @r{(@code{forward-search})}
8511 @item forward-search @var{regexp}
8512 @itemx search @var{regexp}
8513 The command @samp{forward-search @var{regexp}} checks each line,
8514 starting with the one following the last line listed, for a match for
8515 @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can use the
8516 synonym @samp{search @var{regexp}} or abbreviate the command name as
8519 @kindex reverse-search
8520 @item reverse-search @var{regexp}
8521 The command @samp{reverse-search @var{regexp}} checks each line, starting
8522 with the one before the last line listed and going backward, for a match
8523 for @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can abbreviate
8524 this command as @code{rev}.
8528 @section Specifying Source Directories
8531 @cindex directories for source files
8532 Executable programs sometimes do not record the directories of the source
8533 files from which they were compiled, just the names. Even when they do,
8534 the directories could be moved between the compilation and your debugging
8535 session. @value{GDBN} has a list of directories to search for source files;
8536 this is called the @dfn{source path}. Each time @value{GDBN} wants a source file,
8537 it tries all the directories in the list, in the order they are present
8538 in the list, until it finds a file with the desired name.
8540 For example, suppose an executable references the file
8541 @file{/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}, and our source path is
8542 @file{/mnt/cross}. The file is first looked up literally; if this
8543 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c} is tried; if this
8544 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/foo.c} is opened; if this fails, an error
8545 message is printed. @value{GDBN} does not look up the parts of the
8546 source file name, such as @file{/mnt/cross/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}.
8547 Likewise, the subdirectories of the source path are not searched: if
8548 the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the binary refers to
8549 @file{foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would not find it under
8550 @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib}.
8552 Plain file names, relative file names with leading directories, file
8553 names containing dots, etc.@: are all treated as described above; for
8554 instance, if the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the source file
8555 is recorded as @file{../lib/foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would first try
8556 @file{../lib/foo.c}, then @file{/mnt/cross/../lib/foo.c}, and after
8557 that---@file{/mnt/cross/foo.c}.
8559 Note that the executable search path is @emph{not} used to locate the
8562 Whenever you reset or rearrange the source path, @value{GDBN} clears out
8563 any information it has cached about where source files are found and where
8564 each line is in the file.
8568 When you start @value{GDBN}, its source path includes only @samp{cdir}
8569 and @samp{cwd}, in that order.
8570 To add other directories, use the @code{directory} command.
8572 The search path is used to find both program source files and @value{GDBN}
8573 script files (read using the @samp{-command} option and @samp{source} command).
8575 In addition to the source path, @value{GDBN} provides a set of commands
8576 that manage a list of source path substitution rules. A @dfn{substitution
8577 rule} specifies how to rewrite source directories stored in the program's
8578 debug information in case the sources were moved to a different
8579 directory between compilation and debugging. A rule is made of
8580 two strings, the first specifying what needs to be rewritten in
8581 the path, and the second specifying how it should be rewritten.
8582 In @ref{set substitute-path}, we name these two parts @var{from} and
8583 @var{to} respectively. @value{GDBN} does a simple string replacement
8584 of @var{from} with @var{to} at the start of the directory part of the
8585 source file name, and uses that result instead of the original file
8586 name to look up the sources.
8588 Using the previous example, suppose the @file{foo-1.0} tree has been
8589 moved from @file{/usr/src} to @file{/mnt/cross}, then you can tell
8590 @value{GDBN} to replace @file{/usr/src} in all source path names with
8591 @file{/mnt/cross}. The first lookup will then be
8592 @file{/mnt/cross/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c} in place of the original location
8593 of @file{/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}. To define a source path
8594 substitution rule, use the @code{set substitute-path} command
8595 (@pxref{set substitute-path}).
8597 To avoid unexpected substitution results, a rule is applied only if the
8598 @var{from} part of the directory name ends at a directory separator.
8599 For instance, a rule substituting @file{/usr/source} into
8600 @file{/mnt/cross} will be applied to @file{/usr/source/foo-1.0} but
8601 not to @file{/usr/sourceware/foo-2.0}. And because the substitution
8602 is applied only at the beginning of the directory name, this rule will
8603 not be applied to @file{/root/usr/source/baz.c} either.
8605 In many cases, you can achieve the same result using the @code{directory}
8606 command. However, @code{set substitute-path} can be more efficient in
8607 the case where the sources are organized in a complex tree with multiple
8608 subdirectories. With the @code{directory} command, you need to add each
8609 subdirectory of your project. If you moved the entire tree while
8610 preserving its internal organization, then @code{set substitute-path}
8611 allows you to direct the debugger to all the sources with one single
8614 @code{set substitute-path} is also more than just a shortcut command.
8615 The source path is only used if the file at the original location no
8616 longer exists. On the other hand, @code{set substitute-path} modifies
8617 the debugger behavior to look at the rewritten location instead. So, if
8618 for any reason a source file that is not relevant to your executable is
8619 located at the original location, a substitution rule is the only
8620 method available to point @value{GDBN} at the new location.
8622 @cindex @samp{--with-relocated-sources}
8623 @cindex default source path substitution
8624 You can configure a default source path substitution rule by
8625 configuring @value{GDBN} with the
8626 @samp{--with-relocated-sources=@var{dir}} option. The @var{dir}
8627 should be the name of a directory under @value{GDBN}'s configured
8628 prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or @samp{--exec-prefix}), and
8629 directory names in debug information under @var{dir} will be adjusted
8630 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
8631 location. This is useful if @value{GDBN}, libraries or executables
8632 with debug information and corresponding source code are being moved
8636 @item directory @var{dirname} @dots{}
8637 @item dir @var{dirname} @dots{}
8638 Add directory @var{dirname} to the front of the source path. Several
8639 directory names may be given to this command, separated by @samp{:}
8640 (@samp{;} on MS-DOS and MS-Windows, where @samp{:} usually appears as
8641 part of absolute file names) or
8642 whitespace. You may specify a directory that is already in the source
8643 path; this moves it forward, so @value{GDBN} searches it sooner.
8647 @vindex $cdir@r{, convenience variable}
8648 @vindex $cwd@r{, convenience variable}
8649 @cindex compilation directory
8650 @cindex current directory
8651 @cindex working directory
8652 @cindex directory, current
8653 @cindex directory, compilation
8654 You can use the string @samp{$cdir} to refer to the compilation
8655 directory (if one is recorded), and @samp{$cwd} to refer to the current
8656 working directory. @samp{$cwd} is not the same as @samp{.}---the former
8657 tracks the current working directory as it changes during your @value{GDBN}
8658 session, while the latter is immediately expanded to the current
8659 directory at the time you add an entry to the source path.
8662 Reset the source path to its default value (@samp{$cdir:$cwd} on Unix systems). This requires confirmation.
8664 @c RET-repeat for @code{directory} is explicitly disabled, but since
8665 @c repeating it would be a no-op we do not say that. (thanks to RMS)
8667 @item set directories @var{path-list}
8668 @kindex set directories
8669 Set the source path to @var{path-list}.
8670 @samp{$cdir:$cwd} are added if missing.
8672 @item show directories
8673 @kindex show directories
8674 Print the source path: show which directories it contains.
8676 @anchor{set substitute-path}
8677 @item set substitute-path @var{from} @var{to}
8678 @kindex set substitute-path
8679 Define a source path substitution rule, and add it at the end of the
8680 current list of existing substitution rules. If a rule with the same
8681 @var{from} was already defined, then the old rule is also deleted.
8683 For example, if the file @file{/foo/bar/baz.c} was moved to
8684 @file{/mnt/cross/baz.c}, then the command
8687 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /foo/bar /mnt/cross
8691 will tell @value{GDBN} to replace @samp{/foo/bar} with
8692 @samp{/mnt/cross}, which will allow @value{GDBN} to find the file
8693 @file{baz.c} even though it was moved.
8695 In the case when more than one substitution rule have been defined,
8696 the rules are evaluated one by one in the order where they have been
8697 defined. The first one matching, if any, is selected to perform
8700 For instance, if we had entered the following commands:
8703 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src/include /mnt/include
8704 (@value{GDBP}) set substitute-path /usr/src /mnt/src
8708 @value{GDBN} would then rewrite @file{/usr/src/include/defs.h} into
8709 @file{/mnt/include/defs.h} by using the first rule. However, it would
8710 use the second rule to rewrite @file{/usr/src/lib/foo.c} into
8711 @file{/mnt/src/lib/foo.c}.
8714 @item unset substitute-path [path]
8715 @kindex unset substitute-path
8716 If a path is specified, search the current list of substitution rules
8717 for a rule that would rewrite that path. Delete that rule if found.
8718 A warning is emitted by the debugger if no rule could be found.
8720 If no path is specified, then all substitution rules are deleted.
8722 @item show substitute-path [path]
8723 @kindex show substitute-path
8724 If a path is specified, then print the source path substitution rule
8725 which would rewrite that path, if any.
8727 If no path is specified, then print all existing source path substitution
8732 If your source path is cluttered with directories that are no longer of
8733 interest, @value{GDBN} may sometimes cause confusion by finding the wrong
8734 versions of source. You can correct the situation as follows:
8738 Use @code{directory} with no argument to reset the source path to its default value.
8741 Use @code{directory} with suitable arguments to reinstall the
8742 directories you want in the source path. You can add all the
8743 directories in one command.
8747 @section Source and Machine Code
8748 @cindex source line and its code address
8750 You can use the command @code{info line} to map source lines to program
8751 addresses (and vice versa), and the command @code{disassemble} to display
8752 a range of addresses as machine instructions. You can use the command
8753 @code{set disassemble-next-line} to set whether to disassemble next
8754 source line when execution stops. When run under @sc{gnu} Emacs
8755 mode, the @code{info line} command causes the arrow to point to the
8756 line specified. Also, @code{info line} prints addresses in symbolic form as
8762 @itemx info line @var{location}
8763 Print the starting and ending addresses of the compiled code for
8764 source line @var{location}. You can specify source lines in any of
8765 the ways documented in @ref{Specify Location}. With no @var{location}
8766 information about the current source line is printed.
8769 For example, we can use @code{info line} to discover the location of
8770 the object code for the first line of function
8771 @code{m4_changequote}:
8774 (@value{GDBP}) info line m4_changequote
8775 Line 895 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x634c <m4_changequote> and \
8776 ends at 0x6350 <m4_changequote+4>.
8780 @cindex code address and its source line
8781 We can also inquire (using @code{*@var{addr}} as the form for
8782 @var{location}) what source line covers a particular address:
8784 (@value{GDBP}) info line *0x63ff
8785 Line 926 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x63e4 <m4_changequote+152> and \
8786 ends at 0x6404 <m4_changequote+184>.
8789 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info line}
8790 @cindex @code{x} command, default address
8791 @kindex x@r{(examine), and} info line
8792 After @code{info line}, the default address for the @code{x} command
8793 is changed to the starting address of the line, so that @samp{x/i} is
8794 sufficient to begin examining the machine code (@pxref{Memory,
8795 ,Examining Memory}). Also, this address is saved as the value of the
8796 convenience variable @code{$_} (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
8799 @cindex info line, repeated calls
8800 After @code{info line}, using @code{info line} again without
8801 specifying a location will display information about the next source
8806 @cindex assembly instructions
8807 @cindex instructions, assembly
8808 @cindex machine instructions
8809 @cindex listing machine instructions
8811 @itemx disassemble /m
8812 @itemx disassemble /s
8813 @itemx disassemble /r
8814 This specialized command dumps a range of memory as machine
8815 instructions. It can also print mixed source+disassembly by specifying
8816 the @code{/m} or @code{/s} modifier and print the raw instructions in hex
8817 as well as in symbolic form by specifying the @code{/r} modifier.
8818 The default memory range is the function surrounding the
8819 program counter of the selected frame. A single argument to this
8820 command is a program counter value; @value{GDBN} dumps the function
8821 surrounding this value. When two arguments are given, they should
8822 be separated by a comma, possibly surrounded by whitespace. The
8823 arguments specify a range of addresses to dump, in one of two forms:
8826 @item @var{start},@var{end}
8827 the addresses from @var{start} (inclusive) to @var{end} (exclusive)
8828 @item @var{start},+@var{length}
8829 the addresses from @var{start} (inclusive) to
8830 @code{@var{start}+@var{length}} (exclusive).
8834 When 2 arguments are specified, the name of the function is also
8835 printed (since there could be several functions in the given range).
8837 The argument(s) can be any expression yielding a numeric value, such as
8838 @samp{0x32c4}, @samp{&main+10} or @samp{$pc - 8}.
8840 If the range of memory being disassembled contains current program counter,
8841 the instruction at that location is shown with a @code{=>} marker.
8844 The following example shows the disassembly of a range of addresses of
8845 HP PA-RISC 2.0 code:
8848 (@value{GDBP}) disas 0x32c4, 0x32e4
8849 Dump of assembler code from 0x32c4 to 0x32e4:
8850 0x32c4 <main+204>: addil 0,dp
8851 0x32c8 <main+208>: ldw 0x22c(sr0,r1),r26
8852 0x32cc <main+212>: ldil 0x3000,r31
8853 0x32d0 <main+216>: ble 0x3f8(sr4,r31)
8854 0x32d4 <main+220>: ldo 0(r31),rp
8855 0x32d8 <main+224>: addil -0x800,dp
8856 0x32dc <main+228>: ldo 0x588(r1),r26
8857 0x32e0 <main+232>: ldil 0x3000,r31
8858 End of assembler dump.
8861 Here is an example showing mixed source+assembly for Intel x86
8862 with @code{/m} or @code{/s}, when the program is stopped just after
8863 function prologue in a non-optimized function with no inline code.
8866 (@value{GDBP}) disas /m main
8867 Dump of assembler code for function main:
8869 0x08048330 <+0>: push %ebp
8870 0x08048331 <+1>: mov %esp,%ebp
8871 0x08048333 <+3>: sub $0x8,%esp
8872 0x08048336 <+6>: and $0xfffffff0,%esp
8873 0x08048339 <+9>: sub $0x10,%esp
8875 6 printf ("Hello.\n");
8876 => 0x0804833c <+12>: movl $0x8048440,(%esp)
8877 0x08048343 <+19>: call 0x8048284 <puts@@plt>
8881 0x08048348 <+24>: mov $0x0,%eax
8882 0x0804834d <+29>: leave
8883 0x0804834e <+30>: ret
8885 End of assembler dump.
8888 The @code{/m} option is deprecated as its output is not useful when
8889 there is either inlined code or re-ordered code.
8890 The @code{/s} option is the preferred choice.
8891 Here is an example for AMD x86-64 showing the difference between
8892 @code{/m} output and @code{/s} output.
8893 This example has one inline function defined in a header file,
8894 and the code is compiled with @samp{-O2} optimization.
8895 Note how the @code{/m} output is missing the disassembly of
8896 several instructions that are present in the @code{/s} output.
8926 (@value{GDBP}) disas /m main
8927 Dump of assembler code for function main:
8931 0x0000000000400400 <+0>: mov 0x200c2e(%rip),%eax # 0x601034 <y>
8932 0x0000000000400417 <+23>: mov %eax,0x200c13(%rip) # 0x601030 <x>
8936 0x000000000040041d <+29>: xor %eax,%eax
8937 0x000000000040041f <+31>: retq
8938 0x0000000000400420 <+32>: add %eax,%eax
8939 0x0000000000400422 <+34>: jmp 0x400417 <main+23>
8941 End of assembler dump.
8942 (@value{GDBP}) disas /s main
8943 Dump of assembler code for function main:
8947 0x0000000000400400 <+0>: mov 0x200c2e(%rip),%eax # 0x601034 <y>
8951 0x0000000000400406 <+6>: test %eax,%eax
8952 0x0000000000400408 <+8>: js 0x400420 <main+32>
8957 0x000000000040040a <+10>: lea 0xa(%rax),%edx
8958 0x000000000040040d <+13>: test %eax,%eax
8959 0x000000000040040f <+15>: mov $0x1,%eax
8960 0x0000000000400414 <+20>: cmovne %edx,%eax
8964 0x0000000000400417 <+23>: mov %eax,0x200c13(%rip) # 0x601030 <x>
8968 0x000000000040041d <+29>: xor %eax,%eax
8969 0x000000000040041f <+31>: retq
8973 0x0000000000400420 <+32>: add %eax,%eax
8974 0x0000000000400422 <+34>: jmp 0x400417 <main+23>
8975 End of assembler dump.
8978 Here is another example showing raw instructions in hex for AMD x86-64,
8981 (gdb) disas /r 0x400281,+10
8982 Dump of assembler code from 0x400281 to 0x40028b:
8983 0x0000000000400281: 38 36 cmp %dh,(%rsi)
8984 0x0000000000400283: 2d 36 34 2e 73 sub $0x732e3436,%eax
8985 0x0000000000400288: 6f outsl %ds:(%rsi),(%dx)
8986 0x0000000000400289: 2e 32 00 xor %cs:(%rax),%al
8987 End of assembler dump.
8990 Addresses cannot be specified as a location (@pxref{Specify Location}).
8991 So, for example, if you want to disassemble function @code{bar}
8992 in file @file{foo.c}, you must type @samp{disassemble 'foo.c'::bar}
8993 and not @samp{disassemble foo.c:bar}.
8995 Some architectures have more than one commonly-used set of instruction
8996 mnemonics or other syntax.
8998 For programs that were dynamically linked and use shared libraries,
8999 instructions that call functions or branch to locations in the shared
9000 libraries might show a seemingly bogus location---it's actually a
9001 location of the relocation table. On some architectures, @value{GDBN}
9002 might be able to resolve these to actual function names.
9005 @kindex set disassembler-options
9006 @cindex disassembler options
9007 @item set disassembler-options @var{option1}[,@var{option2}@dots{}]
9008 This command controls the passing of target specific information to
9009 the disassembler. For a list of valid options, please refer to the
9010 @code{-M}/@code{--disassembler-options} section of the @samp{objdump}
9011 manual and/or the output of @kbd{objdump --help}
9012 (@pxref{objdump,,objdump,binutils,The GNU Binary Utilities}).
9013 The default value is the empty string.
9015 If it is necessary to specify more than one disassembler option, then
9016 multiple options can be placed together into a comma separated list.
9017 Currently this command is only supported on targets ARM, MIPS, PowerPC
9020 @kindex show disassembler-options
9021 @item show disassembler-options
9022 Show the current setting of the disassembler options.
9026 @kindex set disassembly-flavor
9027 @cindex Intel disassembly flavor
9028 @cindex AT&T disassembly flavor
9029 @item set disassembly-flavor @var{instruction-set}
9030 Select the instruction set to use when disassembling the
9031 program via the @code{disassemble} or @code{x/i} commands.
9033 Currently this command is only defined for the Intel x86 family. You
9034 can set @var{instruction-set} to either @code{intel} or @code{att}.
9035 The default is @code{att}, the AT&T flavor used by default by Unix
9036 assemblers for x86-based targets.
9038 @kindex show disassembly-flavor
9039 @item show disassembly-flavor
9040 Show the current setting of the disassembly flavor.
9044 @kindex set disassemble-next-line
9045 @kindex show disassemble-next-line
9046 @item set disassemble-next-line
9047 @itemx show disassemble-next-line
9048 Control whether or not @value{GDBN} will disassemble the next source
9049 line or instruction when execution stops. If ON, @value{GDBN} will
9050 display disassembly of the next source line when execution of the
9051 program being debugged stops. This is @emph{in addition} to
9052 displaying the source line itself, which @value{GDBN} always does if
9053 possible. If the next source line cannot be displayed for some reason
9054 (e.g., if @value{GDBN} cannot find the source file, or there's no line
9055 info in the debug info), @value{GDBN} will display disassembly of the
9056 next @emph{instruction} instead of showing the next source line. If
9057 AUTO, @value{GDBN} will display disassembly of next instruction only
9058 if the source line cannot be displayed. This setting causes
9059 @value{GDBN} to display some feedback when you step through a function
9060 with no line info or whose source file is unavailable. The default is
9061 OFF, which means never display the disassembly of the next line or
9067 @chapter Examining Data
9069 @cindex printing data
9070 @cindex examining data
9073 The usual way to examine data in your program is with the @code{print}
9074 command (abbreviated @code{p}), or its synonym @code{inspect}. It
9075 evaluates and prints the value of an expression of the language your
9076 program is written in (@pxref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with
9077 Different Languages}). It may also print the expression using a
9078 Python-based pretty-printer (@pxref{Pretty Printing}).
9081 @item print @var{expr}
9082 @itemx print /@var{f} @var{expr}
9083 @var{expr} is an expression (in the source language). By default the
9084 value of @var{expr} is printed in a format appropriate to its data type;
9085 you can choose a different format by specifying @samp{/@var{f}}, where
9086 @var{f} is a letter specifying the format; see @ref{Output Formats,,Output
9090 @itemx print /@var{f}
9091 @cindex reprint the last value
9092 If you omit @var{expr}, @value{GDBN} displays the last value again (from the
9093 @dfn{value history}; @pxref{Value History, ,Value History}). This allows you to
9094 conveniently inspect the same value in an alternative format.
9097 A more low-level way of examining data is with the @code{x} command.
9098 It examines data in memory at a specified address and prints it in a
9099 specified format. @xref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}.
9101 If you are interested in information about types, or about how the
9102 fields of a struct or a class are declared, use the @code{ptype @var{exp}}
9103 command rather than @code{print}. @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol
9106 @cindex exploring hierarchical data structures
9108 Another way of examining values of expressions and type information is
9109 through the Python extension command @code{explore} (available only if
9110 the @value{GDBN} build is configured with @code{--with-python}). It
9111 offers an interactive way to start at the highest level (or, the most
9112 abstract level) of the data type of an expression (or, the data type
9113 itself) and explore all the way down to leaf scalar values/fields
9114 embedded in the higher level data types.
9117 @item explore @var{arg}
9118 @var{arg} is either an expression (in the source language), or a type
9119 visible in the current context of the program being debugged.
9122 The working of the @code{explore} command can be illustrated with an
9123 example. If a data type @code{struct ComplexStruct} is defined in your
9133 struct ComplexStruct
9135 struct SimpleStruct *ss_p;
9141 followed by variable declarations as
9144 struct SimpleStruct ss = @{ 10, 1.11 @};
9145 struct ComplexStruct cs = @{ &ss, @{ 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 @} @};
9149 then, the value of the variable @code{cs} can be explored using the
9150 @code{explore} command as follows.
9154 The value of `cs' is a struct/class of type `struct ComplexStruct' with
9155 the following fields:
9157 ss_p = <Enter 0 to explore this field of type `struct SimpleStruct *'>
9158 arr = <Enter 1 to explore this field of type `int [10]'>
9160 Enter the field number of choice:
9164 Since the fields of @code{cs} are not scalar values, you are being
9165 prompted to chose the field you want to explore. Let's say you choose
9166 the field @code{ss_p} by entering @code{0}. Then, since this field is a
9167 pointer, you will be asked if it is pointing to a single value. From
9168 the declaration of @code{cs} above, it is indeed pointing to a single
9169 value, hence you enter @code{y}. If you enter @code{n}, then you will
9170 be asked if it were pointing to an array of values, in which case this
9171 field will be explored as if it were an array.
9174 `cs.ss_p' is a pointer to a value of type `struct SimpleStruct'
9175 Continue exploring it as a pointer to a single value [y/n]: y
9176 The value of `*(cs.ss_p)' is a struct/class of type `struct
9177 SimpleStruct' with the following fields:
9179 i = 10 .. (Value of type `int')
9180 d = 1.1100000000000001 .. (Value of type `double')
9182 Press enter to return to parent value:
9186 If the field @code{arr} of @code{cs} was chosen for exploration by
9187 entering @code{1} earlier, then since it is as array, you will be
9188 prompted to enter the index of the element in the array that you want
9192 `cs.arr' is an array of `int'.
9193 Enter the index of the element you want to explore in `cs.arr': 5
9195 `(cs.arr)[5]' is a scalar value of type `int'.
9199 Press enter to return to parent value:
9202 In general, at any stage of exploration, you can go deeper towards the
9203 leaf values by responding to the prompts appropriately, or hit the
9204 return key to return to the enclosing data structure (the @i{higher}
9205 level data structure).
9207 Similar to exploring values, you can use the @code{explore} command to
9208 explore types. Instead of specifying a value (which is typically a
9209 variable name or an expression valid in the current context of the
9210 program being debugged), you specify a type name. If you consider the
9211 same example as above, your can explore the type
9212 @code{struct ComplexStruct} by passing the argument
9213 @code{struct ComplexStruct} to the @code{explore} command.
9216 (gdb) explore struct ComplexStruct
9220 By responding to the prompts appropriately in the subsequent interactive
9221 session, you can explore the type @code{struct ComplexStruct} in a
9222 manner similar to how the value @code{cs} was explored in the above
9225 The @code{explore} command also has two sub-commands,
9226 @code{explore value} and @code{explore type}. The former sub-command is
9227 a way to explicitly specify that value exploration of the argument is
9228 being invoked, while the latter is a way to explicitly specify that type
9229 exploration of the argument is being invoked.
9232 @item explore value @var{expr}
9233 @cindex explore value
9234 This sub-command of @code{explore} explores the value of the
9235 expression @var{expr} (if @var{expr} is an expression valid in the
9236 current context of the program being debugged). The behavior of this
9237 command is identical to that of the behavior of the @code{explore}
9238 command being passed the argument @var{expr}.
9240 @item explore type @var{arg}
9241 @cindex explore type
9242 This sub-command of @code{explore} explores the type of @var{arg} (if
9243 @var{arg} is a type visible in the current context of program being
9244 debugged), or the type of the value/expression @var{arg} (if @var{arg}
9245 is an expression valid in the current context of the program being
9246 debugged). If @var{arg} is a type, then the behavior of this command is
9247 identical to that of the @code{explore} command being passed the
9248 argument @var{arg}. If @var{arg} is an expression, then the behavior of
9249 this command will be identical to that of the @code{explore} command
9250 being passed the type of @var{arg} as the argument.
9254 * Expressions:: Expressions
9255 * Ambiguous Expressions:: Ambiguous Expressions
9256 * Variables:: Program variables
9257 * Arrays:: Artificial arrays
9258 * Output Formats:: Output formats
9259 * Memory:: Examining memory
9260 * Auto Display:: Automatic display
9261 * Print Settings:: Print settings
9262 * Pretty Printing:: Python pretty printing
9263 * Value History:: Value history
9264 * Convenience Vars:: Convenience variables
9265 * Convenience Funs:: Convenience functions
9266 * Registers:: Registers
9267 * Floating Point Hardware:: Floating point hardware
9268 * Vector Unit:: Vector Unit
9269 * OS Information:: Auxiliary data provided by operating system
9270 * Memory Region Attributes:: Memory region attributes
9271 * Dump/Restore Files:: Copy between memory and a file
9272 * Core File Generation:: Cause a program dump its core
9273 * Character Sets:: Debugging programs that use a different
9274 character set than GDB does
9275 * Caching Target Data:: Data caching for targets
9276 * Searching Memory:: Searching memory for a sequence of bytes
9277 * Value Sizes:: Managing memory allocated for values
9281 @section Expressions
9284 @code{print} and many other @value{GDBN} commands accept an expression and
9285 compute its value. Any kind of constant, variable or operator defined
9286 by the programming language you are using is valid in an expression in
9287 @value{GDBN}. This includes conditional expressions, function calls,
9288 casts, and string constants. It also includes preprocessor macros, if
9289 you compiled your program to include this information; see
9292 @cindex arrays in expressions
9293 @value{GDBN} supports array constants in expressions input by
9294 the user. The syntax is @{@var{element}, @var{element}@dots{}@}. For example,
9295 you can use the command @code{print @{1, 2, 3@}} to create an array
9296 of three integers. If you pass an array to a function or assign it
9297 to a program variable, @value{GDBN} copies the array to memory that
9298 is @code{malloc}ed in the target program.
9300 Because C is so widespread, most of the expressions shown in examples in
9301 this manual are in C. @xref{Languages, , Using @value{GDBN} with Different
9302 Languages}, for information on how to use expressions in other
9305 In this section, we discuss operators that you can use in @value{GDBN}
9306 expressions regardless of your programming language.
9308 @cindex casts, in expressions
9309 Casts are supported in all languages, not just in C, because it is so
9310 useful to cast a number into a pointer in order to examine a structure
9311 at that address in memory.
9312 @c FIXME: casts supported---Mod2 true?
9314 @value{GDBN} supports these operators, in addition to those common
9315 to programming languages:
9319 @samp{@@} is a binary operator for treating parts of memory as arrays.
9320 @xref{Arrays, ,Artificial Arrays}, for more information.
9323 @samp{::} allows you to specify a variable in terms of the file or
9324 function where it is defined. @xref{Variables, ,Program Variables}.
9326 @cindex @{@var{type}@}
9327 @cindex type casting memory
9328 @cindex memory, viewing as typed object
9329 @cindex casts, to view memory
9330 @item @{@var{type}@} @var{addr}
9331 Refers to an object of type @var{type} stored at address @var{addr} in
9332 memory. The address @var{addr} may be any expression whose value is
9333 an integer or pointer (but parentheses are required around binary
9334 operators, just as in a cast). This construct is allowed regardless
9335 of what kind of data is normally supposed to reside at @var{addr}.
9338 @node Ambiguous Expressions
9339 @section Ambiguous Expressions
9340 @cindex ambiguous expressions
9342 Expressions can sometimes contain some ambiguous elements. For instance,
9343 some programming languages (notably Ada, C@t{++} and Objective-C) permit
9344 a single function name to be defined several times, for application in
9345 different contexts. This is called @dfn{overloading}. Another example
9346 involving Ada is generics. A @dfn{generic package} is similar to C@t{++}
9347 templates and is typically instantiated several times, resulting in
9348 the same function name being defined in different contexts.
9350 In some cases and depending on the language, it is possible to adjust
9351 the expression to remove the ambiguity. For instance in C@t{++}, you
9352 can specify the signature of the function you want to break on, as in
9353 @kbd{break @var{function}(@var{types})}. In Ada, using the fully
9354 qualified name of your function often makes the expression unambiguous
9357 When an ambiguity that needs to be resolved is detected, the debugger
9358 has the capability to display a menu of numbered choices for each
9359 possibility, and then waits for the selection with the prompt @samp{>}.
9360 The first option is always @samp{[0] cancel}, and typing @kbd{0 @key{RET}}
9361 aborts the current command. If the command in which the expression was
9362 used allows more than one choice to be selected, the next option in the
9363 menu is @samp{[1] all}, and typing @kbd{1 @key{RET}} selects all possible
9366 For example, the following session excerpt shows an attempt to set a
9367 breakpoint at the overloaded symbol @code{String::after}.
9368 We choose three particular definitions of that function name:
9370 @c FIXME! This is likely to change to show arg type lists, at least
9373 (@value{GDBP}) b String::after
9376 [2] file:String.cc; line number:867
9377 [3] file:String.cc; line number:860
9378 [4] file:String.cc; line number:875
9379 [5] file:String.cc; line number:853
9380 [6] file:String.cc; line number:846
9381 [7] file:String.cc; line number:735
9383 Breakpoint 1 at 0xb26c: file String.cc, line 867.
9384 Breakpoint 2 at 0xb344: file String.cc, line 875.
9385 Breakpoint 3 at 0xafcc: file String.cc, line 846.
9386 Multiple breakpoints were set.
9387 Use the "delete" command to delete unwanted
9394 @kindex set multiple-symbols
9395 @item set multiple-symbols @var{mode}
9396 @cindex multiple-symbols menu
9398 This option allows you to adjust the debugger behavior when an expression
9401 By default, @var{mode} is set to @code{all}. If the command with which
9402 the expression is used allows more than one choice, then @value{GDBN}
9403 automatically selects all possible choices. For instance, inserting
9404 a breakpoint on a function using an ambiguous name results in a breakpoint
9405 inserted on each possible match. However, if a unique choice must be made,
9406 then @value{GDBN} uses the menu to help you disambiguate the expression.
9407 For instance, printing the address of an overloaded function will result
9408 in the use of the menu.
9410 When @var{mode} is set to @code{ask}, the debugger always uses the menu
9411 when an ambiguity is detected.
9413 Finally, when @var{mode} is set to @code{cancel}, the debugger reports
9414 an error due to the ambiguity and the command is aborted.
9416 @kindex show multiple-symbols
9417 @item show multiple-symbols
9418 Show the current value of the @code{multiple-symbols} setting.
9422 @section Program Variables
9424 The most common kind of expression to use is the name of a variable
9427 Variables in expressions are understood in the selected stack frame
9428 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}); they must be either:
9432 global (or file-static)
9439 visible according to the scope rules of the
9440 programming language from the point of execution in that frame
9443 @noindent This means that in the function
9458 you can examine and use the variable @code{a} whenever your program is
9459 executing within the function @code{foo}, but you can only use or
9460 examine the variable @code{b} while your program is executing inside
9461 the block where @code{b} is declared.
9463 @cindex variable name conflict
9464 There is an exception: you can refer to a variable or function whose
9465 scope is a single source file even if the current execution point is not
9466 in this file. But it is possible to have more than one such variable or
9467 function with the same name (in different source files). If that
9468 happens, referring to that name has unpredictable effects. If you wish,
9469 you can specify a static variable in a particular function or file by
9470 using the colon-colon (@code{::}) notation:
9472 @cindex colon-colon, context for variables/functions
9474 @c info cannot cope with a :: index entry, but why deprive hard copy readers?
9475 @cindex @code{::}, context for variables/functions
9478 @var{file}::@var{variable}
9479 @var{function}::@var{variable}
9483 Here @var{file} or @var{function} is the name of the context for the
9484 static @var{variable}. In the case of file names, you can use quotes to
9485 make sure @value{GDBN} parses the file name as a single word---for example,
9486 to print a global value of @code{x} defined in @file{f2.c}:
9489 (@value{GDBP}) p 'f2.c'::x
9492 The @code{::} notation is normally used for referring to
9493 static variables, since you typically disambiguate uses of local variables
9494 in functions by selecting the appropriate frame and using the
9495 simple name of the variable. However, you may also use this notation
9496 to refer to local variables in frames enclosing the selected frame:
9505 process (a); /* Stop here */
9516 For example, if there is a breakpoint at the commented line,
9517 here is what you might see
9518 when the program stops after executing the call @code{bar(0)}:
9523 (@value{GDBP}) p bar::a
9526 #2 0x080483d0 in foo (a=5) at foobar.c:12
9529 (@value{GDBP}) p bar::a
9533 @cindex C@t{++} scope resolution
9534 These uses of @samp{::} are very rarely in conflict with the very
9535 similar use of the same notation in C@t{++}. When they are in
9536 conflict, the C@t{++} meaning takes precedence; however, this can be
9537 overridden by quoting the file or function name with single quotes.
9539 For example, suppose the program is stopped in a method of a class
9540 that has a field named @code{includefile}, and there is also an
9541 include file named @file{includefile} that defines a variable,
9545 (@value{GDBP}) p includefile
9547 (@value{GDBP}) p includefile::some_global
9548 A syntax error in expression, near `'.
9549 (@value{GDBP}) p 'includefile'::some_global
9553 @cindex wrong values
9554 @cindex variable values, wrong
9555 @cindex function entry/exit, wrong values of variables
9556 @cindex optimized code, wrong values of variables
9558 @emph{Warning:} Occasionally, a local variable may appear to have the
9559 wrong value at certain points in a function---just after entry to a new
9560 scope, and just before exit.
9562 You may see this problem when you are stepping by machine instructions.
9563 This is because, on most machines, it takes more than one instruction to
9564 set up a stack frame (including local variable definitions); if you are
9565 stepping by machine instructions, variables may appear to have the wrong
9566 values until the stack frame is completely built. On exit, it usually
9567 also takes more than one machine instruction to destroy a stack frame;
9568 after you begin stepping through that group of instructions, local
9569 variable definitions may be gone.
9571 This may also happen when the compiler does significant optimizations.
9572 To be sure of always seeing accurate values, turn off all optimization
9575 @cindex ``No symbol "foo" in current context''
9576 Another possible effect of compiler optimizations is to optimize
9577 unused variables out of existence, or assign variables to registers (as
9578 opposed to memory addresses). Depending on the support for such cases
9579 offered by the debug info format used by the compiler, @value{GDBN}
9580 might not be able to display values for such local variables. If that
9581 happens, @value{GDBN} will print a message like this:
9584 No symbol "foo" in current context.
9587 To solve such problems, either recompile without optimizations, or use a
9588 different debug info format, if the compiler supports several such
9589 formats. @xref{Compilation}, for more information on choosing compiler
9590 options. @xref{C, ,C and C@t{++}}, for more information about debug
9591 info formats that are best suited to C@t{++} programs.
9593 If you ask to print an object whose contents are unknown to
9594 @value{GDBN}, e.g., because its data type is not completely specified
9595 by the debug information, @value{GDBN} will say @samp{<incomplete
9596 type>}. @xref{Symbols, incomplete type}, for more about this.
9598 @cindex no debug info variables
9599 If you try to examine or use the value of a (global) variable for
9600 which @value{GDBN} has no type information, e.g., because the program
9601 includes no debug information, @value{GDBN} displays an error message.
9602 @xref{Symbols, unknown type}, for more about unknown types. If you
9603 cast the variable to its declared type, @value{GDBN} gets the
9604 variable's value using the cast-to type as the variable's type. For
9605 example, in a C program:
9608 (@value{GDBP}) p var
9609 'var' has unknown type; cast it to its declared type
9610 (@value{GDBP}) p (float) var
9614 If you append @kbd{@@entry} string to a function parameter name you get its
9615 value at the time the function got called. If the value is not available an
9616 error message is printed. Entry values are available only with some compilers.
9617 Entry values are normally also printed at the function parameter list according
9618 to @ref{set print entry-values}.
9621 Breakpoint 1, d (i=30) at gdb.base/entry-value.c:29
9627 (gdb) print i@@entry
9631 Strings are identified as arrays of @code{char} values without specified
9632 signedness. Arrays of either @code{signed char} or @code{unsigned char} get
9633 printed as arrays of 1 byte sized integers. @code{-fsigned-char} or
9634 @code{-funsigned-char} @value{NGCC} options have no effect as @value{GDBN}
9635 defines literal string type @code{"char"} as @code{char} without a sign.
9640 signed char var1[] = "A";
9643 You get during debugging
9648 $2 = @{65 'A', 0 '\0'@}
9652 @section Artificial Arrays
9654 @cindex artificial array
9656 @kindex @@@r{, referencing memory as an array}
9657 It is often useful to print out several successive objects of the
9658 same type in memory; a section of an array, or an array of
9659 dynamically determined size for which only a pointer exists in the
9662 You can do this by referring to a contiguous span of memory as an
9663 @dfn{artificial array}, using the binary operator @samp{@@}. The left
9664 operand of @samp{@@} should be the first element of the desired array
9665 and be an individual object. The right operand should be the desired length
9666 of the array. The result is an array value whose elements are all of
9667 the type of the left argument. The first element is actually the left
9668 argument; the second element comes from bytes of memory immediately
9669 following those that hold the first element, and so on. Here is an
9670 example. If a program says
9673 int *array = (int *) malloc (len * sizeof (int));
9677 you can print the contents of @code{array} with
9683 The left operand of @samp{@@} must reside in memory. Array values made
9684 with @samp{@@} in this way behave just like other arrays in terms of
9685 subscripting, and are coerced to pointers when used in expressions.
9686 Artificial arrays most often appear in expressions via the value history
9687 (@pxref{Value History, ,Value History}), after printing one out.
9689 Another way to create an artificial array is to use a cast.
9690 This re-interprets a value as if it were an array.
9691 The value need not be in memory:
9693 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[2])0x12345678
9694 $1 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
9697 As a convenience, if you leave the array length out (as in
9698 @samp{(@var{type}[])@var{value}}) @value{GDBN} calculates the size to fill
9699 the value (as @samp{sizeof(@var{value})/sizeof(@var{type})}:
9701 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[])0x12345678
9702 $2 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
9705 Sometimes the artificial array mechanism is not quite enough; in
9706 moderately complex data structures, the elements of interest may not
9707 actually be adjacent---for example, if you are interested in the values
9708 of pointers in an array. One useful work-around in this situation is
9709 to use a convenience variable (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
9710 Variables}) as a counter in an expression that prints the first
9711 interesting value, and then repeat that expression via @key{RET}. For
9712 instance, suppose you have an array @code{dtab} of pointers to
9713 structures, and you are interested in the values of a field @code{fv}
9714 in each structure. Here is an example of what you might type:
9724 @node Output Formats
9725 @section Output Formats
9727 @cindex formatted output
9728 @cindex output formats
9729 By default, @value{GDBN} prints a value according to its data type. Sometimes
9730 this is not what you want. For example, you might want to print a number
9731 in hex, or a pointer in decimal. Or you might want to view data in memory
9732 at a certain address as a character string or as an instruction. To do
9733 these things, specify an @dfn{output format} when you print a value.
9735 The simplest use of output formats is to say how to print a value
9736 already computed. This is done by starting the arguments of the
9737 @code{print} command with a slash and a format letter. The format
9738 letters supported are:
9742 Regard the bits of the value as an integer, and print the integer in
9746 Print as integer in signed decimal.
9749 Print as integer in unsigned decimal.
9752 Print as integer in octal.
9755 Print as integer in binary. The letter @samp{t} stands for ``two''.
9756 @footnote{@samp{b} cannot be used because these format letters are also
9757 used with the @code{x} command, where @samp{b} stands for ``byte'';
9758 see @ref{Memory,,Examining Memory}.}
9761 @cindex unknown address, locating
9762 @cindex locate address
9763 Print as an address, both absolute in hexadecimal and as an offset from
9764 the nearest preceding symbol. You can use this format used to discover
9765 where (in what function) an unknown address is located:
9768 (@value{GDBP}) p/a 0x54320
9769 $3 = 0x54320 <_initialize_vx+396>
9773 The command @code{info symbol 0x54320} yields similar results.
9774 @xref{Symbols, info symbol}.
9777 Regard as an integer and print it as a character constant. This
9778 prints both the numerical value and its character representation. The
9779 character representation is replaced with the octal escape @samp{\nnn}
9780 for characters outside the 7-bit @sc{ascii} range.
9782 Without this format, @value{GDBN} displays @code{char},
9783 @w{@code{unsigned char}}, and @w{@code{signed char}} data as character
9784 constants. Single-byte members of vectors are displayed as integer
9788 Regard the bits of the value as a floating point number and print
9789 using typical floating point syntax.
9792 @cindex printing strings
9793 @cindex printing byte arrays
9794 Regard as a string, if possible. With this format, pointers to single-byte
9795 data are displayed as null-terminated strings and arrays of single-byte data
9796 are displayed as fixed-length strings. Other values are displayed in their
9799 Without this format, @value{GDBN} displays pointers to and arrays of
9800 @code{char}, @w{@code{unsigned char}}, and @w{@code{signed char}} as
9801 strings. Single-byte members of a vector are displayed as an integer
9805 Like @samp{x} formatting, the value is treated as an integer and
9806 printed as hexadecimal, but leading zeros are printed to pad the value
9807 to the size of the integer type.
9810 @cindex raw printing
9811 Print using the @samp{raw} formatting. By default, @value{GDBN} will
9812 use a Python-based pretty-printer, if one is available (@pxref{Pretty
9813 Printing}). This typically results in a higher-level display of the
9814 value's contents. The @samp{r} format bypasses any Python
9815 pretty-printer which might exist.
9818 For example, to print the program counter in hex (@pxref{Registers}), type
9825 Note that no space is required before the slash; this is because command
9826 names in @value{GDBN} cannot contain a slash.
9828 To reprint the last value in the value history with a different format,
9829 you can use the @code{print} command with just a format and no
9830 expression. For example, @samp{p/x} reprints the last value in hex.
9833 @section Examining Memory
9835 You can use the command @code{x} (for ``examine'') to examine memory in
9836 any of several formats, independently of your program's data types.
9838 @cindex examining memory
9840 @kindex x @r{(examine memory)}
9841 @item x/@var{nfu} @var{addr}
9844 Use the @code{x} command to examine memory.
9847 @var{n}, @var{f}, and @var{u} are all optional parameters that specify how
9848 much memory to display and how to format it; @var{addr} is an
9849 expression giving the address where you want to start displaying memory.
9850 If you use defaults for @var{nfu}, you need not type the slash @samp{/}.
9851 Several commands set convenient defaults for @var{addr}.
9854 @item @var{n}, the repeat count
9855 The repeat count is a decimal integer; the default is 1. It specifies
9856 how much memory (counting by units @var{u}) to display. If a negative
9857 number is specified, memory is examined backward from @var{addr}.
9858 @c This really is **decimal**; unaffected by 'set radix' as of GDB
9861 @item @var{f}, the display format
9862 The display format is one of the formats used by @code{print}
9863 (@samp{x}, @samp{d}, @samp{u}, @samp{o}, @samp{t}, @samp{a}, @samp{c},
9864 @samp{f}, @samp{s}), and in addition @samp{i} (for machine instructions).
9865 The default is @samp{x} (hexadecimal) initially. The default changes
9866 each time you use either @code{x} or @code{print}.
9868 @item @var{u}, the unit size
9869 The unit size is any of
9875 Halfwords (two bytes).
9877 Words (four bytes). This is the initial default.
9879 Giant words (eight bytes).
9882 Each time you specify a unit size with @code{x}, that size becomes the
9883 default unit the next time you use @code{x}. For the @samp{i} format,
9884 the unit size is ignored and is normally not written. For the @samp{s} format,
9885 the unit size defaults to @samp{b}, unless it is explicitly given.
9886 Use @kbd{x /hs} to display 16-bit char strings and @kbd{x /ws} to display
9887 32-bit strings. The next use of @kbd{x /s} will again display 8-bit strings.
9888 Note that the results depend on the programming language of the
9889 current compilation unit. If the language is C, the @samp{s}
9890 modifier will use the UTF-16 encoding while @samp{w} will use
9891 UTF-32. The encoding is set by the programming language and cannot
9894 @item @var{addr}, starting display address
9895 @var{addr} is the address where you want @value{GDBN} to begin displaying
9896 memory. The expression need not have a pointer value (though it may);
9897 it is always interpreted as an integer address of a byte of memory.
9898 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information on expressions. The default for
9899 @var{addr} is usually just after the last address examined---but several
9900 other commands also set the default address: @code{info breakpoints} (to
9901 the address of the last breakpoint listed), @code{info line} (to the
9902 starting address of a line), and @code{print} (if you use it to display
9903 a value from memory).
9906 For example, @samp{x/3uh 0x54320} is a request to display three halfwords
9907 (@code{h}) of memory, formatted as unsigned decimal integers (@samp{u}),
9908 starting at address @code{0x54320}. @samp{x/4xw $sp} prints the four
9909 words (@samp{w}) of memory above the stack pointer (here, @samp{$sp};
9910 @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}) in hexadecimal (@samp{x}).
9912 You can also specify a negative repeat count to examine memory backward
9913 from the given address. For example, @samp{x/-3uh 0x54320} prints three
9914 halfwords (@code{h}) at @code{0x54314}, @code{0x54328}, and @code{0x5431c}.
9916 Since the letters indicating unit sizes are all distinct from the
9917 letters specifying output formats, you do not have to remember whether
9918 unit size or format comes first; either order works. The output
9919 specifications @samp{4xw} and @samp{4wx} mean exactly the same thing.
9920 (However, the count @var{n} must come first; @samp{wx4} does not work.)
9922 Even though the unit size @var{u} is ignored for the formats @samp{s}
9923 and @samp{i}, you might still want to use a count @var{n}; for example,
9924 @samp{3i} specifies that you want to see three machine instructions,
9925 including any operands. For convenience, especially when used with
9926 the @code{display} command, the @samp{i} format also prints branch delay
9927 slot instructions, if any, beyond the count specified, which immediately
9928 follow the last instruction that is within the count. The command
9929 @code{disassemble} gives an alternative way of inspecting machine
9930 instructions; see @ref{Machine Code,,Source and Machine Code}.
9932 If a negative repeat count is specified for the formats @samp{s} or @samp{i},
9933 the command displays null-terminated strings or instructions before the given
9934 address as many as the absolute value of the given number. For the @samp{i}
9935 format, we use line number information in the debug info to accurately locate
9936 instruction boundaries while disassembling backward. If line info is not
9937 available, the command stops examining memory with an error message.
9939 All the defaults for the arguments to @code{x} are designed to make it
9940 easy to continue scanning memory with minimal specifications each time
9941 you use @code{x}. For example, after you have inspected three machine
9942 instructions with @samp{x/3i @var{addr}}, you can inspect the next seven
9943 with just @samp{x/7}. If you use @key{RET} to repeat the @code{x} command,
9944 the repeat count @var{n} is used again; the other arguments default as
9945 for successive uses of @code{x}.
9947 When examining machine instructions, the instruction at current program
9948 counter is shown with a @code{=>} marker. For example:
9951 (@value{GDBP}) x/5i $pc-6
9952 0x804837f <main+11>: mov %esp,%ebp
9953 0x8048381 <main+13>: push %ecx
9954 0x8048382 <main+14>: sub $0x4,%esp
9955 => 0x8048385 <main+17>: movl $0x8048460,(%esp)
9956 0x804838c <main+24>: call 0x80482d4 <puts@@plt>
9959 @cindex @code{$_}, @code{$__}, and value history
9960 The addresses and contents printed by the @code{x} command are not saved
9961 in the value history because there is often too much of them and they
9962 would get in the way. Instead, @value{GDBN} makes these values available for
9963 subsequent use in expressions as values of the convenience variables
9964 @code{$_} and @code{$__}. After an @code{x} command, the last address
9965 examined is available for use in expressions in the convenience variable
9966 @code{$_}. The contents of that address, as examined, are available in
9967 the convenience variable @code{$__}.
9969 If the @code{x} command has a repeat count, the address and contents saved
9970 are from the last memory unit printed; this is not the same as the last
9971 address printed if several units were printed on the last line of output.
9973 @anchor{addressable memory unit}
9974 @cindex addressable memory unit
9975 Most targets have an addressable memory unit size of 8 bits. This means
9976 that to each memory address are associated 8 bits of data. Some
9977 targets, however, have other addressable memory unit sizes.
9978 Within @value{GDBN} and this document, the term
9979 @dfn{addressable memory unit} (or @dfn{memory unit} for short) is used
9980 when explicitly referring to a chunk of data of that size. The word
9981 @dfn{byte} is used to refer to a chunk of data of 8 bits, regardless of
9982 the addressable memory unit size of the target. For most systems,
9983 addressable memory unit is a synonym of byte.
9985 @cindex remote memory comparison
9986 @cindex target memory comparison
9987 @cindex verify remote memory image
9988 @cindex verify target memory image
9989 When you are debugging a program running on a remote target machine
9990 (@pxref{Remote Debugging}), you may wish to verify the program's image
9991 in the remote machine's memory against the executable file you
9992 downloaded to the target. Or, on any target, you may want to check
9993 whether the program has corrupted its own read-only sections. The
9994 @code{compare-sections} command is provided for such situations.
9997 @kindex compare-sections
9998 @item compare-sections @r{[}@var{section-name}@r{|}@code{-r}@r{]}
9999 Compare the data of a loadable section @var{section-name} in the
10000 executable file of the program being debugged with the same section in
10001 the target machine's memory, and report any mismatches. With no
10002 arguments, compares all loadable sections. With an argument of
10003 @code{-r}, compares all loadable read-only sections.
10005 Note: for remote targets, this command can be accelerated if the
10006 target supports computing the CRC checksum of a block of memory
10007 (@pxref{qCRC packet}).
10011 @section Automatic Display
10012 @cindex automatic display
10013 @cindex display of expressions
10015 If you find that you want to print the value of an expression frequently
10016 (to see how it changes), you might want to add it to the @dfn{automatic
10017 display list} so that @value{GDBN} prints its value each time your program stops.
10018 Each expression added to the list is given a number to identify it;
10019 to remove an expression from the list, you specify that number.
10020 The automatic display looks like this:
10024 3: bar[5] = (struct hack *) 0x3804
10028 This display shows item numbers, expressions and their current values. As with
10029 displays you request manually using @code{x} or @code{print}, you can
10030 specify the output format you prefer; in fact, @code{display} decides
10031 whether to use @code{print} or @code{x} depending your format
10032 specification---it uses @code{x} if you specify either the @samp{i}
10033 or @samp{s} format, or a unit size; otherwise it uses @code{print}.
10037 @item display @var{expr}
10038 Add the expression @var{expr} to the list of expressions to display
10039 each time your program stops. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
10041 @code{display} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
10043 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{expr}
10044 For @var{fmt} specifying only a display format and not a size or
10045 count, add the expression @var{expr} to the auto-display list but
10046 arrange to display it each time in the specified format @var{fmt}.
10047 @xref{Output Formats,,Output Formats}.
10049 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{addr}
10050 For @var{fmt} @samp{i} or @samp{s}, or including a unit-size or a
10051 number of units, add the expression @var{addr} as a memory address to
10052 be examined each time your program stops. Examining means in effect
10053 doing @samp{x/@var{fmt} @var{addr}}. @xref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}.
10056 For example, @samp{display/i $pc} can be helpful, to see the machine
10057 instruction about to be executed each time execution stops (@samp{$pc}
10058 is a common name for the program counter; @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
10061 @kindex delete display
10063 @item undisplay @var{dnums}@dots{}
10064 @itemx delete display @var{dnums}@dots{}
10065 Remove items from the list of expressions to display. Specify the
10066 numbers of the displays that you want affected with the command
10067 argument @var{dnums}. It can be a single display number, one of the
10068 numbers shown in the first field of the @samp{info display} display;
10069 or it could be a range of display numbers, as in @code{2-4}.
10071 @code{undisplay} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
10072 (Otherwise you would just get the error @samp{No display number @dots{}}.)
10074 @kindex disable display
10075 @item disable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
10076 Disable the display of item numbers @var{dnums}. A disabled display
10077 item is not printed automatically, but is not forgotten. It may be
10078 enabled again later. Specify the numbers of the displays that you
10079 want affected with the command argument @var{dnums}. It can be a
10080 single display number, one of the numbers shown in the first field of
10081 the @samp{info display} display; or it could be a range of display
10082 numbers, as in @code{2-4}.
10084 @kindex enable display
10085 @item enable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
10086 Enable display of item numbers @var{dnums}. It becomes effective once
10087 again in auto display of its expression, until you specify otherwise.
10088 Specify the numbers of the displays that you want affected with the
10089 command argument @var{dnums}. It can be a single display number, one
10090 of the numbers shown in the first field of the @samp{info display}
10091 display; or it could be a range of display numbers, as in @code{2-4}.
10094 Display the current values of the expressions on the list, just as is
10095 done when your program stops.
10097 @kindex info display
10099 Print the list of expressions previously set up to display
10100 automatically, each one with its item number, but without showing the
10101 values. This includes disabled expressions, which are marked as such.
10102 It also includes expressions which would not be displayed right now
10103 because they refer to automatic variables not currently available.
10106 @cindex display disabled out of scope
10107 If a display expression refers to local variables, then it does not make
10108 sense outside the lexical context for which it was set up. Such an
10109 expression is disabled when execution enters a context where one of its
10110 variables is not defined. For example, if you give the command
10111 @code{display last_char} while inside a function with an argument
10112 @code{last_char}, @value{GDBN} displays this argument while your program
10113 continues to stop inside that function. When it stops elsewhere---where
10114 there is no variable @code{last_char}---the display is disabled
10115 automatically. The next time your program stops where @code{last_char}
10116 is meaningful, you can enable the display expression once again.
10118 @node Print Settings
10119 @section Print Settings
10121 @cindex format options
10122 @cindex print settings
10123 @value{GDBN} provides the following ways to control how arrays, structures,
10124 and symbols are printed.
10127 These settings are useful for debugging programs in any language:
10131 @item set print address
10132 @itemx set print address on
10133 @cindex print/don't print memory addresses
10134 @value{GDBN} prints memory addresses showing the location of stack
10135 traces, structure values, pointer values, breakpoints, and so forth,
10136 even when it also displays the contents of those addresses. The default
10137 is @code{on}. For example, this is what a stack frame display looks like with
10138 @code{set print address on}:
10143 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<<", rq=0x34c88 ">>")
10145 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
10149 @item set print address off
10150 Do not print addresses when displaying their contents. For example,
10151 this is the same stack frame displayed with @code{set print address off}:
10155 (@value{GDBP}) set print addr off
10157 #0 set_quotes (lq="<<", rq=">>") at input.c:530
10158 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
10162 You can use @samp{set print address off} to eliminate all machine
10163 dependent displays from the @value{GDBN} interface. For example, with
10164 @code{print address off}, you should get the same text for backtraces on
10165 all machines---whether or not they involve pointer arguments.
10168 @item show print address
10169 Show whether or not addresses are to be printed.
10172 When @value{GDBN} prints a symbolic address, it normally prints the
10173 closest earlier symbol plus an offset. If that symbol does not uniquely
10174 identify the address (for example, it is a name whose scope is a single
10175 source file), you may need to clarify. One way to do this is with
10176 @code{info line}, for example @samp{info line *0x4537}. Alternately,
10177 you can set @value{GDBN} to print the source file and line number when
10178 it prints a symbolic address:
10181 @item set print symbol-filename on
10182 @cindex source file and line of a symbol
10183 @cindex symbol, source file and line
10184 Tell @value{GDBN} to print the source file name and line number of a
10185 symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
10187 @item set print symbol-filename off
10188 Do not print source file name and line number of a symbol. This is the
10191 @item show print symbol-filename
10192 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} will print the source file name and
10193 line number of a symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
10196 Another situation where it is helpful to show symbol filenames and line
10197 numbers is when disassembling code; @value{GDBN} shows you the line
10198 number and source file that corresponds to each instruction.
10200 Also, you may wish to see the symbolic form only if the address being
10201 printed is reasonably close to the closest earlier symbol:
10204 @item set print max-symbolic-offset @var{max-offset}
10205 @itemx set print max-symbolic-offset unlimited
10206 @cindex maximum value for offset of closest symbol
10207 Tell @value{GDBN} to only display the symbolic form of an address if the
10208 offset between the closest earlier symbol and the address is less than
10209 @var{max-offset}. The default is @code{unlimited}, which tells @value{GDBN}
10210 to always print the symbolic form of an address if any symbol precedes
10211 it. Zero is equivalent to @code{unlimited}.
10213 @item show print max-symbolic-offset
10214 Ask how large the maximum offset is that @value{GDBN} prints in a
10218 @cindex wild pointer, interpreting
10219 @cindex pointer, finding referent
10220 If you have a pointer and you are not sure where it points, try
10221 @samp{set print symbol-filename on}. Then you can determine the name
10222 and source file location of the variable where it points, using
10223 @samp{p/a @var{pointer}}. This interprets the address in symbolic form.
10224 For example, here @value{GDBN} shows that a variable @code{ptt} points
10225 at another variable @code{t}, defined in @file{hi2.c}:
10228 (@value{GDBP}) set print symbol-filename on
10229 (@value{GDBP}) p/a ptt
10230 $4 = 0xe008 <t in hi2.c>
10234 @emph{Warning:} For pointers that point to a local variable, @samp{p/a}
10235 does not show the symbol name and filename of the referent, even with
10236 the appropriate @code{set print} options turned on.
10239 You can also enable @samp{/a}-like formatting all the time using
10240 @samp{set print symbol on}:
10243 @item set print symbol on
10244 Tell @value{GDBN} to print the symbol corresponding to an address, if
10247 @item set print symbol off
10248 Tell @value{GDBN} not to print the symbol corresponding to an
10249 address. In this mode, @value{GDBN} will still print the symbol
10250 corresponding to pointers to functions. This is the default.
10252 @item show print symbol
10253 Show whether @value{GDBN} will display the symbol corresponding to an
10257 Other settings control how different kinds of objects are printed:
10260 @item set print array
10261 @itemx set print array on
10262 @cindex pretty print arrays
10263 Pretty print arrays. This format is more convenient to read,
10264 but uses more space. The default is off.
10266 @item set print array off
10267 Return to compressed format for arrays.
10269 @item show print array
10270 Show whether compressed or pretty format is selected for displaying
10273 @cindex print array indexes
10274 @item set print array-indexes
10275 @itemx set print array-indexes on
10276 Print the index of each element when displaying arrays. May be more
10277 convenient to locate a given element in the array or quickly find the
10278 index of a given element in that printed array. The default is off.
10280 @item set print array-indexes off
10281 Stop printing element indexes when displaying arrays.
10283 @item show print array-indexes
10284 Show whether the index of each element is printed when displaying
10287 @item set print elements @var{number-of-elements}
10288 @itemx set print elements unlimited
10289 @cindex number of array elements to print
10290 @cindex limit on number of printed array elements
10291 Set a limit on how many elements of an array @value{GDBN} will print.
10292 If @value{GDBN} is printing a large array, it stops printing after it has
10293 printed the number of elements set by the @code{set print elements} command.
10294 This limit also applies to the display of strings.
10295 When @value{GDBN} starts, this limit is set to 200.
10296 Setting @var{number-of-elements} to @code{unlimited} or zero means
10297 that the number of elements to print is unlimited.
10299 @item show print elements
10300 Display the number of elements of a large array that @value{GDBN} will print.
10301 If the number is 0, then the printing is unlimited.
10303 @item set print frame-arguments @var{value}
10304 @kindex set print frame-arguments
10305 @cindex printing frame argument values
10306 @cindex print all frame argument values
10307 @cindex print frame argument values for scalars only
10308 @cindex do not print frame argument values
10309 This command allows to control how the values of arguments are printed
10310 when the debugger prints a frame (@pxref{Frames}). The possible
10315 The values of all arguments are printed.
10318 Print the value of an argument only if it is a scalar. The value of more
10319 complex arguments such as arrays, structures, unions, etc, is replaced
10320 by @code{@dots{}}. This is the default. Here is an example where
10321 only scalar arguments are shown:
10324 #1 0x08048361 in call_me (i=3, s=@dots{}, ss=0xbf8d508c, u=@dots{}, e=green)
10329 None of the argument values are printed. Instead, the value of each argument
10330 is replaced by @code{@dots{}}. In this case, the example above now becomes:
10333 #1 0x08048361 in call_me (i=@dots{}, s=@dots{}, ss=@dots{}, u=@dots{}, e=@dots{})
10338 By default, only scalar arguments are printed. This command can be used
10339 to configure the debugger to print the value of all arguments, regardless
10340 of their type. However, it is often advantageous to not print the value
10341 of more complex parameters. For instance, it reduces the amount of
10342 information printed in each frame, making the backtrace more readable.
10343 Also, it improves performance when displaying Ada frames, because
10344 the computation of large arguments can sometimes be CPU-intensive,
10345 especially in large applications. Setting @code{print frame-arguments}
10346 to @code{scalars} (the default) or @code{none} avoids this computation,
10347 thus speeding up the display of each Ada frame.
10349 @item show print frame-arguments
10350 Show how the value of arguments should be displayed when printing a frame.
10352 @item set print raw frame-arguments on
10353 Print frame arguments in raw, non pretty-printed, form.
10355 @item set print raw frame-arguments off
10356 Print frame arguments in pretty-printed form, if there is a pretty-printer
10357 for the value (@pxref{Pretty Printing}),
10358 otherwise print the value in raw form.
10359 This is the default.
10361 @item show print raw frame-arguments
10362 Show whether to print frame arguments in raw form.
10364 @anchor{set print entry-values}
10365 @item set print entry-values @var{value}
10366 @kindex set print entry-values
10367 Set printing of frame argument values at function entry. In some cases
10368 @value{GDBN} can determine the value of function argument which was passed by
10369 the function caller, even if the value was modified inside the called function
10370 and therefore is different. With optimized code, the current value could be
10371 unavailable, but the entry value may still be known.
10373 The default value is @code{default} (see below for its description). Older
10374 @value{GDBN} behaved as with the setting @code{no}. Compilers not supporting
10375 this feature will behave in the @code{default} setting the same way as with the
10378 This functionality is currently supported only by DWARF 2 debugging format and
10379 the compiler has to produce @samp{DW_TAG_call_site} tags. With
10380 @value{NGCC}, you need to specify @option{-O -g} during compilation, to get
10383 The @var{value} parameter can be one of the following:
10387 Print only actual parameter values, never print values from function entry
10391 #0 different (val=6)
10392 #0 lost (val=<optimized out>)
10394 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
10398 Print only parameter values from function entry point. The actual parameter
10399 values are never printed.
10401 #0 equal (val@@entry=5)
10402 #0 different (val@@entry=5)
10403 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
10404 #0 born (val@@entry=<optimized out>)
10405 #0 invalid (val@@entry=<optimized out>)
10409 Print only parameter values from function entry point. If value from function
10410 entry point is not known while the actual value is known, print the actual
10411 value for such parameter.
10413 #0 equal (val@@entry=5)
10414 #0 different (val@@entry=5)
10415 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
10417 #0 invalid (val@@entry=<optimized out>)
10421 Print actual parameter values. If actual parameter value is not known while
10422 value from function entry point is known, print the entry point value for such
10426 #0 different (val=6)
10427 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
10429 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
10433 Always print both the actual parameter value and its value from function entry
10434 point, even if values of one or both are not available due to compiler
10437 #0 equal (val=5, val@@entry=5)
10438 #0 different (val=6, val@@entry=5)
10439 #0 lost (val=<optimized out>, val@@entry=5)
10440 #0 born (val=10, val@@entry=<optimized out>)
10441 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>, val@@entry=<optimized out>)
10445 Print the actual parameter value if it is known and also its value from
10446 function entry point if it is known. If neither is known, print for the actual
10447 value @code{<optimized out>}. If not in MI mode (@pxref{GDB/MI}) and if both
10448 values are known and identical, print the shortened
10449 @code{param=param@@entry=VALUE} notation.
10451 #0 equal (val=val@@entry=5)
10452 #0 different (val=6, val@@entry=5)
10453 #0 lost (val@@entry=5)
10455 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
10459 Always print the actual parameter value. Print also its value from function
10460 entry point, but only if it is known. If not in MI mode (@pxref{GDB/MI}) and
10461 if both values are known and identical, print the shortened
10462 @code{param=param@@entry=VALUE} notation.
10464 #0 equal (val=val@@entry=5)
10465 #0 different (val=6, val@@entry=5)
10466 #0 lost (val=<optimized out>, val@@entry=5)
10468 #0 invalid (val=<optimized out>)
10472 For analysis messages on possible failures of frame argument values at function
10473 entry resolution see @ref{set debug entry-values}.
10475 @item show print entry-values
10476 Show the method being used for printing of frame argument values at function
10479 @item set print repeats @var{number-of-repeats}
10480 @itemx set print repeats unlimited
10481 @cindex repeated array elements
10482 Set the threshold for suppressing display of repeated array
10483 elements. When the number of consecutive identical elements of an
10484 array exceeds the threshold, @value{GDBN} prints the string
10485 @code{"<repeats @var{n} times>"}, where @var{n} is the number of
10486 identical repetitions, instead of displaying the identical elements
10487 themselves. Setting the threshold to @code{unlimited} or zero will
10488 cause all elements to be individually printed. The default threshold
10491 @item show print repeats
10492 Display the current threshold for printing repeated identical
10495 @item set print null-stop
10496 @cindex @sc{null} elements in arrays
10497 Cause @value{GDBN} to stop printing the characters of an array when the first
10498 @sc{null} is encountered. This is useful when large arrays actually
10499 contain only short strings.
10500 The default is off.
10502 @item show print null-stop
10503 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops printing an array on the first
10504 @sc{null} character.
10506 @item set print pretty on
10507 @cindex print structures in indented form
10508 @cindex indentation in structure display
10509 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in an indented format with one member
10510 per line, like this:
10525 @item set print pretty off
10526 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in a compact format, like this:
10530 $1 = @{next = 0x0, flags = @{sweet = 1, sour = 1@}, \
10531 meat = 0x54 "Pork"@}
10536 This is the default format.
10538 @item show print pretty
10539 Show which format @value{GDBN} is using to print structures.
10541 @item set print sevenbit-strings on
10542 @cindex eight-bit characters in strings
10543 @cindex octal escapes in strings
10544 Print using only seven-bit characters; if this option is set,
10545 @value{GDBN} displays any eight-bit characters (in strings or
10546 character values) using the notation @code{\}@var{nnn}. This setting is
10547 best if you are working in English (@sc{ascii}) and you use the
10548 high-order bit of characters as a marker or ``meta'' bit.
10550 @item set print sevenbit-strings off
10551 Print full eight-bit characters. This allows the use of more
10552 international character sets, and is the default.
10554 @item show print sevenbit-strings
10555 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} is printing only seven-bit characters.
10557 @item set print union on
10558 @cindex unions in structures, printing
10559 Tell @value{GDBN} to print unions which are contained in structures
10560 and other unions. This is the default setting.
10562 @item set print union off
10563 Tell @value{GDBN} not to print unions which are contained in
10564 structures and other unions. @value{GDBN} will print @code{"@{...@}"}
10567 @item show print union
10568 Ask @value{GDBN} whether or not it will print unions which are contained in
10569 structures and other unions.
10571 For example, given the declarations
10574 typedef enum @{Tree, Bug@} Species;
10575 typedef enum @{Big_tree, Acorn, Seedling@} Tree_forms;
10576 typedef enum @{Caterpillar, Cocoon, Butterfly@}
10587 struct thing foo = @{Tree, @{Acorn@}@};
10591 with @code{set print union on} in effect @samp{p foo} would print
10594 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{tree = Acorn, bug = Cocoon@}@}
10598 and with @code{set print union off} in effect it would print
10601 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{...@}@}
10605 @code{set print union} affects programs written in C-like languages
10611 These settings are of interest when debugging C@t{++} programs:
10614 @cindex demangling C@t{++} names
10615 @item set print demangle
10616 @itemx set print demangle on
10617 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than in the encoded
10618 (``mangled'') form passed to the assembler and linker for type-safe
10619 linkage. The default is on.
10621 @item show print demangle
10622 Show whether C@t{++} names are printed in mangled or demangled form.
10624 @item set print asm-demangle
10625 @itemx set print asm-demangle on
10626 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than their mangled form, even
10627 in assembler code printouts such as instruction disassemblies.
10628 The default is off.
10630 @item show print asm-demangle
10631 Show whether C@t{++} names in assembly listings are printed in mangled
10634 @cindex C@t{++} symbol decoding style
10635 @cindex symbol decoding style, C@t{++}
10636 @kindex set demangle-style
10637 @item set demangle-style @var{style}
10638 Choose among several encoding schemes used by different compilers to
10639 represent C@t{++} names. The choices for @var{style} are currently:
10643 Allow @value{GDBN} to choose a decoding style by inspecting your program.
10644 This is the default.
10647 Decode based on the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler (@code{g++}) encoding algorithm.
10650 Decode based on the HP ANSI C@t{++} (@code{aCC}) encoding algorithm.
10653 Decode based on the Lucid C@t{++} compiler (@code{lcc}) encoding algorithm.
10656 Decode using the algorithm in the @cite{C@t{++} Annotated Reference Manual}.
10657 @strong{Warning:} this setting alone is not sufficient to allow
10658 debugging @code{cfront}-generated executables. @value{GDBN} would
10659 require further enhancement to permit that.
10662 If you omit @var{style}, you will see a list of possible formats.
10664 @item show demangle-style
10665 Display the encoding style currently in use for decoding C@t{++} symbols.
10667 @item set print object
10668 @itemx set print object on
10669 @cindex derived type of an object, printing
10670 @cindex display derived types
10671 When displaying a pointer to an object, identify the @emph{actual}
10672 (derived) type of the object rather than the @emph{declared} type, using
10673 the virtual function table. Note that the virtual function table is
10674 required---this feature can only work for objects that have run-time
10675 type identification; a single virtual method in the object's declared
10676 type is sufficient. Note that this setting is also taken into account when
10677 working with variable objects via MI (@pxref{GDB/MI}).
10679 @item set print object off
10680 Display only the declared type of objects, without reference to the
10681 virtual function table. This is the default setting.
10683 @item show print object
10684 Show whether actual, or declared, object types are displayed.
10686 @item set print static-members
10687 @itemx set print static-members on
10688 @cindex static members of C@t{++} objects
10689 Print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object. The default is on.
10691 @item set print static-members off
10692 Do not print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object.
10694 @item show print static-members
10695 Show whether C@t{++} static members are printed or not.
10697 @item set print pascal_static-members
10698 @itemx set print pascal_static-members on
10699 @cindex static members of Pascal objects
10700 @cindex Pascal objects, static members display
10701 Print static members when displaying a Pascal object. The default is on.
10703 @item set print pascal_static-members off
10704 Do not print static members when displaying a Pascal object.
10706 @item show print pascal_static-members
10707 Show whether Pascal static members are printed or not.
10709 @c These don't work with HP ANSI C++ yet.
10710 @item set print vtbl
10711 @itemx set print vtbl on
10712 @cindex pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables
10713 @cindex virtual functions (C@t{++}) display
10714 @cindex VTBL display
10715 Pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables. The default is off.
10716 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
10717 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
10719 @item set print vtbl off
10720 Do not pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables.
10722 @item show print vtbl
10723 Show whether C@t{++} virtual function tables are pretty printed, or not.
10726 @node Pretty Printing
10727 @section Pretty Printing
10729 @value{GDBN} provides a mechanism to allow pretty-printing of values using
10730 Python code. It greatly simplifies the display of complex objects. This
10731 mechanism works for both MI and the CLI.
10734 * Pretty-Printer Introduction:: Introduction to pretty-printers
10735 * Pretty-Printer Example:: An example pretty-printer
10736 * Pretty-Printer Commands:: Pretty-printer commands
10739 @node Pretty-Printer Introduction
10740 @subsection Pretty-Printer Introduction
10742 When @value{GDBN} prints a value, it first sees if there is a pretty-printer
10743 registered for the value. If there is then @value{GDBN} invokes the
10744 pretty-printer to print the value. Otherwise the value is printed normally.
10746 Pretty-printers are normally named. This makes them easy to manage.
10747 The @samp{info pretty-printer} command will list all the installed
10748 pretty-printers with their names.
10749 If a pretty-printer can handle multiple data types, then its
10750 @dfn{subprinters} are the printers for the individual data types.
10751 Each such subprinter has its own name.
10752 The format of the name is @var{printer-name};@var{subprinter-name}.
10754 Pretty-printers are installed by @dfn{registering} them with @value{GDBN}.
10755 Typically they are automatically loaded and registered when the corresponding
10756 debug information is loaded, thus making them available without having to
10757 do anything special.
10759 There are three places where a pretty-printer can be registered.
10763 Pretty-printers registered globally are available when debugging
10767 Pretty-printers registered with a program space are available only
10768 when debugging that program.
10769 @xref{Progspaces In Python}, for more details on program spaces in Python.
10772 Pretty-printers registered with an objfile are loaded and unloaded
10773 with the corresponding objfile (e.g., shared library).
10774 @xref{Objfiles In Python}, for more details on objfiles in Python.
10777 @xref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}, for further information on how
10778 pretty-printers are selected,
10780 @xref{Writing a Pretty-Printer}, for implementing pretty printers
10783 @node Pretty-Printer Example
10784 @subsection Pretty-Printer Example
10786 Here is how a C@t{++} @code{std::string} looks without a pretty-printer:
10789 (@value{GDBP}) print s
10791 static npos = 4294967295,
10793 <std::allocator<char>> = @{
10794 <__gnu_cxx::new_allocator<char>> = @{
10795 <No data fields>@}, <No data fields>
10797 members of std::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>,
10798 std::allocator<char> >::_Alloc_hider:
10799 _M_p = 0x804a014 "abcd"
10804 With a pretty-printer for @code{std::string} only the contents are printed:
10807 (@value{GDBP}) print s
10811 @node Pretty-Printer Commands
10812 @subsection Pretty-Printer Commands
10813 @cindex pretty-printer commands
10816 @kindex info pretty-printer
10817 @item info pretty-printer [@var{object-regexp} [@var{name-regexp}]]
10818 Print the list of installed pretty-printers.
10819 This includes disabled pretty-printers, which are marked as such.
10821 @var{object-regexp} is a regular expression matching the objects
10822 whose pretty-printers to list.
10823 Objects can be @code{global}, the program space's file
10824 (@pxref{Progspaces In Python}),
10825 and the object files within that program space (@pxref{Objfiles In Python}).
10826 @xref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}, for details on how @value{GDBN}
10827 looks up a printer from these three objects.
10829 @var{name-regexp} is a regular expression matching the name of the printers
10832 @kindex disable pretty-printer
10833 @item disable pretty-printer [@var{object-regexp} [@var{name-regexp}]]
10834 Disable pretty-printers matching @var{object-regexp} and @var{name-regexp}.
10835 A disabled pretty-printer is not forgotten, it may be enabled again later.
10837 @kindex enable pretty-printer
10838 @item enable pretty-printer [@var{object-regexp} [@var{name-regexp}]]
10839 Enable pretty-printers matching @var{object-regexp} and @var{name-regexp}.
10844 Suppose we have three pretty-printers installed: one from library1.so
10845 named @code{foo} that prints objects of type @code{foo}, and
10846 another from library2.so named @code{bar} that prints two types of objects,
10847 @code{bar1} and @code{bar2}.
10850 (gdb) info pretty-printer
10857 (gdb) info pretty-printer library2
10862 (gdb) disable pretty-printer library1
10864 2 of 3 printers enabled
10865 (gdb) info pretty-printer
10872 (gdb) disable pretty-printer library2 bar;bar1
10874 1 of 3 printers enabled
10875 (gdb) info pretty-printer library2
10882 (gdb) disable pretty-printer library2 bar
10884 0 of 3 printers enabled
10885 (gdb) info pretty-printer library2
10894 Note that for @code{bar} the entire printer can be disabled,
10895 as can each individual subprinter.
10897 @node Value History
10898 @section Value History
10900 @cindex value history
10901 @cindex history of values printed by @value{GDBN}
10902 Values printed by the @code{print} command are saved in the @value{GDBN}
10903 @dfn{value history}. This allows you to refer to them in other expressions.
10904 Values are kept until the symbol table is re-read or discarded
10905 (for example with the @code{file} or @code{symbol-file} commands).
10906 When the symbol table changes, the value history is discarded,
10907 since the values may contain pointers back to the types defined in the
10912 @cindex history number
10913 The values printed are given @dfn{history numbers} by which you can
10914 refer to them. These are successive integers starting with one.
10915 @code{print} shows you the history number assigned to a value by
10916 printing @samp{$@var{num} = } before the value; here @var{num} is the
10919 To refer to any previous value, use @samp{$} followed by the value's
10920 history number. The way @code{print} labels its output is designed to
10921 remind you of this. Just @code{$} refers to the most recent value in
10922 the history, and @code{$$} refers to the value before that.
10923 @code{$$@var{n}} refers to the @var{n}th value from the end; @code{$$2}
10924 is the value just prior to @code{$$}, @code{$$1} is equivalent to
10925 @code{$$}, and @code{$$0} is equivalent to @code{$}.
10927 For example, suppose you have just printed a pointer to a structure and
10928 want to see the contents of the structure. It suffices to type
10934 If you have a chain of structures where the component @code{next} points
10935 to the next one, you can print the contents of the next one with this:
10942 You can print successive links in the chain by repeating this
10943 command---which you can do by just typing @key{RET}.
10945 Note that the history records values, not expressions. If the value of
10946 @code{x} is 4 and you type these commands:
10954 then the value recorded in the value history by the @code{print} command
10955 remains 4 even though the value of @code{x} has changed.
10958 @kindex show values
10960 Print the last ten values in the value history, with their item numbers.
10961 This is like @samp{p@ $$9} repeated ten times, except that @code{show
10962 values} does not change the history.
10964 @item show values @var{n}
10965 Print ten history values centered on history item number @var{n}.
10967 @item show values +
10968 Print ten history values just after the values last printed. If no more
10969 values are available, @code{show values +} produces no display.
10972 Pressing @key{RET} to repeat @code{show values @var{n}} has exactly the
10973 same effect as @samp{show values +}.
10975 @node Convenience Vars
10976 @section Convenience Variables
10978 @cindex convenience variables
10979 @cindex user-defined variables
10980 @value{GDBN} provides @dfn{convenience variables} that you can use within
10981 @value{GDBN} to hold on to a value and refer to it later. These variables
10982 exist entirely within @value{GDBN}; they are not part of your program, and
10983 setting a convenience variable has no direct effect on further execution
10984 of your program. That is why you can use them freely.
10986 Convenience variables are prefixed with @samp{$}. Any name preceded by
10987 @samp{$} can be used for a convenience variable, unless it is one of
10988 the predefined machine-specific register names (@pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
10989 (Value history references, in contrast, are @emph{numbers} preceded
10990 by @samp{$}. @xref{Value History, ,Value History}.)
10992 You can save a value in a convenience variable with an assignment
10993 expression, just as you would set a variable in your program.
10997 set $foo = *object_ptr
11001 would save in @code{$foo} the value contained in the object pointed to by
11004 Using a convenience variable for the first time creates it, but its
11005 value is @code{void} until you assign a new value. You can alter the
11006 value with another assignment at any time.
11008 Convenience variables have no fixed types. You can assign a convenience
11009 variable any type of value, including structures and arrays, even if
11010 that variable already has a value of a different type. The convenience
11011 variable, when used as an expression, has the type of its current value.
11014 @kindex show convenience
11015 @cindex show all user variables and functions
11016 @item show convenience
11017 Print a list of convenience variables used so far, and their values,
11018 as well as a list of the convenience functions.
11019 Abbreviated @code{show conv}.
11021 @kindex init-if-undefined
11022 @cindex convenience variables, initializing
11023 @item init-if-undefined $@var{variable} = @var{expression}
11024 Set a convenience variable if it has not already been set. This is useful
11025 for user-defined commands that keep some state. It is similar, in concept,
11026 to using local static variables with initializers in C (except that
11027 convenience variables are global). It can also be used to allow users to
11028 override default values used in a command script.
11030 If the variable is already defined then the expression is not evaluated so
11031 any side-effects do not occur.
11034 One of the ways to use a convenience variable is as a counter to be
11035 incremented or a pointer to be advanced. For example, to print
11036 a field from successive elements of an array of structures:
11040 print bar[$i++]->contents
11044 Repeat that command by typing @key{RET}.
11046 Some convenience variables are created automatically by @value{GDBN} and given
11047 values likely to be useful.
11050 @vindex $_@r{, convenience variable}
11052 The variable @code{$_} is automatically set by the @code{x} command to
11053 the last address examined (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining Memory}). Other
11054 commands which provide a default address for @code{x} to examine also
11055 set @code{$_} to that address; these commands include @code{info line}
11056 and @code{info breakpoint}. The type of @code{$_} is @code{void *}
11057 except when set by the @code{x} command, in which case it is a pointer
11058 to the type of @code{$__}.
11060 @vindex $__@r{, convenience variable}
11062 The variable @code{$__} is automatically set by the @code{x} command
11063 to the value found in the last address examined. Its type is chosen
11064 to match the format in which the data was printed.
11067 @vindex $_exitcode@r{, convenience variable}
11068 When the program being debugged terminates normally, @value{GDBN}
11069 automatically sets this variable to the exit code of the program, and
11070 resets @code{$_exitsignal} to @code{void}.
11073 @vindex $_exitsignal@r{, convenience variable}
11074 When the program being debugged dies due to an uncaught signal,
11075 @value{GDBN} automatically sets this variable to that signal's number,
11076 and resets @code{$_exitcode} to @code{void}.
11078 To distinguish between whether the program being debugged has exited
11079 (i.e., @code{$_exitcode} is not @code{void}) or signalled (i.e.,
11080 @code{$_exitsignal} is not @code{void}), the convenience function
11081 @code{$_isvoid} can be used (@pxref{Convenience Funs,, Convenience
11082 Functions}). For example, considering the following source code:
11085 #include <signal.h>
11088 main (int argc, char *argv[])
11095 A valid way of telling whether the program being debugged has exited
11096 or signalled would be:
11099 (@value{GDBP}) define has_exited_or_signalled
11100 Type commands for definition of ``has_exited_or_signalled''.
11101 End with a line saying just ``end''.
11102 >if $_isvoid ($_exitsignal)
11103 >echo The program has exited\n
11105 >echo The program has signalled\n
11111 Program terminated with signal SIGALRM, Alarm clock.
11112 The program no longer exists.
11113 (@value{GDBP}) has_exited_or_signalled
11114 The program has signalled
11117 As can be seen, @value{GDBN} correctly informs that the program being
11118 debugged has signalled, since it calls @code{raise} and raises a
11119 @code{SIGALRM} signal. If the program being debugged had not called
11120 @code{raise}, then @value{GDBN} would report a normal exit:
11123 (@value{GDBP}) has_exited_or_signalled
11124 The program has exited
11128 The variable @code{$_exception} is set to the exception object being
11129 thrown at an exception-related catchpoint. @xref{Set Catchpoints}.
11132 @itemx $_probe_arg0@dots{}$_probe_arg11
11133 Arguments to a static probe. @xref{Static Probe Points}.
11136 @vindex $_sdata@r{, inspect, convenience variable}
11137 The variable @code{$_sdata} contains extra collected static tracepoint
11138 data. @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action Lists}. Note that
11139 @code{$_sdata} could be empty, if not inspecting a trace buffer, or
11140 if extra static tracepoint data has not been collected.
11143 @vindex $_siginfo@r{, convenience variable}
11144 The variable @code{$_siginfo} contains extra signal information
11145 (@pxref{extra signal information}). Note that @code{$_siginfo}
11146 could be empty, if the application has not yet received any signals.
11147 For example, it will be empty before you execute the @code{run} command.
11150 @vindex $_tlb@r{, convenience variable}
11151 The variable @code{$_tlb} is automatically set when debugging
11152 applications running on MS-Windows in native mode or connected to
11153 gdbserver that supports the @code{qGetTIBAddr} request.
11154 @xref{General Query Packets}.
11155 This variable contains the address of the thread information block.
11158 The number of the current inferior. @xref{Inferiors and
11159 Programs, ,Debugging Multiple Inferiors and Programs}.
11162 The thread number of the current thread. @xref{thread numbers}.
11165 The global number of the current thread. @xref{global thread numbers}.
11169 @node Convenience Funs
11170 @section Convenience Functions
11172 @cindex convenience functions
11173 @value{GDBN} also supplies some @dfn{convenience functions}. These
11174 have a syntax similar to convenience variables. A convenience
11175 function can be used in an expression just like an ordinary function;
11176 however, a convenience function is implemented internally to
11179 These functions do not require @value{GDBN} to be configured with
11180 @code{Python} support, which means that they are always available.
11184 @item $_isvoid (@var{expr})
11185 @findex $_isvoid@r{, convenience function}
11186 Return one if the expression @var{expr} is @code{void}. Otherwise it
11189 A @code{void} expression is an expression where the type of the result
11190 is @code{void}. For example, you can examine a convenience variable
11191 (see @ref{Convenience Vars,, Convenience Variables}) to check whether
11195 (@value{GDBP}) print $_exitcode
11197 (@value{GDBP}) print $_isvoid ($_exitcode)
11200 Starting program: ./a.out
11201 [Inferior 1 (process 29572) exited normally]
11202 (@value{GDBP}) print $_exitcode
11204 (@value{GDBP}) print $_isvoid ($_exitcode)
11208 In the example above, we used @code{$_isvoid} to check whether
11209 @code{$_exitcode} is @code{void} before and after the execution of the
11210 program being debugged. Before the execution there is no exit code to
11211 be examined, therefore @code{$_exitcode} is @code{void}. After the
11212 execution the program being debugged returned zero, therefore
11213 @code{$_exitcode} is zero, which means that it is not @code{void}
11216 The @code{void} expression can also be a call of a function from the
11217 program being debugged. For example, given the following function:
11226 The result of calling it inside @value{GDBN} is @code{void}:
11229 (@value{GDBP}) print foo ()
11231 (@value{GDBP}) print $_isvoid (foo ())
11233 (@value{GDBP}) set $v = foo ()
11234 (@value{GDBP}) print $v
11236 (@value{GDBP}) print $_isvoid ($v)
11242 These functions require @value{GDBN} to be configured with
11243 @code{Python} support.
11247 @item $_memeq(@var{buf1}, @var{buf2}, @var{length})
11248 @findex $_memeq@r{, convenience function}
11249 Returns one if the @var{length} bytes at the addresses given by
11250 @var{buf1} and @var{buf2} are equal.
11251 Otherwise it returns zero.
11253 @item $_regex(@var{str}, @var{regex})
11254 @findex $_regex@r{, convenience function}
11255 Returns one if the string @var{str} matches the regular expression
11256 @var{regex}. Otherwise it returns zero.
11257 The syntax of the regular expression is that specified by @code{Python}'s
11258 regular expression support.
11260 @item $_streq(@var{str1}, @var{str2})
11261 @findex $_streq@r{, convenience function}
11262 Returns one if the strings @var{str1} and @var{str2} are equal.
11263 Otherwise it returns zero.
11265 @item $_strlen(@var{str})
11266 @findex $_strlen@r{, convenience function}
11267 Returns the length of string @var{str}.
11269 @item $_caller_is(@var{name}@r{[}, @var{number_of_frames}@r{]})
11270 @findex $_caller_is@r{, convenience function}
11271 Returns one if the calling function's name is equal to @var{name}.
11272 Otherwise it returns zero.
11274 If the optional argument @var{number_of_frames} is provided,
11275 it is the number of frames up in the stack to look.
11283 at testsuite/gdb.python/py-caller-is.c:21
11284 #1 0x00000000004005a0 in middle_func ()
11285 at testsuite/gdb.python/py-caller-is.c:27
11286 #2 0x00000000004005ab in top_func ()
11287 at testsuite/gdb.python/py-caller-is.c:33
11288 #3 0x00000000004005b6 in main ()
11289 at testsuite/gdb.python/py-caller-is.c:39
11290 (gdb) print $_caller_is ("middle_func")
11292 (gdb) print $_caller_is ("top_func", 2)
11296 @item $_caller_matches(@var{regexp}@r{[}, @var{number_of_frames}@r{]})
11297 @findex $_caller_matches@r{, convenience function}
11298 Returns one if the calling function's name matches the regular expression
11299 @var{regexp}. Otherwise it returns zero.
11301 If the optional argument @var{number_of_frames} is provided,
11302 it is the number of frames up in the stack to look.
11305 @item $_any_caller_is(@var{name}@r{[}, @var{number_of_frames}@r{]})
11306 @findex $_any_caller_is@r{, convenience function}
11307 Returns one if any calling function's name is equal to @var{name}.
11308 Otherwise it returns zero.
11310 If the optional argument @var{number_of_frames} is provided,
11311 it is the number of frames up in the stack to look.
11314 This function differs from @code{$_caller_is} in that this function
11315 checks all stack frames from the immediate caller to the frame specified
11316 by @var{number_of_frames}, whereas @code{$_caller_is} only checks the
11317 frame specified by @var{number_of_frames}.
11319 @item $_any_caller_matches(@var{regexp}@r{[}, @var{number_of_frames}@r{]})
11320 @findex $_any_caller_matches@r{, convenience function}
11321 Returns one if any calling function's name matches the regular expression
11322 @var{regexp}. Otherwise it returns zero.
11324 If the optional argument @var{number_of_frames} is provided,
11325 it is the number of frames up in the stack to look.
11328 This function differs from @code{$_caller_matches} in that this function
11329 checks all stack frames from the immediate caller to the frame specified
11330 by @var{number_of_frames}, whereas @code{$_caller_matches} only checks the
11331 frame specified by @var{number_of_frames}.
11333 @item $_as_string(@var{value})
11334 @findex $_as_string@r{, convenience function}
11335 Return the string representation of @var{value}.
11337 This function is useful to obtain the textual label (enumerator) of an
11338 enumeration value. For example, assuming the variable @var{node} is of
11339 an enumerated type:
11342 (gdb) printf "Visiting node of type %s\n", $_as_string(node)
11343 Visiting node of type NODE_INTEGER
11348 @value{GDBN} provides the ability to list and get help on
11349 convenience functions.
11352 @item help function
11353 @kindex help function
11354 @cindex show all convenience functions
11355 Print a list of all convenience functions.
11362 You can refer to machine register contents, in expressions, as variables
11363 with names starting with @samp{$}. The names of registers are different
11364 for each machine; use @code{info registers} to see the names used on
11368 @kindex info registers
11369 @item info registers
11370 Print the names and values of all registers except floating-point
11371 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
11373 @kindex info all-registers
11374 @cindex floating point registers
11375 @item info all-registers
11376 Print the names and values of all registers, including floating-point
11377 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
11379 @item info registers @var{reggroup} @dots{}
11380 Print the name and value of the registers in each of the specified
11381 @var{reggroup}s. The @var{reggoup} can be any of those returned by
11382 @code{maint print reggroups} (@pxref{Maintenance Commands}).
11384 @item info registers @var{regname} @dots{}
11385 Print the @dfn{relativized} value of each specified register @var{regname}.
11386 As discussed in detail below, register values are normally relative to
11387 the selected stack frame. The @var{regname} may be any register name valid on
11388 the machine you are using, with or without the initial @samp{$}.
11391 @anchor{standard registers}
11392 @cindex stack pointer register
11393 @cindex program counter register
11394 @cindex process status register
11395 @cindex frame pointer register
11396 @cindex standard registers
11397 @value{GDBN} has four ``standard'' register names that are available (in
11398 expressions) on most machines---whenever they do not conflict with an
11399 architecture's canonical mnemonics for registers. The register names
11400 @code{$pc} and @code{$sp} are used for the program counter register and
11401 the stack pointer. @code{$fp} is used for a register that contains a
11402 pointer to the current stack frame, and @code{$ps} is used for a
11403 register that contains the processor status. For example,
11404 you could print the program counter in hex with
11411 or print the instruction to be executed next with
11418 or add four to the stack pointer@footnote{This is a way of removing
11419 one word from the stack, on machines where stacks grow downward in
11420 memory (most machines, nowadays). This assumes that the innermost
11421 stack frame is selected; setting @code{$sp} is not allowed when other
11422 stack frames are selected. To pop entire frames off the stack,
11423 regardless of machine architecture, use @code{return};
11424 see @ref{Returning, ,Returning from a Function}.} with
11430 Whenever possible, these four standard register names are available on
11431 your machine even though the machine has different canonical mnemonics,
11432 so long as there is no conflict. The @code{info registers} command
11433 shows the canonical names. For example, on the SPARC, @code{info
11434 registers} displays the processor status register as @code{$psr} but you
11435 can also refer to it as @code{$ps}; and on x86-based machines @code{$ps}
11436 is an alias for the @sc{eflags} register.
11438 @value{GDBN} always considers the contents of an ordinary register as an
11439 integer when the register is examined in this way. Some machines have
11440 special registers which can hold nothing but floating point; these
11441 registers are considered to have floating point values. There is no way
11442 to refer to the contents of an ordinary register as floating point value
11443 (although you can @emph{print} it as a floating point value with
11444 @samp{print/f $@var{regname}}).
11446 Some registers have distinct ``raw'' and ``virtual'' data formats. This
11447 means that the data format in which the register contents are saved by
11448 the operating system is not the same one that your program normally
11449 sees. For example, the registers of the 68881 floating point
11450 coprocessor are always saved in ``extended'' (raw) format, but all C
11451 programs expect to work with ``double'' (virtual) format. In such
11452 cases, @value{GDBN} normally works with the virtual format only (the format
11453 that makes sense for your program), but the @code{info registers} command
11454 prints the data in both formats.
11456 @cindex SSE registers (x86)
11457 @cindex MMX registers (x86)
11458 Some machines have special registers whose contents can be interpreted
11459 in several different ways. For example, modern x86-based machines
11460 have SSE and MMX registers that can hold several values packed
11461 together in several different formats. @value{GDBN} refers to such
11462 registers in @code{struct} notation:
11465 (@value{GDBP}) print $xmm1
11467 v4_float = @{0, 3.43859137e-038, 1.54142831e-044, 1.821688e-044@},
11468 v2_double = @{9.92129282474342e-303, 2.7585945287983262e-313@},
11469 v16_int8 = "\000\000\000\000\3706;\001\v\000\000\000\r\000\000",
11470 v8_int16 = @{0, 0, 14072, 315, 11, 0, 13, 0@},
11471 v4_int32 = @{0, 20657912, 11, 13@},
11472 v2_int64 = @{88725056443645952, 55834574859@},
11473 uint128 = 0x0000000d0000000b013b36f800000000
11478 To set values of such registers, you need to tell @value{GDBN} which
11479 view of the register you wish to change, as if you were assigning
11480 value to a @code{struct} member:
11483 (@value{GDBP}) set $xmm1.uint128 = 0x000000000000000000000000FFFFFFFF
11486 Normally, register values are relative to the selected stack frame
11487 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a Frame}). This means that you get the
11488 value that the register would contain if all stack frames farther in
11489 were exited and their saved registers restored. In order to see the
11490 true contents of hardware registers, you must select the innermost
11491 frame (with @samp{frame 0}).
11493 @cindex caller-saved registers
11494 @cindex call-clobbered registers
11495 @cindex volatile registers
11496 @cindex <not saved> values
11497 Usually ABIs reserve some registers as not needed to be saved by the
11498 callee (a.k.a.: ``caller-saved'', ``call-clobbered'' or ``volatile''
11499 registers). It may therefore not be possible for @value{GDBN} to know
11500 the value a register had before the call (in other words, in the outer
11501 frame), if the register value has since been changed by the callee.
11502 @value{GDBN} tries to deduce where the inner frame saved
11503 (``callee-saved'') registers, from the debug info, unwind info, or the
11504 machine code generated by your compiler. If some register is not
11505 saved, and @value{GDBN} knows the register is ``caller-saved'' (via
11506 its own knowledge of the ABI, or because the debug/unwind info
11507 explicitly says the register's value is undefined), @value{GDBN}
11508 displays @w{@samp{<not saved>}} as the register's value. With targets
11509 that @value{GDBN} has no knowledge of the register saving convention,
11510 if a register was not saved by the callee, then its value and location
11511 in the outer frame are assumed to be the same of the inner frame.
11512 This is usually harmless, because if the register is call-clobbered,
11513 the caller either does not care what is in the register after the
11514 call, or has code to restore the value that it does care about. Note,
11515 however, that if you change such a register in the outer frame, you
11516 may also be affecting the inner frame. Also, the more ``outer'' the
11517 frame is you're looking at, the more likely a call-clobbered
11518 register's value is to be wrong, in the sense that it doesn't actually
11519 represent the value the register had just before the call.
11521 @node Floating Point Hardware
11522 @section Floating Point Hardware
11523 @cindex floating point
11525 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give
11526 you more information about the status of the floating point hardware.
11531 Display hardware-dependent information about the floating
11532 point unit. The exact contents and layout vary depending on the
11533 floating point chip. Currently, @samp{info float} is supported on
11534 the ARM and x86 machines.
11538 @section Vector Unit
11539 @cindex vector unit
11541 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give you
11542 more information about the status of the vector unit.
11545 @kindex info vector
11547 Display information about the vector unit. The exact contents and
11548 layout vary depending on the hardware.
11551 @node OS Information
11552 @section Operating System Auxiliary Information
11553 @cindex OS information
11555 @value{GDBN} provides interfaces to useful OS facilities that can help
11556 you debug your program.
11558 @cindex auxiliary vector
11559 @cindex vector, auxiliary
11560 Some operating systems supply an @dfn{auxiliary vector} to programs at
11561 startup. This is akin to the arguments and environment that you
11562 specify for a program, but contains a system-dependent variety of
11563 binary values that tell system libraries important details about the
11564 hardware, operating system, and process. Each value's purpose is
11565 identified by an integer tag; the meanings are well-known but system-specific.
11566 Depending on the configuration and operating system facilities,
11567 @value{GDBN} may be able to show you this information. For remote
11568 targets, this functionality may further depend on the remote stub's
11569 support of the @samp{qXfer:auxv:read} packet, see
11570 @ref{qXfer auxiliary vector read}.
11575 Display the auxiliary vector of the inferior, which can be either a
11576 live process or a core dump file. @value{GDBN} prints each tag value
11577 numerically, and also shows names and text descriptions for recognized
11578 tags. Some values in the vector are numbers, some bit masks, and some
11579 pointers to strings or other data. @value{GDBN} displays each value in the
11580 most appropriate form for a recognized tag, and in hexadecimal for
11581 an unrecognized tag.
11584 On some targets, @value{GDBN} can access operating system-specific
11585 information and show it to you. The types of information available
11586 will differ depending on the type of operating system running on the
11587 target. The mechanism used to fetch the data is described in
11588 @ref{Operating System Information}. For remote targets, this
11589 functionality depends on the remote stub's support of the
11590 @samp{qXfer:osdata:read} packet, see @ref{qXfer osdata read}.
11594 @item info os @var{infotype}
11596 Display OS information of the requested type.
11598 On @sc{gnu}/Linux, the following values of @var{infotype} are valid:
11600 @anchor{linux info os infotypes}
11602 @kindex info os cpus
11604 Display the list of all CPUs/cores. For each CPU/core, @value{GDBN} prints
11605 the available fields from /proc/cpuinfo. For each supported architecture
11606 different fields are available. Two common entries are processor which gives
11607 CPU number and bogomips; a system constant that is calculated during
11608 kernel initialization.
11610 @kindex info os files
11612 Display the list of open file descriptors on the target. For each
11613 file descriptor, @value{GDBN} prints the identifier of the process
11614 owning the descriptor, the command of the owning process, the value
11615 of the descriptor, and the target of the descriptor.
11617 @kindex info os modules
11619 Display the list of all loaded kernel modules on the target. For each
11620 module, @value{GDBN} prints the module name, the size of the module in
11621 bytes, the number of times the module is used, the dependencies of the
11622 module, the status of the module, and the address of the loaded module
11625 @kindex info os msg
11627 Display the list of all System V message queues on the target. For each
11628 message queue, @value{GDBN} prints the message queue key, the message
11629 queue identifier, the access permissions, the current number of bytes
11630 on the queue, the current number of messages on the queue, the processes
11631 that last sent and received a message on the queue, the user and group
11632 of the owner and creator of the message queue, the times at which a
11633 message was last sent and received on the queue, and the time at which
11634 the message queue was last changed.
11636 @kindex info os processes
11638 Display the list of processes on the target. For each process,
11639 @value{GDBN} prints the process identifier, the name of the user, the
11640 command corresponding to the process, and the list of processor cores
11641 that the process is currently running on. (To understand what these
11642 properties mean, for this and the following info types, please consult
11643 the general @sc{gnu}/Linux documentation.)
11645 @kindex info os procgroups
11647 Display the list of process groups on the target. For each process,
11648 @value{GDBN} prints the identifier of the process group that it belongs
11649 to, the command corresponding to the process group leader, the process
11650 identifier, and the command line of the process. The list is sorted
11651 first by the process group identifier, then by the process identifier,
11652 so that processes belonging to the same process group are grouped together
11653 and the process group leader is listed first.
11655 @kindex info os semaphores
11657 Display the list of all System V semaphore sets on the target. For each
11658 semaphore set, @value{GDBN} prints the semaphore set key, the semaphore
11659 set identifier, the access permissions, the number of semaphores in the
11660 set, the user and group of the owner and creator of the semaphore set,
11661 and the times at which the semaphore set was operated upon and changed.
11663 @kindex info os shm
11665 Display the list of all System V shared-memory regions on the target.
11666 For each shared-memory region, @value{GDBN} prints the region key,
11667 the shared-memory identifier, the access permissions, the size of the
11668 region, the process that created the region, the process that last
11669 attached to or detached from the region, the current number of live
11670 attaches to the region, and the times at which the region was last
11671 attached to, detach from, and changed.
11673 @kindex info os sockets
11675 Display the list of Internet-domain sockets on the target. For each
11676 socket, @value{GDBN} prints the address and port of the local and
11677 remote endpoints, the current state of the connection, the creator of
11678 the socket, the IP address family of the socket, and the type of the
11681 @kindex info os threads
11683 Display the list of threads running on the target. For each thread,
11684 @value{GDBN} prints the identifier of the process that the thread
11685 belongs to, the command of the process, the thread identifier, and the
11686 processor core that it is currently running on. The main thread of a
11687 process is not listed.
11691 If @var{infotype} is omitted, then list the possible values for
11692 @var{infotype} and the kind of OS information available for each
11693 @var{infotype}. If the target does not return a list of possible
11694 types, this command will report an error.
11697 @node Memory Region Attributes
11698 @section Memory Region Attributes
11699 @cindex memory region attributes
11701 @dfn{Memory region attributes} allow you to describe special handling
11702 required by regions of your target's memory. @value{GDBN} uses
11703 attributes to determine whether to allow certain types of memory
11704 accesses; whether to use specific width accesses; and whether to cache
11705 target memory. By default the description of memory regions is
11706 fetched from the target (if the current target supports this), but the
11707 user can override the fetched regions.
11709 Defined memory regions can be individually enabled and disabled. When a
11710 memory region is disabled, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when
11711 accessing memory in that region. Similarly, if no memory regions have
11712 been defined, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when accessing
11715 When a memory region is defined, it is given a number to identify it;
11716 to enable, disable, or remove a memory region, you specify that number.
11720 @item mem @var{lower} @var{upper} @var{attributes}@dots{}
11721 Define a memory region bounded by @var{lower} and @var{upper} with
11722 attributes @var{attributes}@dots{}, and add it to the list of regions
11723 monitored by @value{GDBN}. Note that @var{upper} == 0 is a special
11724 case: it is treated as the target's maximum memory address.
11725 (0xffff on 16 bit targets, 0xffffffff on 32 bit targets, etc.)
11728 Discard any user changes to the memory regions and use target-supplied
11729 regions, if available, or no regions if the target does not support.
11732 @item delete mem @var{nums}@dots{}
11733 Remove memory regions @var{nums}@dots{} from the list of regions
11734 monitored by @value{GDBN}.
11736 @kindex disable mem
11737 @item disable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
11738 Disable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
11739 A disabled memory region is not forgotten.
11740 It may be enabled again later.
11743 @item enable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
11744 Enable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
11748 Print a table of all defined memory regions, with the following columns
11752 @item Memory Region Number
11753 @item Enabled or Disabled.
11754 Enabled memory regions are marked with @samp{y}.
11755 Disabled memory regions are marked with @samp{n}.
11758 The address defining the inclusive lower bound of the memory region.
11761 The address defining the exclusive upper bound of the memory region.
11764 The list of attributes set for this memory region.
11769 @subsection Attributes
11771 @subsubsection Memory Access Mode
11772 The access mode attributes set whether @value{GDBN} may make read or
11773 write accesses to a memory region.
11775 While these attributes prevent @value{GDBN} from performing invalid
11776 memory accesses, they do nothing to prevent the target system, I/O DMA,
11777 etc.@: from accessing memory.
11781 Memory is read only.
11783 Memory is write only.
11785 Memory is read/write. This is the default.
11788 @subsubsection Memory Access Size
11789 The access size attribute tells @value{GDBN} to use specific sized
11790 accesses in the memory region. Often memory mapped device registers
11791 require specific sized accesses. If no access size attribute is
11792 specified, @value{GDBN} may use accesses of any size.
11796 Use 8 bit memory accesses.
11798 Use 16 bit memory accesses.
11800 Use 32 bit memory accesses.
11802 Use 64 bit memory accesses.
11805 @c @subsubsection Hardware/Software Breakpoints
11806 @c The hardware/software breakpoint attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
11807 @c will use hardware or software breakpoints for the internal breakpoints
11808 @c used by the step, next, finish, until, etc. commands.
11812 @c Always use hardware breakpoints
11813 @c @item swbreak (default)
11816 @subsubsection Data Cache
11817 The data cache attributes set whether @value{GDBN} will cache target
11818 memory. While this generally improves performance by reducing debug
11819 protocol overhead, it can lead to incorrect results because @value{GDBN}
11820 does not know about volatile variables or memory mapped device
11825 Enable @value{GDBN} to cache target memory.
11827 Disable @value{GDBN} from caching target memory. This is the default.
11830 @subsection Memory Access Checking
11831 @value{GDBN} can be instructed to refuse accesses to memory that is
11832 not explicitly described. This can be useful if accessing such
11833 regions has undesired effects for a specific target, or to provide
11834 better error checking. The following commands control this behaviour.
11837 @kindex set mem inaccessible-by-default
11838 @item set mem inaccessible-by-default [on|off]
11839 If @code{on} is specified, make @value{GDBN} treat memory not
11840 explicitly described by the memory ranges as non-existent and refuse accesses
11841 to such memory. The checks are only performed if there's at least one
11842 memory range defined. If @code{off} is specified, make @value{GDBN}
11843 treat the memory not explicitly described by the memory ranges as RAM.
11844 The default value is @code{on}.
11845 @kindex show mem inaccessible-by-default
11846 @item show mem inaccessible-by-default
11847 Show the current handling of accesses to unknown memory.
11851 @c @subsubsection Memory Write Verification
11852 @c The memory write verification attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
11853 @c will re-reads data after each write to verify the write was successful.
11857 @c @item noverify (default)
11860 @node Dump/Restore Files
11861 @section Copy Between Memory and a File
11862 @cindex dump/restore files
11863 @cindex append data to a file
11864 @cindex dump data to a file
11865 @cindex restore data from a file
11867 You can use the commands @code{dump}, @code{append}, and
11868 @code{restore} to copy data between target memory and a file. The
11869 @code{dump} and @code{append} commands write data to a file, and the
11870 @code{restore} command reads data from a file back into the inferior's
11871 memory. Files may be in binary, Motorola S-record, Intel hex,
11872 Tektronix Hex, or Verilog Hex format; however, @value{GDBN} can only
11873 append to binary files, and cannot read from Verilog Hex files.
11878 @item dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
11879 @itemx dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
11880 Dump the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
11881 or the value of @var{expr}, to @var{filename} in the given format.
11883 The @var{format} parameter may be any one of:
11890 Motorola S-record format.
11892 Tektronix Hex format.
11894 Verilog Hex format.
11897 @value{GDBN} uses the same definitions of these formats as the
11898 @sc{gnu} binary utilities, like @samp{objdump} and @samp{objcopy}. If
11899 @var{format} is omitted, @value{GDBN} dumps the data in raw binary
11903 @item append @r{[}binary@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
11904 @itemx append @r{[}binary@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
11905 Append the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
11906 or the value of @var{expr}, to the file @var{filename}, in raw binary form.
11907 (@value{GDBN} can only append data to files in raw binary form.)
11910 @item restore @var{filename} @r{[}binary@r{]} @var{bias} @var{start} @var{end}
11911 Restore the contents of file @var{filename} into memory. The
11912 @code{restore} command can automatically recognize any known @sc{bfd}
11913 file format, except for raw binary. To restore a raw binary file you
11914 must specify the optional keyword @code{binary} after the filename.
11916 If @var{bias} is non-zero, its value will be added to the addresses
11917 contained in the file. Binary files always start at address zero, so
11918 they will be restored at address @var{bias}. Other bfd files have
11919 a built-in location; they will be restored at offset @var{bias}
11920 from that location.
11922 If @var{start} and/or @var{end} are non-zero, then only data between
11923 file offset @var{start} and file offset @var{end} will be restored.
11924 These offsets are relative to the addresses in the file, before
11925 the @var{bias} argument is applied.
11929 @node Core File Generation
11930 @section How to Produce a Core File from Your Program
11931 @cindex dump core from inferior
11933 A @dfn{core file} or @dfn{core dump} is a file that records the memory
11934 image of a running process and its process status (register values
11935 etc.). Its primary use is post-mortem debugging of a program that
11936 crashed while it ran outside a debugger. A program that crashes
11937 automatically produces a core file, unless this feature is disabled by
11938 the user. @xref{Files}, for information on invoking @value{GDBN} in
11939 the post-mortem debugging mode.
11941 Occasionally, you may wish to produce a core file of the program you
11942 are debugging in order to preserve a snapshot of its state.
11943 @value{GDBN} has a special command for that.
11947 @kindex generate-core-file
11948 @item generate-core-file [@var{file}]
11949 @itemx gcore [@var{file}]
11950 Produce a core dump of the inferior process. The optional argument
11951 @var{file} specifies the file name where to put the core dump. If not
11952 specified, the file name defaults to @file{core.@var{pid}}, where
11953 @var{pid} is the inferior process ID.
11955 Note that this command is implemented only for some systems (as of
11956 this writing, @sc{gnu}/Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, and S390).
11958 On @sc{gnu}/Linux, this command can take into account the value of the
11959 file @file{/proc/@var{pid}/coredump_filter} when generating the core
11960 dump (@pxref{set use-coredump-filter}), and by default honors the
11961 @code{VM_DONTDUMP} flag for mappings where it is present in the file
11962 @file{/proc/@var{pid}/smaps} (@pxref{set dump-excluded-mappings}).
11964 @kindex set use-coredump-filter
11965 @anchor{set use-coredump-filter}
11966 @item set use-coredump-filter on
11967 @itemx set use-coredump-filter off
11968 Enable or disable the use of the file
11969 @file{/proc/@var{pid}/coredump_filter} when generating core dump
11970 files. This file is used by the Linux kernel to decide what types of
11971 memory mappings will be dumped or ignored when generating a core dump
11972 file. @var{pid} is the process ID of a currently running process.
11974 To make use of this feature, you have to write in the
11975 @file{/proc/@var{pid}/coredump_filter} file a value, in hexadecimal,
11976 which is a bit mask representing the memory mapping types. If a bit
11977 is set in the bit mask, then the memory mappings of the corresponding
11978 types will be dumped; otherwise, they will be ignored. This
11979 configuration is inherited by child processes. For more information
11980 about the bits that can be set in the
11981 @file{/proc/@var{pid}/coredump_filter} file, please refer to the
11982 manpage of @code{core(5)}.
11984 By default, this option is @code{on}. If this option is turned
11985 @code{off}, @value{GDBN} does not read the @file{coredump_filter} file
11986 and instead uses the same default value as the Linux kernel in order
11987 to decide which pages will be dumped in the core dump file. This
11988 value is currently @code{0x33}, which means that bits @code{0}
11989 (anonymous private mappings), @code{1} (anonymous shared mappings),
11990 @code{4} (ELF headers) and @code{5} (private huge pages) are active.
11991 This will cause these memory mappings to be dumped automatically.
11993 @kindex set dump-excluded-mappings
11994 @anchor{set dump-excluded-mappings}
11995 @item set dump-excluded-mappings on
11996 @itemx set dump-excluded-mappings off
11997 If @code{on} is specified, @value{GDBN} will dump memory mappings
11998 marked with the @code{VM_DONTDUMP} flag. This flag is represented in
11999 the file @file{/proc/@var{pid}/smaps} with the acronym @code{dd}.
12001 The default value is @code{off}.
12004 @node Character Sets
12005 @section Character Sets
12006 @cindex character sets
12008 @cindex translating between character sets
12009 @cindex host character set
12010 @cindex target character set
12012 If the program you are debugging uses a different character set to
12013 represent characters and strings than the one @value{GDBN} uses itself,
12014 @value{GDBN} can automatically translate between the character sets for
12015 you. The character set @value{GDBN} uses we call the @dfn{host
12016 character set}; the one the inferior program uses we call the
12017 @dfn{target character set}.
12019 For example, if you are running @value{GDBN} on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, which
12020 uses the ISO Latin 1 character set, but you are using @value{GDBN}'s
12021 remote protocol (@pxref{Remote Debugging}) to debug a program
12022 running on an IBM mainframe, which uses the @sc{ebcdic} character set,
12023 then the host character set is Latin-1, and the target character set is
12024 @sc{ebcdic}. If you give @value{GDBN} the command @code{set
12025 target-charset EBCDIC-US}, then @value{GDBN} translates between
12026 @sc{ebcdic} and Latin 1 as you print character or string values, or use
12027 character and string literals in expressions.
12029 @value{GDBN} has no way to automatically recognize which character set
12030 the inferior program uses; you must tell it, using the @code{set
12031 target-charset} command, described below.
12033 Here are the commands for controlling @value{GDBN}'s character set
12037 @item set target-charset @var{charset}
12038 @kindex set target-charset
12039 Set the current target character set to @var{charset}. To display the
12040 list of supported target character sets, type
12041 @kbd{@w{set target-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}}.
12043 @item set host-charset @var{charset}
12044 @kindex set host-charset
12045 Set the current host character set to @var{charset}.
12047 By default, @value{GDBN} uses a host character set appropriate to the
12048 system it is running on; you can override that default using the
12049 @code{set host-charset} command. On some systems, @value{GDBN} cannot
12050 automatically determine the appropriate host character set. In this
12051 case, @value{GDBN} uses @samp{UTF-8}.
12053 @value{GDBN} can only use certain character sets as its host character
12054 set. If you type @kbd{@w{set host-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}},
12055 @value{GDBN} will list the host character sets it supports.
12057 @item set charset @var{charset}
12058 @kindex set charset
12059 Set the current host and target character sets to @var{charset}. As
12060 above, if you type @kbd{@w{set charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}},
12061 @value{GDBN} will list the names of the character sets that can be used
12062 for both host and target.
12065 @kindex show charset
12066 Show the names of the current host and target character sets.
12068 @item show host-charset
12069 @kindex show host-charset
12070 Show the name of the current host character set.
12072 @item show target-charset
12073 @kindex show target-charset
12074 Show the name of the current target character set.
12076 @item set target-wide-charset @var{charset}
12077 @kindex set target-wide-charset
12078 Set the current target's wide character set to @var{charset}. This is
12079 the character set used by the target's @code{wchar_t} type. To
12080 display the list of supported wide character sets, type
12081 @kbd{@w{set target-wide-charset @key{TAB}@key{TAB}}}.
12083 @item show target-wide-charset
12084 @kindex show target-wide-charset
12085 Show the name of the current target's wide character set.
12088 Here is an example of @value{GDBN}'s character set support in action.
12089 Assume that the following source code has been placed in the file
12090 @file{charset-test.c}:
12096 = @{72, 101, 108, 108, 111, 44, 32, 119,
12097 111, 114, 108, 100, 33, 10, 0@};
12098 char ibm1047_hello[]
12099 = @{200, 133, 147, 147, 150, 107, 64, 166,
12100 150, 153, 147, 132, 90, 37, 0@};
12104 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
12108 In this program, @code{ascii_hello} and @code{ibm1047_hello} are arrays
12109 containing the string @samp{Hello, world!} followed by a newline,
12110 encoded in the @sc{ascii} and @sc{ibm1047} character sets.
12112 We compile the program, and invoke the debugger on it:
12115 $ gcc -g charset-test.c -o charset-test
12116 $ gdb -nw charset-test
12117 GNU gdb 2001-12-19-cvs
12118 Copyright 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
12123 We can use the @code{show charset} command to see what character sets
12124 @value{GDBN} is currently using to interpret and display characters and
12128 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
12129 The current host and target character set is `ISO-8859-1'.
12133 For the sake of printing this manual, let's use @sc{ascii} as our
12134 initial character set:
12136 (@value{GDBP}) set charset ASCII
12137 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
12138 The current host and target character set is `ASCII'.
12142 Let's assume that @sc{ascii} is indeed the correct character set for our
12143 host system --- in other words, let's assume that if @value{GDBN} prints
12144 characters using the @sc{ascii} character set, our terminal will display
12145 them properly. Since our current target character set is also
12146 @sc{ascii}, the contents of @code{ascii_hello} print legibly:
12149 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
12150 $1 = 0x401698 "Hello, world!\n"
12151 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
12156 @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and string
12157 literals you use in expressions:
12160 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
12165 The @sc{ascii} character set uses the number 43 to encode the @samp{+}
12168 @value{GDBN} relies on the user to tell it which character set the
12169 target program uses. If we print @code{ibm1047_hello} while our target
12170 character set is still @sc{ascii}, we get jibberish:
12173 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
12174 $4 = 0x4016a8 "\310\205\223\223\226k@@\246\226\231\223\204Z%"
12175 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
12180 If we invoke the @code{set target-charset} followed by @key{TAB}@key{TAB},
12181 @value{GDBN} tells us the character sets it supports:
12184 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
12185 ASCII EBCDIC-US IBM1047 ISO-8859-1
12186 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
12189 We can select @sc{ibm1047} as our target character set, and examine the
12190 program's strings again. Now the @sc{ascii} string is wrong, but
12191 @value{GDBN} translates the contents of @code{ibm1047_hello} from the
12192 target character set, @sc{ibm1047}, to the host character set,
12193 @sc{ascii}, and they display correctly:
12196 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset IBM1047
12197 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
12198 The current host character set is `ASCII'.
12199 The current target character set is `IBM1047'.
12200 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
12201 $6 = 0x401698 "\110\145%%?\054\040\167?\162%\144\041\012"
12202 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
12204 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
12205 $8 = 0x4016a8 "Hello, world!\n"
12206 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
12211 As above, @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and
12212 string literals you use in expressions:
12215 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
12220 The @sc{ibm1047} character set uses the number 78 to encode the @samp{+}
12223 @node Caching Target Data
12224 @section Caching Data of Targets
12225 @cindex caching data of targets
12227 @value{GDBN} caches data exchanged between the debugger and a target.
12228 Each cache is associated with the address space of the inferior.
12229 @xref{Inferiors and Programs}, about inferior and address space.
12230 Such caching generally improves performance in remote debugging
12231 (@pxref{Remote Debugging}), because it reduces the overhead of the
12232 remote protocol by bundling memory reads and writes into large chunks.
12233 Unfortunately, simply caching everything would lead to incorrect results,
12234 since @value{GDBN} does not necessarily know anything about volatile
12235 values, memory-mapped I/O addresses, etc. Furthermore, in non-stop mode
12236 (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}) memory can be changed @emph{while} a gdb command
12238 Therefore, by default, @value{GDBN} only caches data
12239 known to be on the stack@footnote{In non-stop mode, it is moderately
12240 rare for a running thread to modify the stack of a stopped thread
12241 in a way that would interfere with a backtrace, and caching of
12242 stack reads provides a significant speed up of remote backtraces.} or
12243 in the code segment.
12244 Other regions of memory can be explicitly marked as
12245 cacheable; @pxref{Memory Region Attributes}.
12248 @kindex set remotecache
12249 @item set remotecache on
12250 @itemx set remotecache off
12251 This option no longer does anything; it exists for compatibility
12254 @kindex show remotecache
12255 @item show remotecache
12256 Show the current state of the obsolete remotecache flag.
12258 @kindex set stack-cache
12259 @item set stack-cache on
12260 @itemx set stack-cache off
12261 Enable or disable caching of stack accesses. When @code{on}, use
12262 caching. By default, this option is @code{on}.
12264 @kindex show stack-cache
12265 @item show stack-cache
12266 Show the current state of data caching for memory accesses.
12268 @kindex set code-cache
12269 @item set code-cache on
12270 @itemx set code-cache off
12271 Enable or disable caching of code segment accesses. When @code{on},
12272 use caching. By default, this option is @code{on}. This improves
12273 performance of disassembly in remote debugging.
12275 @kindex show code-cache
12276 @item show code-cache
12277 Show the current state of target memory cache for code segment
12280 @kindex info dcache
12281 @item info dcache @r{[}line@r{]}
12282 Print the information about the performance of data cache of the
12283 current inferior's address space. The information displayed
12284 includes the dcache width and depth, and for each cache line, its
12285 number, address, and how many times it was referenced. This
12286 command is useful for debugging the data cache operation.
12288 If a line number is specified, the contents of that line will be
12291 @item set dcache size @var{size}
12292 @cindex dcache size
12293 @kindex set dcache size
12294 Set maximum number of entries in dcache (dcache depth above).
12296 @item set dcache line-size @var{line-size}
12297 @cindex dcache line-size
12298 @kindex set dcache line-size
12299 Set number of bytes each dcache entry caches (dcache width above).
12300 Must be a power of 2.
12302 @item show dcache size
12303 @kindex show dcache size
12304 Show maximum number of dcache entries. @xref{Caching Target Data, info dcache}.
12306 @item show dcache line-size
12307 @kindex show dcache line-size
12308 Show default size of dcache lines.
12312 @node Searching Memory
12313 @section Search Memory
12314 @cindex searching memory
12316 Memory can be searched for a particular sequence of bytes with the
12317 @code{find} command.
12321 @item find @r{[}/@var{sn}@r{]} @var{start_addr}, +@var{len}, @var{val1} @r{[}, @var{val2}, @dots{}@r{]}
12322 @itemx find @r{[}/@var{sn}@r{]} @var{start_addr}, @var{end_addr}, @var{val1} @r{[}, @var{val2}, @dots{}@r{]}
12323 Search memory for the sequence of bytes specified by @var{val1}, @var{val2},
12324 etc. The search begins at address @var{start_addr} and continues for either
12325 @var{len} bytes or through to @var{end_addr} inclusive.
12328 @var{s} and @var{n} are optional parameters.
12329 They may be specified in either order, apart or together.
12332 @item @var{s}, search query size
12333 The size of each search query value.
12339 halfwords (two bytes)
12343 giant words (eight bytes)
12346 All values are interpreted in the current language.
12347 This means, for example, that if the current source language is C/C@t{++}
12348 then searching for the string ``hello'' includes the trailing '\0'.
12349 The null terminator can be removed from searching by using casts,
12350 e.g.: @samp{@{char[5]@}"hello"}.
12352 If the value size is not specified, it is taken from the
12353 value's type in the current language.
12354 This is useful when one wants to specify the search
12355 pattern as a mixture of types.
12356 Note that this means, for example, that in the case of C-like languages
12357 a search for an untyped 0x42 will search for @samp{(int) 0x42}
12358 which is typically four bytes.
12360 @item @var{n}, maximum number of finds
12361 The maximum number of matches to print. The default is to print all finds.
12364 You can use strings as search values. Quote them with double-quotes
12366 The string value is copied into the search pattern byte by byte,
12367 regardless of the endianness of the target and the size specification.
12369 The address of each match found is printed as well as a count of the
12370 number of matches found.
12372 The address of the last value found is stored in convenience variable
12374 A count of the number of matches is stored in @samp{$numfound}.
12376 For example, if stopped at the @code{printf} in this function:
12382 static char hello[] = "hello-hello";
12383 static struct @{ char c; short s; int i; @}
12384 __attribute__ ((packed)) mixed
12385 = @{ 'c', 0x1234, 0x87654321 @};
12386 printf ("%s\n", hello);
12391 you get during debugging:
12394 (gdb) find &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), "hello"
12395 0x804956d <hello.1620+6>
12397 (gdb) find &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), 'h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o'
12398 0x8049567 <hello.1620>
12399 0x804956d <hello.1620+6>
12401 (gdb) find &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), @{char[5]@}"hello"
12402 0x8049567 <hello.1620>
12403 0x804956d <hello.1620+6>
12405 (gdb) find /b1 &hello[0], +sizeof(hello), 'h', 0x65, 'l'
12406 0x8049567 <hello.1620>
12408 (gdb) find &mixed, +sizeof(mixed), (char) 'c', (short) 0x1234, (int) 0x87654321
12409 0x8049560 <mixed.1625>
12411 (gdb) print $numfound
12414 $2 = (void *) 0x8049560
12418 @section Value Sizes
12420 Whenever @value{GDBN} prints a value memory will be allocated within
12421 @value{GDBN} to hold the contents of the value. It is possible in
12422 some languages with dynamic typing systems, that an invalid program
12423 may indicate a value that is incorrectly large, this in turn may cause
12424 @value{GDBN} to try and allocate an overly large ammount of memory.
12427 @kindex set max-value-size
12428 @item set max-value-size @var{bytes}
12429 @itemx set max-value-size unlimited
12430 Set the maximum size of memory that @value{GDBN} will allocate for the
12431 contents of a value to @var{bytes}, trying to display a value that
12432 requires more memory than that will result in an error.
12434 Setting this variable does not effect values that have already been
12435 allocated within @value{GDBN}, only future allocations.
12437 There's a minimum size that @code{max-value-size} can be set to in
12438 order that @value{GDBN} can still operate correctly, this minimum is
12439 currently 16 bytes.
12441 The limit applies to the results of some subexpressions as well as to
12442 complete expressions. For example, an expression denoting a simple
12443 integer component, such as @code{x.y.z}, may fail if the size of
12444 @var{x.y} is dynamic and exceeds @var{bytes}. On the other hand,
12445 @value{GDBN} is sometimes clever; the expression @code{A[i]}, where
12446 @var{A} is an array variable with non-constant size, will generally
12447 succeed regardless of the bounds on @var{A}, as long as the component
12448 size is less than @var{bytes}.
12450 The default value of @code{max-value-size} is currently 64k.
12452 @kindex show max-value-size
12453 @item show max-value-size
12454 Show the maximum size of memory, in bytes, that @value{GDBN} will
12455 allocate for the contents of a value.
12458 @node Optimized Code
12459 @chapter Debugging Optimized Code
12460 @cindex optimized code, debugging
12461 @cindex debugging optimized code
12463 Almost all compilers support optimization. With optimization
12464 disabled, the compiler generates assembly code that corresponds
12465 directly to your source code, in a simplistic way. As the compiler
12466 applies more powerful optimizations, the generated assembly code
12467 diverges from your original source code. With help from debugging
12468 information generated by the compiler, @value{GDBN} can map from
12469 the running program back to constructs from your original source.
12471 @value{GDBN} is more accurate with optimization disabled. If you
12472 can recompile without optimization, it is easier to follow the
12473 progress of your program during debugging. But, there are many cases
12474 where you may need to debug an optimized version.
12476 When you debug a program compiled with @samp{-g -O}, remember that the
12477 optimizer has rearranged your code; the debugger shows you what is
12478 really there. Do not be too surprised when the execution path does not
12479 exactly match your source file! An extreme example: if you define a
12480 variable, but never use it, @value{GDBN} never sees that
12481 variable---because the compiler optimizes it out of existence.
12483 Some things do not work as well with @samp{-g -O} as with just
12484 @samp{-g}, particularly on machines with instruction scheduling. If in
12485 doubt, recompile with @samp{-g} alone, and if this fixes the problem,
12486 please report it to us as a bug (including a test case!).
12487 @xref{Variables}, for more information about debugging optimized code.
12490 * Inline Functions:: How @value{GDBN} presents inlining
12491 * Tail Call Frames:: @value{GDBN} analysis of jumps to functions
12494 @node Inline Functions
12495 @section Inline Functions
12496 @cindex inline functions, debugging
12498 @dfn{Inlining} is an optimization that inserts a copy of the function
12499 body directly at each call site, instead of jumping to a shared
12500 routine. @value{GDBN} displays inlined functions just like
12501 non-inlined functions. They appear in backtraces. You can view their
12502 arguments and local variables, step into them with @code{step}, skip
12503 them with @code{next}, and escape from them with @code{finish}.
12504 You can check whether a function was inlined by using the
12505 @code{info frame} command.
12507 For @value{GDBN} to support inlined functions, the compiler must
12508 record information about inlining in the debug information ---
12509 @value{NGCC} using the @sc{dwarf 2} format does this, and several
12510 other compilers do also. @value{GDBN} only supports inlined functions
12511 when using @sc{dwarf 2}. Versions of @value{NGCC} before 4.1
12512 do not emit two required attributes (@samp{DW_AT_call_file} and
12513 @samp{DW_AT_call_line}); @value{GDBN} does not display inlined
12514 function calls with earlier versions of @value{NGCC}. It instead
12515 displays the arguments and local variables of inlined functions as
12516 local variables in the caller.
12518 The body of an inlined function is directly included at its call site;
12519 unlike a non-inlined function, there are no instructions devoted to
12520 the call. @value{GDBN} still pretends that the call site and the
12521 start of the inlined function are different instructions. Stepping to
12522 the call site shows the call site, and then stepping again shows
12523 the first line of the inlined function, even though no additional
12524 instructions are executed.
12526 This makes source-level debugging much clearer; you can see both the
12527 context of the call and then the effect of the call. Only stepping by
12528 a single instruction using @code{stepi} or @code{nexti} does not do
12529 this; single instruction steps always show the inlined body.
12531 There are some ways that @value{GDBN} does not pretend that inlined
12532 function calls are the same as normal calls:
12536 Setting breakpoints at the call site of an inlined function may not
12537 work, because the call site does not contain any code. @value{GDBN}
12538 may incorrectly move the breakpoint to the next line of the enclosing
12539 function, after the call. This limitation will be removed in a future
12540 version of @value{GDBN}; until then, set a breakpoint on an earlier line
12541 or inside the inlined function instead.
12544 @value{GDBN} cannot locate the return value of inlined calls after
12545 using the @code{finish} command. This is a limitation of compiler-generated
12546 debugging information; after @code{finish}, you can step to the next line
12547 and print a variable where your program stored the return value.
12551 @node Tail Call Frames
12552 @section Tail Call Frames
12553 @cindex tail call frames, debugging
12555 Function @code{B} can call function @code{C} in its very last statement. In
12556 unoptimized compilation the call of @code{C} is immediately followed by return
12557 instruction at the end of @code{B} code. Optimizing compiler may replace the
12558 call and return in function @code{B} into one jump to function @code{C}
12559 instead. Such use of a jump instruction is called @dfn{tail call}.
12561 During execution of function @code{C}, there will be no indication in the
12562 function call stack frames that it was tail-called from @code{B}. If function
12563 @code{A} regularly calls function @code{B} which tail-calls function @code{C},
12564 then @value{GDBN} will see @code{A} as the caller of @code{C}. However, in
12565 some cases @value{GDBN} can determine that @code{C} was tail-called from
12566 @code{B}, and it will then create fictitious call frame for that, with the
12567 return address set up as if @code{B} called @code{C} normally.
12569 This functionality is currently supported only by DWARF 2 debugging format and
12570 the compiler has to produce @samp{DW_TAG_call_site} tags. With
12571 @value{NGCC}, you need to specify @option{-O -g} during compilation, to get
12574 @kbd{info frame} command (@pxref{Frame Info}) will indicate the tail call frame
12575 kind by text @code{tail call frame} such as in this sample @value{GDBN} output:
12579 0x40066b <b(int, double)+11>: jmp 0x400640 <c(int, double)>
12581 Stack level 1, frame at 0x7fffffffda30:
12582 rip = 0x40066d in b (amd64-entry-value.cc:59); saved rip 0x4004c5
12583 tail call frame, caller of frame at 0x7fffffffda30
12584 source language c++.
12585 Arglist at unknown address.
12586 Locals at unknown address, Previous frame's sp is 0x7fffffffda30
12589 The detection of all the possible code path executions can find them ambiguous.
12590 There is no execution history stored (possible @ref{Reverse Execution} is never
12591 used for this purpose) and the last known caller could have reached the known
12592 callee by multiple different jump sequences. In such case @value{GDBN} still
12593 tries to show at least all the unambiguous top tail callers and all the
12594 unambiguous bottom tail calees, if any.
12597 @anchor{set debug entry-values}
12598 @item set debug entry-values
12599 @kindex set debug entry-values
12600 When set to on, enables printing of analysis messages for both frame argument
12601 values at function entry and tail calls. It will show all the possible valid
12602 tail calls code paths it has considered. It will also print the intersection
12603 of them with the final unambiguous (possibly partial or even empty) code path
12606 @item show debug entry-values
12607 @kindex show debug entry-values
12608 Show the current state of analysis messages printing for both frame argument
12609 values at function entry and tail calls.
12612 The analysis messages for tail calls can for example show why the virtual tail
12613 call frame for function @code{c} has not been recognized (due to the indirect
12614 reference by variable @code{x}):
12617 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void);
12618 void (*x) (void) = c;
12619 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) @{ x++; @}
12620 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void) @{ a (); @}
12621 int main (void) @{ x (); return 0; @}
12623 Breakpoint 1, DW_OP_entry_value resolving cannot find
12624 DW_TAG_call_site 0x40039a in main
12626 3 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) @{ x++; @}
12629 #1 0x000000000040039a in main () at t.c:5
12632 Another possibility is an ambiguous virtual tail call frames resolution:
12636 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) f (void) @{ i++; @}
12637 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) e (void) @{ f (); @}
12638 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) d (void) @{ f (); @}
12639 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void) @{ d (); @}
12640 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) b (void)
12641 @{ if (i) c (); else e (); @}
12642 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) @{ b (); @}
12643 int main (void) @{ a (); return 0; @}
12645 tailcall: initial: 0x4004d2(a) 0x4004ce(b) 0x4004b2(c) 0x4004a2(d)
12646 tailcall: compare: 0x4004d2(a) 0x4004cc(b) 0x400492(e)
12647 tailcall: reduced: 0x4004d2(a) |
12650 #1 0x00000000004004d2 in a () at t.c:8
12651 #2 0x0000000000400395 in main () at t.c:9
12654 @set CALLSEQ1A @code{main@value{ARROW}a@value{ARROW}b@value{ARROW}c@value{ARROW}d@value{ARROW}f}
12655 @set CALLSEQ2A @code{main@value{ARROW}a@value{ARROW}b@value{ARROW}e@value{ARROW}f}
12657 @c Convert CALLSEQ#A to CALLSEQ#B depending on HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK.
12658 @ifset HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK
12659 @set ARROW @click{}
12660 @set CALLSEQ1B @clicksequence{@value{CALLSEQ1A}}
12661 @set CALLSEQ2B @clicksequence{@value{CALLSEQ2A}}
12663 @ifclear HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK
12665 @set CALLSEQ1B @value{CALLSEQ1A}
12666 @set CALLSEQ2B @value{CALLSEQ2A}
12669 Frames #0 and #2 are real, #1 is a virtual tail call frame.
12670 The code can have possible execution paths @value{CALLSEQ1B} or
12671 @value{CALLSEQ2B}, @value{GDBN} cannot find which one from the inferior state.
12673 @code{initial:} state shows some random possible calling sequence @value{GDBN}
12674 has found. It then finds another possible calling sequcen - that one is
12675 prefixed by @code{compare:}. The non-ambiguous intersection of these two is
12676 printed as the @code{reduced:} calling sequence. That one could have many
12677 futher @code{compare:} and @code{reduced:} statements as long as there remain
12678 any non-ambiguous sequence entries.
12680 For the frame of function @code{b} in both cases there are different possible
12681 @code{$pc} values (@code{0x4004cc} or @code{0x4004ce}), therefore this frame is
12682 also ambigous. The only non-ambiguous frame is the one for function @code{a},
12683 therefore this one is displayed to the user while the ambiguous frames are
12686 There can be also reasons why printing of frame argument values at function
12691 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (int i) @{ v++; @}
12692 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (int i);
12693 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) b (int i) @{ a (i); @}
12694 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (int i)
12695 @{ if (i) b (i - 1); else c (0); @}
12696 int main (void) @{ a (5); return 0; @}
12699 #0 c (i=i@@entry=0) at t.c:2
12700 #1 0x0000000000400428 in a (DW_OP_entry_value resolving has found
12701 function "a" at 0x400420 can call itself via tail calls
12702 i=<optimized out>) at t.c:6
12703 #2 0x000000000040036e in main () at t.c:7
12706 @value{GDBN} cannot find out from the inferior state if and how many times did
12707 function @code{a} call itself (via function @code{b}) as these calls would be
12708 tail calls. Such tail calls would modify thue @code{i} variable, therefore
12709 @value{GDBN} cannot be sure the value it knows would be right - @value{GDBN}
12710 prints @code{<optimized out>} instead.
12713 @chapter C Preprocessor Macros
12715 Some languages, such as C and C@t{++}, provide a way to define and invoke
12716 ``preprocessor macros'' which expand into strings of tokens.
12717 @value{GDBN} can evaluate expressions containing macro invocations, show
12718 the result of macro expansion, and show a macro's definition, including
12719 where it was defined.
12721 You may need to compile your program specially to provide @value{GDBN}
12722 with information about preprocessor macros. Most compilers do not
12723 include macros in their debugging information, even when you compile
12724 with the @option{-g} flag. @xref{Compilation}.
12726 A program may define a macro at one point, remove that definition later,
12727 and then provide a different definition after that. Thus, at different
12728 points in the program, a macro may have different definitions, or have
12729 no definition at all. If there is a current stack frame, @value{GDBN}
12730 uses the macros in scope at that frame's source code line. Otherwise,
12731 @value{GDBN} uses the macros in scope at the current listing location;
12734 Whenever @value{GDBN} evaluates an expression, it always expands any
12735 macro invocations present in the expression. @value{GDBN} also provides
12736 the following commands for working with macros explicitly.
12740 @kindex macro expand
12741 @cindex macro expansion, showing the results of preprocessor
12742 @cindex preprocessor macro expansion, showing the results of
12743 @cindex expanding preprocessor macros
12744 @item macro expand @var{expression}
12745 @itemx macro exp @var{expression}
12746 Show the results of expanding all preprocessor macro invocations in
12747 @var{expression}. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does
12748 not parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression;
12749 it can be any string of tokens.
12752 @item macro expand-once @var{expression}
12753 @itemx macro exp1 @var{expression}
12754 @cindex expand macro once
12755 @i{(This command is not yet implemented.)} Show the results of
12756 expanding those preprocessor macro invocations that appear explicitly in
12757 @var{expression}. Macro invocations appearing in that expansion are
12758 left unchanged. This command allows you to see the effect of a
12759 particular macro more clearly, without being confused by further
12760 expansions. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does not
12761 parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression; it
12762 can be any string of tokens.
12765 @cindex macro definition, showing
12766 @cindex definition of a macro, showing
12767 @cindex macros, from debug info
12768 @item info macro [-a|-all] [--] @var{macro}
12769 Show the current definition or all definitions of the named @var{macro},
12770 and describe the source location or compiler command-line where that
12771 definition was established. The optional double dash is to signify the end of
12772 argument processing and the beginning of @var{macro} for non C-like macros where
12773 the macro may begin with a hyphen.
12775 @kindex info macros
12776 @item info macros @var{location}
12777 Show all macro definitions that are in effect at the location specified
12778 by @var{location}, and describe the source location or compiler
12779 command-line where those definitions were established.
12781 @kindex macro define
12782 @cindex user-defined macros
12783 @cindex defining macros interactively
12784 @cindex macros, user-defined
12785 @item macro define @var{macro} @var{replacement-list}
12786 @itemx macro define @var{macro}(@var{arglist}) @var{replacement-list}
12787 Introduce a definition for a preprocessor macro named @var{macro},
12788 invocations of which are replaced by the tokens given in
12789 @var{replacement-list}. The first form of this command defines an
12790 ``object-like'' macro, which takes no arguments; the second form
12791 defines a ``function-like'' macro, which takes the arguments given in
12794 A definition introduced by this command is in scope in every
12795 expression evaluated in @value{GDBN}, until it is removed with the
12796 @code{macro undef} command, described below. The definition overrides
12797 all definitions for @var{macro} present in the program being debugged,
12798 as well as any previous user-supplied definition.
12800 @kindex macro undef
12801 @item macro undef @var{macro}
12802 Remove any user-supplied definition for the macro named @var{macro}.
12803 This command only affects definitions provided with the @code{macro
12804 define} command, described above; it cannot remove definitions present
12805 in the program being debugged.
12809 List all the macros defined using the @code{macro define} command.
12812 @cindex macros, example of debugging with
12813 Here is a transcript showing the above commands in action. First, we
12814 show our source files:
12819 #include "sample.h"
12822 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
12827 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
12829 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
12831 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
12838 Now, we compile the program using the @sc{gnu} C compiler,
12839 @value{NGCC}. We pass the @option{-gdwarf-2}@footnote{This is the
12840 minimum. Recent versions of @value{NGCC} support @option{-gdwarf-3}
12841 and @option{-gdwarf-4}; we recommend always choosing the most recent
12842 version of DWARF.} @emph{and} @option{-g3} flags to ensure the compiler
12843 includes information about preprocessor macros in the debugging
12847 $ gcc -gdwarf-2 -g3 sample.c -o sample
12851 Now, we start @value{GDBN} on our sample program:
12855 GNU gdb 2002-05-06-cvs
12856 Copyright 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
12857 GDB is free software, @dots{}
12861 We can expand macros and examine their definitions, even when the
12862 program is not running. @value{GDBN} uses the current listing position
12863 to decide which macro definitions are in scope:
12866 (@value{GDBP}) list main
12869 5 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
12874 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
12876 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
12877 (@value{GDBP}) info macro ADD
12878 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:5
12879 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
12880 (@value{GDBP}) info macro Q
12881 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.h:1
12882 included at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:2
12884 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand ADD(1)
12885 expands to: (42 + 1)
12886 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand-once ADD(1)
12887 expands to: once (M + 1)
12891 In the example above, note that @code{macro expand-once} expands only
12892 the macro invocation explicit in the original text --- the invocation of
12893 @code{ADD} --- but does not expand the invocation of the macro @code{M},
12894 which was introduced by @code{ADD}.
12896 Once the program is running, @value{GDBN} uses the macro definitions in
12897 force at the source line of the current stack frame:
12900 (@value{GDBP}) break main
12901 Breakpoint 1 at 0x8048370: file sample.c, line 10.
12903 Starting program: /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample
12905 Breakpoint 1, main () at sample.c:10
12906 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
12910 At line 10, the definition of the macro @code{N} at line 9 is in force:
12913 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
12914 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:9
12916 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
12917 expands to: 28 < 42
12918 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
12923 As we step over directives that remove @code{N}'s definition, and then
12924 give it a new definition, @value{GDBN} finds the definition (or lack
12925 thereof) in force at each point:
12928 (@value{GDBP}) next
12930 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
12931 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
12932 The symbol `N' has no definition as a C/C++ preprocessor macro
12933 at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:12
12934 (@value{GDBP}) next
12936 14 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
12937 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
12938 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:13
12940 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
12941 expands to: 1729 < 42
12942 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
12947 In addition to source files, macros can be defined on the compilation command
12948 line using the @option{-D@var{name}=@var{value}} syntax. For macros defined in
12949 such a way, @value{GDBN} displays the location of their definition as line zero
12950 of the source file submitted to the compiler.
12953 (@value{GDBP}) info macro __STDC__
12954 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:0
12961 @chapter Tracepoints
12962 @c This chapter is based on the documentation written by Michael
12963 @c Snyder, David Taylor, Jim Blandy, and Elena Zannoni.
12965 @cindex tracepoints
12966 In some applications, it is not feasible for the debugger to interrupt
12967 the program's execution long enough for the developer to learn
12968 anything helpful about its behavior. If the program's correctness
12969 depends on its real-time behavior, delays introduced by a debugger
12970 might cause the program to change its behavior drastically, or perhaps
12971 fail, even when the code itself is correct. It is useful to be able
12972 to observe the program's behavior without interrupting it.
12974 Using @value{GDBN}'s @code{trace} and @code{collect} commands, you can
12975 specify locations in the program, called @dfn{tracepoints}, and
12976 arbitrary expressions to evaluate when those tracepoints are reached.
12977 Later, using the @code{tfind} command, you can examine the values
12978 those expressions had when the program hit the tracepoints. The
12979 expressions may also denote objects in memory---structures or arrays,
12980 for example---whose values @value{GDBN} should record; while visiting
12981 a particular tracepoint, you may inspect those objects as if they were
12982 in memory at that moment. However, because @value{GDBN} records these
12983 values without interacting with you, it can do so quickly and
12984 unobtrusively, hopefully not disturbing the program's behavior.
12986 The tracepoint facility is currently available only for remote
12987 targets. @xref{Targets}. In addition, your remote target must know
12988 how to collect trace data. This functionality is implemented in the
12989 remote stub; however, none of the stubs distributed with @value{GDBN}
12990 support tracepoints as of this writing. The format of the remote
12991 packets used to implement tracepoints are described in @ref{Tracepoint
12994 It is also possible to get trace data from a file, in a manner reminiscent
12995 of corefiles; you specify the filename, and use @code{tfind} to search
12996 through the file. @xref{Trace Files}, for more details.
12998 This chapter describes the tracepoint commands and features.
13001 * Set Tracepoints::
13002 * Analyze Collected Data::
13003 * Tracepoint Variables::
13007 @node Set Tracepoints
13008 @section Commands to Set Tracepoints
13010 Before running such a @dfn{trace experiment}, an arbitrary number of
13011 tracepoints can be set. A tracepoint is actually a special type of
13012 breakpoint (@pxref{Set Breaks}), so you can manipulate it using
13013 standard breakpoint commands. For instance, as with breakpoints,
13014 tracepoint numbers are successive integers starting from one, and many
13015 of the commands associated with tracepoints take the tracepoint number
13016 as their argument, to identify which tracepoint to work on.
13018 For each tracepoint, you can specify, in advance, some arbitrary set
13019 of data that you want the target to collect in the trace buffer when
13020 it hits that tracepoint. The collected data can include registers,
13021 local variables, or global data. Later, you can use @value{GDBN}
13022 commands to examine the values these data had at the time the
13023 tracepoint was hit.
13025 Tracepoints do not support every breakpoint feature. Ignore counts on
13026 tracepoints have no effect, and tracepoints cannot run @value{GDBN}
13027 commands when they are hit. Tracepoints may not be thread-specific
13030 @cindex fast tracepoints
13031 Some targets may support @dfn{fast tracepoints}, which are inserted in
13032 a different way (such as with a jump instead of a trap), that is
13033 faster but possibly restricted in where they may be installed.
13035 @cindex static tracepoints
13036 @cindex markers, static tracepoints
13037 @cindex probing markers, static tracepoints
13038 Regular and fast tracepoints are dynamic tracing facilities, meaning
13039 that they can be used to insert tracepoints at (almost) any location
13040 in the target. Some targets may also support controlling @dfn{static
13041 tracepoints} from @value{GDBN}. With static tracing, a set of
13042 instrumentation points, also known as @dfn{markers}, are embedded in
13043 the target program, and can be activated or deactivated by name or
13044 address. These are usually placed at locations which facilitate
13045 investigating what the target is actually doing. @value{GDBN}'s
13046 support for static tracing includes being able to list instrumentation
13047 points, and attach them with @value{GDBN} defined high level
13048 tracepoints that expose the whole range of convenience of
13049 @value{GDBN}'s tracepoints support. Namely, support for collecting
13050 registers values and values of global or local (to the instrumentation
13051 point) variables; tracepoint conditions and trace state variables.
13052 The act of installing a @value{GDBN} static tracepoint on an
13053 instrumentation point, or marker, is referred to as @dfn{probing} a
13054 static tracepoint marker.
13056 @code{gdbserver} supports tracepoints on some target systems.
13057 @xref{Server,,Tracepoints support in @code{gdbserver}}.
13059 This section describes commands to set tracepoints and associated
13060 conditions and actions.
13063 * Create and Delete Tracepoints::
13064 * Enable and Disable Tracepoints::
13065 * Tracepoint Passcounts::
13066 * Tracepoint Conditions::
13067 * Trace State Variables::
13068 * Tracepoint Actions::
13069 * Listing Tracepoints::
13070 * Listing Static Tracepoint Markers::
13071 * Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments::
13072 * Tracepoint Restrictions::
13075 @node Create and Delete Tracepoints
13076 @subsection Create and Delete Tracepoints
13079 @cindex set tracepoint
13081 @item trace @var{location}
13082 The @code{trace} command is very similar to the @code{break} command.
13083 Its argument @var{location} can be any valid location.
13084 @xref{Specify Location}. The @code{trace} command defines a tracepoint,
13085 which is a point in the target program where the debugger will briefly stop,
13086 collect some data, and then allow the program to continue. Setting a tracepoint
13087 or changing its actions takes effect immediately if the remote stub
13088 supports the @samp{InstallInTrace} feature (@pxref{install tracepoint
13090 If remote stub doesn't support the @samp{InstallInTrace} feature, all
13091 these changes don't take effect until the next @code{tstart}
13092 command, and once a trace experiment is running, further changes will
13093 not have any effect until the next trace experiment starts. In addition,
13094 @value{GDBN} supports @dfn{pending tracepoints}---tracepoints whose
13095 address is not yet resolved. (This is similar to pending breakpoints.)
13096 Pending tracepoints are not downloaded to the target and not installed
13097 until they are resolved. The resolution of pending tracepoints requires
13098 @value{GDBN} support---when debugging with the remote target, and
13099 @value{GDBN} disconnects from the remote stub (@pxref{disconnected
13100 tracing}), pending tracepoints can not be resolved (and downloaded to
13101 the remote stub) while @value{GDBN} is disconnected.
13103 Here are some examples of using the @code{trace} command:
13106 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo.c:121} // a source file and line number
13108 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace +2} // 2 lines forward
13110 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace my_function} // first source line of function
13112 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *my_function} // EXACT start address of function
13114 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *0x2117c4} // an address
13118 You can abbreviate @code{trace} as @code{tr}.
13120 @item trace @var{location} if @var{cond}
13121 Set a tracepoint with condition @var{cond}; evaluate the expression
13122 @var{cond} each time the tracepoint is reached, and collect data only
13123 if the value is nonzero---that is, if @var{cond} evaluates as true.
13124 @xref{Tracepoint Conditions, ,Tracepoint Conditions}, for more
13125 information on tracepoint conditions.
13127 @item ftrace @var{location} [ if @var{cond} ]
13128 @cindex set fast tracepoint
13129 @cindex fast tracepoints, setting
13131 The @code{ftrace} command sets a fast tracepoint. For targets that
13132 support them, fast tracepoints will use a more efficient but possibly
13133 less general technique to trigger data collection, such as a jump
13134 instruction instead of a trap, or some sort of hardware support. It
13135 may not be possible to create a fast tracepoint at the desired
13136 location, in which case the command will exit with an explanatory
13139 @value{GDBN} handles arguments to @code{ftrace} exactly as for
13142 On 32-bit x86-architecture systems, fast tracepoints normally need to
13143 be placed at an instruction that is 5 bytes or longer, but can be
13144 placed at 4-byte instructions if the low 64K of memory of the target
13145 program is available to install trampolines. Some Unix-type systems,
13146 such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, exclude low addresses from the program's
13147 address space; but for instance with the Linux kernel it is possible
13148 to let @value{GDBN} use this area by doing a @command{sysctl} command
13149 to set the @code{mmap_min_addr} kernel parameter, as in
13152 sudo sysctl -w vm.mmap_min_addr=32768
13156 which sets the low address to 32K, which leaves plenty of room for
13157 trampolines. The minimum address should be set to a page boundary.
13159 @item strace @var{location} [ if @var{cond} ]
13160 @cindex set static tracepoint
13161 @cindex static tracepoints, setting
13162 @cindex probe static tracepoint marker
13164 The @code{strace} command sets a static tracepoint. For targets that
13165 support it, setting a static tracepoint probes a static
13166 instrumentation point, or marker, found at @var{location}. It may not
13167 be possible to set a static tracepoint at the desired location, in
13168 which case the command will exit with an explanatory message.
13170 @value{GDBN} handles arguments to @code{strace} exactly as for
13171 @code{trace}, with the addition that the user can also specify
13172 @code{-m @var{marker}} as @var{location}. This probes the marker
13173 identified by the @var{marker} string identifier. This identifier
13174 depends on the static tracepoint backend library your program is
13175 using. You can find all the marker identifiers in the @samp{ID} field
13176 of the @code{info static-tracepoint-markers} command output.
13177 @xref{Listing Static Tracepoint Markers,,Listing Static Tracepoint
13178 Markers}. For example, in the following small program using the UST
13184 trace_mark(ust, bar33, "str %s", "FOOBAZ");
13189 the marker id is composed of joining the first two arguments to the
13190 @code{trace_mark} call with a slash, which translates to:
13193 (@value{GDBP}) info static-tracepoint-markers
13194 Cnt Enb ID Address What
13195 1 n ust/bar33 0x0000000000400ddc in main at stexample.c:22
13201 so you may probe the marker above with:
13204 (@value{GDBP}) strace -m ust/bar33
13207 Static tracepoints accept an extra collect action --- @code{collect
13208 $_sdata}. This collects arbitrary user data passed in the probe point
13209 call to the tracing library. In the UST example above, you'll see
13210 that the third argument to @code{trace_mark} is a printf-like format
13211 string. The user data is then the result of running that formating
13212 string against the following arguments. Note that @code{info
13213 static-tracepoint-markers} command output lists that format string in
13214 the @samp{Data:} field.
13216 You can inspect this data when analyzing the trace buffer, by printing
13217 the $_sdata variable like any other variable available to
13218 @value{GDBN}. @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action Lists}.
13221 @cindex last tracepoint number
13222 @cindex recent tracepoint number
13223 @cindex tracepoint number
13224 The convenience variable @code{$tpnum} records the tracepoint number
13225 of the most recently set tracepoint.
13227 @kindex delete tracepoint
13228 @cindex tracepoint deletion
13229 @item delete tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
13230 Permanently delete one or more tracepoints. With no argument, the
13231 default is to delete all tracepoints. Note that the regular
13232 @code{delete} command can remove tracepoints also.
13237 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace 1 2 3} // remove three tracepoints
13239 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace} // remove all tracepoints
13243 You can abbreviate this command as @code{del tr}.
13246 @node Enable and Disable Tracepoints
13247 @subsection Enable and Disable Tracepoints
13249 These commands are deprecated; they are equivalent to plain @code{disable} and @code{enable}.
13252 @kindex disable tracepoint
13253 @item disable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
13254 Disable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints if no argument
13255 @var{num} is given. A disabled tracepoint will have no effect during
13256 a trace experiment, but it is not forgotten. You can re-enable
13257 a disabled tracepoint using the @code{enable tracepoint} command.
13258 If the command is issued during a trace experiment and the debug target
13259 has support for disabling tracepoints during a trace experiment, then the
13260 change will be effective immediately. Otherwise, it will be applied to the
13261 next trace experiment.
13263 @kindex enable tracepoint
13264 @item enable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
13265 Enable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints. If this command is
13266 issued during a trace experiment and the debug target supports enabling
13267 tracepoints during a trace experiment, then the enabled tracepoints will
13268 become effective immediately. Otherwise, they will become effective the
13269 next time a trace experiment is run.
13272 @node Tracepoint Passcounts
13273 @subsection Tracepoint Passcounts
13277 @cindex tracepoint pass count
13278 @item passcount @r{[}@var{n} @r{[}@var{num}@r{]]}
13279 Set the @dfn{passcount} of a tracepoint. The passcount is a way to
13280 automatically stop a trace experiment. If a tracepoint's passcount is
13281 @var{n}, then the trace experiment will be automatically stopped on
13282 the @var{n}'th time that tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number
13283 @var{num} is not specified, the @code{passcount} command sets the
13284 passcount of the most recently defined tracepoint. If no passcount is
13285 given, the trace experiment will run until stopped explicitly by the
13291 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 5 2} // Stop on the 5th execution of
13292 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// tracepoint 2}
13294 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 12} // Stop on the 12th execution of the
13295 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// most recently defined tracepoint.}
13296 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
13297 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 3}
13298 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace bar}
13299 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 2}
13300 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace baz}
13301 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 1} // Stop tracing when foo has been
13302 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// executed 3 times OR when bar has}
13303 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// been executed 2 times}
13304 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// OR when baz has been executed 1 time.}
13308 @node Tracepoint Conditions
13309 @subsection Tracepoint Conditions
13310 @cindex conditional tracepoints
13311 @cindex tracepoint conditions
13313 The simplest sort of tracepoint collects data every time your program
13314 reaches a specified place. You can also specify a @dfn{condition} for
13315 a tracepoint. A condition is just a Boolean expression in your
13316 programming language (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). A
13317 tracepoint with a condition evaluates the expression each time your
13318 program reaches it, and data collection happens only if the condition
13321 Tracepoint conditions can be specified when a tracepoint is set, by
13322 using @samp{if} in the arguments to the @code{trace} command.
13323 @xref{Create and Delete Tracepoints, ,Setting Tracepoints}. They can
13324 also be set or changed at any time with the @code{condition} command,
13325 just as with breakpoints.
13327 Unlike breakpoint conditions, @value{GDBN} does not actually evaluate
13328 the conditional expression itself. Instead, @value{GDBN} encodes the
13329 expression into an agent expression (@pxref{Agent Expressions})
13330 suitable for execution on the target, independently of @value{GDBN}.
13331 Global variables become raw memory locations, locals become stack
13332 accesses, and so forth.
13334 For instance, suppose you have a function that is usually called
13335 frequently, but should not be called after an error has occurred. You
13336 could use the following tracepoint command to collect data about calls
13337 of that function that happen while the error code is propagating
13338 through the program; an unconditional tracepoint could end up
13339 collecting thousands of useless trace frames that you would have to
13343 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{trace normal_operation if errcode > 0}
13346 @node Trace State Variables
13347 @subsection Trace State Variables
13348 @cindex trace state variables
13350 A @dfn{trace state variable} is a special type of variable that is
13351 created and managed by target-side code. The syntax is the same as
13352 that for GDB's convenience variables (a string prefixed with ``$''),
13353 but they are stored on the target. They must be created explicitly,
13354 using a @code{tvariable} command. They are always 64-bit signed
13357 Trace state variables are remembered by @value{GDBN}, and downloaded
13358 to the target along with tracepoint information when the trace
13359 experiment starts. There are no intrinsic limits on the number of
13360 trace state variables, beyond memory limitations of the target.
13362 @cindex convenience variables, and trace state variables
13363 Although trace state variables are managed by the target, you can use
13364 them in print commands and expressions as if they were convenience
13365 variables; @value{GDBN} will get the current value from the target
13366 while the trace experiment is running. Trace state variables share
13367 the same namespace as other ``$'' variables, which means that you
13368 cannot have trace state variables with names like @code{$23} or
13369 @code{$pc}, nor can you have a trace state variable and a convenience
13370 variable with the same name.
13374 @item tvariable $@var{name} [ = @var{expression} ]
13376 The @code{tvariable} command creates a new trace state variable named
13377 @code{$@var{name}}, and optionally gives it an initial value of
13378 @var{expression}. The @var{expression} is evaluated when this command is
13379 entered; the result will be converted to an integer if possible,
13380 otherwise @value{GDBN} will report an error. A subsequent
13381 @code{tvariable} command specifying the same name does not create a
13382 variable, but instead assigns the supplied initial value to the
13383 existing variable of that name, overwriting any previous initial
13384 value. The default initial value is 0.
13386 @item info tvariables
13387 @kindex info tvariables
13388 List all the trace state variables along with their initial values.
13389 Their current values may also be displayed, if the trace experiment is
13392 @item delete tvariable @r{[} $@var{name} @dots{} @r{]}
13393 @kindex delete tvariable
13394 Delete the given trace state variables, or all of them if no arguments
13399 @node Tracepoint Actions
13400 @subsection Tracepoint Action Lists
13404 @cindex tracepoint actions
13405 @item actions @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
13406 This command will prompt for a list of actions to be taken when the
13407 tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number @var{num} is not
13408 specified, this command sets the actions for the one that was most
13409 recently defined (so that you can define a tracepoint and then say
13410 @code{actions} without bothering about its number). You specify the
13411 actions themselves on the following lines, one action at a time, and
13412 terminate the actions list with a line containing just @code{end}. So
13413 far, the only defined actions are @code{collect}, @code{teval}, and
13414 @code{while-stepping}.
13416 @code{actions} is actually equivalent to @code{commands} (@pxref{Break
13417 Commands, ,Breakpoint Command Lists}), except that only the defined
13418 actions are allowed; any other @value{GDBN} command is rejected.
13420 @cindex remove actions from a tracepoint
13421 To remove all actions from a tracepoint, type @samp{actions @var{num}}
13422 and follow it immediately with @samp{end}.
13425 (@value{GDBP}) @b{collect @var{data}} // collect some data
13427 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while-stepping 5} // single-step 5 times, collect data
13429 (@value{GDBP}) @b{end} // signals the end of actions.
13432 In the following example, the action list begins with @code{collect}
13433 commands indicating the things to be collected when the tracepoint is
13434 hit. Then, in order to single-step and collect additional data
13435 following the tracepoint, a @code{while-stepping} command is used,
13436 followed by the list of things to be collected after each step in a
13437 sequence of single steps. The @code{while-stepping} command is
13438 terminated by its own separate @code{end} command. Lastly, the action
13439 list is terminated by an @code{end} command.
13442 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
13443 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
13444 Enter actions for tracepoint 1, one per line:
13447 > while-stepping 12
13448 > collect $pc, arr[i]
13453 @kindex collect @r{(tracepoints)}
13454 @item collect@r{[}/@var{mods}@r{]} @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
13455 Collect values of the given expressions when the tracepoint is hit.
13456 This command accepts a comma-separated list of any valid expressions.
13457 In addition to global, static, or local variables, the following
13458 special arguments are supported:
13462 Collect all registers.
13465 Collect all function arguments.
13468 Collect all local variables.
13471 Collect the return address. This is helpful if you want to see more
13474 @emph{Note:} The return address location can not always be reliably
13475 determined up front, and the wrong address / registers may end up
13476 collected instead. On some architectures the reliability is higher
13477 for tracepoints at function entry, while on others it's the opposite.
13478 When this happens, backtracing will stop because the return address is
13479 found unavailable (unless another collect rule happened to match it).
13482 Collects the number of arguments from the static probe at which the
13483 tracepoint is located.
13484 @xref{Static Probe Points}.
13486 @item $_probe_arg@var{n}
13487 @var{n} is an integer between 0 and 11. Collects the @var{n}th argument
13488 from the static probe at which the tracepoint is located.
13489 @xref{Static Probe Points}.
13492 @vindex $_sdata@r{, collect}
13493 Collect static tracepoint marker specific data. Only available for
13494 static tracepoints. @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action
13495 Lists}. On the UST static tracepoints library backend, an
13496 instrumentation point resembles a @code{printf} function call. The
13497 tracing library is able to collect user specified data formatted to a
13498 character string using the format provided by the programmer that
13499 instrumented the program. Other backends have similar mechanisms.
13500 Here's an example of a UST marker call:
13503 const char master_name[] = "$your_name";
13504 trace_mark(channel1, marker1, "hello %s", master_name)
13507 In this case, collecting @code{$_sdata} collects the string
13508 @samp{hello $yourname}. When analyzing the trace buffer, you can
13509 inspect @samp{$_sdata} like any other variable available to
13513 You can give several consecutive @code{collect} commands, each one
13514 with a single argument, or one @code{collect} command with several
13515 arguments separated by commas; the effect is the same.
13517 The optional @var{mods} changes the usual handling of the arguments.
13518 @code{s} requests that pointers to chars be handled as strings, in
13519 particular collecting the contents of the memory being pointed at, up
13520 to the first zero. The upper bound is by default the value of the
13521 @code{print elements} variable; if @code{s} is followed by a decimal
13522 number, that is the upper bound instead. So for instance
13523 @samp{collect/s25 mystr} collects as many as 25 characters at
13526 The command @code{info scope} (@pxref{Symbols, info scope}) is
13527 particularly useful for figuring out what data to collect.
13529 @kindex teval @r{(tracepoints)}
13530 @item teval @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
13531 Evaluate the given expressions when the tracepoint is hit. This
13532 command accepts a comma-separated list of expressions. The results
13533 are discarded, so this is mainly useful for assigning values to trace
13534 state variables (@pxref{Trace State Variables}) without adding those
13535 values to the trace buffer, as would be the case if the @code{collect}
13538 @kindex while-stepping @r{(tracepoints)}
13539 @item while-stepping @var{n}
13540 Perform @var{n} single-step instruction traces after the tracepoint,
13541 collecting new data after each step. The @code{while-stepping}
13542 command is followed by the list of what to collect while stepping
13543 (followed by its own @code{end} command):
13546 > while-stepping 12
13547 > collect $regs, myglobal
13553 Note that @code{$pc} is not automatically collected by
13554 @code{while-stepping}; you need to explicitly collect that register if
13555 you need it. You may abbreviate @code{while-stepping} as @code{ws} or
13558 @item set default-collect @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
13559 @kindex set default-collect
13560 @cindex default collection action
13561 This variable is a list of expressions to collect at each tracepoint
13562 hit. It is effectively an additional @code{collect} action prepended
13563 to every tracepoint action list. The expressions are parsed
13564 individually for each tracepoint, so for instance a variable named
13565 @code{xyz} may be interpreted as a global for one tracepoint, and a
13566 local for another, as appropriate to the tracepoint's location.
13568 @item show default-collect
13569 @kindex show default-collect
13570 Show the list of expressions that are collected by default at each
13575 @node Listing Tracepoints
13576 @subsection Listing Tracepoints
13579 @kindex info tracepoints @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
13580 @kindex info tp @r{[}@var{n}@dots{}@r{]}
13581 @cindex information about tracepoints
13582 @item info tracepoints @r{[}@var{num}@dots{}@r{]}
13583 Display information about the tracepoint @var{num}. If you don't
13584 specify a tracepoint number, displays information about all the
13585 tracepoints defined so far. The format is similar to that used for
13586 @code{info breakpoints}; in fact, @code{info tracepoints} is the same
13587 command, simply restricting itself to tracepoints.
13589 A tracepoint's listing may include additional information specific to
13594 its passcount as given by the @code{passcount @var{n}} command
13597 the state about installed on target of each location
13601 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info trace}
13602 Num Type Disp Enb Address What
13603 1 tracepoint keep y 0x0804ab57 in foo() at main.cxx:7
13605 collect globfoo, $regs
13610 2 tracepoint keep y <MULTIPLE>
13612 2.1 y 0x0804859c in func4 at change-loc.h:35
13613 installed on target
13614 2.2 y 0xb7ffc480 in func4 at change-loc.h:35
13615 installed on target
13616 2.3 y <PENDING> set_tracepoint
13617 3 tracepoint keep y 0x080485b1 in foo at change-loc.c:29
13618 not installed on target
13623 This command can be abbreviated @code{info tp}.
13626 @node Listing Static Tracepoint Markers
13627 @subsection Listing Static Tracepoint Markers
13630 @kindex info static-tracepoint-markers
13631 @cindex information about static tracepoint markers
13632 @item info static-tracepoint-markers
13633 Display information about all static tracepoint markers defined in the
13636 For each marker, the following columns are printed:
13640 An incrementing counter, output to help readability. This is not a
13643 The marker ID, as reported by the target.
13644 @item Enabled or Disabled
13645 Probed markers are tagged with @samp{y}. @samp{n} identifies marks
13646 that are not enabled.
13648 Where the marker is in your program, as a memory address.
13650 Where the marker is in the source for your program, as a file and line
13651 number. If the debug information included in the program does not
13652 allow @value{GDBN} to locate the source of the marker, this column
13653 will be left blank.
13657 In addition, the following information may be printed for each marker:
13661 User data passed to the tracing library by the marker call. In the
13662 UST backend, this is the format string passed as argument to the
13664 @item Static tracepoints probing the marker
13665 The list of static tracepoints attached to the marker.
13669 (@value{GDBP}) info static-tracepoint-markers
13670 Cnt ID Enb Address What
13671 1 ust/bar2 y 0x0000000000400e1a in main at stexample.c:25
13672 Data: number1 %d number2 %d
13673 Probed by static tracepoints: #2
13674 2 ust/bar33 n 0x0000000000400c87 in main at stexample.c:24
13680 @node Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments
13681 @subsection Starting and Stopping Trace Experiments
13684 @kindex tstart [ @var{notes} ]
13685 @cindex start a new trace experiment
13686 @cindex collected data discarded
13688 This command starts the trace experiment, and begins collecting data.
13689 It has the side effect of discarding all the data collected in the
13690 trace buffer during the previous trace experiment. If any arguments
13691 are supplied, they are taken as a note and stored with the trace
13692 experiment's state. The notes may be arbitrary text, and are
13693 especially useful with disconnected tracing in a multi-user context;
13694 the notes can explain what the trace is doing, supply user contact
13695 information, and so forth.
13697 @kindex tstop [ @var{notes} ]
13698 @cindex stop a running trace experiment
13700 This command stops the trace experiment. If any arguments are
13701 supplied, they are recorded with the experiment as a note. This is
13702 useful if you are stopping a trace started by someone else, for
13703 instance if the trace is interfering with the system's behavior and
13704 needs to be stopped quickly.
13706 @strong{Note}: a trace experiment and data collection may stop
13707 automatically if any tracepoint's passcount is reached
13708 (@pxref{Tracepoint Passcounts}), or if the trace buffer becomes full.
13711 @cindex status of trace data collection
13712 @cindex trace experiment, status of
13714 This command displays the status of the current trace data
13718 Here is an example of the commands we described so far:
13721 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace gdb_c_test}
13722 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
13723 Enter actions for tracepoint #1, one per line.
13724 > collect $regs,$locals,$args
13725 > while-stepping 11
13729 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
13730 [time passes @dots{}]
13731 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstop}
13734 @anchor{disconnected tracing}
13735 @cindex disconnected tracing
13736 You can choose to continue running the trace experiment even if
13737 @value{GDBN} disconnects from the target, voluntarily or
13738 involuntarily. For commands such as @code{detach}, the debugger will
13739 ask what you want to do with the trace. But for unexpected
13740 terminations (@value{GDBN} crash, network outage), it would be
13741 unfortunate to lose hard-won trace data, so the variable
13742 @code{disconnected-tracing} lets you decide whether the trace should
13743 continue running without @value{GDBN}.
13746 @item set disconnected-tracing on
13747 @itemx set disconnected-tracing off
13748 @kindex set disconnected-tracing
13749 Choose whether a tracing run should continue to run if @value{GDBN}
13750 has disconnected from the target. Note that @code{detach} or
13751 @code{quit} will ask you directly what to do about a running trace no
13752 matter what this variable's setting, so the variable is mainly useful
13753 for handling unexpected situations, such as loss of the network.
13755 @item show disconnected-tracing
13756 @kindex show disconnected-tracing
13757 Show the current choice for disconnected tracing.
13761 When you reconnect to the target, the trace experiment may or may not
13762 still be running; it might have filled the trace buffer in the
13763 meantime, or stopped for one of the other reasons. If it is running,
13764 it will continue after reconnection.
13766 Upon reconnection, the target will upload information about the
13767 tracepoints in effect. @value{GDBN} will then compare that
13768 information to the set of tracepoints currently defined, and attempt
13769 to match them up, allowing for the possibility that the numbers may
13770 have changed due to creation and deletion in the meantime. If one of
13771 the target's tracepoints does not match any in @value{GDBN}, the
13772 debugger will create a new tracepoint, so that you have a number with
13773 which to specify that tracepoint. This matching-up process is
13774 necessarily heuristic, and it may result in useless tracepoints being
13775 created; you may simply delete them if they are of no use.
13777 @cindex circular trace buffer
13778 If your target agent supports a @dfn{circular trace buffer}, then you
13779 can run a trace experiment indefinitely without filling the trace
13780 buffer; when space runs out, the agent deletes already-collected trace
13781 frames, oldest first, until there is enough room to continue
13782 collecting. This is especially useful if your tracepoints are being
13783 hit too often, and your trace gets terminated prematurely because the
13784 buffer is full. To ask for a circular trace buffer, simply set
13785 @samp{circular-trace-buffer} to on. You can set this at any time,
13786 including during tracing; if the agent can do it, it will change
13787 buffer handling on the fly, otherwise it will not take effect until
13791 @item set circular-trace-buffer on
13792 @itemx set circular-trace-buffer off
13793 @kindex set circular-trace-buffer
13794 Choose whether a tracing run should use a linear or circular buffer
13795 for trace data. A linear buffer will not lose any trace data, but may
13796 fill up prematurely, while a circular buffer will discard old trace
13797 data, but it will have always room for the latest tracepoint hits.
13799 @item show circular-trace-buffer
13800 @kindex show circular-trace-buffer
13801 Show the current choice for the trace buffer. Note that this may not
13802 match the agent's current buffer handling, nor is it guaranteed to
13803 match the setting that might have been in effect during a past run,
13804 for instance if you are looking at frames from a trace file.
13809 @item set trace-buffer-size @var{n}
13810 @itemx set trace-buffer-size unlimited
13811 @kindex set trace-buffer-size
13812 Request that the target use a trace buffer of @var{n} bytes. Not all
13813 targets will honor the request; they may have a compiled-in size for
13814 the trace buffer, or some other limitation. Set to a value of
13815 @code{unlimited} or @code{-1} to let the target use whatever size it
13816 likes. This is also the default.
13818 @item show trace-buffer-size
13819 @kindex show trace-buffer-size
13820 Show the current requested size for the trace buffer. Note that this
13821 will only match the actual size if the target supports size-setting,
13822 and was able to handle the requested size. For instance, if the
13823 target can only change buffer size between runs, this variable will
13824 not reflect the change until the next run starts. Use @code{tstatus}
13825 to get a report of the actual buffer size.
13829 @item set trace-user @var{text}
13830 @kindex set trace-user
13832 @item show trace-user
13833 @kindex show trace-user
13835 @item set trace-notes @var{text}
13836 @kindex set trace-notes
13837 Set the trace run's notes.
13839 @item show trace-notes
13840 @kindex show trace-notes
13841 Show the trace run's notes.
13843 @item set trace-stop-notes @var{text}
13844 @kindex set trace-stop-notes
13845 Set the trace run's stop notes. The handling of the note is as for
13846 @code{tstop} arguments; the set command is convenient way to fix a
13847 stop note that is mistaken or incomplete.
13849 @item show trace-stop-notes
13850 @kindex show trace-stop-notes
13851 Show the trace run's stop notes.
13855 @node Tracepoint Restrictions
13856 @subsection Tracepoint Restrictions
13858 @cindex tracepoint restrictions
13859 There are a number of restrictions on the use of tracepoints. As
13860 described above, tracepoint data gathering occurs on the target
13861 without interaction from @value{GDBN}. Thus the full capabilities of
13862 the debugger are not available during data gathering, and then at data
13863 examination time, you will be limited by only having what was
13864 collected. The following items describe some common problems, but it
13865 is not exhaustive, and you may run into additional difficulties not
13871 Tracepoint expressions are intended to gather objects (lvalues). Thus
13872 the full flexibility of GDB's expression evaluator is not available.
13873 You cannot call functions, cast objects to aggregate types, access
13874 convenience variables or modify values (except by assignment to trace
13875 state variables). Some language features may implicitly call
13876 functions (for instance Objective-C fields with accessors), and therefore
13877 cannot be collected either.
13880 Collection of local variables, either individually or in bulk with
13881 @code{$locals} or @code{$args}, during @code{while-stepping} may
13882 behave erratically. The stepping action may enter a new scope (for
13883 instance by stepping into a function), or the location of the variable
13884 may change (for instance it is loaded into a register). The
13885 tracepoint data recorded uses the location information for the
13886 variables that is correct for the tracepoint location. When the
13887 tracepoint is created, it is not possible, in general, to determine
13888 where the steps of a @code{while-stepping} sequence will advance the
13889 program---particularly if a conditional branch is stepped.
13892 Collection of an incompletely-initialized or partially-destroyed object
13893 may result in something that @value{GDBN} cannot display, or displays
13894 in a misleading way.
13897 When @value{GDBN} displays a pointer to character it automatically
13898 dereferences the pointer to also display characters of the string
13899 being pointed to. However, collecting the pointer during tracing does
13900 not automatically collect the string. You need to explicitly
13901 dereference the pointer and provide size information if you want to
13902 collect not only the pointer, but the memory pointed to. For example,
13903 @code{*ptr@@50} can be used to collect the 50 element array pointed to
13907 It is not possible to collect a complete stack backtrace at a
13908 tracepoint. Instead, you may collect the registers and a few hundred
13909 bytes from the stack pointer with something like @code{*(unsigned char *)$esp@@300}
13910 (adjust to use the name of the actual stack pointer register on your
13911 target architecture, and the amount of stack you wish to capture).
13912 Then the @code{backtrace} command will show a partial backtrace when
13913 using a trace frame. The number of stack frames that can be examined
13914 depends on the sizes of the frames in the collected stack. Note that
13915 if you ask for a block so large that it goes past the bottom of the
13916 stack, the target agent may report an error trying to read from an
13920 If you do not collect registers at a tracepoint, @value{GDBN} can
13921 infer that the value of @code{$pc} must be the same as the address of
13922 the tracepoint and use that when you are looking at a trace frame
13923 for that tracepoint. However, this cannot work if the tracepoint has
13924 multiple locations (for instance if it was set in a function that was
13925 inlined), or if it has a @code{while-stepping} loop. In those cases
13926 @value{GDBN} will warn you that it can't infer @code{$pc}, and default
13931 @node Analyze Collected Data
13932 @section Using the Collected Data
13934 After the tracepoint experiment ends, you use @value{GDBN} commands
13935 for examining the trace data. The basic idea is that each tracepoint
13936 collects a trace @dfn{snapshot} every time it is hit and another
13937 snapshot every time it single-steps. All these snapshots are
13938 consecutively numbered from zero and go into a buffer, and you can
13939 examine them later. The way you examine them is to @dfn{focus} on a
13940 specific trace snapshot. When the remote stub is focused on a trace
13941 snapshot, it will respond to all @value{GDBN} requests for memory and
13942 registers by reading from the buffer which belongs to that snapshot,
13943 rather than from @emph{real} memory or registers of the program being
13944 debugged. This means that @strong{all} @value{GDBN} commands
13945 (@code{print}, @code{info registers}, @code{backtrace}, etc.) will
13946 behave as if we were currently debugging the program state as it was
13947 when the tracepoint occurred. Any requests for data that are not in
13948 the buffer will fail.
13951 * tfind:: How to select a trace snapshot
13952 * tdump:: How to display all data for a snapshot
13953 * save tracepoints:: How to save tracepoints for a future run
13957 @subsection @code{tfind @var{n}}
13960 @cindex select trace snapshot
13961 @cindex find trace snapshot
13962 The basic command for selecting a trace snapshot from the buffer is
13963 @code{tfind @var{n}}, which finds trace snapshot number @var{n},
13964 counting from zero. If no argument @var{n} is given, the next
13965 snapshot is selected.
13967 Here are the various forms of using the @code{tfind} command.
13971 Find the first snapshot in the buffer. This is a synonym for
13972 @code{tfind 0} (since 0 is the number of the first snapshot).
13975 Stop debugging trace snapshots, resume @emph{live} debugging.
13978 Same as @samp{tfind none}.
13981 No argument means find the next trace snapshot or find the first
13982 one if no trace snapshot is selected.
13985 Find the previous trace snapshot before the current one. This permits
13986 retracing earlier steps.
13988 @item tfind tracepoint @var{num}
13989 Find the next snapshot associated with tracepoint @var{num}. Search
13990 proceeds forward from the last examined trace snapshot. If no
13991 argument @var{num} is given, it means find the next snapshot collected
13992 for the same tracepoint as the current snapshot.
13994 @item tfind pc @var{addr}
13995 Find the next snapshot associated with the value @var{addr} of the
13996 program counter. Search proceeds forward from the last examined trace
13997 snapshot. If no argument @var{addr} is given, it means find the next
13998 snapshot with the same value of PC as the current snapshot.
14000 @item tfind outside @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
14001 Find the next snapshot whose PC is outside the given range of
14002 addresses (exclusive).
14004 @item tfind range @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
14005 Find the next snapshot whose PC is between @var{addr1} and
14006 @var{addr2} (inclusive).
14008 @item tfind line @r{[}@var{file}:@r{]}@var{n}
14009 Find the next snapshot associated with the source line @var{n}. If
14010 the optional argument @var{file} is given, refer to line @var{n} in
14011 that source file. Search proceeds forward from the last examined
14012 trace snapshot. If no argument @var{n} is given, it means find the
14013 next line other than the one currently being examined; thus saying
14014 @code{tfind line} repeatedly can appear to have the same effect as
14015 stepping from line to line in a @emph{live} debugging session.
14018 The default arguments for the @code{tfind} commands are specifically
14019 designed to make it easy to scan through the trace buffer. For
14020 instance, @code{tfind} with no argument selects the next trace
14021 snapshot, and @code{tfind -} with no argument selects the previous
14022 trace snapshot. So, by giving one @code{tfind} command, and then
14023 simply hitting @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine all the trace
14024 snapshots in order. Or, by saying @code{tfind -} and then hitting
14025 @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine the snapshots in reverse order.
14026 The @code{tfind line} command with no argument selects the snapshot
14027 for the next source line executed. The @code{tfind pc} command with
14028 no argument selects the next snapshot with the same program counter
14029 (PC) as the current frame. The @code{tfind tracepoint} command with
14030 no argument selects the next trace snapshot collected by the same
14031 tracepoint as the current one.
14033 In addition to letting you scan through the trace buffer manually,
14034 these commands make it easy to construct @value{GDBN} scripts that
14035 scan through the trace buffer and print out whatever collected data
14036 you are interested in. Thus, if we want to examine the PC, FP, and SP
14037 registers from each trace frame in the buffer, we can say this:
14040 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
14041 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
14042 > printf "Frame %d, PC = %08X, SP = %08X, FP = %08X\n", \
14043 $trace_frame, $pc, $sp, $fp
14047 Frame 0, PC = 0020DC64, SP = 0030BF3C, FP = 0030BF44
14048 Frame 1, PC = 0020DC6C, SP = 0030BF38, FP = 0030BF44
14049 Frame 2, PC = 0020DC70, SP = 0030BF34, FP = 0030BF44
14050 Frame 3, PC = 0020DC74, SP = 0030BF30, FP = 0030BF44
14051 Frame 4, PC = 0020DC78, SP = 0030BF2C, FP = 0030BF44
14052 Frame 5, PC = 0020DC7C, SP = 0030BF28, FP = 0030BF44
14053 Frame 6, PC = 0020DC80, SP = 0030BF24, FP = 0030BF44
14054 Frame 7, PC = 0020DC84, SP = 0030BF20, FP = 0030BF44
14055 Frame 8, PC = 0020DC88, SP = 0030BF1C, FP = 0030BF44
14056 Frame 9, PC = 0020DC8E, SP = 0030BF18, FP = 0030BF44
14057 Frame 10, PC = 00203F6C, SP = 0030BE3C, FP = 0030BF14
14060 Or, if we want to examine the variable @code{X} at each source line in
14064 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
14065 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
14066 > printf "Frame %d, X == %d\n", $trace_frame, X
14076 @subsection @code{tdump}
14078 @cindex dump all data collected at tracepoint
14079 @cindex tracepoint data, display
14081 This command takes no arguments. It prints all the data collected at
14082 the current trace snapshot.
14085 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace 444}
14086 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
14087 Enter actions for tracepoint #2, one per line:
14088 > collect $regs, $locals, $args, gdb_long_test
14091 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
14093 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind line 444}
14094 #0 gdb_test (p1=0x11, p2=0x22, p3=0x33, p4=0x44, p5=0x55, p6=0x66)
14096 444 printp( "%s: arguments = 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X\n", )
14098 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tdump}
14099 Data collected at tracepoint 2, trace frame 1:
14100 d0 0xc4aa0085 -995491707
14104 d4 0x71aea3d 119204413
14107 d7 0x380035 3670069
14108 a0 0x19e24a 1696330
14109 a1 0x3000668 50333288
14111 a3 0x322000 3284992
14112 a4 0x3000698 50333336
14113 a5 0x1ad3cc 1758156
14114 fp 0x30bf3c 0x30bf3c
14115 sp 0x30bf34 0x30bf34
14117 pc 0x20b2c8 0x20b2c8
14121 p = 0x20e5b4 "gdb-test"
14128 gdb_long_test = 17 '\021'
14133 @code{tdump} works by scanning the tracepoint's current collection
14134 actions and printing the value of each expression listed. So
14135 @code{tdump} can fail, if after a run, you change the tracepoint's
14136 actions to mention variables that were not collected during the run.
14138 Also, for tracepoints with @code{while-stepping} loops, @code{tdump}
14139 uses the collected value of @code{$pc} to distinguish between trace
14140 frames that were collected at the tracepoint hit, and frames that were
14141 collected while stepping. This allows it to correctly choose whether
14142 to display the basic list of collections, or the collections from the
14143 body of the while-stepping loop. However, if @code{$pc} was not collected,
14144 then @code{tdump} will always attempt to dump using the basic collection
14145 list, and may fail if a while-stepping frame does not include all the
14146 same data that is collected at the tracepoint hit.
14147 @c This is getting pretty arcane, example would be good.
14149 @node save tracepoints
14150 @subsection @code{save tracepoints @var{filename}}
14151 @kindex save tracepoints
14152 @kindex save-tracepoints
14153 @cindex save tracepoints for future sessions
14155 This command saves all current tracepoint definitions together with
14156 their actions and passcounts, into a file @file{@var{filename}}
14157 suitable for use in a later debugging session. To read the saved
14158 tracepoint definitions, use the @code{source} command (@pxref{Command
14159 Files}). The @w{@code{save-tracepoints}} command is a deprecated
14160 alias for @w{@code{save tracepoints}}
14162 @node Tracepoint Variables
14163 @section Convenience Variables for Tracepoints
14164 @cindex tracepoint variables
14165 @cindex convenience variables for tracepoints
14168 @vindex $trace_frame
14169 @item (int) $trace_frame
14170 The current trace snapshot (a.k.a.@: @dfn{frame}) number, or -1 if no
14171 snapshot is selected.
14173 @vindex $tracepoint
14174 @item (int) $tracepoint
14175 The tracepoint for the current trace snapshot.
14177 @vindex $trace_line
14178 @item (int) $trace_line
14179 The line number for the current trace snapshot.
14181 @vindex $trace_file
14182 @item (char []) $trace_file
14183 The source file for the current trace snapshot.
14185 @vindex $trace_func
14186 @item (char []) $trace_func
14187 The name of the function containing @code{$tracepoint}.
14190 Note: @code{$trace_file} is not suitable for use in @code{printf},
14191 use @code{output} instead.
14193 Here's a simple example of using these convenience variables for
14194 stepping through all the trace snapshots and printing some of their
14195 data. Note that these are not the same as trace state variables,
14196 which are managed by the target.
14199 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
14201 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while $trace_frame != -1}
14202 > output $trace_file
14203 > printf ", line %d (tracepoint #%d)\n", $trace_line, $tracepoint
14209 @section Using Trace Files
14210 @cindex trace files
14212 In some situations, the target running a trace experiment may no
14213 longer be available; perhaps it crashed, or the hardware was needed
14214 for a different activity. To handle these cases, you can arrange to
14215 dump the trace data into a file, and later use that file as a source
14216 of trace data, via the @code{target tfile} command.
14221 @item tsave [ -r ] @var{filename}
14222 @itemx tsave [-ctf] @var{dirname}
14223 Save the trace data to @var{filename}. By default, this command
14224 assumes that @var{filename} refers to the host filesystem, so if
14225 necessary @value{GDBN} will copy raw trace data up from the target and
14226 then save it. If the target supports it, you can also supply the
14227 optional argument @code{-r} (``remote'') to direct the target to save
14228 the data directly into @var{filename} in its own filesystem, which may be
14229 more efficient if the trace buffer is very large. (Note, however, that
14230 @code{target tfile} can only read from files accessible to the host.)
14231 By default, this command will save trace frame in tfile format.
14232 You can supply the optional argument @code{-ctf} to save data in CTF
14233 format. The @dfn{Common Trace Format} (CTF) is proposed as a trace format
14234 that can be shared by multiple debugging and tracing tools. Please go to
14235 @indicateurl{http://www.efficios.com/ctf} to get more information.
14237 @kindex target tfile
14241 @item target tfile @var{filename}
14242 @itemx target ctf @var{dirname}
14243 Use the file named @var{filename} or directory named @var{dirname} as
14244 a source of trace data. Commands that examine data work as they do with
14245 a live target, but it is not possible to run any new trace experiments.
14246 @code{tstatus} will report the state of the trace run at the moment
14247 the data was saved, as well as the current trace frame you are examining.
14248 Both @var{filename} and @var{dirname} must be on a filesystem accessible to
14252 (@value{GDBP}) target ctf ctf.ctf
14253 (@value{GDBP}) tfind
14254 Found trace frame 0, tracepoint 2
14255 39 ++a; /* set tracepoint 1 here */
14256 (@value{GDBP}) tdump
14257 Data collected at tracepoint 2, trace frame 0:
14261 c = @{"123", "456", "789", "123", "456", "789"@}
14262 d = @{@{@{a = 1, b = 2@}, @{a = 3, b = 4@}@}, @{@{a = 5, b = 6@}, @{a = 7, b = 8@}@}@}
14270 @chapter Debugging Programs That Use Overlays
14273 If your program is too large to fit completely in your target system's
14274 memory, you can sometimes use @dfn{overlays} to work around this
14275 problem. @value{GDBN} provides some support for debugging programs that
14279 * How Overlays Work:: A general explanation of overlays.
14280 * Overlay Commands:: Managing overlays in @value{GDBN}.
14281 * Automatic Overlay Debugging:: @value{GDBN} can find out which overlays are
14282 mapped by asking the inferior.
14283 * Overlay Sample Program:: A sample program using overlays.
14286 @node How Overlays Work
14287 @section How Overlays Work
14288 @cindex mapped overlays
14289 @cindex unmapped overlays
14290 @cindex load address, overlay's
14291 @cindex mapped address
14292 @cindex overlay area
14294 Suppose you have a computer whose instruction address space is only 64
14295 kilobytes long, but which has much more memory which can be accessed by
14296 other means: special instructions, segment registers, or memory
14297 management hardware, for example. Suppose further that you want to
14298 adapt a program which is larger than 64 kilobytes to run on this system.
14300 One solution is to identify modules of your program which are relatively
14301 independent, and need not call each other directly; call these modules
14302 @dfn{overlays}. Separate the overlays from the main program, and place
14303 their machine code in the larger memory. Place your main program in
14304 instruction memory, but leave at least enough space there to hold the
14305 largest overlay as well.
14307 Now, to call a function located in an overlay, you must first copy that
14308 overlay's machine code from the large memory into the space set aside
14309 for it in the instruction memory, and then jump to its entry point
14312 @c NB: In the below the mapped area's size is greater or equal to the
14313 @c size of all overlays. This is intentional to remind the developer
14314 @c that overlays don't necessarily need to be the same size.
14318 Data Instruction Larger
14319 Address Space Address Space Address Space
14320 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+
14322 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+<-- overlay 1
14323 | program | | main | .----| overlay 1 | load address
14324 | variables | | program | | +-----------+
14325 | and heap | | | | | |
14326 +-----------+ | | | +-----------+<-- overlay 2
14327 | | +-----------+ | | | load address
14328 +-----------+ | | | .-| overlay 2 |
14330 mapped --->+-----------+ | | +-----------+
14331 address | | | | | |
14332 | overlay | <-' | | |
14333 | area | <---' +-----------+<-- overlay 3
14334 | | <---. | | load address
14335 +-----------+ `--| overlay 3 |
14342 @anchor{A code overlay}A code overlay
14346 The diagram (@pxref{A code overlay}) shows a system with separate data
14347 and instruction address spaces. To map an overlay, the program copies
14348 its code from the larger address space to the instruction address space.
14349 Since the overlays shown here all use the same mapped address, only one
14350 may be mapped at a time. For a system with a single address space for
14351 data and instructions, the diagram would be similar, except that the
14352 program variables and heap would share an address space with the main
14353 program and the overlay area.
14355 An overlay loaded into instruction memory and ready for use is called a
14356 @dfn{mapped} overlay; its @dfn{mapped address} is its address in the
14357 instruction memory. An overlay not present (or only partially present)
14358 in instruction memory is called @dfn{unmapped}; its @dfn{load address}
14359 is its address in the larger memory. The mapped address is also called
14360 the @dfn{virtual memory address}, or @dfn{VMA}; the load address is also
14361 called the @dfn{load memory address}, or @dfn{LMA}.
14363 Unfortunately, overlays are not a completely transparent way to adapt a
14364 program to limited instruction memory. They introduce a new set of
14365 global constraints you must keep in mind as you design your program:
14370 Before calling or returning to a function in an overlay, your program
14371 must make sure that overlay is actually mapped. Otherwise, the call or
14372 return will transfer control to the right address, but in the wrong
14373 overlay, and your program will probably crash.
14376 If the process of mapping an overlay is expensive on your system, you
14377 will need to choose your overlays carefully to minimize their effect on
14378 your program's performance.
14381 The executable file you load onto your system must contain each
14382 overlay's instructions, appearing at the overlay's load address, not its
14383 mapped address. However, each overlay's instructions must be relocated
14384 and its symbols defined as if the overlay were at its mapped address.
14385 You can use GNU linker scripts to specify different load and relocation
14386 addresses for pieces of your program; see @ref{Overlay Description,,,
14387 ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}.
14390 The procedure for loading executable files onto your system must be able
14391 to load their contents into the larger address space as well as the
14392 instruction and data spaces.
14396 The overlay system described above is rather simple, and could be
14397 improved in many ways:
14402 If your system has suitable bank switch registers or memory management
14403 hardware, you could use those facilities to make an overlay's load area
14404 contents simply appear at their mapped address in instruction space.
14405 This would probably be faster than copying the overlay to its mapped
14406 area in the usual way.
14409 If your overlays are small enough, you could set aside more than one
14410 overlay area, and have more than one overlay mapped at a time.
14413 You can use overlays to manage data, as well as instructions. In
14414 general, data overlays are even less transparent to your design than
14415 code overlays: whereas code overlays only require care when you call or
14416 return to functions, data overlays require care every time you access
14417 the data. Also, if you change the contents of a data overlay, you
14418 must copy its contents back out to its load address before you can copy a
14419 different data overlay into the same mapped area.
14424 @node Overlay Commands
14425 @section Overlay Commands
14427 To use @value{GDBN}'s overlay support, each overlay in your program must
14428 correspond to a separate section of the executable file. The section's
14429 virtual memory address and load memory address must be the overlay's
14430 mapped and load addresses. Identifying overlays with sections allows
14431 @value{GDBN} to determine the appropriate address of a function or
14432 variable, depending on whether the overlay is mapped or not.
14434 @value{GDBN}'s overlay commands all start with the word @code{overlay};
14435 you can abbreviate this as @code{ov} or @code{ovly}. The commands are:
14440 Disable @value{GDBN}'s overlay support. When overlay support is
14441 disabled, @value{GDBN} assumes that all functions and variables are
14442 always present at their mapped addresses. By default, @value{GDBN}'s
14443 overlay support is disabled.
14445 @item overlay manual
14446 @cindex manual overlay debugging
14447 Enable @dfn{manual} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
14448 relies on you to tell it which overlays are mapped, and which are not,
14449 using the @code{overlay map-overlay} and @code{overlay unmap-overlay}
14450 commands described below.
14452 @item overlay map-overlay @var{overlay}
14453 @itemx overlay map @var{overlay}
14454 @cindex map an overlay
14455 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is now mapped; @var{overlay} must
14456 be the name of the object file section containing the overlay. When an
14457 overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the overlay's
14458 functions and variables at their mapped addresses. @value{GDBN} assumes
14459 that any other overlays whose mapped ranges overlap that of
14460 @var{overlay} are now unmapped.
14462 @item overlay unmap-overlay @var{overlay}
14463 @itemx overlay unmap @var{overlay}
14464 @cindex unmap an overlay
14465 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is no longer mapped; @var{overlay}
14466 must be the name of the object file section containing the overlay.
14467 When an overlay is unmapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the
14468 overlay's functions and variables at their load addresses.
14471 Enable @dfn{automatic} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
14472 consults a data structure the overlay manager maintains in the inferior
14473 to see which overlays are mapped. For details, see @ref{Automatic
14474 Overlay Debugging}.
14476 @item overlay load-target
14477 @itemx overlay load
14478 @cindex reloading the overlay table
14479 Re-read the overlay table from the inferior. Normally, @value{GDBN}
14480 re-reads the table @value{GDBN} automatically each time the inferior
14481 stops, so this command should only be necessary if you have changed the
14482 overlay mapping yourself using @value{GDBN}. This command is only
14483 useful when using automatic overlay debugging.
14485 @item overlay list-overlays
14486 @itemx overlay list
14487 @cindex listing mapped overlays
14488 Display a list of the overlays currently mapped, along with their mapped
14489 addresses, load addresses, and sizes.
14493 Normally, when @value{GDBN} prints a code address, it includes the name
14494 of the function the address falls in:
14497 (@value{GDBP}) print main
14498 $3 = @{int ()@} 0x11a0 <main>
14501 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} recognizes code in
14502 unmapped overlays, and prints the names of unmapped functions with
14503 asterisks around them. For example, if @code{foo} is a function in an
14504 unmapped overlay, @value{GDBN} prints it this way:
14507 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
14508 No sections are mapped.
14509 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
14510 $5 = @{int (int)@} 0x100000 <*foo*>
14513 When @code{foo}'s overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} prints the function's
14517 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
14518 Section .ov.foo.text, loaded at 0x100000 - 0x100034,
14519 mapped at 0x1016 - 0x104a
14520 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
14521 $6 = @{int (int)@} 0x1016 <foo>
14524 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} can find the correct
14525 address for functions and variables in an overlay, whether or not the
14526 overlay is mapped. This allows most @value{GDBN} commands, like
14527 @code{break} and @code{disassemble}, to work normally, even on unmapped
14528 code. However, @value{GDBN}'s breakpoint support has some limitations:
14532 @cindex breakpoints in overlays
14533 @cindex overlays, setting breakpoints in
14534 You can set breakpoints in functions in unmapped overlays, as long as
14535 @value{GDBN} can write to the overlay at its load address.
14537 @value{GDBN} can not set hardware or simulator-based breakpoints in
14538 unmapped overlays. However, if you set a breakpoint at the end of your
14539 overlay manager (and tell @value{GDBN} which overlays are now mapped, if
14540 you are using manual overlay management), @value{GDBN} will re-set its
14541 breakpoints properly.
14545 @node Automatic Overlay Debugging
14546 @section Automatic Overlay Debugging
14547 @cindex automatic overlay debugging
14549 @value{GDBN} can automatically track which overlays are mapped and which
14550 are not, given some simple co-operation from the overlay manager in the
14551 inferior. If you enable automatic overlay debugging with the
14552 @code{overlay auto} command (@pxref{Overlay Commands}), @value{GDBN}
14553 looks in the inferior's memory for certain variables describing the
14554 current state of the overlays.
14556 Here are the variables your overlay manager must define to support
14557 @value{GDBN}'s automatic overlay debugging:
14561 @item @code{_ovly_table}:
14562 This variable must be an array of the following structures:
14567 /* The overlay's mapped address. */
14570 /* The size of the overlay, in bytes. */
14571 unsigned long size;
14573 /* The overlay's load address. */
14576 /* Non-zero if the overlay is currently mapped;
14578 unsigned long mapped;
14582 @item @code{_novlys}:
14583 This variable must be a four-byte signed integer, holding the total
14584 number of elements in @code{_ovly_table}.
14588 To decide whether a particular overlay is mapped or not, @value{GDBN}
14589 looks for an entry in @w{@code{_ovly_table}} whose @code{vma} and
14590 @code{lma} members equal the VMA and LMA of the overlay's section in the
14591 executable file. When @value{GDBN} finds a matching entry, it consults
14592 the entry's @code{mapped} member to determine whether the overlay is
14595 In addition, your overlay manager may define a function called
14596 @code{_ovly_debug_event}. If this function is defined, @value{GDBN}
14597 will silently set a breakpoint there. If the overlay manager then
14598 calls this function whenever it has changed the overlay table, this
14599 will enable @value{GDBN} to accurately keep track of which overlays
14600 are in program memory, and update any breakpoints that may be set
14601 in overlays. This will allow breakpoints to work even if the
14602 overlays are kept in ROM or other non-writable memory while they
14603 are not being executed.
14605 @node Overlay Sample Program
14606 @section Overlay Sample Program
14607 @cindex overlay example program
14609 When linking a program which uses overlays, you must place the overlays
14610 at their load addresses, while relocating them to run at their mapped
14611 addresses. To do this, you must write a linker script (@pxref{Overlay
14612 Description,,, ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}). Unfortunately,
14613 since linker scripts are specific to a particular host system, target
14614 architecture, and target memory layout, this manual cannot provide
14615 portable sample code demonstrating @value{GDBN}'s overlay support.
14617 However, the @value{GDBN} source distribution does contain an overlaid
14618 program, with linker scripts for a few systems, as part of its test
14619 suite. The program consists of the following files from
14620 @file{gdb/testsuite/gdb.base}:
14624 The main program file.
14626 A simple overlay manager, used by @file{overlays.c}.
14631 Overlay modules, loaded and used by @file{overlays.c}.
14634 Linker scripts for linking the test program on the @code{d10v-elf}
14635 and @code{m32r-elf} targets.
14638 You can build the test program using the @code{d10v-elf} GCC
14639 cross-compiler like this:
14642 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c overlays.c
14643 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c ovlymgr.c
14644 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c foo.c
14645 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c bar.c
14646 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c baz.c
14647 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c grbx.c
14648 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g overlays.o ovlymgr.o foo.o bar.o \
14649 baz.o grbx.o -Wl,-Td10v.ld -o overlays
14652 The build process is identical for any other architecture, except that
14653 you must substitute the appropriate compiler and linker script for the
14654 target system for @code{d10v-elf-gcc} and @code{d10v.ld}.
14658 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages
14661 Although programming languages generally have common aspects, they are
14662 rarely expressed in the same manner. For instance, in ANSI C,
14663 dereferencing a pointer @code{p} is accomplished by @code{*p}, but in
14664 Modula-2, it is accomplished by @code{p^}. Values can also be
14665 represented (and displayed) differently. Hex numbers in C appear as
14666 @samp{0x1ae}, while in Modula-2 they appear as @samp{1AEH}.
14668 @cindex working language
14669 Language-specific information is built into @value{GDBN} for some languages,
14670 allowing you to express operations like the above in your program's
14671 native language, and allowing @value{GDBN} to output values in a manner
14672 consistent with the syntax of your program's native language. The
14673 language you use to build expressions is called the @dfn{working
14677 * Setting:: Switching between source languages
14678 * Show:: Displaying the language
14679 * Checks:: Type and range checks
14680 * Supported Languages:: Supported languages
14681 * Unsupported Languages:: Unsupported languages
14685 @section Switching Between Source Languages
14687 There are two ways to control the working language---either have @value{GDBN}
14688 set it automatically, or select it manually yourself. You can use the
14689 @code{set language} command for either purpose. On startup, @value{GDBN}
14690 defaults to setting the language automatically. The working language is
14691 used to determine how expressions you type are interpreted, how values
14694 In addition to the working language, every source file that
14695 @value{GDBN} knows about has its own working language. For some object
14696 file formats, the compiler might indicate which language a particular
14697 source file is in. However, most of the time @value{GDBN} infers the
14698 language from the name of the file. The language of a source file
14699 controls whether C@t{++} names are demangled---this way @code{backtrace} can
14700 show each frame appropriately for its own language. There is no way to
14701 set the language of a source file from within @value{GDBN}, but you can
14702 set the language associated with a filename extension. @xref{Show, ,
14703 Displaying the Language}.
14705 This is most commonly a problem when you use a program, such
14706 as @code{cfront} or @code{f2c}, that generates C but is written in
14707 another language. In that case, make the
14708 program use @code{#line} directives in its C output; that way
14709 @value{GDBN} will know the correct language of the source code of the original
14710 program, and will display that source code, not the generated C code.
14713 * Filenames:: Filename extensions and languages.
14714 * Manually:: Setting the working language manually
14715 * Automatically:: Having @value{GDBN} infer the source language
14719 @subsection List of Filename Extensions and Languages
14721 If a source file name ends in one of the following extensions, then
14722 @value{GDBN} infers that its language is the one indicated.
14740 C@t{++} source file
14746 Objective-C source file
14750 Fortran source file
14753 Modula-2 source file
14757 Assembler source file. This actually behaves almost like C, but
14758 @value{GDBN} does not skip over function prologues when stepping.
14761 In addition, you may set the language associated with a filename
14762 extension. @xref{Show, , Displaying the Language}.
14765 @subsection Setting the Working Language
14767 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically,
14768 expressions are interpreted the same way in your debugging session and
14771 @kindex set language
14772 If you wish, you may set the language manually. To do this, issue the
14773 command @samp{set language @var{lang}}, where @var{lang} is the name of
14774 a language, such as
14775 @code{c} or @code{modula-2}.
14776 For a list of the supported languages, type @samp{set language}.
14778 Setting the language manually prevents @value{GDBN} from updating the working
14779 language automatically. This can lead to confusion if you try
14780 to debug a program when the working language is not the same as the
14781 source language, when an expression is acceptable to both
14782 languages---but means different things. For instance, if the current
14783 source file were written in C, and @value{GDBN} was parsing Modula-2, a
14791 might not have the effect you intended. In C, this means to add
14792 @code{b} and @code{c} and place the result in @code{a}. The result
14793 printed would be the value of @code{a}. In Modula-2, this means to compare
14794 @code{a} to the result of @code{b+c}, yielding a @code{BOOLEAN} value.
14796 @node Automatically
14797 @subsection Having @value{GDBN} Infer the Source Language
14799 To have @value{GDBN} set the working language automatically, use
14800 @samp{set language local} or @samp{set language auto}. @value{GDBN}
14801 then infers the working language. That is, when your program stops in a
14802 frame (usually by encountering a breakpoint), @value{GDBN} sets the
14803 working language to the language recorded for the function in that
14804 frame. If the language for a frame is unknown (that is, if the function
14805 or block corresponding to the frame was defined in a source file that
14806 does not have a recognized extension), the current working language is
14807 not changed, and @value{GDBN} issues a warning.
14809 This may not seem necessary for most programs, which are written
14810 entirely in one source language. However, program modules and libraries
14811 written in one source language can be used by a main program written in
14812 a different source language. Using @samp{set language auto} in this
14813 case frees you from having to set the working language manually.
14816 @section Displaying the Language
14818 The following commands help you find out which language is the
14819 working language, and also what language source files were written in.
14822 @item show language
14823 @anchor{show language}
14824 @kindex show language
14825 Display the current working language. This is the
14826 language you can use with commands such as @code{print} to
14827 build and compute expressions that may involve variables in your program.
14830 @kindex info frame@r{, show the source language}
14831 Display the source language for this frame. This language becomes the
14832 working language if you use an identifier from this frame.
14833 @xref{Frame Info, ,Information about a Frame}, to identify the other
14834 information listed here.
14837 @kindex info source@r{, show the source language}
14838 Display the source language of this source file.
14839 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}, to identify the other
14840 information listed here.
14843 In unusual circumstances, you may have source files with extensions
14844 not in the standard list. You can then set the extension associated
14845 with a language explicitly:
14848 @item set extension-language @var{ext} @var{language}
14849 @kindex set extension-language
14850 Tell @value{GDBN} that source files with extension @var{ext} are to be
14851 assumed as written in the source language @var{language}.
14853 @item info extensions
14854 @kindex info extensions
14855 List all the filename extensions and the associated languages.
14859 @section Type and Range Checking
14861 Some languages are designed to guard you against making seemingly common
14862 errors through a series of compile- and run-time checks. These include
14863 checking the type of arguments to functions and operators and making
14864 sure mathematical overflows are caught at run time. Checks such as
14865 these help to ensure a program's correctness once it has been compiled
14866 by eliminating type mismatches and providing active checks for range
14867 errors when your program is running.
14869 By default @value{GDBN} checks for these errors according to the
14870 rules of the current source language. Although @value{GDBN} does not check
14871 the statements in your program, it can check expressions entered directly
14872 into @value{GDBN} for evaluation via the @code{print} command, for example.
14875 * Type Checking:: An overview of type checking
14876 * Range Checking:: An overview of range checking
14879 @cindex type checking
14880 @cindex checks, type
14881 @node Type Checking
14882 @subsection An Overview of Type Checking
14884 Some languages, such as C and C@t{++}, are strongly typed, meaning that the
14885 arguments to operators and functions have to be of the correct type,
14886 otherwise an error occurs. These checks prevent type mismatch
14887 errors from ever causing any run-time problems. For example,
14890 int klass::my_method(char *b) @{ return b ? 1 : 2; @}
14892 (@value{GDBP}) print obj.my_method (0)
14895 (@value{GDBP}) print obj.my_method (0x1234)
14896 Cannot resolve method klass::my_method to any overloaded instance
14899 The second example fails because in C@t{++} the integer constant
14900 @samp{0x1234} is not type-compatible with the pointer parameter type.
14902 For the expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell
14903 @value{GDBN} to not enforce strict type checking or
14904 to treat any mismatches as errors and abandon the expression;
14905 When type checking is disabled, @value{GDBN} successfully evaluates
14906 expressions like the second example above.
14908 Even if type checking is off, there may be other reasons
14909 related to type that prevent @value{GDBN} from evaluating an expression.
14910 For instance, @value{GDBN} does not know how to add an @code{int} and
14911 a @code{struct foo}. These particular type errors have nothing to do
14912 with the language in use and usually arise from expressions which make
14913 little sense to evaluate anyway.
14915 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling type checking:
14917 @kindex set check type
14918 @kindex show check type
14920 @item set check type on
14921 @itemx set check type off
14922 Set strict type checking on or off. If any type mismatches occur in
14923 evaluating an expression while type checking is on, @value{GDBN} prints a
14924 message and aborts evaluation of the expression.
14926 @item show check type
14927 Show the current setting of type checking and whether @value{GDBN}
14928 is enforcing strict type checking rules.
14931 @cindex range checking
14932 @cindex checks, range
14933 @node Range Checking
14934 @subsection An Overview of Range Checking
14936 In some languages (such as Modula-2), it is an error to exceed the
14937 bounds of a type; this is enforced with run-time checks. Such range
14938 checking is meant to ensure program correctness by making sure
14939 computations do not overflow, or indices on an array element access do
14940 not exceed the bounds of the array.
14942 For expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell
14943 @value{GDBN} to treat range errors in one of three ways: ignore them,
14944 always treat them as errors and abandon the expression, or issue
14945 warnings but evaluate the expression anyway.
14947 A range error can result from numerical overflow, from exceeding an
14948 array index bound, or when you type a constant that is not a member
14949 of any type. Some languages, however, do not treat overflows as an
14950 error. In many implementations of C, mathematical overflow causes the
14951 result to ``wrap around'' to lower values---for example, if @var{m} is
14952 the largest integer value, and @var{s} is the smallest, then
14955 @var{m} + 1 @result{} @var{s}
14958 This, too, is specific to individual languages, and in some cases
14959 specific to individual compilers or machines. @xref{Supported Languages, ,
14960 Supported Languages}, for further details on specific languages.
14962 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling the range checker:
14964 @kindex set check range
14965 @kindex show check range
14967 @item set check range auto
14968 Set range checking on or off based on the current working language.
14969 @xref{Supported Languages, ,Supported Languages}, for the default settings for
14972 @item set check range on
14973 @itemx set check range off
14974 Set range checking on or off, overriding the default setting for the
14975 current working language. A warning is issued if the setting does not
14976 match the language default. If a range error occurs and range checking is on,
14977 then a message is printed and evaluation of the expression is aborted.
14979 @item set check range warn
14980 Output messages when the @value{GDBN} range checker detects a range error,
14981 but attempt to evaluate the expression anyway. Evaluating the
14982 expression may still be impossible for other reasons, such as accessing
14983 memory that the process does not own (a typical example from many Unix
14987 Show the current setting of the range checker, and whether or not it is
14988 being set automatically by @value{GDBN}.
14991 @node Supported Languages
14992 @section Supported Languages
14994 @value{GDBN} supports C, C@t{++}, D, Go, Objective-C, Fortran,
14995 OpenCL C, Pascal, Rust, assembly, Modula-2, and Ada.
14996 @c This is false ...
14997 Some @value{GDBN} features may be used in expressions regardless of the
14998 language you use: the @value{GDBN} @code{@@} and @code{::} operators,
14999 and the @samp{@{type@}addr} construct (@pxref{Expressions,
15000 ,Expressions}) can be used with the constructs of any supported
15003 The following sections detail to what degree each source language is
15004 supported by @value{GDBN}. These sections are not meant to be language
15005 tutorials or references, but serve only as a reference guide to what the
15006 @value{GDBN} expression parser accepts, and what input and output
15007 formats should look like for different languages. There are many good
15008 books written on each of these languages; please look to these for a
15009 language reference or tutorial.
15012 * C:: C and C@t{++}
15015 * Objective-C:: Objective-C
15016 * OpenCL C:: OpenCL C
15017 * Fortran:: Fortran
15020 * Modula-2:: Modula-2
15025 @subsection C and C@t{++}
15027 @cindex C and C@t{++}
15028 @cindex expressions in C or C@t{++}
15030 Since C and C@t{++} are so closely related, many features of @value{GDBN} apply
15031 to both languages. Whenever this is the case, we discuss those languages
15035 @cindex @code{g++}, @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler
15036 @cindex @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
15037 The C@t{++} debugging facilities are jointly implemented by the C@t{++}
15038 compiler and @value{GDBN}. Therefore, to debug your C@t{++} code
15039 effectively, you must compile your C@t{++} programs with a supported
15040 C@t{++} compiler, such as @sc{gnu} @code{g++}, or the HP ANSI C@t{++}
15041 compiler (@code{aCC}).
15044 * C Operators:: C and C@t{++} operators
15045 * C Constants:: C and C@t{++} constants
15046 * C Plus Plus Expressions:: C@t{++} expressions
15047 * C Defaults:: Default settings for C and C@t{++}
15048 * C Checks:: C and C@t{++} type and range checks
15049 * Debugging C:: @value{GDBN} and C
15050 * Debugging C Plus Plus:: @value{GDBN} features for C@t{++}
15051 * Decimal Floating Point:: Numbers in Decimal Floating Point format
15055 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Operators
15057 @cindex C and C@t{++} operators
15059 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
15060 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
15061 often defined on groups of types.
15063 For the purposes of C and C@t{++}, the following definitions hold:
15068 @emph{Integral types} include @code{int} with any of its storage-class
15069 specifiers; @code{char}; @code{enum}; and, for C@t{++}, @code{bool}.
15072 @emph{Floating-point types} include @code{float}, @code{double}, and
15073 @code{long double} (if supported by the target platform).
15076 @emph{Pointer types} include all types defined as @code{(@var{type} *)}.
15079 @emph{Scalar types} include all of the above.
15084 The following operators are supported. They are listed here
15085 in order of increasing precedence:
15089 The comma or sequencing operator. Expressions in a comma-separated list
15090 are evaluated from left to right, with the result of the entire
15091 expression being the last expression evaluated.
15094 Assignment. The value of an assignment expression is the value
15095 assigned. Defined on scalar types.
15098 Used in an expression of the form @w{@code{@var{a} @var{op}= @var{b}}},
15099 and translated to @w{@code{@var{a} = @var{a op b}}}.
15100 @w{@code{@var{op}=}} and @code{=} have the same precedence. The operator
15101 @var{op} is any one of the operators @code{|}, @code{^}, @code{&},
15102 @code{<<}, @code{>>}, @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{%}.
15105 The ternary operator. @code{@var{a} ? @var{b} : @var{c}} can be thought
15106 of as: if @var{a} then @var{b} else @var{c}. The argument @var{a}
15107 should be of an integral type.
15110 Logical @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
15113 Logical @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
15116 Bitwise @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
15119 Bitwise exclusive-@sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
15122 Bitwise @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
15125 Equality and inequality. Defined on scalar types. The value of these
15126 expressions is 0 for false and non-zero for true.
15128 @item <@r{, }>@r{, }<=@r{, }>=
15129 Less than, greater than, less than or equal, greater than or equal.
15130 Defined on scalar types. The value of these expressions is 0 for false
15131 and non-zero for true.
15134 left shift, and right shift. Defined on integral types.
15137 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
15140 Addition and subtraction. Defined on integral types, floating-point types and
15143 @item *@r{, }/@r{, }%
15144 Multiplication, division, and modulus. Multiplication and division are
15145 defined on integral and floating-point types. Modulus is defined on
15149 Increment and decrement. When appearing before a variable, the
15150 operation is performed before the variable is used in an expression;
15151 when appearing after it, the variable's value is used before the
15152 operation takes place.
15155 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types. Same precedence as
15159 Address operator. Defined on variables. Same precedence as @code{++}.
15161 For debugging C@t{++}, @value{GDBN} implements a use of @samp{&} beyond what is
15162 allowed in the C@t{++} language itself: you can use @samp{&(&@var{ref})}
15163 to examine the address
15164 where a C@t{++} reference variable (declared with @samp{&@var{ref}}) is
15168 Negative. Defined on integral and floating-point types. Same
15169 precedence as @code{++}.
15172 Logical negation. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
15176 Bitwise complement operator. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
15181 Structure member, and pointer-to-structure member. For convenience,
15182 @value{GDBN} regards the two as equivalent, choosing whether to dereference a
15183 pointer based on the stored type information.
15184 Defined on @code{struct} and @code{union} data.
15187 Dereferences of pointers to members.
15190 Array indexing. @code{@var{a}[@var{i}]} is defined as
15191 @code{*(@var{a}+@var{i})}. Same precedence as @code{->}.
15194 Function parameter list. Same precedence as @code{->}.
15197 C@t{++} scope resolution operator. Defined on @code{struct}, @code{union},
15198 and @code{class} types.
15201 Doubled colons also represent the @value{GDBN} scope operator
15202 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). Same precedence as @code{::},
15206 If an operator is redefined in the user code, @value{GDBN} usually
15207 attempts to invoke the redefined version instead of using the operator's
15208 predefined meaning.
15211 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Constants
15213 @cindex C and C@t{++} constants
15215 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of C and C@t{++} in the
15220 Integer constants are a sequence of digits. Octal constants are
15221 specified by a leading @samp{0} (i.e.@: zero), and hexadecimal constants
15222 by a leading @samp{0x} or @samp{0X}. Constants may also end with a letter
15223 @samp{l}, specifying that the constant should be treated as a
15227 Floating point constants are a sequence of digits, followed by a decimal
15228 point, followed by a sequence of digits, and optionally followed by an
15229 exponent. An exponent is of the form:
15230 @samp{@w{e@r{[[}+@r{]|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}}, where @var{nnn} is another
15231 sequence of digits. The @samp{+} is optional for positive exponents.
15232 A floating-point constant may also end with a letter @samp{f} or
15233 @samp{F}, specifying that the constant should be treated as being of
15234 the @code{float} (as opposed to the default @code{double}) type; or with
15235 a letter @samp{l} or @samp{L}, which specifies a @code{long double}
15239 Enumerated constants consist of enumerated identifiers, or their
15240 integral equivalents.
15243 Character constants are a single character surrounded by single quotes
15244 (@code{'}), or a number---the ordinal value of the corresponding character
15245 (usually its @sc{ascii} value). Within quotes, the single character may
15246 be represented by a letter or by @dfn{escape sequences}, which are of
15247 the form @samp{\@var{nnn}}, where @var{nnn} is the octal representation
15248 of the character's ordinal value; or of the form @samp{\@var{x}}, where
15249 @samp{@var{x}} is a predefined special character---for example,
15250 @samp{\n} for newline.
15252 Wide character constants can be written by prefixing a character
15253 constant with @samp{L}, as in C. For example, @samp{L'x'} is the wide
15254 form of @samp{x}. The target wide character set is used when
15255 computing the value of this constant (@pxref{Character Sets}).
15258 String constants are a sequence of character constants surrounded by
15259 double quotes (@code{"}). Any valid character constant (as described
15260 above) may appear. Double quotes within the string must be preceded by
15261 a backslash, so for instance @samp{"a\"b'c"} is a string of five
15264 Wide string constants can be written by prefixing a string constant
15265 with @samp{L}, as in C. The target wide character set is used when
15266 computing the value of this constant (@pxref{Character Sets}).
15269 Pointer constants are an integral value. You can also write pointers
15270 to constants using the C operator @samp{&}.
15273 Array constants are comma-separated lists surrounded by braces @samp{@{}
15274 and @samp{@}}; for example, @samp{@{1,2,3@}} is a three-element array of
15275 integers, @samp{@{@{1,2@}, @{3,4@}, @{5,6@}@}} is a three-by-two array,
15276 and @samp{@{&"hi", &"there", &"fred"@}} is a three-element array of pointers.
15279 @node C Plus Plus Expressions
15280 @subsubsection C@t{++} Expressions
15282 @cindex expressions in C@t{++}
15283 @value{GDBN} expression handling can interpret most C@t{++} expressions.
15285 @cindex debugging C@t{++} programs
15286 @cindex C@t{++} compilers
15287 @cindex debug formats and C@t{++}
15288 @cindex @value{NGCC} and C@t{++}
15290 @emph{Warning:} @value{GDBN} can only debug C@t{++} code if you use
15291 the proper compiler and the proper debug format. Currently,
15292 @value{GDBN} works best when debugging C@t{++} code that is compiled
15293 with the most recent version of @value{NGCC} possible. The DWARF
15294 debugging format is preferred; @value{NGCC} defaults to this on most
15295 popular platforms. Other compilers and/or debug formats are likely to
15296 work badly or not at all when using @value{GDBN} to debug C@t{++}
15297 code. @xref{Compilation}.
15302 @cindex member functions
15304 Member function calls are allowed; you can use expressions like
15307 count = aml->GetOriginal(x, y)
15310 @vindex this@r{, inside C@t{++} member functions}
15311 @cindex namespace in C@t{++}
15313 While a member function is active (in the selected stack frame), your
15314 expressions have the same namespace available as the member function;
15315 that is, @value{GDBN} allows implicit references to the class instance
15316 pointer @code{this} following the same rules as C@t{++}. @code{using}
15317 declarations in the current scope are also respected by @value{GDBN}.
15319 @cindex call overloaded functions
15320 @cindex overloaded functions, calling
15321 @cindex type conversions in C@t{++}
15323 You can call overloaded functions; @value{GDBN} resolves the function
15324 call to the right definition, with some restrictions. @value{GDBN} does not
15325 perform overload resolution involving user-defined type conversions,
15326 calls to constructors, or instantiations of templates that do not exist
15327 in the program. It also cannot handle ellipsis argument lists or
15330 It does perform integral conversions and promotions, floating-point
15331 promotions, arithmetic conversions, pointer conversions, conversions of
15332 class objects to base classes, and standard conversions such as those of
15333 functions or arrays to pointers; it requires an exact match on the
15334 number of function arguments.
15336 Overload resolution is always performed, unless you have specified
15337 @code{set overload-resolution off}. @xref{Debugging C Plus Plus,
15338 ,@value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}}.
15340 You must specify @code{set overload-resolution off} in order to use an
15341 explicit function signature to call an overloaded function, as in
15343 p 'foo(char,int)'('x', 13)
15346 The @value{GDBN} command-completion facility can simplify this;
15347 see @ref{Completion, ,Command Completion}.
15349 @cindex reference declarations
15351 @value{GDBN} understands variables declared as C@t{++} lvalue or rvalue
15352 references; you can use them in expressions just as you do in C@t{++}
15353 source---they are automatically dereferenced.
15355 In the parameter list shown when @value{GDBN} displays a frame, the values of
15356 reference variables are not displayed (unlike other variables); this
15357 avoids clutter, since references are often used for large structures.
15358 The @emph{address} of a reference variable is always shown, unless
15359 you have specified @samp{set print address off}.
15362 @value{GDBN} supports the C@t{++} name resolution operator @code{::}---your
15363 expressions can use it just as expressions in your program do. Since
15364 one scope may be defined in another, you can use @code{::} repeatedly if
15365 necessary, for example in an expression like
15366 @samp{@var{scope1}::@var{scope2}::@var{name}}. @value{GDBN} also allows
15367 resolving name scope by reference to source files, in both C and C@t{++}
15368 debugging (@pxref{Variables, ,Program Variables}).
15371 @value{GDBN} performs argument-dependent lookup, following the C@t{++}
15376 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Defaults
15378 @cindex C and C@t{++} defaults
15380 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set range checking automatically, it
15381 defaults to @code{off} whenever the working language changes to
15382 C or C@t{++}. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
15383 selects the working language.
15385 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, it
15386 recognizes source files whose names end with @file{.c}, @file{.C}, or
15387 @file{.cc}, etc, and when @value{GDBN} enters code compiled from one of
15388 these files, it sets the working language to C or C@t{++}.
15389 @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN} Infer the Source Language},
15390 for further details.
15393 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} Type and Range Checks
15395 @cindex C and C@t{++} checks
15397 By default, when @value{GDBN} parses C or C@t{++} expressions, strict type
15398 checking is used. However, if you turn type checking off, @value{GDBN}
15399 will allow certain non-standard conversions, such as promoting integer
15400 constants to pointers.
15402 Range checking, if turned on, is done on mathematical operations. Array
15403 indices are not checked, since they are often used to index a pointer
15404 that is not itself an array.
15407 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and C
15409 The @code{set print union} and @code{show print union} commands apply to
15410 the @code{union} type. When set to @samp{on}, any @code{union} that is
15411 inside a @code{struct} or @code{class} is also printed. Otherwise, it
15412 appears as @samp{@{...@}}.
15414 The @code{@@} operator aids in the debugging of dynamic arrays, formed
15415 with pointers and a memory allocation function. @xref{Expressions,
15418 @node Debugging C Plus Plus
15419 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} Features for C@t{++}
15421 @cindex commands for C@t{++}
15423 Some @value{GDBN} commands are particularly useful with C@t{++}, and some are
15424 designed specifically for use with C@t{++}. Here is a summary:
15427 @cindex break in overloaded functions
15428 @item @r{breakpoint menus}
15429 When you want a breakpoint in a function whose name is overloaded,
15430 @value{GDBN} has the capability to display a menu of possible breakpoint
15431 locations to help you specify which function definition you want.
15432 @xref{Ambiguous Expressions,,Ambiguous Expressions}.
15434 @cindex overloading in C@t{++}
15435 @item rbreak @var{regex}
15436 Setting breakpoints using regular expressions is helpful for setting
15437 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
15439 @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}.
15441 @cindex C@t{++} exception handling
15443 @itemx catch rethrow
15445 Debug C@t{++} exception handling using these commands. @xref{Set
15446 Catchpoints, , Setting Catchpoints}.
15448 @cindex inheritance
15449 @item ptype @var{typename}
15450 Print inheritance relationships as well as other information for type
15452 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}.
15454 @item info vtbl @var{expression}.
15455 The @code{info vtbl} command can be used to display the virtual
15456 method tables of the object computed by @var{expression}. This shows
15457 one entry per virtual table; there may be multiple virtual tables when
15458 multiple inheritance is in use.
15460 @cindex C@t{++} demangling
15461 @item demangle @var{name}
15462 Demangle @var{name}.
15463 @xref{Symbols}, for a more complete description of the @code{demangle} command.
15465 @cindex C@t{++} symbol display
15466 @item set print demangle
15467 @itemx show print demangle
15468 @itemx set print asm-demangle
15469 @itemx show print asm-demangle
15470 Control whether C@t{++} symbols display in their source form, both when
15471 displaying code as C@t{++} source and when displaying disassemblies.
15472 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
15474 @item set print object
15475 @itemx show print object
15476 Choose whether to print derived (actual) or declared types of objects.
15477 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
15479 @item set print vtbl
15480 @itemx show print vtbl
15481 Control the format for printing virtual function tables.
15482 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}.
15483 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
15484 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
15486 @kindex set overload-resolution
15487 @cindex overloaded functions, overload resolution
15488 @item set overload-resolution on
15489 Enable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. The default
15490 is on. For overloaded functions, @value{GDBN} evaluates the arguments
15491 and searches for a function whose signature matches the argument types,
15492 using the standard C@t{++} conversion rules (see @ref{C Plus Plus
15493 Expressions, ,C@t{++} Expressions}, for details).
15494 If it cannot find a match, it emits a message.
15496 @item set overload-resolution off
15497 Disable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. For
15498 overloaded functions that are not class member functions, @value{GDBN}
15499 chooses the first function of the specified name that it finds in the
15500 symbol table, whether or not its arguments are of the correct type. For
15501 overloaded functions that are class member functions, @value{GDBN}
15502 searches for a function whose signature @emph{exactly} matches the
15505 @kindex show overload-resolution
15506 @item show overload-resolution
15507 Show the current setting of overload resolution.
15509 @item @r{Overloaded symbol names}
15510 You can specify a particular definition of an overloaded symbol, using
15511 the same notation that is used to declare such symbols in C@t{++}: type
15512 @code{@var{symbol}(@var{types})} rather than just @var{symbol}. You can
15513 also use the @value{GDBN} command-line word completion facilities to list the
15514 available choices, or to finish the type list for you.
15515 @xref{Completion,, Command Completion}, for details on how to do this.
15517 @item @r{Breakpoints in functions with ABI tags}
15519 The GNU C@t{++} compiler introduced the notion of ABI ``tags'', which
15520 correspond to changes in the ABI of a type, function, or variable that
15521 would not otherwise be reflected in a mangled name. See
15522 @url{https://developers.redhat.com/blog/2015/02/05/gcc5-and-the-c11-abi/}
15525 The ABI tags are visible in C@t{++} demangled names. For example, a
15526 function that returns a std::string:
15529 std::string function(int);
15533 when compiled for the C++11 ABI is marked with the @code{cxx11} ABI
15534 tag, and @value{GDBN} displays the symbol like this:
15537 function[abi:cxx11](int)
15540 You can set a breakpoint on such functions simply as if they had no
15544 (gdb) b function(int)
15545 Breakpoint 2 at 0x40060d: file main.cc, line 10.
15546 (gdb) info breakpoints
15547 Num Type Disp Enb Address What
15548 1 breakpoint keep y 0x0040060d in function[abi:cxx11](int)
15552 On the rare occasion you need to disambiguate between different ABI
15553 tags, you can do so by simply including the ABI tag in the function
15557 (@value{GDBP}) b ambiguous[abi:other_tag](int)
15561 @node Decimal Floating Point
15562 @subsubsection Decimal Floating Point format
15563 @cindex decimal floating point format
15565 @value{GDBN} can examine, set and perform computations with numbers in
15566 decimal floating point format, which in the C language correspond to the
15567 @code{_Decimal32}, @code{_Decimal64} and @code{_Decimal128} types as
15568 specified by the extension to support decimal floating-point arithmetic.
15570 There are two encodings in use, depending on the architecture: BID (Binary
15571 Integer Decimal) for x86 and x86-64, and DPD (Densely Packed Decimal) for
15572 PowerPC and S/390. @value{GDBN} will use the appropriate encoding for the
15575 Because of a limitation in @file{libdecnumber}, the library used by @value{GDBN}
15576 to manipulate decimal floating point numbers, it is not possible to convert
15577 (using a cast, for example) integers wider than 32-bit to decimal float.
15579 In addition, in order to imitate @value{GDBN}'s behaviour with binary floating
15580 point computations, error checking in decimal float operations ignores
15581 underflow, overflow and divide by zero exceptions.
15583 In the PowerPC architecture, @value{GDBN} provides a set of pseudo-registers
15584 to inspect @code{_Decimal128} values stored in floating point registers.
15585 See @ref{PowerPC,,PowerPC} for more details.
15591 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in D and compiled with
15592 GDC, LDC or DMD compilers. Currently @value{GDBN} supports only one D
15593 specific feature --- dynamic arrays.
15598 @cindex Go (programming language)
15599 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Go and compiled with
15600 @file{gccgo} or @file{6g} compilers.
15602 Here is a summary of the Go-specific features and restrictions:
15605 @cindex current Go package
15606 @item The current Go package
15607 The name of the current package does not need to be specified when
15608 specifying global variables and functions.
15610 For example, given the program:
15614 var myglob = "Shall we?"
15620 When stopped inside @code{main} either of these work:
15624 (gdb) p main.myglob
15627 @cindex builtin Go types
15628 @item Builtin Go types
15629 The @code{string} type is recognized by @value{GDBN} and is printed
15632 @cindex builtin Go functions
15633 @item Builtin Go functions
15634 The @value{GDBN} expression parser recognizes the @code{unsafe.Sizeof}
15635 function and handles it internally.
15637 @cindex restrictions on Go expressions
15638 @item Restrictions on Go expressions
15639 All Go operators are supported except @code{&^}.
15640 The Go @code{_} ``blank identifier'' is not supported.
15641 Automatic dereferencing of pointers is not supported.
15645 @subsection Objective-C
15647 @cindex Objective-C
15648 This section provides information about some commands and command
15649 options that are useful for debugging Objective-C code. See also
15650 @ref{Symbols, info classes}, and @ref{Symbols, info selectors}, for a
15651 few more commands specific to Objective-C support.
15654 * Method Names in Commands::
15655 * The Print Command with Objective-C::
15658 @node Method Names in Commands
15659 @subsubsection Method Names in Commands
15661 The following commands have been extended to accept Objective-C method
15662 names as line specifications:
15664 @kindex clear@r{, and Objective-C}
15665 @kindex break@r{, and Objective-C}
15666 @kindex info line@r{, and Objective-C}
15667 @kindex jump@r{, and Objective-C}
15668 @kindex list@r{, and Objective-C}
15672 @item @code{info line}
15677 A fully qualified Objective-C method name is specified as
15680 -[@var{Class} @var{methodName}]
15683 where the minus sign is used to indicate an instance method and a
15684 plus sign (not shown) is used to indicate a class method. The class
15685 name @var{Class} and method name @var{methodName} are enclosed in
15686 brackets, similar to the way messages are specified in Objective-C
15687 source code. For example, to set a breakpoint at the @code{create}
15688 instance method of class @code{Fruit} in the program currently being
15692 break -[Fruit create]
15695 To list ten program lines around the @code{initialize} class method,
15699 list +[NSText initialize]
15702 In the current version of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus sign is
15703 required. In future versions of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus
15704 sign will be optional, but you can use it to narrow the search. It
15705 is also possible to specify just a method name:
15711 You must specify the complete method name, including any colons. If
15712 your program's source files contain more than one @code{create} method,
15713 you'll be presented with a numbered list of classes that implement that
15714 method. Indicate your choice by number, or type @samp{0} to exit if
15717 As another example, to clear a breakpoint established at the
15718 @code{makeKeyAndOrderFront:} method of the @code{NSWindow} class, enter:
15721 clear -[NSWindow makeKeyAndOrderFront:]
15724 @node The Print Command with Objective-C
15725 @subsubsection The Print Command With Objective-C
15726 @cindex Objective-C, print objects
15727 @kindex print-object
15728 @kindex po @r{(@code{print-object})}
15730 The print command has also been extended to accept methods. For example:
15733 print -[@var{object} hash]
15736 @cindex print an Objective-C object description
15737 @cindex @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, and printing Objective-C objects
15739 will tell @value{GDBN} to send the @code{hash} message to @var{object}
15740 and print the result. Also, an additional command has been added,
15741 @code{print-object} or @code{po} for short, which is meant to print
15742 the description of an object. However, this command may only work
15743 with certain Objective-C libraries that have a particular hook
15744 function, @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, defined.
15747 @subsection OpenCL C
15750 This section provides information about @value{GDBN}s OpenCL C support.
15753 * OpenCL C Datatypes::
15754 * OpenCL C Expressions::
15755 * OpenCL C Operators::
15758 @node OpenCL C Datatypes
15759 @subsubsection OpenCL C Datatypes
15761 @cindex OpenCL C Datatypes
15762 @value{GDBN} supports the builtin scalar and vector datatypes specified
15763 by OpenCL 1.1. In addition the half- and double-precision floating point
15764 data types of the @code{cl_khr_fp16} and @code{cl_khr_fp64} OpenCL
15765 extensions are also known to @value{GDBN}.
15767 @node OpenCL C Expressions
15768 @subsubsection OpenCL C Expressions
15770 @cindex OpenCL C Expressions
15771 @value{GDBN} supports accesses to vector components including the access as
15772 lvalue where possible. Since OpenCL C is based on C99 most C expressions
15773 supported by @value{GDBN} can be used as well.
15775 @node OpenCL C Operators
15776 @subsubsection OpenCL C Operators
15778 @cindex OpenCL C Operators
15779 @value{GDBN} supports the operators specified by OpenCL 1.1 for scalar and
15783 @subsection Fortran
15784 @cindex Fortran-specific support in @value{GDBN}
15786 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, but it
15787 currently supports only the features of Fortran 77 language.
15789 @cindex trailing underscore, in Fortran symbols
15790 Some Fortran compilers (@sc{gnu} Fortran 77 and Fortran 95 compilers
15791 among them) append an underscore to the names of variables and
15792 functions. When you debug programs compiled by those compilers, you
15793 will need to refer to variables and functions with a trailing
15797 * Fortran Operators:: Fortran operators and expressions
15798 * Fortran Defaults:: Default settings for Fortran
15799 * Special Fortran Commands:: Special @value{GDBN} commands for Fortran
15802 @node Fortran Operators
15803 @subsubsection Fortran Operators and Expressions
15805 @cindex Fortran operators and expressions
15807 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
15808 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on characters or other non-
15809 arithmetic types. Operators are often defined on groups of types.
15813 The exponentiation operator. It raises the first operand to the power
15817 The range operator. Normally used in the form of array(low:high) to
15818 represent a section of array.
15821 The access component operator. Normally used to access elements in derived
15822 types. Also suitable for unions. As unions aren't part of regular Fortran,
15823 this can only happen when accessing a register that uses a gdbarch-defined
15827 @node Fortran Defaults
15828 @subsubsection Fortran Defaults
15830 @cindex Fortran Defaults
15832 Fortran symbols are usually case-insensitive, so @value{GDBN} by
15833 default uses case-insensitive matches for Fortran symbols. You can
15834 change that with the @samp{set case-insensitive} command, see
15835 @ref{Symbols}, for the details.
15837 @node Special Fortran Commands
15838 @subsubsection Special Fortran Commands
15840 @cindex Special Fortran commands
15842 @value{GDBN} has some commands to support Fortran-specific features,
15843 such as displaying common blocks.
15846 @cindex @code{COMMON} blocks, Fortran
15847 @kindex info common
15848 @item info common @r{[}@var{common-name}@r{]}
15849 This command prints the values contained in the Fortran @code{COMMON}
15850 block whose name is @var{common-name}. With no argument, the names of
15851 all @code{COMMON} blocks visible at the current program location are
15858 @cindex Pascal support in @value{GDBN}, limitations
15859 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
15860 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
15861 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
15864 The Pascal-specific command @code{set print pascal_static-members}
15865 controls whether static members of Pascal objects are displayed.
15866 @xref{Print Settings, pascal_static-members}.
15871 @value{GDBN} supports the @url{https://www.rust-lang.org/, Rust
15872 Programming Language}. Type- and value-printing, and expression
15873 parsing, are reasonably complete. However, there are a few
15874 peculiarities and holes to be aware of.
15878 Linespecs (@pxref{Specify Location}) are never relative to the current
15879 crate. Instead, they act as if there were a global namespace of
15880 crates, somewhat similar to the way @code{extern crate} behaves.
15882 That is, if @value{GDBN} is stopped at a breakpoint in a function in
15883 crate @samp{A}, module @samp{B}, then @code{break B::f} will attempt
15884 to set a breakpoint in a function named @samp{f} in a crate named
15887 As a consequence of this approach, linespecs also cannot refer to
15888 items using @samp{self::} or @samp{super::}.
15891 Because @value{GDBN} implements Rust name-lookup semantics in
15892 expressions, it will sometimes prepend the current crate to a name.
15893 For example, if @value{GDBN} is stopped at a breakpoint in the crate
15894 @samp{K}, then @code{print ::x::y} will try to find the symbol
15897 However, since it is useful to be able to refer to other crates when
15898 debugging, @value{GDBN} provides the @code{extern} extension to
15899 circumvent this. To use the extension, just put @code{extern} before
15900 a path expression to refer to the otherwise unavailable ``global''
15903 In the above example, if you wanted to refer to the symbol @samp{y} in
15904 the crate @samp{x}, you would use @code{print extern x::y}.
15907 The Rust expression evaluator does not support ``statement-like''
15908 expressions such as @code{if} or @code{match}, or lambda expressions.
15911 Tuple expressions are not implemented.
15914 The Rust expression evaluator does not currently implement the
15915 @code{Drop} trait. Objects that may be created by the evaluator will
15916 never be destroyed.
15919 @value{GDBN} does not implement type inference for generics. In order
15920 to call generic functions or otherwise refer to generic items, you
15921 will have to specify the type parameters manually.
15924 @value{GDBN} currently uses the C@t{++} demangler for Rust. In most
15925 cases this does not cause any problems. However, in an expression
15926 context, completing a generic function name will give syntactically
15927 invalid results. This happens because Rust requires the @samp{::}
15928 operator between the function name and its generic arguments. For
15929 example, @value{GDBN} might provide a completion like
15930 @code{crate::f<u32>}, where the parser would require
15931 @code{crate::f::<u32>}.
15934 As of this writing, the Rust compiler (version 1.8) has a few holes in
15935 the debugging information it generates. These holes prevent certain
15936 features from being implemented by @value{GDBN}:
15940 Method calls cannot be made via traits.
15943 Operator overloading is not implemented.
15946 When debugging in a monomorphized function, you cannot use the generic
15950 The type @code{Self} is not available.
15953 @code{use} statements are not available, so some names may not be
15954 available in the crate.
15959 @subsection Modula-2
15961 @cindex Modula-2, @value{GDBN} support
15963 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} to support Modula-2 only support
15964 output from the @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler (which is currently being
15965 developed). Other Modula-2 compilers are not currently supported, and
15966 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
15967 to give an error as @value{GDBN} reads in the executable's symbol
15970 @cindex expressions in Modula-2
15972 * M2 Operators:: Built-in operators
15973 * Built-In Func/Proc:: Built-in functions and procedures
15974 * M2 Constants:: Modula-2 constants
15975 * M2 Types:: Modula-2 types
15976 * M2 Defaults:: Default settings for Modula-2
15977 * Deviations:: Deviations from standard Modula-2
15978 * M2 Checks:: Modula-2 type and range checks
15979 * M2 Scope:: The scope operators @code{::} and @code{.}
15980 * GDB/M2:: @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
15984 @subsubsection Operators
15985 @cindex Modula-2 operators
15987 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
15988 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
15989 often defined on groups of types. For the purposes of Modula-2, the
15990 following definitions hold:
15995 @emph{Integral types} consist of @code{INTEGER}, @code{CARDINAL}, and
15999 @emph{Character types} consist of @code{CHAR} and its subranges.
16002 @emph{Floating-point types} consist of @code{REAL}.
16005 @emph{Pointer types} consist of anything declared as @code{POINTER TO
16009 @emph{Scalar types} consist of all of the above.
16012 @emph{Set types} consist of @code{SET} and @code{BITSET} types.
16015 @emph{Boolean types} consist of @code{BOOLEAN}.
16019 The following operators are supported, and appear in order of
16020 increasing precedence:
16024 Function argument or array index separator.
16027 Assignment. The value of @var{var} @code{:=} @var{value} is
16031 Less than, greater than on integral, floating-point, or enumerated
16035 Less than or equal to, greater than or equal to
16036 on integral, floating-point and enumerated types, or set inclusion on
16037 set types. Same precedence as @code{<}.
16039 @item =@r{, }<>@r{, }#
16040 Equality and two ways of expressing inequality, valid on scalar types.
16041 Same precedence as @code{<}. In @value{GDBN} scripts, only @code{<>} is
16042 available for inequality, since @code{#} conflicts with the script
16046 Set membership. Defined on set types and the types of their members.
16047 Same precedence as @code{<}.
16050 Boolean disjunction. Defined on boolean types.
16053 Boolean conjunction. Defined on boolean types.
16056 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
16059 Addition and subtraction on integral and floating-point types, or union
16060 and difference on set types.
16063 Multiplication on integral and floating-point types, or set intersection
16067 Division on floating-point types, or symmetric set difference on set
16068 types. Same precedence as @code{*}.
16071 Integer division and remainder. Defined on integral types. Same
16072 precedence as @code{*}.
16075 Negative. Defined on @code{INTEGER} and @code{REAL} data.
16078 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types.
16081 Boolean negation. Defined on boolean types. Same precedence as
16085 @code{RECORD} field selector. Defined on @code{RECORD} data. Same
16086 precedence as @code{^}.
16089 Array indexing. Defined on @code{ARRAY} data. Same precedence as @code{^}.
16092 Procedure argument list. Defined on @code{PROCEDURE} objects. Same precedence
16096 @value{GDBN} and Modula-2 scope operators.
16100 @emph{Warning:} Set expressions and their operations are not yet supported, so @value{GDBN}
16101 treats the use of the operator @code{IN}, or the use of operators
16102 @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{=}, , @code{<>}, @code{#},
16103 @code{<=}, and @code{>=} on sets as an error.
16107 @node Built-In Func/Proc
16108 @subsubsection Built-in Functions and Procedures
16109 @cindex Modula-2 built-ins
16111 Modula-2 also makes available several built-in procedures and functions.
16112 In describing these, the following metavariables are used:
16117 represents an @code{ARRAY} variable.
16120 represents a @code{CHAR} constant or variable.
16123 represents a variable or constant of integral type.
16126 represents an identifier that belongs to a set. Generally used in the
16127 same function with the metavariable @var{s}. The type of @var{s} should
16128 be @code{SET OF @var{mtype}} (where @var{mtype} is the type of @var{m}).
16131 represents a variable or constant of integral or floating-point type.
16134 represents a variable or constant of floating-point type.
16140 represents a variable.
16143 represents a variable or constant of one of many types. See the
16144 explanation of the function for details.
16147 All Modula-2 built-in procedures also return a result, described below.
16151 Returns the absolute value of @var{n}.
16154 If @var{c} is a lower case letter, it returns its upper case
16155 equivalent, otherwise it returns its argument.
16158 Returns the character whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
16161 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
16163 @item DEC(@var{v},@var{i})
16164 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
16167 @item EXCL(@var{m},@var{s})
16168 Removes the element @var{m} from the set @var{s}. Returns the new
16171 @item FLOAT(@var{i})
16172 Returns the floating point equivalent of the integer @var{i}.
16174 @item HIGH(@var{a})
16175 Returns the index of the last member of @var{a}.
16178 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
16180 @item INC(@var{v},@var{i})
16181 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
16184 @item INCL(@var{m},@var{s})
16185 Adds the element @var{m} to the set @var{s} if it is not already
16186 there. Returns the new set.
16189 Returns the maximum value of the type @var{t}.
16192 Returns the minimum value of the type @var{t}.
16195 Returns boolean TRUE if @var{i} is an odd number.
16198 Returns the ordinal value of its argument. For example, the ordinal
16199 value of a character is its @sc{ascii} value (on machines supporting
16200 the @sc{ascii} character set). The argument @var{x} must be of an
16201 ordered type, which include integral, character and enumerated types.
16203 @item SIZE(@var{x})
16204 Returns the size of its argument. The argument @var{x} can be a
16205 variable or a type.
16207 @item TRUNC(@var{r})
16208 Returns the integral part of @var{r}.
16210 @item TSIZE(@var{x})
16211 Returns the size of its argument. The argument @var{x} can be a
16212 variable or a type.
16214 @item VAL(@var{t},@var{i})
16215 Returns the member of the type @var{t} whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
16219 @emph{Warning:} Sets and their operations are not yet supported, so
16220 @value{GDBN} treats the use of procedures @code{INCL} and @code{EXCL} as
16224 @cindex Modula-2 constants
16226 @subsubsection Constants
16228 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of Modula-2 in the following
16234 Integer constants are simply a sequence of digits. When used in an
16235 expression, a constant is interpreted to be type-compatible with the
16236 rest of the expression. Hexadecimal integers are specified by a
16237 trailing @samp{H}, and octal integers by a trailing @samp{B}.
16240 Floating point constants appear as a sequence of digits, followed by a
16241 decimal point and another sequence of digits. An optional exponent can
16242 then be specified, in the form @samp{E@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}, where
16243 @samp{@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}} is the desired exponent. All of the
16244 digits of the floating point constant must be valid decimal (base 10)
16248 Character constants consist of a single character enclosed by a pair of
16249 like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}). They may
16250 also be expressed by their ordinal value (their @sc{ascii} value, usually)
16251 followed by a @samp{C}.
16254 String constants consist of a sequence of characters enclosed by a
16255 pair of like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}).
16256 Escape sequences in the style of C are also allowed. @xref{C
16257 Constants, ,C and C@t{++} Constants}, for a brief explanation of escape
16261 Enumerated constants consist of an enumerated identifier.
16264 Boolean constants consist of the identifiers @code{TRUE} and
16268 Pointer constants consist of integral values only.
16271 Set constants are not yet supported.
16275 @subsubsection Modula-2 Types
16276 @cindex Modula-2 types
16278 Currently @value{GDBN} can print the following data types in Modula-2
16279 syntax: array types, record types, set types, pointer types, procedure
16280 types, enumerated types, subrange types and base types. You can also
16281 print the contents of variables declared using these type.
16282 This section gives a number of simple source code examples together with
16283 sample @value{GDBN} sessions.
16285 The first example contains the following section of code:
16294 and you can request @value{GDBN} to interrogate the type and value of
16295 @code{r} and @code{s}.
16298 (@value{GDBP}) print s
16300 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
16302 (@value{GDBP}) print r
16304 (@value{GDBP}) ptype r
16309 Likewise if your source code declares @code{s} as:
16313 s: SET ['A'..'Z'] ;
16317 then you may query the type of @code{s} by:
16320 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
16321 type = SET ['A'..'Z']
16325 Note that at present you cannot interactively manipulate set
16326 expressions using the debugger.
16328 The following example shows how you might declare an array in Modula-2
16329 and how you can interact with @value{GDBN} to print its type and contents:
16333 s: ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR ;
16337 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
16338 ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR
16341 Note that the array handling is not yet complete and although the type
16342 is printed correctly, expression handling still assumes that all
16343 arrays have a lower bound of zero and not @code{-10} as in the example
16346 Here are some more type related Modula-2 examples:
16350 colour = (blue, red, yellow, green) ;
16351 t = [blue..yellow] ;
16359 The @value{GDBN} interaction shows how you can query the data type
16360 and value of a variable.
16363 (@value{GDBP}) print s
16365 (@value{GDBP}) ptype t
16366 type = [blue..yellow]
16370 In this example a Modula-2 array is declared and its contents
16371 displayed. Observe that the contents are written in the same way as
16372 their @code{C} counterparts.
16376 s: ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
16382 (@value{GDBP}) print s
16383 $1 = @{1, 0, 0, 0, 0@}
16384 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
16385 type = ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
16388 The Modula-2 language interface to @value{GDBN} also understands
16389 pointer types as shown in this example:
16393 s: POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
16400 and you can request that @value{GDBN} describes the type of @code{s}.
16403 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
16404 type = POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
16407 @value{GDBN} handles compound types as we can see in this example.
16408 Here we combine array types, record types, pointer types and subrange
16419 myarray = ARRAY myrange OF CARDINAL ;
16420 myrange = [-2..2] ;
16422 s: POINTER TO ARRAY myrange OF foo ;
16426 and you can ask @value{GDBN} to describe the type of @code{s} as shown
16430 (@value{GDBP}) ptype s
16431 type = POINTER TO ARRAY [-2..2] OF foo = RECORD
16434 f3 : ARRAY [-2..2] OF CARDINAL;
16439 @subsubsection Modula-2 Defaults
16440 @cindex Modula-2 defaults
16442 If type and range checking are set automatically by @value{GDBN}, they
16443 both default to @code{on} whenever the working language changes to
16444 Modula-2. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
16445 selected the working language.
16447 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, then entering
16448 code compiled from a file whose name ends with @file{.mod} sets the
16449 working language to Modula-2. @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN}
16450 Infer the Source Language}, for further details.
16453 @subsubsection Deviations from Standard Modula-2
16454 @cindex Modula-2, deviations from
16456 A few changes have been made to make Modula-2 programs easier to debug.
16457 This is done primarily via loosening its type strictness:
16461 Unlike in standard Modula-2, pointer constants can be formed by
16462 integers. This allows you to modify pointer variables during
16463 debugging. (In standard Modula-2, the actual address contained in a
16464 pointer variable is hidden from you; it can only be modified
16465 through direct assignment to another pointer variable or expression that
16466 returned a pointer.)
16469 C escape sequences can be used in strings and characters to represent
16470 non-printable characters. @value{GDBN} prints out strings with these
16471 escape sequences embedded. Single non-printable characters are
16472 printed using the @samp{CHR(@var{nnn})} format.
16475 The assignment operator (@code{:=}) returns the value of its right-hand
16479 All built-in procedures both modify @emph{and} return their argument.
16483 @subsubsection Modula-2 Type and Range Checks
16484 @cindex Modula-2 checks
16487 @emph{Warning:} in this release, @value{GDBN} does not yet perform type or
16490 @c FIXME remove warning when type/range checks added
16492 @value{GDBN} considers two Modula-2 variables type equivalent if:
16496 They are of types that have been declared equivalent via a @code{TYPE
16497 @var{t1} = @var{t2}} statement
16500 They have been declared on the same line. (Note: This is true of the
16501 @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler, but it may not be true of other compilers.)
16504 As long as type checking is enabled, any attempt to combine variables
16505 whose types are not equivalent is an error.
16507 Range checking is done on all mathematical operations, assignment, array
16508 index bounds, and all built-in functions and procedures.
16511 @subsubsection The Scope Operators @code{::} and @code{.}
16513 @cindex @code{.}, Modula-2 scope operator
16514 @cindex colon, doubled as scope operator
16516 @vindex colon-colon@r{, in Modula-2}
16517 @c Info cannot handle :: but TeX can.
16520 @vindex ::@r{, in Modula-2}
16523 There are a few subtle differences between the Modula-2 scope operator
16524 (@code{.}) and the @value{GDBN} scope operator (@code{::}). The two have
16529 @var{module} . @var{id}
16530 @var{scope} :: @var{id}
16534 where @var{scope} is the name of a module or a procedure,
16535 @var{module} the name of a module, and @var{id} is any declared
16536 identifier within your program, except another module.
16538 Using the @code{::} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the scope
16539 specified by @var{scope} for the identifier @var{id}. If it is not
16540 found in the specified scope, then @value{GDBN} searches all scopes
16541 enclosing the one specified by @var{scope}.
16543 Using the @code{.} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the current scope for
16544 the identifier specified by @var{id} that was imported from the
16545 definition module specified by @var{module}. With this operator, it is
16546 an error if the identifier @var{id} was not imported from definition
16547 module @var{module}, or if @var{id} is not an identifier in
16551 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
16553 Some @value{GDBN} commands have little use when debugging Modula-2 programs.
16554 Five subcommands of @code{set print} and @code{show print} apply
16555 specifically to C and C@t{++}: @samp{vtbl}, @samp{demangle},
16556 @samp{asm-demangle}, @samp{object}, and @samp{union}. The first four
16557 apply to C@t{++}, and the last to the C @code{union} type, which has no direct
16558 analogue in Modula-2.
16560 The @code{@@} operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}), while available
16561 with any language, is not useful with Modula-2. Its
16562 intent is to aid the debugging of @dfn{dynamic arrays}, which cannot be
16563 created in Modula-2 as they can in C or C@t{++}. However, because an
16564 address can be specified by an integral constant, the construct
16565 @samp{@{@var{type}@}@var{adrexp}} is still useful.
16567 @cindex @code{#} in Modula-2
16568 In @value{GDBN} scripts, the Modula-2 inequality operator @code{#} is
16569 interpreted as the beginning of a comment. Use @code{<>} instead.
16575 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} for Ada only support
16576 output from the @sc{gnu} Ada (GNAT) compiler.
16577 Other Ada compilers are not currently supported, and
16578 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
16582 @cindex expressions in Ada
16584 * Ada Mode Intro:: General remarks on the Ada syntax
16585 and semantics supported by Ada mode
16587 * Omissions from Ada:: Restrictions on the Ada expression syntax.
16588 * Additions to Ada:: Extensions of the Ada expression syntax.
16589 * Overloading support for Ada:: Support for expressions involving overloaded
16591 * Stopping Before Main Program:: Debugging the program during elaboration.
16592 * Ada Exceptions:: Ada Exceptions
16593 * Ada Tasks:: Listing and setting breakpoints in tasks.
16594 * Ada Tasks and Core Files:: Tasking Support when Debugging Core Files
16595 * Ravenscar Profile:: Tasking Support when using the Ravenscar
16597 * Ada Settings:: New settable GDB parameters for Ada.
16598 * Ada Glitches:: Known peculiarities of Ada mode.
16601 @node Ada Mode Intro
16602 @subsubsection Introduction
16603 @cindex Ada mode, general
16605 The Ada mode of @value{GDBN} supports a fairly large subset of Ada expression
16606 syntax, with some extensions.
16607 The philosophy behind the design of this subset is
16611 That @value{GDBN} should provide basic literals and access to operations for
16612 arithmetic, dereferencing, field selection, indexing, and subprogram calls,
16613 leaving more sophisticated computations to subprograms written into the
16614 program (which therefore may be called from @value{GDBN}).
16617 That type safety and strict adherence to Ada language restrictions
16618 are not particularly important to the @value{GDBN} user.
16621 That brevity is important to the @value{GDBN} user.
16624 Thus, for brevity, the debugger acts as if all names declared in
16625 user-written packages are directly visible, even if they are not visible
16626 according to Ada rules, thus making it unnecessary to fully qualify most
16627 names with their packages, regardless of context. Where this causes
16628 ambiguity, @value{GDBN} asks the user's intent.
16630 The debugger will start in Ada mode if it detects an Ada main program.
16631 As for other languages, it will enter Ada mode when stopped in a program that
16632 was translated from an Ada source file.
16634 While in Ada mode, you may use `@t{--}' for comments. This is useful
16635 mostly for documenting command files. The standard @value{GDBN} comment
16636 (@samp{#}) still works at the beginning of a line in Ada mode, but not in the
16637 middle (to allow based literals).
16639 @node Omissions from Ada
16640 @subsubsection Omissions from Ada
16641 @cindex Ada, omissions from
16643 Here are the notable omissions from the subset:
16647 Only a subset of the attributes are supported:
16651 @t{'First}, @t{'Last}, and @t{'Length}
16652 on array objects (not on types and subtypes).
16655 @t{'Min} and @t{'Max}.
16658 @t{'Pos} and @t{'Val}.
16664 @t{'Range} on array objects (not subtypes), but only as the right
16665 operand of the membership (@code{in}) operator.
16668 @t{'Access}, @t{'Unchecked_Access}, and
16669 @t{'Unrestricted_Access} (a GNAT extension).
16677 @code{Characters.Latin_1} are not available and
16678 concatenation is not implemented. Thus, escape characters in strings are
16679 not currently available.
16682 Equality tests (@samp{=} and @samp{/=}) on arrays test for bitwise
16683 equality of representations. They will generally work correctly
16684 for strings and arrays whose elements have integer or enumeration types.
16685 They may not work correctly for arrays whose element
16686 types have user-defined equality, for arrays of real values
16687 (in particular, IEEE-conformant floating point, because of negative
16688 zeroes and NaNs), and for arrays whose elements contain unused bits with
16689 indeterminate values.
16692 The other component-by-component array operations (@code{and}, @code{or},
16693 @code{xor}, @code{not}, and relational tests other than equality)
16694 are not implemented.
16697 @cindex array aggregates (Ada)
16698 @cindex record aggregates (Ada)
16699 @cindex aggregates (Ada)
16700 There is limited support for array and record aggregates. They are
16701 permitted only on the right sides of assignments, as in these examples:
16704 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
16705 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (1, others => 0)
16706 (@value{GDBP}) set An_Array := (0|4 => 1, 1..3 => 2, 5 => 6)
16707 (@value{GDBP}) set A_2D_Array := ((1, 2, 3), (4, 5, 6), (7, 8, 9))
16708 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Record := (1, "Peter", True);
16709 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Record := (Name => "Peter", Id => 1, Alive => True)
16713 discriminant's value by assigning an aggregate has an
16714 undefined effect if that discriminant is used within the record.
16715 However, you can first modify discriminants by directly assigning to
16716 them (which normally would not be allowed in Ada), and then performing an
16717 aggregate assignment. For example, given a variable @code{A_Rec}
16718 declared to have a type such as:
16721 type Rec (Len : Small_Integer := 0) is record
16723 Vals : IntArray (1 .. Len);
16727 you can assign a value with a different size of @code{Vals} with two
16731 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Rec.Len := 4
16732 (@value{GDBP}) set A_Rec := (Id => 42, Vals => (1, 2, 3, 4))
16735 As this example also illustrates, @value{GDBN} is very loose about the usual
16736 rules concerning aggregates. You may leave out some of the
16737 components of an array or record aggregate (such as the @code{Len}
16738 component in the assignment to @code{A_Rec} above); they will retain their
16739 original values upon assignment. You may freely use dynamic values as
16740 indices in component associations. You may even use overlapping or
16741 redundant component associations, although which component values are
16742 assigned in such cases is not defined.
16745 Calls to dispatching subprograms are not implemented.
16748 The overloading algorithm is much more limited (i.e., less selective)
16749 than that of real Ada. It makes only limited use of the context in
16750 which a subexpression appears to resolve its meaning, and it is much
16751 looser in its rules for allowing type matches. As a result, some
16752 function calls will be ambiguous, and the user will be asked to choose
16753 the proper resolution.
16756 The @code{new} operator is not implemented.
16759 Entry calls are not implemented.
16762 Aside from printing, arithmetic operations on the native VAX floating-point
16763 formats are not supported.
16766 It is not possible to slice a packed array.
16769 The names @code{True} and @code{False}, when not part of a qualified name,
16770 are interpreted as if implicitly prefixed by @code{Standard}, regardless of
16772 Should your program
16773 redefine these names in a package or procedure (at best a dubious practice),
16774 you will have to use fully qualified names to access their new definitions.
16777 @node Additions to Ada
16778 @subsubsection Additions to Ada
16779 @cindex Ada, deviations from
16781 As it does for other languages, @value{GDBN} makes certain generic
16782 extensions to Ada (@pxref{Expressions}):
16786 If the expression @var{E} is a variable residing in memory (typically
16787 a local variable or array element) and @var{N} is a positive integer,
16788 then @code{@var{E}@@@var{N}} displays the values of @var{E} and the
16789 @var{N}-1 adjacent variables following it in memory as an array. In
16790 Ada, this operator is generally not necessary, since its prime use is
16791 in displaying parts of an array, and slicing will usually do this in
16792 Ada. However, there are occasional uses when debugging programs in
16793 which certain debugging information has been optimized away.
16796 @code{@var{B}::@var{var}} means ``the variable named @var{var} that
16797 appears in function or file @var{B}.'' When @var{B} is a file name,
16798 you must typically surround it in single quotes.
16801 The expression @code{@{@var{type}@} @var{addr}} means ``the variable of type
16802 @var{type} that appears at address @var{addr}.''
16805 A name starting with @samp{$} is a convenience variable
16806 (@pxref{Convenience Vars}) or a machine register (@pxref{Registers}).
16809 In addition, @value{GDBN} provides a few other shortcuts and outright
16810 additions specific to Ada:
16814 The assignment statement is allowed as an expression, returning
16815 its right-hand operand as its value. Thus, you may enter
16818 (@value{GDBP}) set x := y + 3
16819 (@value{GDBP}) print A(tmp := y + 1)
16823 The semicolon is allowed as an ``operator,'' returning as its value
16824 the value of its right-hand operand.
16825 This allows, for example,
16826 complex conditional breaks:
16829 (@value{GDBP}) break f
16830 (@value{GDBP}) condition 1 (report(i); k += 1; A(k) > 100)
16834 Rather than use catenation and symbolic character names to introduce special
16835 characters into strings, one may instead use a special bracket notation,
16836 which is also used to print strings. A sequence of characters of the form
16837 @samp{["@var{XX}"]} within a string or character literal denotes the
16838 (single) character whose numeric encoding is @var{XX} in hexadecimal. The
16839 sequence of characters @samp{["""]} also denotes a single quotation mark
16840 in strings. For example,
16842 "One line.["0a"]Next line.["0a"]"
16845 contains an ASCII newline character (@code{Ada.Characters.Latin_1.LF})
16849 The subtype used as a prefix for the attributes @t{'Pos}, @t{'Min}, and
16850 @t{'Max} is optional (and is ignored in any case). For example, it is valid
16854 (@value{GDBP}) print 'max(x, y)
16858 When printing arrays, @value{GDBN} uses positional notation when the
16859 array has a lower bound of 1, and uses a modified named notation otherwise.
16860 For example, a one-dimensional array of three integers with a lower bound
16861 of 3 might print as
16868 That is, in contrast to valid Ada, only the first component has a @code{=>}
16872 You may abbreviate attributes in expressions with any unique,
16873 multi-character subsequence of
16874 their names (an exact match gets preference).
16875 For example, you may use @t{a'len}, @t{a'gth}, or @t{a'lh}
16876 in place of @t{a'length}.
16879 @cindex quoting Ada internal identifiers
16880 Since Ada is case-insensitive, the debugger normally maps identifiers you type
16881 to lower case. The GNAT compiler uses upper-case characters for
16882 some of its internal identifiers, which are normally of no interest to users.
16883 For the rare occasions when you actually have to look at them,
16884 enclose them in angle brackets to avoid the lower-case mapping.
16887 (@value{GDBP}) print <JMPBUF_SAVE>[0]
16891 Printing an object of class-wide type or dereferencing an
16892 access-to-class-wide value will display all the components of the object's
16893 specific type (as indicated by its run-time tag). Likewise, component
16894 selection on such a value will operate on the specific type of the
16899 @node Overloading support for Ada
16900 @subsubsection Overloading support for Ada
16901 @cindex overloading, Ada
16903 The debugger supports limited overloading. Given a subprogram call in which
16904 the function symbol has multiple definitions, it will use the number of
16905 actual parameters and some information about their types to attempt to narrow
16906 the set of definitions. It also makes very limited use of context, preferring
16907 procedures to functions in the context of the @code{call} command, and
16908 functions to procedures elsewhere.
16910 If, after narrowing, the set of matching definitions still contains more than
16911 one definition, @value{GDBN} will display a menu to query which one it should
16915 (@value{GDBP}) print f(1)
16916 Multiple matches for f
16918 [1] foo.f (integer) return boolean at foo.adb:23
16919 [2] foo.f (foo.new_integer) return boolean at foo.adb:28
16923 In this case, just select one menu entry either to cancel expression evaluation
16924 (type @kbd{0} and press @key{RET}) or to continue evaluation with a specific
16925 instance (type the corresponding number and press @key{RET}).
16927 Here are a couple of commands to customize @value{GDBN}'s behavior in this
16932 @kindex set ada print-signatures
16933 @item set ada print-signatures
16934 Control whether parameter types and return types are displayed in overloads
16935 selection menus. It is @code{on} by default.
16936 @xref{Overloading support for Ada}.
16938 @kindex show ada print-signatures
16939 @item show ada print-signatures
16940 Show the current setting for displaying parameter types and return types in
16941 overloads selection menu.
16942 @xref{Overloading support for Ada}.
16946 @node Stopping Before Main Program
16947 @subsubsection Stopping at the Very Beginning
16949 @cindex breakpointing Ada elaboration code
16950 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration, and
16951 before reaching the main procedure.
16952 As defined in the Ada Reference
16953 Manual, the elaboration code is invoked from a procedure called
16954 @code{adainit}. To run your program up to the beginning of
16955 elaboration, simply use the following two commands:
16956 @code{tbreak adainit} and @code{run}.
16958 @node Ada Exceptions
16959 @subsubsection Ada Exceptions
16961 A command is provided to list all Ada exceptions:
16964 @kindex info exceptions
16965 @item info exceptions
16966 @itemx info exceptions @var{regexp}
16967 The @code{info exceptions} command allows you to list all Ada exceptions
16968 defined within the program being debugged, as well as their addresses.
16969 With a regular expression, @var{regexp}, as argument, only those exceptions
16970 whose names match @var{regexp} are listed.
16973 Below is a small example, showing how the command can be used, first
16974 without argument, and next with a regular expression passed as an
16978 (@value{GDBP}) info exceptions
16979 All defined Ada exceptions:
16980 constraint_error: 0x613da0
16981 program_error: 0x613d20
16982 storage_error: 0x613ce0
16983 tasking_error: 0x613ca0
16984 const.aint_global_e: 0x613b00
16985 (@value{GDBP}) info exceptions const.aint
16986 All Ada exceptions matching regular expression "const.aint":
16987 constraint_error: 0x613da0
16988 const.aint_global_e: 0x613b00
16991 It is also possible to ask @value{GDBN} to stop your program's execution
16992 when an exception is raised. For more details, see @ref{Set Catchpoints}.
16995 @subsubsection Extensions for Ada Tasks
16996 @cindex Ada, tasking
16998 Support for Ada tasks is analogous to that for threads (@pxref{Threads}).
16999 @value{GDBN} provides the following task-related commands:
17004 This command shows a list of current Ada tasks, as in the following example:
17011 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
17012 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
17013 1 8088000 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
17014 2 80a4000 1 15 Accept Statement b
17015 3 809a800 1 15 Child Activation Wait a
17016 * 4 80ae800 3 15 Runnable c
17021 In this listing, the asterisk before the last task indicates it to be the
17022 task currently being inspected.
17026 Represents @value{GDBN}'s internal task number.
17032 The parent's task ID (@value{GDBN}'s internal task number).
17035 The base priority of the task.
17038 Current state of the task.
17042 The task has been created but has not been activated. It cannot be
17046 The task is not blocked for any reason known to Ada. (It may be waiting
17047 for a mutex, though.) It is conceptually "executing" in normal mode.
17050 The task is terminated, in the sense of ARM 9.3 (5). Any dependents
17051 that were waiting on terminate alternatives have been awakened and have
17052 terminated themselves.
17054 @item Child Activation Wait
17055 The task is waiting for created tasks to complete activation.
17057 @item Accept Statement
17058 The task is waiting on an accept or selective wait statement.
17060 @item Waiting on entry call
17061 The task is waiting on an entry call.
17063 @item Async Select Wait
17064 The task is waiting to start the abortable part of an asynchronous
17068 The task is waiting on a select statement with only a delay
17071 @item Child Termination Wait
17072 The task is sleeping having completed a master within itself, and is
17073 waiting for the tasks dependent on that master to become terminated or
17074 waiting on a terminate Phase.
17076 @item Wait Child in Term Alt
17077 The task is sleeping waiting for tasks on terminate alternatives to
17078 finish terminating.
17080 @item Accepting RV with @var{taskno}
17081 The task is accepting a rendez-vous with the task @var{taskno}.
17085 Name of the task in the program.
17089 @kindex info task @var{taskno}
17090 @item info task @var{taskno}
17091 This command shows detailled informations on the specified task, as in
17092 the following example:
17097 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
17098 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
17099 1 8077880 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
17100 * 2 807c468 1 15 Runnable task_1
17101 (@value{GDBP}) info task 2
17102 Ada Task: 0x807c468
17105 Parent: 1 (main_task)
17111 @kindex task@r{ (Ada)}
17112 @cindex current Ada task ID
17113 This command prints the ID of the current task.
17119 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
17120 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
17121 1 8077870 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
17122 * 2 807c458 1 15 Runnable t
17123 (@value{GDBP}) task
17124 [Current task is 2]
17127 @item task @var{taskno}
17128 @cindex Ada task switching
17129 This command is like the @code{thread @var{thread-id}}
17130 command (@pxref{Threads}). It switches the context of debugging
17131 from the current task to the given task.
17137 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
17138 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
17139 1 8077870 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
17140 * 2 807c458 1 15 Runnable t
17141 (@value{GDBP}) task 1
17142 [Switching to task 1]
17143 #0 0x8067726 in pthread_cond_wait ()
17145 #0 0x8067726 in pthread_cond_wait ()
17146 #1 0x8056714 in system.os_interface.pthread_cond_wait ()
17147 #2 0x805cb63 in system.task_primitives.operations.sleep ()
17148 #3 0x806153e in system.tasking.stages.activate_tasks ()
17149 #4 0x804aacc in un () at un.adb:5
17152 @item break @var{location} task @var{taskno}
17153 @itemx break @var{location} task @var{taskno} if @dots{}
17154 @cindex breakpoints and tasks, in Ada
17155 @cindex task breakpoints, in Ada
17156 @kindex break @dots{} task @var{taskno}@r{ (Ada)}
17157 These commands are like the @code{break @dots{} thread @dots{}}
17158 command (@pxref{Thread Stops}). The
17159 @var{location} argument specifies source lines, as described
17160 in @ref{Specify Location}.
17162 Use the qualifier @samp{task @var{taskno}} with a breakpoint command
17163 to specify that you only want @value{GDBN} to stop the program when a
17164 particular Ada task reaches this breakpoint. The @var{taskno} is one of the
17165 numeric task identifiers assigned by @value{GDBN}, shown in the first
17166 column of the @samp{info tasks} display.
17168 If you do not specify @samp{task @var{taskno}} when you set a
17169 breakpoint, the breakpoint applies to @emph{all} tasks of your
17172 You can use the @code{task} qualifier on conditional breakpoints as
17173 well; in this case, place @samp{task @var{taskno}} before the
17174 breakpoint condition (before the @code{if}).
17182 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
17183 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
17184 1 140022020 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
17185 2 140045060 1 15 Accept/Select Wait t2
17186 3 140044840 1 15 Runnable t1
17187 * 4 140056040 1 15 Runnable t3
17188 (@value{GDBP}) b 15 task 2
17189 Breakpoint 5 at 0x120044cb0: file test_task_debug.adb, line 15.
17190 (@value{GDBP}) cont
17195 Breakpoint 5, test_task_debug () at test_task_debug.adb:15
17197 (@value{GDBP}) info tasks
17198 ID TID P-ID Pri State Name
17199 1 140022020 0 15 Child Activation Wait main_task
17200 * 2 140045060 1 15 Runnable t2
17201 3 140044840 1 15 Runnable t1
17202 4 140056040 1 15 Delay Sleep t3
17206 @node Ada Tasks and Core Files
17207 @subsubsection Tasking Support when Debugging Core Files
17208 @cindex Ada tasking and core file debugging
17210 When inspecting a core file, as opposed to debugging a live program,
17211 tasking support may be limited or even unavailable, depending on
17212 the platform being used.
17213 For instance, on x86-linux, the list of tasks is available, but task
17214 switching is not supported.
17216 On certain platforms, the debugger needs to perform some
17217 memory writes in order to provide Ada tasking support. When inspecting
17218 a core file, this means that the core file must be opened with read-write
17219 privileges, using the command @samp{"set write on"} (@pxref{Patching}).
17220 Under these circumstances, you should make a backup copy of the core
17221 file before inspecting it with @value{GDBN}.
17223 @node Ravenscar Profile
17224 @subsubsection Tasking Support when using the Ravenscar Profile
17225 @cindex Ravenscar Profile
17227 The @dfn{Ravenscar Profile} is a subset of the Ada tasking features,
17228 specifically designed for systems with safety-critical real-time
17232 @kindex set ravenscar task-switching on
17233 @cindex task switching with program using Ravenscar Profile
17234 @item set ravenscar task-switching on
17235 Allows task switching when debugging a program that uses the Ravenscar
17236 Profile. This is the default.
17238 @kindex set ravenscar task-switching off
17239 @item set ravenscar task-switching off
17240 Turn off task switching when debugging a program that uses the Ravenscar
17241 Profile. This is mostly intended to disable the code that adds support
17242 for the Ravenscar Profile, in case a bug in either @value{GDBN} or in
17243 the Ravenscar runtime is preventing @value{GDBN} from working properly.
17244 To be effective, this command should be run before the program is started.
17246 @kindex show ravenscar task-switching
17247 @item show ravenscar task-switching
17248 Show whether it is possible to switch from task to task in a program
17249 using the Ravenscar Profile.
17254 @subsubsection Ada Settings
17255 @cindex Ada settings
17258 @kindex set varsize-limit
17259 @item set varsize-limit @var{size}
17260 Prevent @value{GDBN} from attempting to evaluate objects whose size
17261 is above the given limit (@var{size}) when those sizes are computed
17262 from run-time quantities. This is typically the case when the object
17263 has a variable size, such as an array whose bounds are not known at
17264 compile time for example. Setting @var{size} to @code{unlimited}
17265 removes the size limitation. By default, the limit is about 65KB.
17267 The purpose of having such a limit is to prevent @value{GDBN} from
17268 trying to grab enormous chunks of virtual memory when asked to evaluate
17269 a quantity whose bounds have been corrupted or have not yet been fully
17270 initialized. The limit applies to the results of some subexpressions
17271 as well as to complete expressions. For example, an expression denoting
17272 a simple integer component, such as @code{x.y.z}, may fail if the size of
17273 @code{x.y} is variable and exceeds @code{size}. On the other hand,
17274 @value{GDBN} is sometimes clever; the expression @code{A(i)}, where
17275 @code{A} is an array variable with non-constant size, will generally
17276 succeed regardless of the bounds on @code{A}, as long as the component
17277 size is less than @var{size}.
17279 @kindex show varsize-limit
17280 @item show varsize-limit
17281 Show the limit on types whose size is determined by run-time quantities.
17285 @subsubsection Known Peculiarities of Ada Mode
17286 @cindex Ada, problems
17288 Besides the omissions listed previously (@pxref{Omissions from Ada}),
17289 we know of several problems with and limitations of Ada mode in
17291 some of which will be fixed with planned future releases of the debugger
17292 and the GNU Ada compiler.
17296 Static constants that the compiler chooses not to materialize as objects in
17297 storage are invisible to the debugger.
17300 Named parameter associations in function argument lists are ignored (the
17301 argument lists are treated as positional).
17304 Many useful library packages are currently invisible to the debugger.
17307 Fixed-point arithmetic, conversions, input, and output is carried out using
17308 floating-point arithmetic, and may give results that only approximate those on
17312 The GNAT compiler never generates the prefix @code{Standard} for any of
17313 the standard symbols defined by the Ada language. @value{GDBN} knows about
17314 this: it will strip the prefix from names when you use it, and will never
17315 look for a name you have so qualified among local symbols, nor match against
17316 symbols in other packages or subprograms. If you have
17317 defined entities anywhere in your program other than parameters and
17318 local variables whose simple names match names in @code{Standard},
17319 GNAT's lack of qualification here can cause confusion. When this happens,
17320 you can usually resolve the confusion
17321 by qualifying the problematic names with package
17322 @code{Standard} explicitly.
17325 Older versions of the compiler sometimes generate erroneous debugging
17326 information, resulting in the debugger incorrectly printing the value
17327 of affected entities. In some cases, the debugger is able to work
17328 around an issue automatically. In other cases, the debugger is able
17329 to work around the issue, but the work-around has to be specifically
17332 @kindex set ada trust-PAD-over-XVS
17333 @kindex show ada trust-PAD-over-XVS
17336 @item set ada trust-PAD-over-XVS on
17337 Configure GDB to strictly follow the GNAT encoding when computing the
17338 value of Ada entities, particularly when @code{PAD} and @code{PAD___XVS}
17339 types are involved (see @code{ada/exp_dbug.ads} in the GCC sources for
17340 a complete description of the encoding used by the GNAT compiler).
17341 This is the default.
17343 @item set ada trust-PAD-over-XVS off
17344 This is related to the encoding using by the GNAT compiler. If @value{GDBN}
17345 sometimes prints the wrong value for certain entities, changing @code{ada
17346 trust-PAD-over-XVS} to @code{off} activates a work-around which may fix
17347 the issue. It is always safe to set @code{ada trust-PAD-over-XVS} to
17348 @code{off}, but this incurs a slight performance penalty, so it is
17349 recommended to leave this setting to @code{on} unless necessary.
17353 @cindex GNAT descriptive types
17354 @cindex GNAT encoding
17355 Internally, the debugger also relies on the compiler following a number
17356 of conventions known as the @samp{GNAT Encoding}, all documented in
17357 @file{gcc/ada/exp_dbug.ads} in the GCC sources. This encoding describes
17358 how the debugging information should be generated for certain types.
17359 In particular, this convention makes use of @dfn{descriptive types},
17360 which are artificial types generated purely to help the debugger.
17362 These encodings were defined at a time when the debugging information
17363 format used was not powerful enough to describe some of the more complex
17364 types available in Ada. Since DWARF allows us to express nearly all
17365 Ada features, the long-term goal is to slowly replace these descriptive
17366 types by their pure DWARF equivalent. To facilitate that transition,
17367 a new maintenance option is available to force the debugger to ignore
17368 those descriptive types. It allows the user to quickly evaluate how
17369 well @value{GDBN} works without them.
17373 @kindex maint ada set ignore-descriptive-types
17374 @item maintenance ada set ignore-descriptive-types [on|off]
17375 Control whether the debugger should ignore descriptive types.
17376 The default is not to ignore descriptives types (@code{off}).
17378 @kindex maint ada show ignore-descriptive-types
17379 @item maintenance ada show ignore-descriptive-types
17380 Show if descriptive types are ignored by @value{GDBN}.
17384 @node Unsupported Languages
17385 @section Unsupported Languages
17387 @cindex unsupported languages
17388 @cindex minimal language
17389 In addition to the other fully-supported programming languages,
17390 @value{GDBN} also provides a pseudo-language, called @code{minimal}.
17391 It does not represent a real programming language, but provides a set
17392 of capabilities close to what the C or assembly languages provide.
17393 This should allow most simple operations to be performed while debugging
17394 an application that uses a language currently not supported by @value{GDBN}.
17396 If the language is set to @code{auto}, @value{GDBN} will automatically
17397 select this language if the current frame corresponds to an unsupported
17401 @chapter Examining the Symbol Table
17403 The commands described in this chapter allow you to inquire about the
17404 symbols (names of variables, functions and types) defined in your
17405 program. This information is inherent in the text of your program and
17406 does not change as your program executes. @value{GDBN} finds it in your
17407 program's symbol table, in the file indicated when you started @value{GDBN}
17408 (@pxref{File Options, ,Choosing Files}), or by one of the
17409 file-management commands (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
17411 @cindex symbol names
17412 @cindex names of symbols
17413 @cindex quoting names
17414 @anchor{quoting names}
17415 Occasionally, you may need to refer to symbols that contain unusual
17416 characters, which @value{GDBN} ordinarily treats as word delimiters. The
17417 most frequent case is in referring to static variables in other
17418 source files (@pxref{Variables,,Program Variables}). File names
17419 are recorded in object files as debugging symbols, but @value{GDBN} would
17420 ordinarily parse a typical file name, like @file{foo.c}, as the three words
17421 @samp{foo} @samp{.} @samp{c}. To allow @value{GDBN} to recognize
17422 @samp{foo.c} as a single symbol, enclose it in single quotes; for example,
17429 looks up the value of @code{x} in the scope of the file @file{foo.c}.
17432 @cindex case-insensitive symbol names
17433 @cindex case sensitivity in symbol names
17434 @kindex set case-sensitive
17435 @item set case-sensitive on
17436 @itemx set case-sensitive off
17437 @itemx set case-sensitive auto
17438 Normally, when @value{GDBN} looks up symbols, it matches their names
17439 with case sensitivity determined by the current source language.
17440 Occasionally, you may wish to control that. The command @code{set
17441 case-sensitive} lets you do that by specifying @code{on} for
17442 case-sensitive matches or @code{off} for case-insensitive ones. If
17443 you specify @code{auto}, case sensitivity is reset to the default
17444 suitable for the source language. The default is case-sensitive
17445 matches for all languages except for Fortran, for which the default is
17446 case-insensitive matches.
17448 @kindex show case-sensitive
17449 @item show case-sensitive
17450 This command shows the current setting of case sensitivity for symbols
17453 @kindex set print type methods
17454 @item set print type methods
17455 @itemx set print type methods on
17456 @itemx set print type methods off
17457 Normally, when @value{GDBN} prints a class, it displays any methods
17458 declared in that class. You can control this behavior either by
17459 passing the appropriate flag to @code{ptype}, or using @command{set
17460 print type methods}. Specifying @code{on} will cause @value{GDBN} to
17461 display the methods; this is the default. Specifying @code{off} will
17462 cause @value{GDBN} to omit the methods.
17464 @kindex show print type methods
17465 @item show print type methods
17466 This command shows the current setting of method display when printing
17469 @kindex set print type nested-type-limit
17470 @item set print type nested-type-limit @var{limit}
17471 @itemx set print type nested-type-limit unlimited
17472 Set the limit of displayed nested types that the type printer will
17473 show. A @var{limit} of @code{unlimited} or @code{-1} will show all
17474 nested definitions. By default, the type printer will not show any nested
17475 types defined in classes.
17477 @kindex show print type nested-type-limit
17478 @item show print type nested-type-limit
17479 This command shows the current display limit of nested types when
17482 @kindex set print type typedefs
17483 @item set print type typedefs
17484 @itemx set print type typedefs on
17485 @itemx set print type typedefs off
17487 Normally, when @value{GDBN} prints a class, it displays any typedefs
17488 defined in that class. You can control this behavior either by
17489 passing the appropriate flag to @code{ptype}, or using @command{set
17490 print type typedefs}. Specifying @code{on} will cause @value{GDBN} to
17491 display the typedef definitions; this is the default. Specifying
17492 @code{off} will cause @value{GDBN} to omit the typedef definitions.
17493 Note that this controls whether the typedef definition itself is
17494 printed, not whether typedef names are substituted when printing other
17497 @kindex show print type typedefs
17498 @item show print type typedefs
17499 This command shows the current setting of typedef display when
17502 @kindex info address
17503 @cindex address of a symbol
17504 @item info address @var{symbol}
17505 Describe where the data for @var{symbol} is stored. For a register
17506 variable, this says which register it is kept in. For a non-register
17507 local variable, this prints the stack-frame offset at which the variable
17510 Note the contrast with @samp{print &@var{symbol}}, which does not work
17511 at all for a register variable, and for a stack local variable prints
17512 the exact address of the current instantiation of the variable.
17514 @kindex info symbol
17515 @cindex symbol from address
17516 @cindex closest symbol and offset for an address
17517 @item info symbol @var{addr}
17518 Print the name of a symbol which is stored at the address @var{addr}.
17519 If no symbol is stored exactly at @var{addr}, @value{GDBN} prints the
17520 nearest symbol and an offset from it:
17523 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x54320
17524 _initialize_vx + 396 in section .text
17528 This is the opposite of the @code{info address} command. You can use
17529 it to find out the name of a variable or a function given its address.
17531 For dynamically linked executables, the name of executable or shared
17532 library containing the symbol is also printed:
17535 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x400225
17536 _start + 5 in section .text of /tmp/a.out
17537 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x2aaaac2811cf
17538 __read_nocancel + 6 in section .text of /usr/lib64/libc.so.6
17543 @item demangle @r{[}-l @var{language}@r{]} @r{[}@var{--}@r{]} @var{name}
17544 Demangle @var{name}.
17545 If @var{language} is provided it is the name of the language to demangle
17546 @var{name} in. Otherwise @var{name} is demangled in the current language.
17548 The @samp{--} option specifies the end of options,
17549 and is useful when @var{name} begins with a dash.
17551 The parameter @code{demangle-style} specifies how to interpret the kind
17552 of mangling used. @xref{Print Settings}.
17555 @item whatis[/@var{flags}] [@var{arg}]
17556 Print the data type of @var{arg}, which can be either an expression
17557 or a name of a data type. With no argument, print the data type of
17558 @code{$}, the last value in the value history.
17560 If @var{arg} is an expression (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}), it
17561 is not actually evaluated, and any side-effecting operations (such as
17562 assignments or function calls) inside it do not take place.
17564 If @var{arg} is a variable or an expression, @code{whatis} prints its
17565 literal type as it is used in the source code. If the type was
17566 defined using a @code{typedef}, @code{whatis} will @emph{not} print
17567 the data type underlying the @code{typedef}. If the type of the
17568 variable or the expression is a compound data type, such as
17569 @code{struct} or @code{class}, @code{whatis} never prints their
17570 fields or methods. It just prints the @code{struct}/@code{class}
17571 name (a.k.a.@: its @dfn{tag}). If you want to see the members of
17572 such a compound data type, use @code{ptype}.
17574 If @var{arg} is a type name that was defined using @code{typedef},
17575 @code{whatis} @dfn{unrolls} only one level of that @code{typedef}.
17576 Unrolling means that @code{whatis} will show the underlying type used
17577 in the @code{typedef} declaration of @var{arg}. However, if that
17578 underlying type is also a @code{typedef}, @code{whatis} will not
17581 For C code, the type names may also have the form @samp{class
17582 @var{class-name}}, @samp{struct @var{struct-tag}}, @samp{union
17583 @var{union-tag}} or @samp{enum @var{enum-tag}}.
17585 @var{flags} can be used to modify how the type is displayed.
17586 Available flags are:
17590 Display in ``raw'' form. Normally, @value{GDBN} substitutes template
17591 parameters and typedefs defined in a class when printing the class'
17592 members. The @code{/r} flag disables this.
17595 Do not print methods defined in the class.
17598 Print methods defined in the class. This is the default, but the flag
17599 exists in case you change the default with @command{set print type methods}.
17602 Do not print typedefs defined in the class. Note that this controls
17603 whether the typedef definition itself is printed, not whether typedef
17604 names are substituted when printing other types.
17607 Print typedefs defined in the class. This is the default, but the flag
17608 exists in case you change the default with @command{set print type typedefs}.
17611 Print the offsets and sizes of fields in a struct, similar to what the
17612 @command{pahole} tool does. This option implies the @code{/tm} flags.
17614 For example, given the following declarations:
17650 Issuing a @kbd{ptype /o struct tuv} command would print:
17653 (@value{GDBP}) ptype /o struct tuv
17654 /* offset | size */ type = struct tuv @{
17655 /* 0 | 4 */ int a1;
17656 /* XXX 4-byte hole */
17657 /* 8 | 8 */ char *a2;
17658 /* 16 | 4 */ int a3;
17660 /* total size (bytes): 24 */
17664 Notice the format of the first column of comments. There, you can
17665 find two parts separated by the @samp{|} character: the @emph{offset},
17666 which indicates where the field is located inside the struct, in
17667 bytes, and the @emph{size} of the field. Another interesting line is
17668 the marker of a @emph{hole} in the struct, indicating that it may be
17669 possible to pack the struct and make it use less space by reorganizing
17672 It is also possible to print offsets inside an union:
17675 (@value{GDBP}) ptype /o union qwe
17676 /* offset | size */ type = union qwe @{
17677 /* 24 */ struct tuv @{
17678 /* 0 | 4 */ int a1;
17679 /* XXX 4-byte hole */
17680 /* 8 | 8 */ char *a2;
17681 /* 16 | 4 */ int a3;
17683 /* total size (bytes): 24 */
17685 /* 40 */ struct xyz @{
17686 /* 0 | 4 */ int f1;
17687 /* 4 | 1 */ char f2;
17688 /* XXX 3-byte hole */
17689 /* 8 | 8 */ void *f3;
17690 /* 16 | 24 */ struct tuv @{
17691 /* 16 | 4 */ int a1;
17692 /* XXX 4-byte hole */
17693 /* 24 | 8 */ char *a2;
17694 /* 32 | 4 */ int a3;
17696 /* total size (bytes): 24 */
17699 /* total size (bytes): 40 */
17702 /* total size (bytes): 40 */
17706 In this case, since @code{struct tuv} and @code{struct xyz} occupy the
17707 same space (because we are dealing with an union), the offset is not
17708 printed for them. However, you can still examine the offset of each
17709 of these structures' fields.
17711 Another useful scenario is printing the offsets of a struct containing
17715 (@value{GDBP}) ptype /o struct tyu
17716 /* offset | size */ type = struct tyu @{
17717 /* 0:31 | 4 */ int a1 : 1;
17718 /* 0:28 | 4 */ int a2 : 3;
17719 /* 0: 5 | 4 */ int a3 : 23;
17720 /* 3: 3 | 1 */ signed char a4 : 2;
17721 /* XXX 3-bit hole */
17722 /* XXX 4-byte hole */
17723 /* 8 | 8 */ int64_t a5;
17724 /* 16:27 | 4 */ int a6 : 5;
17725 /* 16:56 | 8 */ int64_t a7 : 3;
17727 /* total size (bytes): 24 */
17731 Note how the offset information is now extended to also include how
17732 many bits are left to be used in each bitfield.
17736 @item ptype[/@var{flags}] [@var{arg}]
17737 @code{ptype} accepts the same arguments as @code{whatis}, but prints a
17738 detailed description of the type, instead of just the name of the type.
17739 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
17741 Contrary to @code{whatis}, @code{ptype} always unrolls any
17742 @code{typedef}s in its argument declaration, whether the argument is
17743 a variable, expression, or a data type. This means that @code{ptype}
17744 of a variable or an expression will not print literally its type as
17745 present in the source code---use @code{whatis} for that. @code{typedef}s at
17746 the pointer or reference targets are also unrolled. Only @code{typedef}s of
17747 fields, methods and inner @code{class typedef}s of @code{struct}s,
17748 @code{class}es and @code{union}s are not unrolled even with @code{ptype}.
17750 For example, for this variable declaration:
17753 typedef double real_t;
17754 struct complex @{ real_t real; double imag; @};
17755 typedef struct complex complex_t;
17757 real_t *real_pointer_var;
17761 the two commands give this output:
17765 (@value{GDBP}) whatis var
17767 (@value{GDBP}) ptype var
17768 type = struct complex @{
17772 (@value{GDBP}) whatis complex_t
17773 type = struct complex
17774 (@value{GDBP}) whatis struct complex
17775 type = struct complex
17776 (@value{GDBP}) ptype struct complex
17777 type = struct complex @{
17781 (@value{GDBP}) whatis real_pointer_var
17783 (@value{GDBP}) ptype real_pointer_var
17789 As with @code{whatis}, using @code{ptype} without an argument refers to
17790 the type of @code{$}, the last value in the value history.
17792 @cindex incomplete type
17793 Sometimes, programs use opaque data types or incomplete specifications
17794 of complex data structure. If the debug information included in the
17795 program does not allow @value{GDBN} to display a full declaration of
17796 the data type, it will say @samp{<incomplete type>}. For example,
17797 given these declarations:
17801 struct foo *fooptr;
17805 but no definition for @code{struct foo} itself, @value{GDBN} will say:
17808 (@value{GDBP}) ptype foo
17809 $1 = <incomplete type>
17813 ``Incomplete type'' is C terminology for data types that are not
17814 completely specified.
17816 @cindex unknown type
17817 Othertimes, information about a variable's type is completely absent
17818 from the debug information included in the program. This most often
17819 happens when the program or library where the variable is defined
17820 includes no debug information at all. @value{GDBN} knows the variable
17821 exists from inspecting the linker/loader symbol table (e.g., the ELF
17822 dynamic symbol table), but such symbols do not contain type
17823 information. Inspecting the type of a (global) variable for which
17824 @value{GDBN} has no type information shows:
17827 (@value{GDBP}) ptype var
17828 type = <data variable, no debug info>
17831 @xref{Variables, no debug info variables}, for how to print the values
17835 @item info types @var{regexp}
17837 Print a brief description of all types whose names match the regular
17838 expression @var{regexp} (or all types in your program, if you supply
17839 no argument). Each complete typename is matched as though it were a
17840 complete line; thus, @samp{i type value} gives information on all
17841 types in your program whose names include the string @code{value}, but
17842 @samp{i type ^value$} gives information only on types whose complete
17843 name is @code{value}.
17845 This command differs from @code{ptype} in two ways: first, like
17846 @code{whatis}, it does not print a detailed description; second, it
17847 lists all source files and line numbers where a type is defined.
17849 @kindex info type-printers
17850 @item info type-printers
17851 Versions of @value{GDBN} that ship with Python scripting enabled may
17852 have ``type printers'' available. When using @command{ptype} or
17853 @command{whatis}, these printers are consulted when the name of a type
17854 is needed. @xref{Type Printing API}, for more information on writing
17857 @code{info type-printers} displays all the available type printers.
17859 @kindex enable type-printer
17860 @kindex disable type-printer
17861 @item enable type-printer @var{name}@dots{}
17862 @item disable type-printer @var{name}@dots{}
17863 These commands can be used to enable or disable type printers.
17866 @cindex local variables
17867 @item info scope @var{location}
17868 List all the variables local to a particular scope. This command
17869 accepts a @var{location} argument---a function name, a source line, or
17870 an address preceded by a @samp{*}, and prints all the variables local
17871 to the scope defined by that location. (@xref{Specify Location}, for
17872 details about supported forms of @var{location}.) For example:
17875 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info scope command_line_handler}
17876 Scope for command_line_handler:
17877 Symbol rl is an argument at stack/frame offset 8, length 4.
17878 Symbol linebuffer is in static storage at address 0x150a18, length 4.
17879 Symbol linelength is in static storage at address 0x150a1c, length 4.
17880 Symbol p is a local variable in register $esi, length 4.
17881 Symbol p1 is a local variable in register $ebx, length 4.
17882 Symbol nline is a local variable in register $edx, length 4.
17883 Symbol repeat is a local variable at frame offset -8, length 4.
17887 This command is especially useful for determining what data to collect
17888 during a @dfn{trace experiment}, see @ref{Tracepoint Actions,
17891 @kindex info source
17893 Show information about the current source file---that is, the source file for
17894 the function containing the current point of execution:
17897 the name of the source file, and the directory containing it,
17899 the directory it was compiled in,
17901 its length, in lines,
17903 which programming language it is written in,
17905 if the debug information provides it, the program that compiled the file
17906 (which may include, e.g., the compiler version and command line arguments),
17908 whether the executable includes debugging information for that file, and
17909 if so, what format the information is in (e.g., STABS, Dwarf 2, etc.), and
17911 whether the debugging information includes information about
17912 preprocessor macros.
17916 @kindex info sources
17918 Print the names of all source files in your program for which there is
17919 debugging information, organized into two lists: files whose symbols
17920 have already been read, and files whose symbols will be read when needed.
17922 @kindex info functions
17923 @item info functions
17924 Print the names and data types of all defined functions.
17925 Similarly to @samp{info types}, this command groups its output by source
17926 files and annotates each function definition with its source line
17929 @item info functions @var{regexp}
17930 Like @samp{info functions}, but only print the names and data types of
17931 functions whose names contain a match for regular expression
17932 @var{regexp}. Thus, @samp{info fun step} finds all functions whose
17933 names include @code{step}; @samp{info fun ^step} finds those whose names
17934 start with @code{step}. If a function name contains characters that
17935 conflict with the regular expression language (e.g.@:
17936 @samp{operator*()}), they may be quoted with a backslash.
17938 @kindex info variables
17939 @item info variables
17940 Print the names and data types of all variables that are defined
17941 outside of functions (i.e.@: excluding local variables).
17942 The printed variables are grouped by source files and annotated with
17943 their respective source line numbers.
17945 @item info variables @var{regexp}
17946 Like @kbd{info variables}, but only print the names and data types of
17947 non-local variables whose names contain a match for regular expression
17950 @kindex info classes
17951 @cindex Objective-C, classes and selectors
17953 @itemx info classes @var{regexp}
17954 Display all Objective-C classes in your program, or
17955 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
17958 @kindex info selectors
17959 @item info selectors
17960 @itemx info selectors @var{regexp}
17961 Display all Objective-C selectors in your program, or
17962 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
17966 This was never implemented.
17967 @kindex info methods
17969 @itemx info methods @var{regexp}
17970 The @code{info methods} command permits the user to examine all defined
17971 methods within C@t{++} program, or (with the @var{regexp} argument) a
17972 specific set of methods found in the various C@t{++} classes. Many
17973 C@t{++} classes provide a large number of methods. Thus, the output
17974 from the @code{ptype} command can be overwhelming and hard to use. The
17975 @code{info-methods} command filters the methods, printing only those
17976 which match the regular-expression @var{regexp}.
17979 @cindex opaque data types
17980 @kindex set opaque-type-resolution
17981 @item set opaque-type-resolution on
17982 Tell @value{GDBN} to resolve opaque types. An opaque type is a type
17983 declared as a pointer to a @code{struct}, @code{class}, or
17984 @code{union}---for example, @code{struct MyType *}---that is used in one
17985 source file although the full declaration of @code{struct MyType} is in
17986 another source file. The default is on.
17988 A change in the setting of this subcommand will not take effect until
17989 the next time symbols for a file are loaded.
17991 @item set opaque-type-resolution off
17992 Tell @value{GDBN} not to resolve opaque types. In this case, the type
17993 is printed as follows:
17995 @{<no data fields>@}
17998 @kindex show opaque-type-resolution
17999 @item show opaque-type-resolution
18000 Show whether opaque types are resolved or not.
18002 @kindex set print symbol-loading
18003 @cindex print messages when symbols are loaded
18004 @item set print symbol-loading
18005 @itemx set print symbol-loading full
18006 @itemx set print symbol-loading brief
18007 @itemx set print symbol-loading off
18008 The @code{set print symbol-loading} command allows you to control the
18009 printing of messages when @value{GDBN} loads symbol information.
18010 By default a message is printed for the executable and one for each
18011 shared library, and normally this is what you want. However, when
18012 debugging apps with large numbers of shared libraries these messages
18014 When set to @code{brief} a message is printed for each executable,
18015 and when @value{GDBN} loads a collection of shared libraries at once
18016 it will only print one message regardless of the number of shared
18017 libraries. When set to @code{off} no messages are printed.
18019 @kindex show print symbol-loading
18020 @item show print symbol-loading
18021 Show whether messages will be printed when a @value{GDBN} command
18022 entered from the keyboard causes symbol information to be loaded.
18024 @kindex maint print symbols
18025 @cindex symbol dump
18026 @kindex maint print psymbols
18027 @cindex partial symbol dump
18028 @kindex maint print msymbols
18029 @cindex minimal symbol dump
18030 @item maint print symbols @r{[}-pc @var{address}@r{]} @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
18031 @itemx maint print symbols @r{[}-objfile @var{objfile}@r{]} @r{[}-source @var{source}@r{]} @r{[}--@r{]} @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
18032 @itemx maint print psymbols @r{[}-objfile @var{objfile}@r{]} @r{[}-pc @var{address}@r{]} @r{[}--@r{]} @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
18033 @itemx maint print psymbols @r{[}-objfile @var{objfile}@r{]} @r{[}-source @var{source}@r{]} @r{[}--@r{]} @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
18034 @itemx maint print msymbols @r{[}-objfile @var{objfile}@r{]} @r{[}--@r{]} @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
18035 Write a dump of debugging symbol data into the file @var{filename} or
18036 the terminal if @var{filename} is unspecified.
18037 If @code{-objfile @var{objfile}} is specified, only dump symbols for
18039 If @code{-pc @var{address}} is specified, only dump symbols for the file
18040 with code at that address. Note that @var{address} may be a symbol like
18042 If @code{-source @var{source}} is specified, only dump symbols for that
18045 These commands are used to debug the @value{GDBN} symbol-reading code.
18046 These commands do not modify internal @value{GDBN} state, therefore
18047 @samp{maint print symbols} will only print symbols for already expanded symbol
18049 You can use the command @code{info sources} to find out which files these are.
18050 If you use @samp{maint print psymbols} instead, the dump shows information
18051 about symbols that @value{GDBN} only knows partially---that is, symbols
18052 defined in files that @value{GDBN} has skimmed, but not yet read completely.
18053 Finally, @samp{maint print msymbols} just dumps ``minimal symbols'', e.g.,
18056 @xref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}, for a discussion of how
18057 @value{GDBN} reads symbols (in the description of @code{symbol-file}).
18059 @kindex maint info symtabs
18060 @kindex maint info psymtabs
18061 @cindex listing @value{GDBN}'s internal symbol tables
18062 @cindex symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
18063 @cindex full symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
18064 @cindex partial symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
18065 @item maint info symtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
18066 @itemx maint info psymtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
18068 List the @code{struct symtab} or @code{struct partial_symtab}
18069 structures whose names match @var{regexp}. If @var{regexp} is not
18070 given, list them all. The output includes expressions which you can
18071 copy into a @value{GDBN} debugging this one to examine a particular
18072 structure in more detail. For example:
18075 (@value{GDBP}) maint info psymtabs dwarf2read
18076 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
18077 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
18078 @{ psymtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
18079 ((struct partial_symtab *) 0x8474b10)
18082 text addresses 0x814d3c8 -- 0x8158074
18083 globals (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x8507a08 @@ 9)
18084 statics (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x40e95b78 @@ 2882)
18085 dependencies (none)
18088 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
18092 We see that there is one partial symbol table whose filename contains
18093 the string @samp{dwarf2read}, belonging to the @samp{gdb} executable;
18094 and we see that @value{GDBN} has not read in any symtabs yet at all.
18095 If we set a breakpoint on a function, that will cause @value{GDBN} to
18096 read the symtab for the compilation unit containing that function:
18099 (@value{GDBP}) break dwarf2_psymtab_to_symtab
18100 Breakpoint 1 at 0x814e5da: file /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c,
18102 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
18103 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
18104 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
18105 @{ symtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
18106 ((struct symtab *) 0x86c1f38)
18109 blockvector ((struct blockvector *) 0x86c1bd0) (primary)
18110 linetable ((struct linetable *) 0x8370fa0)
18111 debugformat DWARF 2
18117 @kindex maint info line-table
18118 @cindex listing @value{GDBN}'s internal line tables
18119 @cindex line tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
18120 @item maint info line-table @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
18122 List the @code{struct linetable} from all @code{struct symtab}
18123 instances whose name matches @var{regexp}. If @var{regexp} is not
18124 given, list the @code{struct linetable} from all @code{struct symtab}.
18126 @kindex maint set symbol-cache-size
18127 @cindex symbol cache size
18128 @item maint set symbol-cache-size @var{size}
18129 Set the size of the symbol cache to @var{size}.
18130 The default size is intended to be good enough for debugging
18131 most applications. This option exists to allow for experimenting
18132 with different sizes.
18134 @kindex maint show symbol-cache-size
18135 @item maint show symbol-cache-size
18136 Show the size of the symbol cache.
18138 @kindex maint print symbol-cache
18139 @cindex symbol cache, printing its contents
18140 @item maint print symbol-cache
18141 Print the contents of the symbol cache.
18142 This is useful when debugging symbol cache issues.
18144 @kindex maint print symbol-cache-statistics
18145 @cindex symbol cache, printing usage statistics
18146 @item maint print symbol-cache-statistics
18147 Print symbol cache usage statistics.
18148 This helps determine how well the cache is being utilized.
18150 @kindex maint flush-symbol-cache
18151 @cindex symbol cache, flushing
18152 @item maint flush-symbol-cache
18153 Flush the contents of the symbol cache, all entries are removed.
18154 This command is useful when debugging the symbol cache.
18155 It is also useful when collecting performance data.
18160 @chapter Altering Execution
18162 Once you think you have found an error in your program, you might want to
18163 find out for certain whether correcting the apparent error would lead to
18164 correct results in the rest of the run. You can find the answer by
18165 experiment, using the @value{GDBN} features for altering execution of the
18168 For example, you can store new values into variables or memory
18169 locations, give your program a signal, restart it at a different
18170 address, or even return prematurely from a function.
18173 * Assignment:: Assignment to variables
18174 * Jumping:: Continuing at a different address
18175 * Signaling:: Giving your program a signal
18176 * Returning:: Returning from a function
18177 * Calling:: Calling your program's functions
18178 * Patching:: Patching your program
18179 * Compiling and Injecting Code:: Compiling and injecting code in @value{GDBN}
18183 @section Assignment to Variables
18186 @cindex setting variables
18187 To alter the value of a variable, evaluate an assignment expression.
18188 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}. For example,
18195 stores the value 4 into the variable @code{x}, and then prints the
18196 value of the assignment expression (which is 4).
18197 @xref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages}, for more
18198 information on operators in supported languages.
18200 @kindex set variable
18201 @cindex variables, setting
18202 If you are not interested in seeing the value of the assignment, use the
18203 @code{set} command instead of the @code{print} command. @code{set} is
18204 really the same as @code{print} except that the expression's value is
18205 not printed and is not put in the value history (@pxref{Value History,
18206 ,Value History}). The expression is evaluated only for its effects.
18208 If the beginning of the argument string of the @code{set} command
18209 appears identical to a @code{set} subcommand, use the @code{set
18210 variable} command instead of just @code{set}. This command is identical
18211 to @code{set} except for its lack of subcommands. For example, if your
18212 program has a variable @code{width}, you get an error if you try to set
18213 a new value with just @samp{set width=13}, because @value{GDBN} has the
18214 command @code{set width}:
18217 (@value{GDBP}) whatis width
18219 (@value{GDBP}) p width
18221 (@value{GDBP}) set width=47
18222 Invalid syntax in expression.
18226 The invalid expression, of course, is @samp{=47}. In
18227 order to actually set the program's variable @code{width}, use
18230 (@value{GDBP}) set var width=47
18233 Because the @code{set} command has many subcommands that can conflict
18234 with the names of program variables, it is a good idea to use the
18235 @code{set variable} command instead of just @code{set}. For example, if
18236 your program has a variable @code{g}, you run into problems if you try
18237 to set a new value with just @samp{set g=4}, because @value{GDBN} has
18238 the command @code{set gnutarget}, abbreviated @code{set g}:
18242 (@value{GDBP}) whatis g
18246 (@value{GDBP}) set g=4
18250 The program being debugged has been started already.
18251 Start it from the beginning? (y or n) y
18252 Starting program: /home/smith/cc_progs/a.out
18253 "/home/smith/cc_progs/a.out": can't open to read symbols:
18254 Invalid bfd target.
18255 (@value{GDBP}) show g
18256 The current BFD target is "=4".
18261 The program variable @code{g} did not change, and you silently set the
18262 @code{gnutarget} to an invalid value. In order to set the variable
18266 (@value{GDBP}) set var g=4
18269 @value{GDBN} allows more implicit conversions in assignments than C; you can
18270 freely store an integer value into a pointer variable or vice versa,
18271 and you can convert any structure to any other structure that is the
18272 same length or shorter.
18273 @comment FIXME: how do structs align/pad in these conversions?
18274 @comment /doc@cygnus.com 18dec1990
18276 To store values into arbitrary places in memory, use the @samp{@{@dots{}@}}
18277 construct to generate a value of specified type at a specified address
18278 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). For example, @code{@{int@}0x83040} refers
18279 to memory location @code{0x83040} as an integer (which implies a certain size
18280 and representation in memory), and
18283 set @{int@}0x83040 = 4
18287 stores the value 4 into that memory location.
18290 @section Continuing at a Different Address
18292 Ordinarily, when you continue your program, you do so at the place where
18293 it stopped, with the @code{continue} command. You can instead continue at
18294 an address of your own choosing, with the following commands:
18298 @kindex j @r{(@code{jump})}
18299 @item jump @var{location}
18300 @itemx j @var{location}
18301 Resume execution at @var{location}. Execution stops again immediately
18302 if there is a breakpoint there. @xref{Specify Location}, for a description
18303 of the different forms of @var{location}. It is common
18304 practice to use the @code{tbreak} command in conjunction with
18305 @code{jump}. @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting Breakpoints}.
18307 The @code{jump} command does not change the current stack frame, or
18308 the stack pointer, or the contents of any memory location or any
18309 register other than the program counter. If @var{location} is in
18310 a different function from the one currently executing, the results may
18311 be bizarre if the two functions expect different patterns of arguments or
18312 of local variables. For this reason, the @code{jump} command requests
18313 confirmation if the specified line is not in the function currently
18314 executing. However, even bizarre results are predictable if you are
18315 well acquainted with the machine-language code of your program.
18318 On many systems, you can get much the same effect as the @code{jump}
18319 command by storing a new value into the register @code{$pc}. The
18320 difference is that this does not start your program running; it only
18321 changes the address of where it @emph{will} run when you continue. For
18329 makes the next @code{continue} command or stepping command execute at
18330 address @code{0x485}, rather than at the address where your program stopped.
18331 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and Stepping}.
18333 The most common occasion to use the @code{jump} command is to back
18334 up---perhaps with more breakpoints set---over a portion of a program
18335 that has already executed, in order to examine its execution in more
18340 @section Giving your Program a Signal
18341 @cindex deliver a signal to a program
18345 @item signal @var{signal}
18346 Resume execution where your program is stopped, but immediately give it the
18347 signal @var{signal}. The @var{signal} can be the name or the number of a
18348 signal. For example, on many systems @code{signal 2} and @code{signal
18349 SIGINT} are both ways of sending an interrupt signal.
18351 Alternatively, if @var{signal} is zero, continue execution without
18352 giving a signal. This is useful when your program stopped on account of
18353 a signal and would ordinarily see the signal when resumed with the
18354 @code{continue} command; @samp{signal 0} causes it to resume without a
18357 @emph{Note:} When resuming a multi-threaded program, @var{signal} is
18358 delivered to the currently selected thread, not the thread that last
18359 reported a stop. This includes the situation where a thread was
18360 stopped due to a signal. So if you want to continue execution
18361 suppressing the signal that stopped a thread, you should select that
18362 same thread before issuing the @samp{signal 0} command. If you issue
18363 the @samp{signal 0} command with another thread as the selected one,
18364 @value{GDBN} detects that and asks for confirmation.
18366 Invoking the @code{signal} command is not the same as invoking the
18367 @code{kill} utility from the shell. Sending a signal with @code{kill}
18368 causes @value{GDBN} to decide what to do with the signal depending on
18369 the signal handling tables (@pxref{Signals}). The @code{signal} command
18370 passes the signal directly to your program.
18372 @code{signal} does not repeat when you press @key{RET} a second time
18373 after executing the command.
18375 @kindex queue-signal
18376 @item queue-signal @var{signal}
18377 Queue @var{signal} to be delivered immediately to the current thread
18378 when execution of the thread resumes. The @var{signal} can be the name or
18379 the number of a signal. For example, on many systems @code{signal 2} and
18380 @code{signal SIGINT} are both ways of sending an interrupt signal.
18381 The handling of the signal must be set to pass the signal to the program,
18382 otherwise @value{GDBN} will report an error.
18383 You can control the handling of signals from @value{GDBN} with the
18384 @code{handle} command (@pxref{Signals}).
18386 Alternatively, if @var{signal} is zero, any currently queued signal
18387 for the current thread is discarded and when execution resumes no signal
18388 will be delivered. This is useful when your program stopped on account
18389 of a signal and would ordinarily see the signal when resumed with the
18390 @code{continue} command.
18392 This command differs from the @code{signal} command in that the signal
18393 is just queued, execution is not resumed. And @code{queue-signal} cannot
18394 be used to pass a signal whose handling state has been set to @code{nopass}
18399 @xref{stepping into signal handlers}, for information on how stepping
18400 commands behave when the thread has a signal queued.
18403 @section Returning from a Function
18406 @cindex returning from a function
18409 @itemx return @var{expression}
18410 You can cancel execution of a function call with the @code{return}
18411 command. If you give an
18412 @var{expression} argument, its value is used as the function's return
18416 When you use @code{return}, @value{GDBN} discards the selected stack frame
18417 (and all frames within it). You can think of this as making the
18418 discarded frame return prematurely. If you wish to specify a value to
18419 be returned, give that value as the argument to @code{return}.
18421 This pops the selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a
18422 Frame}), and any other frames inside of it, leaving its caller as the
18423 innermost remaining frame. That frame becomes selected. The
18424 specified value is stored in the registers used for returning values
18427 The @code{return} command does not resume execution; it leaves the
18428 program stopped in the state that would exist if the function had just
18429 returned. In contrast, the @code{finish} command (@pxref{Continuing
18430 and Stepping, ,Continuing and Stepping}) resumes execution until the
18431 selected stack frame returns naturally.
18433 @value{GDBN} needs to know how the @var{expression} argument should be set for
18434 the inferior. The concrete registers assignment depends on the OS ABI and the
18435 type being returned by the selected stack frame. For example it is common for
18436 OS ABI to return floating point values in FPU registers while integer values in
18437 CPU registers. Still some ABIs return even floating point values in CPU
18438 registers. Larger integer widths (such as @code{long long int}) also have
18439 specific placement rules. @value{GDBN} already knows the OS ABI from its
18440 current target so it needs to find out also the type being returned to make the
18441 assignment into the right register(s).
18443 Normally, the selected stack frame has debug info. @value{GDBN} will always
18444 use the debug info instead of the implicit type of @var{expression} when the
18445 debug info is available. For example, if you type @kbd{return -1}, and the
18446 function in the current stack frame is declared to return a @code{long long
18447 int}, @value{GDBN} transparently converts the implicit @code{int} value of -1
18448 into a @code{long long int}:
18451 Breakpoint 1, func () at gdb.base/return-nodebug.c:29
18453 (@value{GDBP}) return -1
18454 Make func return now? (y or n) y
18455 #0 0x004004f6 in main () at gdb.base/return-nodebug.c:43
18456 43 printf ("result=%lld\n", func ());
18460 However, if the selected stack frame does not have a debug info, e.g., if the
18461 function was compiled without debug info, @value{GDBN} has to find out the type
18462 to return from user. Specifying a different type by mistake may set the value
18463 in different inferior registers than the caller code expects. For example,
18464 typing @kbd{return -1} with its implicit type @code{int} would set only a part
18465 of a @code{long long int} result for a debug info less function (on 32-bit
18466 architectures). Therefore the user is required to specify the return type by
18467 an appropriate cast explicitly:
18470 Breakpoint 2, 0x0040050b in func ()
18471 (@value{GDBP}) return -1
18472 Return value type not available for selected stack frame.
18473 Please use an explicit cast of the value to return.
18474 (@value{GDBP}) return (long long int) -1
18475 Make selected stack frame return now? (y or n) y
18476 #0 0x00400526 in main ()
18481 @section Calling Program Functions
18484 @cindex calling functions
18485 @cindex inferior functions, calling
18486 @item print @var{expr}
18487 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} and display the resulting value.
18488 The expression may include calls to functions in the program being
18492 @item call @var{expr}
18493 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} without displaying @code{void}
18496 You can use this variant of the @code{print} command if you want to
18497 execute a function from your program that does not return anything
18498 (a.k.a.@: @dfn{a void function}), but without cluttering the output
18499 with @code{void} returned values that @value{GDBN} will otherwise
18500 print. If the result is not void, it is printed and saved in the
18504 It is possible for the function you call via the @code{print} or
18505 @code{call} command to generate a signal (e.g., if there's a bug in
18506 the function, or if you passed it incorrect arguments). What happens
18507 in that case is controlled by the @code{set unwindonsignal} command.
18509 Similarly, with a C@t{++} program it is possible for the function you
18510 call via the @code{print} or @code{call} command to generate an
18511 exception that is not handled due to the constraints of the dummy
18512 frame. In this case, any exception that is raised in the frame, but has
18513 an out-of-frame exception handler will not be found. GDB builds a
18514 dummy-frame for the inferior function call, and the unwinder cannot
18515 seek for exception handlers outside of this dummy-frame. What happens
18516 in that case is controlled by the
18517 @code{set unwind-on-terminating-exception} command.
18520 @item set unwindonsignal
18521 @kindex set unwindonsignal
18522 @cindex unwind stack in called functions
18523 @cindex call dummy stack unwinding
18524 Set unwinding of the stack if a signal is received while in a function
18525 that @value{GDBN} called in the program being debugged. If set to on,
18526 @value{GDBN} unwinds the stack it created for the call and restores
18527 the context to what it was before the call. If set to off (the
18528 default), @value{GDBN} stops in the frame where the signal was
18531 @item show unwindonsignal
18532 @kindex show unwindonsignal
18533 Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions called by
18536 @item set unwind-on-terminating-exception
18537 @kindex set unwind-on-terminating-exception
18538 @cindex unwind stack in called functions with unhandled exceptions
18539 @cindex call dummy stack unwinding on unhandled exception.
18540 Set unwinding of the stack if a C@t{++} exception is raised, but left
18541 unhandled while in a function that @value{GDBN} called in the program being
18542 debugged. If set to on (the default), @value{GDBN} unwinds the stack
18543 it created for the call and restores the context to what it was before
18544 the call. If set to off, @value{GDBN} the exception is delivered to
18545 the default C@t{++} exception handler and the inferior terminated.
18547 @item show unwind-on-terminating-exception
18548 @kindex show unwind-on-terminating-exception
18549 Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions called by
18554 @subsection Calling functions with no debug info
18556 @cindex no debug info functions
18557 Sometimes, a function you wish to call is missing debug information.
18558 In such case, @value{GDBN} does not know the type of the function,
18559 including the types of the function's parameters. To avoid calling
18560 the inferior function incorrectly, which could result in the called
18561 function functioning erroneously and even crash, @value{GDBN} refuses
18562 to call the function unless you tell it the type of the function.
18564 For prototyped (i.e.@: ANSI/ISO style) functions, there are two ways
18565 to do that. The simplest is to cast the call to the function's
18566 declared return type. For example:
18569 (@value{GDBP}) p getenv ("PATH")
18570 'getenv' has unknown return type; cast the call to its declared return type
18571 (@value{GDBP}) p (char *) getenv ("PATH")
18572 $1 = 0x7fffffffe7ba "/usr/local/bin:/"...
18575 Casting the return type of a no-debug function is equivalent to
18576 casting the function to a pointer to a prototyped function that has a
18577 prototype that matches the types of the passed-in arguments, and
18578 calling that. I.e., the call above is equivalent to:
18581 (@value{GDBP}) p ((char * (*) (const char *)) getenv) ("PATH")
18585 and given this prototyped C or C++ function with float parameters:
18588 float multiply (float v1, float v2) @{ return v1 * v2; @}
18592 these calls are equivalent:
18595 (@value{GDBP}) p (float) multiply (2.0f, 3.0f)
18596 (@value{GDBP}) p ((float (*) (float, float)) multiply) (2.0f, 3.0f)
18599 If the function you wish to call is declared as unprototyped (i.e.@:
18600 old K&R style), you must use the cast-to-function-pointer syntax, so
18601 that @value{GDBN} knows that it needs to apply default argument
18602 promotions (promote float arguments to double). @xref{ABI, float
18603 promotion}. For example, given this unprototyped C function with
18604 float parameters, and no debug info:
18608 multiply_noproto (v1, v2)
18616 you call it like this:
18619 (@value{GDBP}) p ((float (*) ()) multiply_noproto) (2.0f, 3.0f)
18623 @section Patching Programs
18625 @cindex patching binaries
18626 @cindex writing into executables
18627 @cindex writing into corefiles
18629 By default, @value{GDBN} opens the file containing your program's
18630 executable code (or the corefile) read-only. This prevents accidental
18631 alterations to machine code; but it also prevents you from intentionally
18632 patching your program's binary.
18634 If you'd like to be able to patch the binary, you can specify that
18635 explicitly with the @code{set write} command. For example, you might
18636 want to turn on internal debugging flags, or even to make emergency
18642 @itemx set write off
18643 If you specify @samp{set write on}, @value{GDBN} opens executable and
18644 core files for both reading and writing; if you specify @kbd{set write
18645 off} (the default), @value{GDBN} opens them read-only.
18647 If you have already loaded a file, you must load it again (using the
18648 @code{exec-file} or @code{core-file} command) after changing @code{set
18649 write}, for your new setting to take effect.
18653 Display whether executable files and core files are opened for writing
18654 as well as reading.
18657 @node Compiling and Injecting Code
18658 @section Compiling and injecting code in @value{GDBN}
18659 @cindex injecting code
18660 @cindex writing into executables
18661 @cindex compiling code
18663 @value{GDBN} supports on-demand compilation and code injection into
18664 programs running under @value{GDBN}. GCC 5.0 or higher built with
18665 @file{libcc1.so} must be installed for this functionality to be enabled.
18666 This functionality is implemented with the following commands.
18669 @kindex compile code
18670 @item compile code @var{source-code}
18671 @itemx compile code -raw @var{--} @var{source-code}
18672 Compile @var{source-code} with the compiler language found as the current
18673 language in @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Languages}). If compilation and
18674 injection is not supported with the current language specified in
18675 @value{GDBN}, or the compiler does not support this feature, an error
18676 message will be printed. If @var{source-code} compiles and links
18677 successfully, @value{GDBN} will load the object-code emitted,
18678 and execute it within the context of the currently selected inferior.
18679 It is important to note that the compiled code is executed immediately.
18680 After execution, the compiled code is removed from @value{GDBN} and any
18681 new types or variables you have defined will be deleted.
18683 The command allows you to specify @var{source-code} in two ways.
18684 The simplest method is to provide a single line of code to the command.
18688 compile code printf ("hello world\n");
18691 If you specify options on the command line as well as source code, they
18692 may conflict. The @samp{--} delimiter can be used to separate options
18693 from actual source code. E.g.:
18696 compile code -r -- printf ("hello world\n");
18699 Alternatively you can enter source code as multiple lines of text. To
18700 enter this mode, invoke the @samp{compile code} command without any text
18701 following the command. This will start the multiple-line editor and
18702 allow you to type as many lines of source code as required. When you
18703 have completed typing, enter @samp{end} on its own line to exit the
18708 >printf ("hello\n");
18709 >printf ("world\n");
18713 Specifying @samp{-raw}, prohibits @value{GDBN} from wrapping the
18714 provided @var{source-code} in a callable scope. In this case, you must
18715 specify the entry point of the code by defining a function named
18716 @code{_gdb_expr_}. The @samp{-raw} code cannot access variables of the
18717 inferior. Using @samp{-raw} option may be needed for example when
18718 @var{source-code} requires @samp{#include} lines which may conflict with
18719 inferior symbols otherwise.
18721 @kindex compile file
18722 @item compile file @var{filename}
18723 @itemx compile file -raw @var{filename}
18724 Like @code{compile code}, but take the source code from @var{filename}.
18727 compile file /home/user/example.c
18732 @item compile print @var{expr}
18733 @itemx compile print /@var{f} @var{expr}
18734 Compile and execute @var{expr} with the compiler language found as the
18735 current language in @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Languages}). By default the
18736 value of @var{expr} is printed in a format appropriate to its data type;
18737 you can choose a different format by specifying @samp{/@var{f}}, where
18738 @var{f} is a letter specifying the format; see @ref{Output Formats,,Output
18741 @item compile print
18742 @itemx compile print /@var{f}
18743 @cindex reprint the last value
18744 Alternatively you can enter the expression (source code producing it) as
18745 multiple lines of text. To enter this mode, invoke the @samp{compile print}
18746 command without any text following the command. This will start the
18747 multiple-line editor.
18751 The process of compiling and injecting the code can be inspected using:
18754 @anchor{set debug compile}
18755 @item set debug compile
18756 @cindex compile command debugging info
18757 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} process of compiling and
18758 injecting the code. The default is off.
18760 @item show debug compile
18761 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} process of
18762 compiling and injecting the code.
18764 @anchor{set debug compile-cplus-types}
18765 @item set debug compile-cplus-types
18766 @cindex compile C@t{++} type conversion
18767 Turns on or off the display of C@t{++} type conversion debugging information.
18768 The default is off.
18770 @item show debug compile-cplus-types
18771 Displays the current state of displaying debugging information for
18772 C@t{++} type conversion.
18775 @subsection Compilation options for the @code{compile} command
18777 @value{GDBN} needs to specify the right compilation options for the code
18778 to be injected, in part to make its ABI compatible with the inferior
18779 and in part to make the injected code compatible with @value{GDBN}'s
18783 The options used, in increasing precedence:
18786 @item target architecture and OS options (@code{gdbarch})
18787 These options depend on target processor type and target operating
18788 system, usually they specify at least 32-bit (@code{-m32}) or 64-bit
18789 (@code{-m64}) compilation option.
18791 @item compilation options recorded in the target
18792 @value{NGCC} (since version 4.7) stores the options used for compilation
18793 into @code{DW_AT_producer} part of DWARF debugging information according
18794 to the @value{NGCC} option @code{-grecord-gcc-switches}. One has to
18795 explicitly specify @code{-g} during inferior compilation otherwise
18796 @value{NGCC} produces no DWARF. This feature is only relevant for
18797 platforms where @code{-g} produces DWARF by default, otherwise one may
18798 try to enforce DWARF by using @code{-gdwarf-4}.
18800 @item compilation options set by @code{set compile-args}
18804 You can override compilation options using the following command:
18807 @item set compile-args
18808 @cindex compile command options override
18809 Set compilation options used for compiling and injecting code with the
18810 @code{compile} commands. These options override any conflicting ones
18811 from the target architecture and/or options stored during inferior
18814 @item show compile-args
18815 Displays the current state of compilation options override.
18816 This does not show all the options actually used during compilation,
18817 use @ref{set debug compile} for that.
18820 @subsection Caveats when using the @code{compile} command
18822 There are a few caveats to keep in mind when using the @code{compile}
18823 command. As the caveats are different per language, the table below
18824 highlights specific issues on a per language basis.
18827 @item C code examples and caveats
18828 When the language in @value{GDBN} is set to @samp{C}, the compiler will
18829 attempt to compile the source code with a @samp{C} compiler. The source
18830 code provided to the @code{compile} command will have much the same
18831 access to variables and types as it normally would if it were part of
18832 the program currently being debugged in @value{GDBN}.
18834 Below is a sample program that forms the basis of the examples that
18835 follow. This program has been compiled and loaded into @value{GDBN},
18836 much like any other normal debugging session.
18839 void function1 (void)
18842 printf ("function 1\n");
18845 void function2 (void)
18860 For the purposes of the examples in this section, the program above has
18861 been compiled, loaded into @value{GDBN}, stopped at the function
18862 @code{main}, and @value{GDBN} is awaiting input from the user.
18864 To access variables and types for any program in @value{GDBN}, the
18865 program must be compiled and packaged with debug information. The
18866 @code{compile} command is not an exception to this rule. Without debug
18867 information, you can still use the @code{compile} command, but you will
18868 be very limited in what variables and types you can access.
18870 So with that in mind, the example above has been compiled with debug
18871 information enabled. The @code{compile} command will have access to
18872 all variables and types (except those that may have been optimized
18873 out). Currently, as @value{GDBN} has stopped the program in the
18874 @code{main} function, the @code{compile} command would have access to
18875 the variable @code{k}. You could invoke the @code{compile} command
18876 and type some source code to set the value of @code{k}. You can also
18877 read it, or do anything with that variable you would normally do in
18878 @code{C}. Be aware that changes to inferior variables in the
18879 @code{compile} command are persistent. In the following example:
18882 compile code k = 3;
18886 the variable @code{k} is now 3. It will retain that value until
18887 something else in the example program changes it, or another
18888 @code{compile} command changes it.
18890 Normal scope and access rules apply to source code compiled and
18891 injected by the @code{compile} command. In the example, the variables
18892 @code{j} and @code{k} are not accessible yet, because the program is
18893 currently stopped in the @code{main} function, where these variables
18894 are not in scope. Therefore, the following command
18897 compile code j = 3;
18901 will result in a compilation error message.
18903 Once the program is continued, execution will bring these variables in
18904 scope, and they will become accessible; then the code you specify via
18905 the @code{compile} command will be able to access them.
18907 You can create variables and types with the @code{compile} command as
18908 part of your source code. Variables and types that are created as part
18909 of the @code{compile} command are not visible to the rest of the program for
18910 the duration of its run. This example is valid:
18913 compile code int ff = 5; printf ("ff is %d\n", ff);
18916 However, if you were to type the following into @value{GDBN} after that
18917 command has completed:
18920 compile code printf ("ff is %d\n'', ff);
18924 a compiler error would be raised as the variable @code{ff} no longer
18925 exists. Object code generated and injected by the @code{compile}
18926 command is removed when its execution ends. Caution is advised
18927 when assigning to program variables values of variables created by the
18928 code submitted to the @code{compile} command. This example is valid:
18931 compile code int ff = 5; k = ff;
18934 The value of the variable @code{ff} is assigned to @code{k}. The variable
18935 @code{k} does not require the existence of @code{ff} to maintain the value
18936 it has been assigned. However, pointers require particular care in
18937 assignment. If the source code compiled with the @code{compile} command
18938 changed the address of a pointer in the example program, perhaps to a
18939 variable created in the @code{compile} command, that pointer would point
18940 to an invalid location when the command exits. The following example
18941 would likely cause issues with your debugged program:
18944 compile code int ff = 5; p = &ff;
18947 In this example, @code{p} would point to @code{ff} when the
18948 @code{compile} command is executing the source code provided to it.
18949 However, as variables in the (example) program persist with their
18950 assigned values, the variable @code{p} would point to an invalid
18951 location when the command exists. A general rule should be followed
18952 in that you should either assign @code{NULL} to any assigned pointers,
18953 or restore a valid location to the pointer before the command exits.
18955 Similar caution must be exercised with any structs, unions, and typedefs
18956 defined in @code{compile} command. Types defined in the @code{compile}
18957 command will no longer be available in the next @code{compile} command.
18958 Therefore, if you cast a variable to a type defined in the
18959 @code{compile} command, care must be taken to ensure that any future
18960 need to resolve the type can be achieved.
18963 (gdb) compile code static struct a @{ int a; @} v = @{ 42 @}; argv = &v;
18964 (gdb) compile code printf ("%d\n", ((struct a *) argv)->a);
18965 gdb command line:1:36: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type ‘struct a’
18966 Compilation failed.
18967 (gdb) compile code struct a @{ int a; @}; printf ("%d\n", ((struct a *) argv)->a);
18971 Variables that have been optimized away by the compiler are not
18972 accessible to the code submitted to the @code{compile} command.
18973 Access to those variables will generate a compiler error which @value{GDBN}
18974 will print to the console.
18977 @subsection Compiler search for the @code{compile} command
18979 @value{GDBN} needs to find @value{NGCC} for the inferior being debugged
18980 which may not be obvious for remote targets of different architecture
18981 than where @value{GDBN} is running. Environment variable @code{PATH} on
18982 @value{GDBN} host is searched for @value{NGCC} binary matching the
18983 target architecture and operating system. This search can be overriden
18984 by @code{set compile-gcc} @value{GDBN} command below. @code{PATH} is
18985 taken from shell that executed @value{GDBN}, it is not the value set by
18986 @value{GDBN} command @code{set environment}). @xref{Environment}.
18989 Specifically @code{PATH} is searched for binaries matching regular expression
18990 @code{@var{arch}(-[^-]*)?-@var{os}-gcc} according to the inferior target being
18991 debugged. @var{arch} is processor name --- multiarch is supported, so for
18992 example both @code{i386} and @code{x86_64} targets look for pattern
18993 @code{(x86_64|i.86)} and both @code{s390} and @code{s390x} targets look
18994 for pattern @code{s390x?}. @var{os} is currently supported only for
18995 pattern @code{linux(-gnu)?}.
18997 On Posix hosts the compiler driver @value{GDBN} needs to find also
18998 shared library @file{libcc1.so} from the compiler. It is searched in
18999 default shared library search path (overridable with usual environment
19000 variable @code{LD_LIBRARY_PATH}), unrelated to @code{PATH} or @code{set
19001 compile-gcc} settings. Contrary to it @file{libcc1plugin.so} is found
19002 according to the installation of the found compiler --- as possibly
19003 specified by the @code{set compile-gcc} command.
19006 @item set compile-gcc
19007 @cindex compile command driver filename override
19008 Set compilation command used for compiling and injecting code with the
19009 @code{compile} commands. If this option is not set (it is set to
19010 an empty string), the search described above will occur --- that is the
19013 @item show compile-gcc
19014 Displays the current compile command @value{NGCC} driver filename.
19015 If set, it is the main command @command{gcc}, found usually for example
19016 under name @file{x86_64-linux-gnu-gcc}.
19020 @chapter @value{GDBN} Files
19022 @value{GDBN} needs to know the file name of the program to be debugged,
19023 both in order to read its symbol table and in order to start your
19024 program. To debug a core dump of a previous run, you must also tell
19025 @value{GDBN} the name of the core dump file.
19028 * Files:: Commands to specify files
19029 * File Caching:: Information about @value{GDBN}'s file caching
19030 * Separate Debug Files:: Debugging information in separate files
19031 * MiniDebugInfo:: Debugging information in a special section
19032 * Index Files:: Index files speed up GDB
19033 * Symbol Errors:: Errors reading symbol files
19034 * Data Files:: GDB data files
19038 @section Commands to Specify Files
19040 @cindex symbol table
19041 @cindex core dump file
19043 You may want to specify executable and core dump file names. The usual
19044 way to do this is at start-up time, using the arguments to
19045 @value{GDBN}'s start-up commands (@pxref{Invocation, , Getting In and
19046 Out of @value{GDBN}}).
19048 Occasionally it is necessary to change to a different file during a
19049 @value{GDBN} session. Or you may run @value{GDBN} and forget to
19050 specify a file you want to use. Or you are debugging a remote target
19051 via @code{gdbserver} (@pxref{Server, file, Using the @code{gdbserver}
19052 Program}). In these situations the @value{GDBN} commands to specify
19053 new files are useful.
19056 @cindex executable file
19058 @item file @var{filename}
19059 Use @var{filename} as the program to be debugged. It is read for its
19060 symbols and for the contents of pure memory. It is also the program
19061 executed when you use the @code{run} command. If you do not specify a
19062 directory and the file is not found in the @value{GDBN} working directory,
19063 @value{GDBN} uses the environment variable @code{PATH} as a list of
19064 directories to search, just as the shell does when looking for a program
19065 to run. You can change the value of this variable, for both @value{GDBN}
19066 and your program, using the @code{path} command.
19068 @cindex unlinked object files
19069 @cindex patching object files
19070 You can load unlinked object @file{.o} files into @value{GDBN} using
19071 the @code{file} command. You will not be able to ``run'' an object
19072 file, but you can disassemble functions and inspect variables. Also,
19073 if the underlying BFD functionality supports it, you could use
19074 @kbd{gdb -write} to patch object files using this technique. Note
19075 that @value{GDBN} can neither interpret nor modify relocations in this
19076 case, so branches and some initialized variables will appear to go to
19077 the wrong place. But this feature is still handy from time to time.
19080 @code{file} with no argument makes @value{GDBN} discard any information it
19081 has on both executable file and the symbol table.
19084 @item exec-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{]}
19085 Specify that the program to be run (but not the symbol table) is found
19086 in @var{filename}. @value{GDBN} searches the environment variable @code{PATH}
19087 if necessary to locate your program. Omitting @var{filename} means to
19088 discard information on the executable file.
19090 @kindex symbol-file
19091 @item symbol-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{[} -o @var{offset} @r{]]}
19092 Read symbol table information from file @var{filename}. @code{PATH} is
19093 searched when necessary. Use the @code{file} command to get both symbol
19094 table and program to run from the same file.
19096 If an optional @var{offset} is specified, it is added to the start
19097 address of each section in the symbol file. This is useful if the
19098 program is relocated at runtime, such as the Linux kernel with kASLR
19101 @code{symbol-file} with no argument clears out @value{GDBN} information on your
19102 program's symbol table.
19104 The @code{symbol-file} command causes @value{GDBN} to forget the contents of
19105 some breakpoints and auto-display expressions. This is because they may
19106 contain pointers to the internal data recording symbols and data types,
19107 which are part of the old symbol table data being discarded inside
19110 @code{symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
19113 When @value{GDBN} is configured for a particular environment, it
19114 understands debugging information in whatever format is the standard
19115 generated for that environment; you may use either a @sc{gnu} compiler, or
19116 other compilers that adhere to the local conventions.
19117 Best results are usually obtained from @sc{gnu} compilers; for example,
19118 using @code{@value{NGCC}} you can generate debugging information for
19121 For most kinds of object files, with the exception of old SVR3 systems
19122 using COFF, the @code{symbol-file} command does not normally read the
19123 symbol table in full right away. Instead, it scans the symbol table
19124 quickly to find which source files and which symbols are present. The
19125 details are read later, one source file at a time, as they are needed.
19127 The purpose of this two-stage reading strategy is to make @value{GDBN}
19128 start up faster. For the most part, it is invisible except for
19129 occasional pauses while the symbol table details for a particular source
19130 file are being read. (The @code{set verbose} command can turn these
19131 pauses into messages if desired. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional
19132 Warnings and Messages}.)
19134 We have not implemented the two-stage strategy for COFF yet. When the
19135 symbol table is stored in COFF format, @code{symbol-file} reads the
19136 symbol table data in full right away. Note that ``stabs-in-COFF''
19137 still does the two-stage strategy, since the debug info is actually
19141 @cindex reading symbols immediately
19142 @cindex symbols, reading immediately
19143 @item symbol-file @r{[} -readnow @r{]} @var{filename}
19144 @itemx file @r{[} -readnow @r{]} @var{filename}
19145 You can override the @value{GDBN} two-stage strategy for reading symbol
19146 tables by using the @samp{-readnow} option with any of the commands that
19147 load symbol table information, if you want to be sure @value{GDBN} has the
19148 entire symbol table available.
19150 @cindex @code{-readnever}, option for symbol-file command
19151 @cindex never read symbols
19152 @cindex symbols, never read
19153 @item symbol-file @r{[} -readnever @r{]} @var{filename}
19154 @itemx file @r{[} -readnever @r{]} @var{filename}
19155 You can instruct @value{GDBN} to never read the symbolic information
19156 contained in @var{filename} by using the @samp{-readnever} option.
19157 @xref{--readnever}.
19159 @c FIXME: for now no mention of directories, since this seems to be in
19160 @c flux. 13mar1992 status is that in theory GDB would look either in
19161 @c current dir or in same dir as myprog; but issues like competing
19162 @c GDB's, or clutter in system dirs, mean that in practice right now
19163 @c only current dir is used. FFish says maybe a special GDB hierarchy
19164 @c (eg rooted in val of env var GDBSYMS) could exist for mappable symbol
19168 @item core-file @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
19170 Specify the whereabouts of a core dump file to be used as the ``contents
19171 of memory''. Traditionally, core files contain only some parts of the
19172 address space of the process that generated them; @value{GDBN} can access the
19173 executable file itself for other parts.
19175 @code{core-file} with no argument specifies that no core file is
19178 Note that the core file is ignored when your program is actually running
19179 under @value{GDBN}. So, if you have been running your program and you
19180 wish to debug a core file instead, you must kill the subprocess in which
19181 the program is running. To do this, use the @code{kill} command
19182 (@pxref{Kill Process, ,Killing the Child Process}).
19184 @kindex add-symbol-file
19185 @cindex dynamic linking
19186 @item add-symbol-file @var{filename} @r{[} -readnow @r{|} -readnever @r{]} @r{[} -o @var{offset} @r{]} @r{[} @var{textaddress} @r{]} @r{[} -s @var{section} @var{address} @dots{} @r{]}
19187 The @code{add-symbol-file} command reads additional symbol table
19188 information from the file @var{filename}. You would use this command
19189 when @var{filename} has been dynamically loaded (by some other means)
19190 into the program that is running. The @var{textaddress} parameter gives
19191 the memory address at which the file's text section has been loaded.
19192 You can additionally specify the base address of other sections using
19193 an arbitrary number of @samp{-s @var{section} @var{address}} pairs.
19194 If a section is omitted, @value{GDBN} will use its default addresses
19195 as found in @var{filename}. Any @var{address} or @var{textaddress}
19196 can be given as an expression.
19198 If an optional @var{offset} is specified, it is added to the start
19199 address of each section, except those for which the address was
19200 specified explicitly.
19202 The symbol table of the file @var{filename} is added to the symbol table
19203 originally read with the @code{symbol-file} command. You can use the
19204 @code{add-symbol-file} command any number of times; the new symbol data
19205 thus read is kept in addition to the old.
19207 Changes can be reverted using the command @code{remove-symbol-file}.
19209 @cindex relocatable object files, reading symbols from
19210 @cindex object files, relocatable, reading symbols from
19211 @cindex reading symbols from relocatable object files
19212 @cindex symbols, reading from relocatable object files
19213 @cindex @file{.o} files, reading symbols from
19214 Although @var{filename} is typically a shared library file, an
19215 executable file, or some other object file which has been fully
19216 relocated for loading into a process, you can also load symbolic
19217 information from relocatable @file{.o} files, as long as:
19221 the file's symbolic information refers only to linker symbols defined in
19222 that file, not to symbols defined by other object files,
19224 every section the file's symbolic information refers to has actually
19225 been loaded into the inferior, as it appears in the file, and
19227 you can determine the address at which every section was loaded, and
19228 provide these to the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
19232 Some embedded operating systems, like Sun Chorus and VxWorks, can load
19233 relocatable files into an already running program; such systems
19234 typically make the requirements above easy to meet. However, it's
19235 important to recognize that many native systems use complex link
19236 procedures (@code{.linkonce} section factoring and C@t{++} constructor table
19237 assembly, for example) that make the requirements difficult to meet. In
19238 general, one cannot assume that using @code{add-symbol-file} to read a
19239 relocatable object file's symbolic information will have the same effect
19240 as linking the relocatable object file into the program in the normal
19243 @code{add-symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
19245 @kindex remove-symbol-file
19246 @item remove-symbol-file @var{filename}
19247 @item remove-symbol-file -a @var{address}
19248 Remove a symbol file added via the @code{add-symbol-file} command. The
19249 file to remove can be identified by its @var{filename} or by an @var{address}
19250 that lies within the boundaries of this symbol file in memory. Example:
19253 (gdb) add-symbol-file /home/user/gdb/mylib.so 0x7ffff7ff9480
19254 add symbol table from file "/home/user/gdb/mylib.so" at
19255 .text_addr = 0x7ffff7ff9480
19257 Reading symbols from /home/user/gdb/mylib.so...done.
19258 (gdb) remove-symbol-file -a 0x7ffff7ff9480
19259 Remove symbol table from file "/home/user/gdb/mylib.so"? (y or n) y
19264 @code{remove-symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
19266 @kindex add-symbol-file-from-memory
19267 @cindex @code{syscall DSO}
19268 @cindex load symbols from memory
19269 @item add-symbol-file-from-memory @var{address}
19270 Load symbols from the given @var{address} in a dynamically loaded
19271 object file whose image is mapped directly into the inferior's memory.
19272 For example, the Linux kernel maps a @code{syscall DSO} into each
19273 process's address space; this DSO provides kernel-specific code for
19274 some system calls. The argument can be any expression whose
19275 evaluation yields the address of the file's shared object file header.
19276 For this command to work, you must have used @code{symbol-file} or
19277 @code{exec-file} commands in advance.
19280 @item section @var{section} @var{addr}
19281 The @code{section} command changes the base address of the named
19282 @var{section} of the exec file to @var{addr}. This can be used if the
19283 exec file does not contain section addresses, (such as in the
19284 @code{a.out} format), or when the addresses specified in the file
19285 itself are wrong. Each section must be changed separately. The
19286 @code{info files} command, described below, lists all the sections and
19290 @kindex info target
19293 @code{info files} and @code{info target} are synonymous; both print the
19294 current target (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}),
19295 including the names of the executable and core dump files currently in
19296 use by @value{GDBN}, and the files from which symbols were loaded. The
19297 command @code{help target} lists all possible targets rather than
19300 @kindex maint info sections
19301 @item maint info sections
19302 Another command that can give you extra information about program sections
19303 is @code{maint info sections}. In addition to the section information
19304 displayed by @code{info files}, this command displays the flags and file
19305 offset of each section in the executable and core dump files. In addition,
19306 @code{maint info sections} provides the following command options (which
19307 may be arbitrarily combined):
19311 Display sections for all loaded object files, including shared libraries.
19312 @item @var{sections}
19313 Display info only for named @var{sections}.
19314 @item @var{section-flags}
19315 Display info only for sections for which @var{section-flags} are true.
19316 The section flags that @value{GDBN} currently knows about are:
19319 Section will have space allocated in the process when loaded.
19320 Set for all sections except those containing debug information.
19322 Section will be loaded from the file into the child process memory.
19323 Set for pre-initialized code and data, clear for @code{.bss} sections.
19325 Section needs to be relocated before loading.
19327 Section cannot be modified by the child process.
19329 Section contains executable code only.
19331 Section contains data only (no executable code).
19333 Section will reside in ROM.
19335 Section contains data for constructor/destructor lists.
19337 Section is not empty.
19339 An instruction to the linker to not output the section.
19340 @item COFF_SHARED_LIBRARY
19341 A notification to the linker that the section contains
19342 COFF shared library information.
19344 Section contains common symbols.
19347 @kindex set trust-readonly-sections
19348 @cindex read-only sections
19349 @item set trust-readonly-sections on
19350 Tell @value{GDBN} that readonly sections in your object file
19351 really are read-only (i.e.@: that their contents will not change).
19352 In that case, @value{GDBN} can fetch values from these sections
19353 out of the object file, rather than from the target program.
19354 For some targets (notably embedded ones), this can be a significant
19355 enhancement to debugging performance.
19357 The default is off.
19359 @item set trust-readonly-sections off
19360 Tell @value{GDBN} not to trust readonly sections. This means that
19361 the contents of the section might change while the program is running,
19362 and must therefore be fetched from the target when needed.
19364 @item show trust-readonly-sections
19365 Show the current setting of trusting readonly sections.
19368 All file-specifying commands allow both absolute and relative file names
19369 as arguments. @value{GDBN} always converts the file name to an absolute file
19370 name and remembers it that way.
19372 @cindex shared libraries
19373 @anchor{Shared Libraries}
19374 @value{GDBN} supports @sc{gnu}/Linux, MS-Windows, SunOS,
19375 Darwin/Mach-O, SVr4, IBM RS/6000 AIX, QNX Neutrino, FDPIC (FR-V), and
19376 DSBT (TIC6X) shared libraries.
19378 On MS-Windows @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support
19379 shared libraries. @xref{Expat}.
19381 @value{GDBN} automatically loads symbol definitions from shared libraries
19382 when you use the @code{run} command, or when you examine a core file.
19383 (Before you issue the @code{run} command, @value{GDBN} does not understand
19384 references to a function in a shared library, however---unless you are
19385 debugging a core file).
19387 @c FIXME: some @value{GDBN} release may permit some refs to undef
19388 @c FIXME...symbols---eg in a break cmd---assuming they are from a shared
19389 @c FIXME...lib; check this from time to time when updating manual
19391 There are times, however, when you may wish to not automatically load
19392 symbol definitions from shared libraries, such as when they are
19393 particularly large or there are many of them.
19395 To control the automatic loading of shared library symbols, use the
19399 @kindex set auto-solib-add
19400 @item set auto-solib-add @var{mode}
19401 If @var{mode} is @code{on}, symbols from all shared object libraries
19402 will be loaded automatically when the inferior begins execution, you
19403 attach to an independently started inferior, or when the dynamic linker
19404 informs @value{GDBN} that a new library has been loaded. If @var{mode}
19405 is @code{off}, symbols must be loaded manually, using the
19406 @code{sharedlibrary} command. The default value is @code{on}.
19408 @cindex memory used for symbol tables
19409 If your program uses lots of shared libraries with debug info that
19410 takes large amounts of memory, you can decrease the @value{GDBN}
19411 memory footprint by preventing it from automatically loading the
19412 symbols from shared libraries. To that end, type @kbd{set
19413 auto-solib-add off} before running the inferior, then load each
19414 library whose debug symbols you do need with @kbd{sharedlibrary
19415 @var{regexp}}, where @var{regexp} is a regular expression that matches
19416 the libraries whose symbols you want to be loaded.
19418 @kindex show auto-solib-add
19419 @item show auto-solib-add
19420 Display the current autoloading mode.
19423 @cindex load shared library
19424 To explicitly load shared library symbols, use the @code{sharedlibrary}
19428 @kindex info sharedlibrary
19430 @item info share @var{regex}
19431 @itemx info sharedlibrary @var{regex}
19432 Print the names of the shared libraries which are currently loaded
19433 that match @var{regex}. If @var{regex} is omitted then print
19434 all shared libraries that are loaded.
19437 @item info dll @var{regex}
19438 This is an alias of @code{info sharedlibrary}.
19440 @kindex sharedlibrary
19442 @item sharedlibrary @var{regex}
19443 @itemx share @var{regex}
19444 Load shared object library symbols for files matching a
19445 Unix regular expression.
19446 As with files loaded automatically, it only loads shared libraries
19447 required by your program for a core file or after typing @code{run}. If
19448 @var{regex} is omitted all shared libraries required by your program are
19451 @item nosharedlibrary
19452 @kindex nosharedlibrary
19453 @cindex unload symbols from shared libraries
19454 Unload all shared object library symbols. This discards all symbols
19455 that have been loaded from all shared libraries. Symbols from shared
19456 libraries that were loaded by explicit user requests are not
19460 Sometimes you may wish that @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control
19461 when any of shared library events happen. The best way to do this is
19462 to use @code{catch load} and @code{catch unload} (@pxref{Set
19465 @value{GDBN} also supports the the @code{set stop-on-solib-events}
19466 command for this. This command exists for historical reasons. It is
19467 less useful than setting a catchpoint, because it does not allow for
19468 conditions or commands as a catchpoint does.
19471 @item set stop-on-solib-events
19472 @kindex set stop-on-solib-events
19473 This command controls whether @value{GDBN} should give you control
19474 when the dynamic linker notifies it about some shared library event.
19475 The most common event of interest is loading or unloading of a new
19478 @item show stop-on-solib-events
19479 @kindex show stop-on-solib-events
19480 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control when shared
19481 library events happen.
19484 Shared libraries are also supported in many cross or remote debugging
19485 configurations. @value{GDBN} needs to have access to the target's libraries;
19486 this can be accomplished either by providing copies of the libraries
19487 on the host system, or by asking @value{GDBN} to automatically retrieve the
19488 libraries from the target. If copies of the target libraries are
19489 provided, they need to be the same as the target libraries, although the
19490 copies on the target can be stripped as long as the copies on the host are
19493 @cindex where to look for shared libraries
19494 For remote debugging, you need to tell @value{GDBN} where the target
19495 libraries are, so that it can load the correct copies---otherwise, it
19496 may try to load the host's libraries. @value{GDBN} has two variables
19497 to specify the search directories for target libraries.
19500 @cindex prefix for executable and shared library file names
19501 @cindex system root, alternate
19502 @kindex set solib-absolute-prefix
19503 @kindex set sysroot
19504 @item set sysroot @var{path}
19505 Use @var{path} as the system root for the program being debugged. Any
19506 absolute shared library paths will be prefixed with @var{path}; many
19507 runtime loaders store the absolute paths to the shared library in the
19508 target program's memory. When starting processes remotely, and when
19509 attaching to already-running processes (local or remote), their
19510 executable filenames will be prefixed with @var{path} if reported to
19511 @value{GDBN} as absolute by the operating system. If you use
19512 @code{set sysroot} to find executables and shared libraries, they need
19513 to be laid out in the same way that they are on the target, with
19514 e.g.@: a @file{/bin}, @file{/lib} and @file{/usr/lib} hierarchy under
19517 If @var{path} starts with the sequence @file{target:} and the target
19518 system is remote then @value{GDBN} will retrieve the target binaries
19519 from the remote system. This is only supported when using a remote
19520 target that supports the @code{remote get} command (@pxref{File
19521 Transfer,,Sending files to a remote system}). The part of @var{path}
19522 following the initial @file{target:} (if present) is used as system
19523 root prefix on the remote file system. If @var{path} starts with the
19524 sequence @file{remote:} this is converted to the sequence
19525 @file{target:} by @code{set sysroot}@footnote{Historically the
19526 functionality to retrieve binaries from the remote system was
19527 provided by prefixing @var{path} with @file{remote:}}. If you want
19528 to specify a local system root using a directory that happens to be
19529 named @file{target:} or @file{remote:}, you need to use some
19530 equivalent variant of the name like @file{./target:}.
19532 For targets with an MS-DOS based filesystem, such as MS-Windows and
19533 SymbianOS, @value{GDBN} tries prefixing a few variants of the target
19534 absolute file name with @var{path}. But first, on Unix hosts,
19535 @value{GDBN} converts all backslash directory separators into forward
19536 slashes, because the backslash is not a directory separator on Unix:
19539 c:\foo\bar.dll @result{} c:/foo/bar.dll
19542 Then, @value{GDBN} attempts prefixing the target file name with
19543 @var{path}, and looks for the resulting file name in the host file
19547 c:/foo/bar.dll @result{} /path/to/sysroot/c:/foo/bar.dll
19550 If that does not find the binary, @value{GDBN} tries removing
19551 the @samp{:} character from the drive spec, both for convenience, and,
19552 for the case of the host file system not supporting file names with
19556 c:/foo/bar.dll @result{} /path/to/sysroot/c/foo/bar.dll
19559 This makes it possible to have a system root that mirrors a target
19560 with more than one drive. E.g., you may want to setup your local
19561 copies of the target system shared libraries like so (note @samp{c} vs
19565 @file{/path/to/sysroot/c/sys/bin/foo.dll}
19566 @file{/path/to/sysroot/c/sys/bin/bar.dll}
19567 @file{/path/to/sysroot/z/sys/bin/bar.dll}
19571 and point the system root at @file{/path/to/sysroot}, so that
19572 @value{GDBN} can find the correct copies of both
19573 @file{c:\sys\bin\foo.dll}, and @file{z:\sys\bin\bar.dll}.
19575 If that still does not find the binary, @value{GDBN} tries
19576 removing the whole drive spec from the target file name:
19579 c:/foo/bar.dll @result{} /path/to/sysroot/foo/bar.dll
19582 This last lookup makes it possible to not care about the drive name,
19583 if you don't want or need to.
19585 The @code{set solib-absolute-prefix} command is an alias for @code{set
19588 @cindex default system root
19589 @cindex @samp{--with-sysroot}
19590 You can set the default system root by using the configure-time
19591 @samp{--with-sysroot} option. If the system root is inside
19592 @value{GDBN}'s configured binary prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or
19593 @samp{--exec-prefix}), then the default system root will be updated
19594 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
19597 @kindex show sysroot
19599 Display the current executable and shared library prefix.
19601 @kindex set solib-search-path
19602 @item set solib-search-path @var{path}
19603 If this variable is set, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
19604 directories to search for shared libraries. @samp{solib-search-path}
19605 is used after @samp{sysroot} fails to locate the library, or if the
19606 path to the library is relative instead of absolute. If you want to
19607 use @samp{solib-search-path} instead of @samp{sysroot}, be sure to set
19608 @samp{sysroot} to a nonexistent directory to prevent @value{GDBN} from
19609 finding your host's libraries. @samp{sysroot} is preferred; setting
19610 it to a nonexistent directory may interfere with automatic loading
19611 of shared library symbols.
19613 @kindex show solib-search-path
19614 @item show solib-search-path
19615 Display the current shared library search path.
19617 @cindex DOS file-name semantics of file names.
19618 @kindex set target-file-system-kind (unix|dos-based|auto)
19619 @kindex show target-file-system-kind
19620 @item set target-file-system-kind @var{kind}
19621 Set assumed file system kind for target reported file names.
19623 Shared library file names as reported by the target system may not
19624 make sense as is on the system @value{GDBN} is running on. For
19625 example, when remote debugging a target that has MS-DOS based file
19626 system semantics, from a Unix host, the target may be reporting to
19627 @value{GDBN} a list of loaded shared libraries with file names such as
19628 @file{c:\Windows\kernel32.dll}. On Unix hosts, there's no concept of
19629 drive letters, so the @samp{c:\} prefix is not normally understood as
19630 indicating an absolute file name, and neither is the backslash
19631 normally considered a directory separator character. In that case,
19632 the native file system would interpret this whole absolute file name
19633 as a relative file name with no directory components. This would make
19634 it impossible to point @value{GDBN} at a copy of the remote target's
19635 shared libraries on the host using @code{set sysroot}, and impractical
19636 with @code{set solib-search-path}. Setting
19637 @code{target-file-system-kind} to @code{dos-based} tells @value{GDBN}
19638 to interpret such file names similarly to how the target would, and to
19639 map them to file names valid on @value{GDBN}'s native file system
19640 semantics. The value of @var{kind} can be @code{"auto"}, in addition
19641 to one of the supported file system kinds. In that case, @value{GDBN}
19642 tries to determine the appropriate file system variant based on the
19643 current target's operating system (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the
19644 Current ABI}). The supported file system settings are:
19648 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target file system is of Unix
19649 kind. Only file names starting the forward slash (@samp{/}) character
19650 are considered absolute, and the directory separator character is also
19654 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target file system is DOS based.
19655 File names starting with either a forward slash, or a drive letter
19656 followed by a colon (e.g., @samp{c:}), are considered absolute, and
19657 both the slash (@samp{/}) and the backslash (@samp{\\}) characters are
19658 considered directory separators.
19661 Instruct @value{GDBN} to use the file system kind associated with the
19662 target operating system (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the Current ABI}).
19663 This is the default.
19667 @cindex file name canonicalization
19668 @cindex base name differences
19669 When processing file names provided by the user, @value{GDBN}
19670 frequently needs to compare them to the file names recorded in the
19671 program's debug info. Normally, @value{GDBN} compares just the
19672 @dfn{base names} of the files as strings, which is reasonably fast
19673 even for very large programs. (The base name of a file is the last
19674 portion of its name, after stripping all the leading directories.)
19675 This shortcut in comparison is based upon the assumption that files
19676 cannot have more than one base name. This is usually true, but
19677 references to files that use symlinks or similar filesystem
19678 facilities violate that assumption. If your program records files
19679 using such facilities, or if you provide file names to @value{GDBN}
19680 using symlinks etc., you can set @code{basenames-may-differ} to
19681 @code{true} to instruct @value{GDBN} to completely canonicalize each
19682 pair of file names it needs to compare. This will make file-name
19683 comparisons accurate, but at a price of a significant slowdown.
19686 @item set basenames-may-differ
19687 @kindex set basenames-may-differ
19688 Set whether a source file may have multiple base names.
19690 @item show basenames-may-differ
19691 @kindex show basenames-may-differ
19692 Show whether a source file may have multiple base names.
19696 @section File Caching
19697 @cindex caching of opened files
19698 @cindex caching of bfd objects
19700 To speed up file loading, and reduce memory usage, @value{GDBN} will
19701 reuse the @code{bfd} objects used to track open files. @xref{Top, ,
19702 BFD, bfd, The Binary File Descriptor Library}. The following commands
19703 allow visibility and control of the caching behavior.
19706 @kindex maint info bfds
19707 @item maint info bfds
19708 This prints information about each @code{bfd} object that is known to
19711 @kindex maint set bfd-sharing
19712 @kindex maint show bfd-sharing
19713 @kindex bfd caching
19714 @item maint set bfd-sharing
19715 @item maint show bfd-sharing
19716 Control whether @code{bfd} objects can be shared. When sharing is
19717 enabled @value{GDBN} reuses already open @code{bfd} objects rather
19718 than reopening the same file. Turning sharing off does not cause
19719 already shared @code{bfd} objects to be unshared, but all future files
19720 that are opened will create a new @code{bfd} object. Similarly,
19721 re-enabling sharing does not cause multiple existing @code{bfd}
19722 objects to be collapsed into a single shared @code{bfd} object.
19724 @kindex set debug bfd-cache @var{level}
19725 @kindex bfd caching
19726 @item set debug bfd-cache @var{level}
19727 Turns on debugging of the bfd cache, setting the level to @var{level}.
19729 @kindex show debug bfd-cache
19730 @kindex bfd caching
19731 @item show debug bfd-cache
19732 Show the current debugging level of the bfd cache.
19735 @node Separate Debug Files
19736 @section Debugging Information in Separate Files
19737 @cindex separate debugging information files
19738 @cindex debugging information in separate files
19739 @cindex @file{.debug} subdirectories
19740 @cindex debugging information directory, global
19741 @cindex global debugging information directories
19742 @cindex build ID, and separate debugging files
19743 @cindex @file{.build-id} directory
19745 @value{GDBN} allows you to put a program's debugging information in a
19746 file separate from the executable itself, in a way that allows
19747 @value{GDBN} to find and load the debugging information automatically.
19748 Since debugging information can be very large---sometimes larger
19749 than the executable code itself---some systems distribute debugging
19750 information for their executables in separate files, which users can
19751 install only when they need to debug a problem.
19753 @value{GDBN} supports two ways of specifying the separate debug info
19758 The executable contains a @dfn{debug link} that specifies the name of
19759 the separate debug info file. The separate debug file's name is
19760 usually @file{@var{executable}.debug}, where @var{executable} is the
19761 name of the corresponding executable file without leading directories
19762 (e.g., @file{ls.debug} for @file{/usr/bin/ls}). In addition, the
19763 debug link specifies a 32-bit @dfn{Cyclic Redundancy Check} (CRC)
19764 checksum for the debug file, which @value{GDBN} uses to validate that
19765 the executable and the debug file came from the same build.
19768 The executable contains a @dfn{build ID}, a unique bit string that is
19769 also present in the corresponding debug info file. (This is supported
19770 only on some operating systems, when using the ELF or PE file formats
19771 for binary files and the @sc{gnu} Binutils.) For more details about
19772 this feature, see the description of the @option{--build-id}
19773 command-line option in @ref{Options, , Command Line Options, ld,
19774 The GNU Linker}. The debug info file's name is not specified
19775 explicitly by the build ID, but can be computed from the build ID, see
19779 Depending on the way the debug info file is specified, @value{GDBN}
19780 uses two different methods of looking for the debug file:
19784 For the ``debug link'' method, @value{GDBN} looks up the named file in
19785 the directory of the executable file, then in a subdirectory of that
19786 directory named @file{.debug}, and finally under each one of the global debug
19787 directories, in a subdirectory whose name is identical to the leading
19788 directories of the executable's absolute file name.
19791 For the ``build ID'' method, @value{GDBN} looks in the
19792 @file{.build-id} subdirectory of each one of the global debug directories for
19793 a file named @file{@var{nn}/@var{nnnnnnnn}.debug}, where @var{nn} are the
19794 first 2 hex characters of the build ID bit string, and @var{nnnnnnnn}
19795 are the rest of the bit string. (Real build ID strings are 32 or more
19796 hex characters, not 10.)
19799 So, for example, suppose you ask @value{GDBN} to debug
19800 @file{/usr/bin/ls}, which has a debug link that specifies the
19801 file @file{ls.debug}, and a build ID whose value in hex is
19802 @code{abcdef1234}. If the list of the global debug directories includes
19803 @file{/usr/lib/debug}, then @value{GDBN} will look for the following
19804 debug information files, in the indicated order:
19808 @file{/usr/lib/debug/.build-id/ab/cdef1234.debug}
19810 @file{/usr/bin/ls.debug}
19812 @file{/usr/bin/.debug/ls.debug}
19814 @file{/usr/lib/debug/usr/bin/ls.debug}.
19817 @anchor{debug-file-directory}
19818 Global debugging info directories default to what is set by @value{GDBN}
19819 configure option @option{--with-separate-debug-dir}. During @value{GDBN} run
19820 you can also set the global debugging info directories, and view the list
19821 @value{GDBN} is currently using.
19825 @kindex set debug-file-directory
19826 @item set debug-file-directory @var{directories}
19827 Set the directories which @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
19828 information files to @var{directory}. Multiple path components can be set
19829 concatenating them by a path separator.
19831 @kindex show debug-file-directory
19832 @item show debug-file-directory
19833 Show the directories @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
19838 @cindex @code{.gnu_debuglink} sections
19839 @cindex debug link sections
19840 A debug link is a special section of the executable file named
19841 @code{.gnu_debuglink}. The section must contain:
19845 A filename, with any leading directory components removed, followed by
19848 zero to three bytes of padding, as needed to reach the next four-byte
19849 boundary within the section, and
19851 a four-byte CRC checksum, stored in the same endianness used for the
19852 executable file itself. The checksum is computed on the debugging
19853 information file's full contents by the function given below, passing
19854 zero as the @var{crc} argument.
19857 Any executable file format can carry a debug link, as long as it can
19858 contain a section named @code{.gnu_debuglink} with the contents
19861 @cindex @code{.note.gnu.build-id} sections
19862 @cindex build ID sections
19863 The build ID is a special section in the executable file (and in other
19864 ELF binary files that @value{GDBN} may consider). This section is
19865 often named @code{.note.gnu.build-id}, but that name is not mandatory.
19866 It contains unique identification for the built files---the ID remains
19867 the same across multiple builds of the same build tree. The default
19868 algorithm SHA1 produces 160 bits (40 hexadecimal characters) of the
19869 content for the build ID string. The same section with an identical
19870 value is present in the original built binary with symbols, in its
19871 stripped variant, and in the separate debugging information file.
19873 The debugging information file itself should be an ordinary
19874 executable, containing a full set of linker symbols, sections, and
19875 debugging information. The sections of the debugging information file
19876 should have the same names, addresses, and sizes as the original file,
19877 but they need not contain any data---much like a @code{.bss} section
19878 in an ordinary executable.
19880 The @sc{gnu} binary utilities (Binutils) package includes the
19881 @samp{objcopy} utility that can produce
19882 the separated executable / debugging information file pairs using the
19883 following commands:
19886 @kbd{objcopy --only-keep-debug foo foo.debug}
19891 These commands remove the debugging
19892 information from the executable file @file{foo} and place it in the file
19893 @file{foo.debug}. You can use the first, second or both methods to link the
19898 The debug link method needs the following additional command to also leave
19899 behind a debug link in @file{foo}:
19902 @kbd{objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.debug foo}
19905 Ulrich Drepper's @file{elfutils} package, starting with version 0.53, contains
19906 a version of the @code{strip} command such that the command @kbd{strip foo -f
19907 foo.debug} has the same functionality as the two @code{objcopy} commands and
19908 the @code{ln -s} command above, together.
19911 Build ID gets embedded into the main executable using @code{ld --build-id} or
19912 the @value{NGCC} counterpart @code{gcc -Wl,--build-id}. Build ID support plus
19913 compatibility fixes for debug files separation are present in @sc{gnu} binary
19914 utilities (Binutils) package since version 2.18.
19919 @cindex CRC algorithm definition
19920 The CRC used in @code{.gnu_debuglink} is the CRC-32 defined in
19921 IEEE 802.3 using the polynomial:
19923 @c TexInfo requires naked braces for multi-digit exponents for Tex
19924 @c output, but this causes HTML output to barf. HTML has to be set using
19925 @c raw commands. So we end up having to specify this equation in 2
19930 <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>
19931 + <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
19937 @math{x^{32} + x^{26} + x^{23} + x^{22} + x^{16} + x^{12} + x^{11}}
19938 @math{+ x^{10} + x^8 + x^7 + x^5 + x^4 + x^2 + x + 1}
19942 The function is computed byte at a time, taking the least
19943 significant bit of each byte first. The initial pattern
19944 @code{0xffffffff} is used, to ensure leading zeros affect the CRC and
19945 the final result is inverted to ensure trailing zeros also affect the
19948 @emph{Note:} This is the same CRC polynomial as used in handling the
19949 @dfn{Remote Serial Protocol} @code{qCRC} packet (@pxref{qCRC packet}).
19950 However in the case of the Remote Serial Protocol, the CRC is computed
19951 @emph{most} significant bit first, and the result is not inverted, so
19952 trailing zeros have no effect on the CRC value.
19954 To complete the description, we show below the code of the function
19955 which produces the CRC used in @code{.gnu_debuglink}. Inverting the
19956 initially supplied @code{crc} argument means that an initial call to
19957 this function passing in zero will start computing the CRC using
19960 @kindex gnu_debuglink_crc32
19963 gnu_debuglink_crc32 (unsigned long crc,
19964 unsigned char *buf, size_t len)
19966 static const unsigned long crc32_table[256] =
19968 0x00000000, 0x77073096, 0xee0e612c, 0x990951ba, 0x076dc419,
19969 0x706af48f, 0xe963a535, 0x9e6495a3, 0x0edb8832, 0x79dcb8a4,
19970 0xe0d5e91e, 0x97d2d988, 0x09b64c2b, 0x7eb17cbd, 0xe7b82d07,
19971 0x90bf1d91, 0x1db71064, 0x6ab020f2, 0xf3b97148, 0x84be41de,
19972 0x1adad47d, 0x6ddde4eb, 0xf4d4b551, 0x83d385c7, 0x136c9856,
19973 0x646ba8c0, 0xfd62f97a, 0x8a65c9ec, 0x14015c4f, 0x63066cd9,
19974 0xfa0f3d63, 0x8d080df5, 0x3b6e20c8, 0x4c69105e, 0xd56041e4,
19975 0xa2677172, 0x3c03e4d1, 0x4b04d447, 0xd20d85fd, 0xa50ab56b,
19976 0x35b5a8fa, 0x42b2986c, 0xdbbbc9d6, 0xacbcf940, 0x32d86ce3,
19977 0x45df5c75, 0xdcd60dcf, 0xabd13d59, 0x26d930ac, 0x51de003a,
19978 0xc8d75180, 0xbfd06116, 0x21b4f4b5, 0x56b3c423, 0xcfba9599,
19979 0xb8bda50f, 0x2802b89e, 0x5f058808, 0xc60cd9b2, 0xb10be924,
19980 0x2f6f7c87, 0x58684c11, 0xc1611dab, 0xb6662d3d, 0x76dc4190,
19981 0x01db7106, 0x98d220bc, 0xefd5102a, 0x71b18589, 0x06b6b51f,
19982 0x9fbfe4a5, 0xe8b8d433, 0x7807c9a2, 0x0f00f934, 0x9609a88e,
19983 0xe10e9818, 0x7f6a0dbb, 0x086d3d2d, 0x91646c97, 0xe6635c01,
19984 0x6b6b51f4, 0x1c6c6162, 0x856530d8, 0xf262004e, 0x6c0695ed,
19985 0x1b01a57b, 0x8208f4c1, 0xf50fc457, 0x65b0d9c6, 0x12b7e950,
19986 0x8bbeb8ea, 0xfcb9887c, 0x62dd1ddf, 0x15da2d49, 0x8cd37cf3,
19987 0xfbd44c65, 0x4db26158, 0x3ab551ce, 0xa3bc0074, 0xd4bb30e2,
19988 0x4adfa541, 0x3dd895d7, 0xa4d1c46d, 0xd3d6f4fb, 0x4369e96a,
19989 0x346ed9fc, 0xad678846, 0xda60b8d0, 0x44042d73, 0x33031de5,
19990 0xaa0a4c5f, 0xdd0d7cc9, 0x5005713c, 0x270241aa, 0xbe0b1010,
19991 0xc90c2086, 0x5768b525, 0x206f85b3, 0xb966d409, 0xce61e49f,
19992 0x5edef90e, 0x29d9c998, 0xb0d09822, 0xc7d7a8b4, 0x59b33d17,
19993 0x2eb40d81, 0xb7bd5c3b, 0xc0ba6cad, 0xedb88320, 0x9abfb3b6,
19994 0x03b6e20c, 0x74b1d29a, 0xead54739, 0x9dd277af, 0x04db2615,
19995 0x73dc1683, 0xe3630b12, 0x94643b84, 0x0d6d6a3e, 0x7a6a5aa8,
19996 0xe40ecf0b, 0x9309ff9d, 0x0a00ae27, 0x7d079eb1, 0xf00f9344,
19997 0x8708a3d2, 0x1e01f268, 0x6906c2fe, 0xf762575d, 0x806567cb,
19998 0x196c3671, 0x6e6b06e7, 0xfed41b76, 0x89d32be0, 0x10da7a5a,
19999 0x67dd4acc, 0xf9b9df6f, 0x8ebeeff9, 0x17b7be43, 0x60b08ed5,
20000 0xd6d6a3e8, 0xa1d1937e, 0x38d8c2c4, 0x4fdff252, 0xd1bb67f1,
20001 0xa6bc5767, 0x3fb506dd, 0x48b2364b, 0xd80d2bda, 0xaf0a1b4c,
20002 0x36034af6, 0x41047a60, 0xdf60efc3, 0xa867df55, 0x316e8eef,
20003 0x4669be79, 0xcb61b38c, 0xbc66831a, 0x256fd2a0, 0x5268e236,
20004 0xcc0c7795, 0xbb0b4703, 0x220216b9, 0x5505262f, 0xc5ba3bbe,
20005 0xb2bd0b28, 0x2bb45a92, 0x5cb36a04, 0xc2d7ffa7, 0xb5d0cf31,
20006 0x2cd99e8b, 0x5bdeae1d, 0x9b64c2b0, 0xec63f226, 0x756aa39c,
20007 0x026d930a, 0x9c0906a9, 0xeb0e363f, 0x72076785, 0x05005713,
20008 0x95bf4a82, 0xe2b87a14, 0x7bb12bae, 0x0cb61b38, 0x92d28e9b,
20009 0xe5d5be0d, 0x7cdcefb7, 0x0bdbdf21, 0x86d3d2d4, 0xf1d4e242,
20010 0x68ddb3f8, 0x1fda836e, 0x81be16cd, 0xf6b9265b, 0x6fb077e1,
20011 0x18b74777, 0x88085ae6, 0xff0f6a70, 0x66063bca, 0x11010b5c,
20012 0x8f659eff, 0xf862ae69, 0x616bffd3, 0x166ccf45, 0xa00ae278,
20013 0xd70dd2ee, 0x4e048354, 0x3903b3c2, 0xa7672661, 0xd06016f7,
20014 0x4969474d, 0x3e6e77db, 0xaed16a4a, 0xd9d65adc, 0x40df0b66,
20015 0x37d83bf0, 0xa9bcae53, 0xdebb9ec5, 0x47b2cf7f, 0x30b5ffe9,
20016 0xbdbdf21c, 0xcabac28a, 0x53b39330, 0x24b4a3a6, 0xbad03605,
20017 0xcdd70693, 0x54de5729, 0x23d967bf, 0xb3667a2e, 0xc4614ab8,
20018 0x5d681b02, 0x2a6f2b94, 0xb40bbe37, 0xc30c8ea1, 0x5a05df1b,
20021 unsigned char *end;
20023 crc = ~crc & 0xffffffff;
20024 for (end = buf + len; buf < end; ++buf)
20025 crc = crc32_table[(crc ^ *buf) & 0xff] ^ (crc >> 8);
20026 return ~crc & 0xffffffff;
20031 This computation does not apply to the ``build ID'' method.
20033 @node MiniDebugInfo
20034 @section Debugging information in a special section
20035 @cindex separate debug sections
20036 @cindex @samp{.gnu_debugdata} section
20038 Some systems ship pre-built executables and libraries that have a
20039 special @samp{.gnu_debugdata} section. This feature is called
20040 @dfn{MiniDebugInfo}. This section holds an LZMA-compressed object and
20041 is used to supply extra symbols for backtraces.
20043 The intent of this section is to provide extra minimal debugging
20044 information for use in simple backtraces. It is not intended to be a
20045 replacement for full separate debugging information (@pxref{Separate
20046 Debug Files}). The example below shows the intended use; however,
20047 @value{GDBN} does not currently put restrictions on what sort of
20048 debugging information might be included in the section.
20050 @value{GDBN} has support for this extension. If the section exists,
20051 then it is used provided that no other source of debugging information
20052 can be found, and that @value{GDBN} was configured with LZMA support.
20054 This section can be easily created using @command{objcopy} and other
20055 standard utilities:
20058 # Extract the dynamic symbols from the main binary, there is no need
20059 # to also have these in the normal symbol table.
20060 nm -D @var{binary} --format=posix --defined-only \
20061 | awk '@{ print $1 @}' | sort > dynsyms
20063 # Extract all the text (i.e. function) symbols from the debuginfo.
20064 # (Note that we actually also accept "D" symbols, for the benefit
20065 # of platforms like PowerPC64 that use function descriptors.)
20066 nm @var{binary} --format=posix --defined-only \
20067 | awk '@{ if ($2 == "T" || $2 == "t" || $2 == "D") print $1 @}' \
20070 # Keep all the function symbols not already in the dynamic symbol
20072 comm -13 dynsyms funcsyms > keep_symbols
20074 # Separate full debug info into debug binary.
20075 objcopy --only-keep-debug @var{binary} debug
20077 # Copy the full debuginfo, keeping only a minimal set of symbols and
20078 # removing some unnecessary sections.
20079 objcopy -S --remove-section .gdb_index --remove-section .comment \
20080 --keep-symbols=keep_symbols debug mini_debuginfo
20082 # Drop the full debug info from the original binary.
20083 strip --strip-all -R .comment @var{binary}
20085 # Inject the compressed data into the .gnu_debugdata section of the
20088 objcopy --add-section .gnu_debugdata=mini_debuginfo.xz @var{binary}
20092 @section Index Files Speed Up @value{GDBN}
20093 @cindex index files
20094 @cindex @samp{.gdb_index} section
20096 When @value{GDBN} finds a symbol file, it scans the symbols in the
20097 file in order to construct an internal symbol table. This lets most
20098 @value{GDBN} operations work quickly---at the cost of a delay early
20099 on. For large programs, this delay can be quite lengthy, so
20100 @value{GDBN} provides a way to build an index, which speeds up
20103 For convenience, @value{GDBN} comes with a program,
20104 @command{gdb-add-index}, which can be used to add the index to a
20105 symbol file. It takes the symbol file as its only argument:
20108 $ gdb-add-index symfile
20111 @xref{gdb-add-index}.
20113 It is also possible to do the work manually. Here is what
20114 @command{gdb-add-index} does behind the curtains.
20116 The index is stored as a section in the symbol file. @value{GDBN} can
20117 write the index to a file, then you can put it into the symbol file
20118 using @command{objcopy}.
20120 To create an index file, use the @code{save gdb-index} command:
20123 @item save gdb-index [-dwarf-5] @var{directory}
20124 @kindex save gdb-index
20125 Create index files for all symbol files currently known by
20126 @value{GDBN}. For each known @var{symbol-file}, this command by
20127 default creates it produces a single file
20128 @file{@var{symbol-file}.gdb-index}. If you invoke this command with
20129 the @option{-dwarf-5} option, it produces 2 files:
20130 @file{@var{symbol-file}.debug_names} and
20131 @file{@var{symbol-file}.debug_str}. The files are created in the
20132 given @var{directory}.
20135 Once you have created an index file you can merge it into your symbol
20136 file, here named @file{symfile}, using @command{objcopy}:
20139 $ objcopy --add-section .gdb_index=symfile.gdb-index \
20140 --set-section-flags .gdb_index=readonly symfile symfile
20143 Or for @code{-dwarf-5}:
20146 $ objcopy --dump-section .debug_str=symfile.debug_str.new symfile
20147 $ cat symfile.debug_str >>symfile.debug_str.new
20148 $ objcopy --add-section .debug_names=symfile.gdb-index \
20149 --set-section-flags .debug_names=readonly \
20150 --update-section .debug_str=symfile.debug_str.new symfile symfile
20153 @value{GDBN} will normally ignore older versions of @file{.gdb_index}
20154 sections that have been deprecated. Usually they are deprecated because
20155 they are missing a new feature or have performance issues.
20156 To tell @value{GDBN} to use a deprecated index section anyway
20157 specify @code{set use-deprecated-index-sections on}.
20158 The default is @code{off}.
20159 This can speed up startup, but may result in some functionality being lost.
20160 @xref{Index Section Format}.
20162 @emph{Warning:} Setting @code{use-deprecated-index-sections} to @code{on}
20163 must be done before gdb reads the file. The following will not work:
20166 $ gdb -ex "set use-deprecated-index-sections on" <program>
20169 Instead you must do, for example,
20172 $ gdb -iex "set use-deprecated-index-sections on" <program>
20175 There are currently some limitation on indices. They only work when
20176 for DWARF debugging information, not stabs. And, they do not
20177 currently work for programs using Ada.
20179 @subsection Automatic symbol index cache
20181 It is possible for @value{GDBN} to automatically save a copy of this index in a
20182 cache on disk and retrieve it from there when loading the same binary in the
20183 future. This feature can be turned on with @kbd{set index-cache on}. The
20184 following commands can be used to tweak the behavior of the index cache.
20188 @item set index-cache on
20189 @itemx set index-cache off
20190 Enable or disable the use of the symbol index cache.
20192 @item set index-cache directory @var{directory}
20193 @itemx show index-cache directory
20194 Set/show the directory where index files will be saved.
20196 The default value for this directory depends on the host platform. On
20197 most systems, the index is cached in the @file{gdb} subdirectory of
20198 the directory pointed to by the @env{XDG_CACHE_HOME} environment
20199 variable, if it is defined, else in the @file{.cache/gdb} subdirectory
20200 of your home directory. However, on some systems, the default may
20201 differ according to local convention.
20203 There is no limit on the disk space used by index cache. It is perfectly safe
20204 to delete the content of that directory to free up disk space.
20206 @item show index-cache stats
20207 Print the number of cache hits and misses since the launch of @value{GDBN}.
20211 @node Symbol Errors
20212 @section Errors Reading Symbol Files
20214 While reading a symbol file, @value{GDBN} occasionally encounters problems,
20215 such as symbol types it does not recognize, or known bugs in compiler
20216 output. By default, @value{GDBN} does not notify you of such problems, since
20217 they are relatively common and primarily of interest to people
20218 debugging compilers. If you are interested in seeing information
20219 about ill-constructed symbol tables, you can either ask @value{GDBN} to print
20220 only one message about each such type of problem, no matter how many
20221 times the problem occurs; or you can ask @value{GDBN} to print more messages,
20222 to see how many times the problems occur, with the @code{set
20223 complaints} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
20226 The messages currently printed, and their meanings, include:
20229 @item inner block not inside outer block in @var{symbol}
20231 The symbol information shows where symbol scopes begin and end
20232 (such as at the start of a function or a block of statements). This
20233 error indicates that an inner scope block is not fully contained
20234 in its outer scope blocks.
20236 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the inner block as if it had
20237 the same scope as the outer block. In the error message, @var{symbol}
20238 may be shown as ``@code{(don't know)}'' if the outer block is not a
20241 @item block at @var{address} out of order
20243 The symbol information for symbol scope blocks should occur in
20244 order of increasing addresses. This error indicates that it does not
20247 @value{GDBN} does not circumvent this problem, and has trouble
20248 locating symbols in the source file whose symbols it is reading. (You
20249 can often determine what source file is affected by specifying
20250 @code{set verbose on}. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional Warnings and
20253 @item bad block start address patched
20255 The symbol information for a symbol scope block has a start address
20256 smaller than the address of the preceding source line. This is known
20257 to occur in the SunOS 4.1.1 (and earlier) C compiler.
20259 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the symbol scope block as
20260 starting on the previous source line.
20262 @item bad string table offset in symbol @var{n}
20265 Symbol number @var{n} contains a pointer into the string table which is
20266 larger than the size of the string table.
20268 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by considering the symbol to have the
20269 name @code{foo}, which may cause other problems if many symbols end up
20272 @item unknown symbol type @code{0x@var{nn}}
20274 The symbol information contains new data types that @value{GDBN} does
20275 not yet know how to read. @code{0x@var{nn}} is the symbol type of the
20276 uncomprehended information, in hexadecimal.
20278 @value{GDBN} circumvents the error by ignoring this symbol information.
20279 This usually allows you to debug your program, though certain symbols
20280 are not accessible. If you encounter such a problem and feel like
20281 debugging it, you can debug @code{@value{GDBP}} with itself, breakpoint
20282 on @code{complain}, then go up to the function @code{read_dbx_symtab}
20283 and examine @code{*bufp} to see the symbol.
20285 @item stub type has NULL name
20287 @value{GDBN} could not find the full definition for a struct or class.
20289 @item const/volatile indicator missing (ok if using g++ v1.x), got@dots{}
20290 The symbol information for a C@t{++} member function is missing some
20291 information that recent versions of the compiler should have output for
20294 @item info mismatch between compiler and debugger
20296 @value{GDBN} could not parse a type specification output by the compiler.
20301 @section GDB Data Files
20303 @cindex prefix for data files
20304 @value{GDBN} will sometimes read an auxiliary data file. These files
20305 are kept in a directory known as the @dfn{data directory}.
20307 You can set the data directory's name, and view the name @value{GDBN}
20308 is currently using.
20311 @kindex set data-directory
20312 @item set data-directory @var{directory}
20313 Set the directory which @value{GDBN} searches for auxiliary data files
20314 to @var{directory}.
20316 @kindex show data-directory
20317 @item show data-directory
20318 Show the directory @value{GDBN} searches for auxiliary data files.
20321 @cindex default data directory
20322 @cindex @samp{--with-gdb-datadir}
20323 You can set the default data directory by using the configure-time
20324 @samp{--with-gdb-datadir} option. If the data directory is inside
20325 @value{GDBN}'s configured binary prefix (set with @samp{--prefix} or
20326 @samp{--exec-prefix}), then the default data directory will be updated
20327 automatically if the installed @value{GDBN} is moved to a new
20330 The data directory may also be specified with the
20331 @code{--data-directory} command line option.
20332 @xref{Mode Options}.
20335 @chapter Specifying a Debugging Target
20337 @cindex debugging target
20338 A @dfn{target} is the execution environment occupied by your program.
20340 Often, @value{GDBN} runs in the same host environment as your program;
20341 in that case, the debugging target is specified as a side effect when
20342 you use the @code{file} or @code{core} commands. When you need more
20343 flexibility---for example, running @value{GDBN} on a physically separate
20344 host, or controlling a standalone system over a serial port or a
20345 realtime system over a TCP/IP connection---you can use the @code{target}
20346 command to specify one of the target types configured for @value{GDBN}
20347 (@pxref{Target Commands, ,Commands for Managing Targets}).
20349 @cindex target architecture
20350 It is possible to build @value{GDBN} for several different @dfn{target
20351 architectures}. When @value{GDBN} is built like that, you can choose
20352 one of the available architectures with the @kbd{set architecture}
20356 @kindex set architecture
20357 @kindex show architecture
20358 @item set architecture @var{arch}
20359 This command sets the current target architecture to @var{arch}. The
20360 value of @var{arch} can be @code{"auto"}, in addition to one of the
20361 supported architectures.
20363 @item show architecture
20364 Show the current target architecture.
20366 @item set processor
20368 @kindex set processor
20369 @kindex show processor
20370 These are alias commands for, respectively, @code{set architecture}
20371 and @code{show architecture}.
20375 * Active Targets:: Active targets
20376 * Target Commands:: Commands for managing targets
20377 * Byte Order:: Choosing target byte order
20380 @node Active Targets
20381 @section Active Targets
20383 @cindex stacking targets
20384 @cindex active targets
20385 @cindex multiple targets
20387 There are multiple classes of targets such as: processes, executable files or
20388 recording sessions. Core files belong to the process class, making core file
20389 and process mutually exclusive. Otherwise, @value{GDBN} can work concurrently
20390 on multiple active targets, one in each class. This allows you to (for
20391 example) start a process and inspect its activity, while still having access to
20392 the executable file after the process finishes. Or if you start process
20393 recording (@pxref{Reverse Execution}) and @code{reverse-step} there, you are
20394 presented a virtual layer of the recording target, while the process target
20395 remains stopped at the chronologically last point of the process execution.
20397 Use the @code{core-file} and @code{exec-file} commands to select a new core
20398 file or executable target (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}). To
20399 specify as a target a process that is already running, use the @code{attach}
20400 command (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an Already-running Process}).
20402 @node Target Commands
20403 @section Commands for Managing Targets
20406 @item target @var{type} @var{parameters}
20407 Connects the @value{GDBN} host environment to a target machine or
20408 process. A target is typically a protocol for talking to debugging
20409 facilities. You use the argument @var{type} to specify the type or
20410 protocol of the target machine.
20412 Further @var{parameters} are interpreted by the target protocol, but
20413 typically include things like device names or host names to connect
20414 with, process numbers, and baud rates.
20416 The @code{target} command does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again
20417 after executing the command.
20419 @kindex help target
20421 Displays the names of all targets available. To display targets
20422 currently selected, use either @code{info target} or @code{info files}
20423 (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}).
20425 @item help target @var{name}
20426 Describe a particular target, including any parameters necessary to
20429 @kindex set gnutarget
20430 @item set gnutarget @var{args}
20431 @value{GDBN} uses its own library BFD to read your files. @value{GDBN}
20432 knows whether it is reading an @dfn{executable},
20433 a @dfn{core}, or a @dfn{.o} file; however, you can specify the file format
20434 with the @code{set gnutarget} command. Unlike most @code{target} commands,
20435 with @code{gnutarget} the @code{target} refers to a program, not a machine.
20438 @emph{Warning:} To specify a file format with @code{set gnutarget},
20439 you must know the actual BFD name.
20443 @xref{Files, , Commands to Specify Files}.
20445 @kindex show gnutarget
20446 @item show gnutarget
20447 Use the @code{show gnutarget} command to display what file format
20448 @code{gnutarget} is set to read. If you have not set @code{gnutarget},
20449 @value{GDBN} will determine the file format for each file automatically,
20450 and @code{show gnutarget} displays @samp{The current BFD target is "auto"}.
20453 @cindex common targets
20454 Here are some common targets (available, or not, depending on the GDB
20459 @item target exec @var{program}
20460 @cindex executable file target
20461 An executable file. @samp{target exec @var{program}} is the same as
20462 @samp{exec-file @var{program}}.
20464 @item target core @var{filename}
20465 @cindex core dump file target
20466 A core dump file. @samp{target core @var{filename}} is the same as
20467 @samp{core-file @var{filename}}.
20469 @item target remote @var{medium}
20470 @cindex remote target
20471 A remote system connected to @value{GDBN} via a serial line or network
20472 connection. This command tells @value{GDBN} to use its own remote
20473 protocol over @var{medium} for debugging. @xref{Remote Debugging}.
20475 For example, if you have a board connected to @file{/dev/ttya} on the
20476 machine running @value{GDBN}, you could say:
20479 target remote /dev/ttya
20482 @code{target remote} supports the @code{load} command. This is only
20483 useful if you have some other way of getting the stub to the target
20484 system, and you can put it somewhere in memory where it won't get
20485 clobbered by the download.
20487 @item target sim @r{[}@var{simargs}@r{]} @dots{}
20488 @cindex built-in simulator target
20489 Builtin CPU simulator. @value{GDBN} includes simulators for most architectures.
20497 works; however, you cannot assume that a specific memory map, device
20498 drivers, or even basic I/O is available, although some simulators do
20499 provide these. For info about any processor-specific simulator details,
20500 see the appropriate section in @ref{Embedded Processors, ,Embedded
20503 @item target native
20504 @cindex native target
20505 Setup for local/native process debugging. Useful to make the
20506 @code{run} command spawn native processes (likewise @code{attach},
20507 etc.@:) even when @code{set auto-connect-native-target} is @code{off}
20508 (@pxref{set auto-connect-native-target}).
20512 Different targets are available on different configurations of @value{GDBN};
20513 your configuration may have more or fewer targets.
20515 Many remote targets require you to download the executable's code once
20516 you've successfully established a connection. You may wish to control
20517 various aspects of this process.
20522 @kindex set hash@r{, for remote monitors}
20523 @cindex hash mark while downloading
20524 This command controls whether a hash mark @samp{#} is displayed while
20525 downloading a file to the remote monitor. If on, a hash mark is
20526 displayed after each S-record is successfully downloaded to the
20530 @kindex show hash@r{, for remote monitors}
20531 Show the current status of displaying the hash mark.
20533 @item set debug monitor
20534 @kindex set debug monitor
20535 @cindex display remote monitor communications
20536 Enable or disable display of communications messages between
20537 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
20539 @item show debug monitor
20540 @kindex show debug monitor
20541 Show the current status of displaying communications between
20542 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
20547 @kindex load @var{filename} @var{offset}
20548 @item load @var{filename} @var{offset}
20550 Depending on what remote debugging facilities are configured into
20551 @value{GDBN}, the @code{load} command may be available. Where it exists, it
20552 is meant to make @var{filename} (an executable) available for debugging
20553 on the remote system---by downloading, or dynamic linking, for example.
20554 @code{load} also records the @var{filename} symbol table in @value{GDBN}, like
20555 the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
20557 If your @value{GDBN} does not have a @code{load} command, attempting to
20558 execute it gets the error message ``@code{You can't do that when your
20559 target is @dots{}}''
20561 The file is loaded at whatever address is specified in the executable.
20562 For some object file formats, you can specify the load address when you
20563 link the program; for other formats, like a.out, the object file format
20564 specifies a fixed address.
20565 @c FIXME! This would be a good place for an xref to the GNU linker doc.
20567 It is also possible to tell @value{GDBN} to load the executable file at a
20568 specific offset described by the optional argument @var{offset}. When
20569 @var{offset} is provided, @var{filename} must also be provided.
20571 Depending on the remote side capabilities, @value{GDBN} may be able to
20572 load programs into flash memory.
20574 @code{load} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
20579 @kindex flash-erase
20581 @anchor{flash-erase}
20583 Erases all known flash memory regions on the target.
20588 @section Choosing Target Byte Order
20590 @cindex choosing target byte order
20591 @cindex target byte order
20593 Some types of processors, such as the @acronym{MIPS}, PowerPC, and Renesas SH,
20594 offer the ability to run either big-endian or little-endian byte
20595 orders. Usually the executable or symbol will include a bit to
20596 designate the endian-ness, and you will not need to worry about
20597 which to use. However, you may still find it useful to adjust
20598 @value{GDBN}'s idea of processor endian-ness manually.
20602 @item set endian big
20603 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is big-endian.
20605 @item set endian little
20606 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is little-endian.
20608 @item set endian auto
20609 Instruct @value{GDBN} to use the byte order associated with the
20613 Display @value{GDBN}'s current idea of the target byte order.
20617 If the @code{set endian auto} mode is in effect and no executable has
20618 been selected, then the endianness used is the last one chosen either
20619 by one of the @code{set endian big} and @code{set endian little}
20620 commands or by inferring from the last executable used. If no
20621 endianness has been previously chosen, then the default for this mode
20622 is inferred from the target @value{GDBN} has been built for, and is
20623 @code{little} if the name of the target CPU has an @code{el} suffix
20624 and @code{big} otherwise.
20626 Note that these commands merely adjust interpretation of symbolic
20627 data on the host, and that they have absolutely no effect on the
20631 @node Remote Debugging
20632 @chapter Debugging Remote Programs
20633 @cindex remote debugging
20635 If you are trying to debug a program running on a machine that cannot run
20636 @value{GDBN} in the usual way, it is often useful to use remote debugging.
20637 For example, you might use remote debugging on an operating system kernel,
20638 or on a small system which does not have a general purpose operating system
20639 powerful enough to run a full-featured debugger.
20641 Some configurations of @value{GDBN} have special serial or TCP/IP interfaces
20642 to make this work with particular debugging targets. In addition,
20643 @value{GDBN} comes with a generic serial protocol (specific to @value{GDBN},
20644 but not specific to any particular target system) which you can use if you
20645 write the remote stubs---the code that runs on the remote system to
20646 communicate with @value{GDBN}.
20648 Other remote targets may be available in your
20649 configuration of @value{GDBN}; use @code{help target} to list them.
20652 * Connecting:: Connecting to a remote target
20653 * File Transfer:: Sending files to a remote system
20654 * Server:: Using the gdbserver program
20655 * Remote Configuration:: Remote configuration
20656 * Remote Stub:: Implementing a remote stub
20660 @section Connecting to a Remote Target
20661 @cindex remote debugging, connecting
20662 @cindex @code{gdbserver}, connecting
20663 @cindex remote debugging, types of connections
20664 @cindex @code{gdbserver}, types of connections
20665 @cindex @code{gdbserver}, @code{target remote} mode
20666 @cindex @code{gdbserver}, @code{target extended-remote} mode
20668 This section describes how to connect to a remote target, including the
20669 types of connections and their differences, how to set up executable and
20670 symbol files on the host and target, and the commands used for
20671 connecting to and disconnecting from the remote target.
20673 @subsection Types of Remote Connections
20675 @value{GDBN} supports two types of remote connections, @code{target remote}
20676 mode and @code{target extended-remote} mode. Note that many remote targets
20677 support only @code{target remote} mode. There are several major
20678 differences between the two types of connections, enumerated here:
20682 @cindex remote debugging, detach and program exit
20683 @item Result of detach or program exit
20684 @strong{With target remote mode:} When the debugged program exits or you
20685 detach from it, @value{GDBN} disconnects from the target. When using
20686 @code{gdbserver}, @code{gdbserver} will exit.
20688 @strong{With target extended-remote mode:} When the debugged program exits or
20689 you detach from it, @value{GDBN} remains connected to the target, even
20690 though no program is running. You can rerun the program, attach to a
20691 running program, or use @code{monitor} commands specific to the target.
20693 When using @code{gdbserver} in this case, it does not exit unless it was
20694 invoked using the @option{--once} option. If the @option{--once} option
20695 was not used, you can ask @code{gdbserver} to exit using the
20696 @code{monitor exit} command (@pxref{Monitor Commands for gdbserver}).
20698 @item Specifying the program to debug
20699 For both connection types you use the @code{file} command to specify the
20700 program on the host system. If you are using @code{gdbserver} there are
20701 some differences in how to specify the location of the program on the
20704 @strong{With target remote mode:} You must either specify the program to debug
20705 on the @code{gdbserver} command line or use the @option{--attach} option
20706 (@pxref{Attaching to a program,,Attaching to a Running Program}).
20708 @cindex @option{--multi}, @code{gdbserver} option
20709 @strong{With target extended-remote mode:} You may specify the program to debug
20710 on the @code{gdbserver} command line, or you can load the program or attach
20711 to it using @value{GDBN} commands after connecting to @code{gdbserver}.
20713 @anchor{--multi Option in Types of Remote Connnections}
20714 You can start @code{gdbserver} without supplying an initial command to run
20715 or process ID to attach. To do this, use the @option{--multi} command line
20716 option. Then you can connect using @code{target extended-remote} and start
20717 the program you want to debug (see below for details on using the
20718 @code{run} command in this scenario). Note that the conditions under which
20719 @code{gdbserver} terminates depend on how @value{GDBN} connects to it
20720 (@code{target remote} or @code{target extended-remote}). The
20721 @option{--multi} option to @code{gdbserver} has no influence on that.
20723 @item The @code{run} command
20724 @strong{With target remote mode:} The @code{run} command is not
20725 supported. Once a connection has been established, you can use all
20726 the usual @value{GDBN} commands to examine and change data. The
20727 remote program is already running, so you can use commands like
20728 @kbd{step} and @kbd{continue}.
20730 @strong{With target extended-remote mode:} The @code{run} command is
20731 supported. The @code{run} command uses the value set by
20732 @code{set remote exec-file} (@pxref{set remote exec-file}) to select
20733 the program to run. Command line arguments are supported, except for
20734 wildcard expansion and I/O redirection (@pxref{Arguments}).
20736 If you specify the program to debug on the command line, then the
20737 @code{run} command is not required to start execution, and you can
20738 resume using commands like @kbd{step} and @kbd{continue} as with
20739 @code{target remote} mode.
20741 @anchor{Attaching in Types of Remote Connections}
20743 @strong{With target remote mode:} The @value{GDBN} command @code{attach} is
20744 not supported. To attach to a running program using @code{gdbserver}, you
20745 must use the @option{--attach} option (@pxref{Running gdbserver}).
20747 @strong{With target extended-remote mode:} To attach to a running program,
20748 you may use the @code{attach} command after the connection has been
20749 established. If you are using @code{gdbserver}, you may also invoke
20750 @code{gdbserver} using the @option{--attach} option
20751 (@pxref{Running gdbserver}).
20755 @anchor{Host and target files}
20756 @subsection Host and Target Files
20757 @cindex remote debugging, symbol files
20758 @cindex symbol files, remote debugging
20760 @value{GDBN}, running on the host, needs access to symbol and debugging
20761 information for your program running on the target. This requires
20762 access to an unstripped copy of your program, and possibly any associated
20763 symbol files. Note that this section applies equally to both @code{target
20764 remote} mode and @code{target extended-remote} mode.
20766 Some remote targets (@pxref{qXfer executable filename read}, and
20767 @pxref{Host I/O Packets}) allow @value{GDBN} to access program files over
20768 the same connection used to communicate with @value{GDBN}. With such a
20769 target, if the remote program is unstripped, the only command you need is
20770 @code{target remote} (or @code{target extended-remote}).
20772 If the remote program is stripped, or the target does not support remote
20773 program file access, start up @value{GDBN} using the name of the local
20774 unstripped copy of your program as the first argument, or use the
20775 @code{file} command. Use @code{set sysroot} to specify the location (on
20776 the host) of target libraries (unless your @value{GDBN} was compiled with
20777 the correct sysroot using @code{--with-sysroot}). Alternatively, you
20778 may use @code{set solib-search-path} to specify how @value{GDBN} locates
20781 The symbol file and target libraries must exactly match the executable
20782 and libraries on the target, with one exception: the files on the host
20783 system should not be stripped, even if the files on the target system
20784 are. Mismatched or missing files will lead to confusing results
20785 during debugging. On @sc{gnu}/Linux targets, mismatched or missing
20786 files may also prevent @code{gdbserver} from debugging multi-threaded
20789 @subsection Remote Connection Commands
20790 @cindex remote connection commands
20791 @value{GDBN} can communicate with the target over a serial line, a
20792 local Unix domain socket, or
20793 over an @acronym{IP} network using @acronym{TCP} or @acronym{UDP}. In
20794 each case, @value{GDBN} uses the same protocol for debugging your
20795 program; only the medium carrying the debugging packets varies. The
20796 @code{target remote} and @code{target extended-remote} commands
20797 establish a connection to the target. Both commands accept the same
20798 arguments, which indicate the medium to use:
20802 @item target remote @var{serial-device}
20803 @itemx target extended-remote @var{serial-device}
20804 @cindex serial line, @code{target remote}
20805 Use @var{serial-device} to communicate with the target. For example,
20806 to use a serial line connected to the device named @file{/dev/ttyb}:
20809 target remote /dev/ttyb
20812 If you're using a serial line, you may want to give @value{GDBN} the
20813 @samp{--baud} option, or use the @code{set serial baud} command
20814 (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set serial baud}) before the
20815 @code{target} command.
20817 @item target remote @var{local-socket}
20818 @itemx target extended-remote @var{local-socket}
20819 @cindex local socket, @code{target remote}
20820 @cindex Unix domain socket
20821 Use @var{local-socket} to communicate with the target. For example,
20822 to use a local Unix domain socket bound to the file system entry @file{/tmp/gdb-socket0}:
20825 target remote /tmp/gdb-socket0
20828 Note that this command has the same form as the command to connect
20829 to a serial line. @value{GDBN} will automatically determine which
20830 kind of file you have specified and will make the appropriate kind
20832 The above command is identical to the command:
20835 target remote unix::/tmp/gdb-socket1
20839 See below for the explanation of this syntax.
20841 This feature is not available if the host system does not support
20842 Unix domain sockets.
20844 @item target remote @code{@var{host}:@var{port}}
20845 @itemx target remote @code{@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20846 @itemx target remote @code{tcp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20847 @itemx target remote @code{tcp:@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20848 @itemx target remote @code{tcp4:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20849 @itemx target remote @code{tcp6:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20850 @itemx target remote @code{tcp6:@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20851 @itemx target remote @code{unix::@var{local-socket}}
20852 @itemx target extended-remote @code{@var{host}:@var{port}}
20853 @itemx target extended-remote @code{@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20854 @itemx target extended-remote @code{tcp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20855 @itemx target extended-remote @code{tcp:@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20856 @itemx target extended-remote @code{tcp4:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20857 @itemx target extended-remote @code{tcp6:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20858 @itemx target extended-remote @code{tcp6:@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20859 @itemx target extended-remote @code{unix::@var{local-socket}}
20860 @cindex @acronym{TCP} port, @code{target remote}
20861 Debug using a @acronym{TCP} connection to @var{port} on @var{host}
20862 or using the Unix domain socket @var{local-socket} on the local machine.
20863 The @var{host} may be either a host name, a numeric @acronym{IPv4}
20864 address, or a numeric @acronym{IPv6} address (with or without the
20865 square brackets to separate the address from the port); @var{port}
20866 must be a decimal number. The @var{host} could be the target machine
20867 itself, if it is directly connected to the net, or it might be a
20868 terminal server which in turn has a serial line to the target.
20870 For example, to connect to port 2828 on a terminal server named
20874 target remote manyfarms:2828
20877 To connect to port 2828 on a terminal server whose address is
20878 @code{2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334}, you can either use the
20879 square bracket syntax:
20882 target remote [2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334]:2828
20886 or explicitly specify the @acronym{IPv6} protocol:
20889 target remote tcp6:2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334:2828
20892 This last example may be confusing to the reader, because there is no
20893 visible separation between the hostname and the port number.
20894 Therefore, we recommend the user to provide @acronym{IPv6} addresses
20895 using square brackets for clarity. However, it is important to
20896 mention that for @value{GDBN} there is no ambiguity: the number after
20897 the last colon is considered to be the port number.
20899 If your remote target is actually running on the same machine as your
20900 debugger session (e.g.@: a simulator for your target running on the
20901 same host), you can omit the hostname. For example, to connect to
20902 port 1234 on your local machine:
20905 target remote :1234
20909 Note that the colon is still required here.
20910 Alternatively you can use a Unix domain socket:
20913 target remote unix::/tmp/gdb-socket1
20917 This has the advantage that it'll not fail if the port number is already
20921 @item target remote @code{udp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20922 @itemx target remote @code{udp:@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20923 @itemx target remote @code{udp4:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20924 @itemx target remote @code{udp6:@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20925 @itemx target extended-remote @code{udp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20926 @itemx target extended-remote @code{udp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20927 @itemx target extended-remote @code{udp:@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20928 @itemx target extended-remote @code{udp4:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20929 @itemx target extended-remote @code{udp6:@var{host}:@var{port}}
20930 @itemx target extended-remote @code{udp6:@var{[host]}:@var{port}}
20931 @cindex @acronym{UDP} port, @code{target remote}
20932 Debug using @acronym{UDP} packets to @var{port} on @var{host}. For example, to
20933 connect to @acronym{UDP} port 2828 on a terminal server named @code{manyfarms}:
20936 target remote udp:manyfarms:2828
20939 When using a @acronym{UDP} connection for remote debugging, you should
20940 keep in mind that the `U' stands for ``Unreliable''. @acronym{UDP}
20941 can silently drop packets on busy or unreliable networks, which will
20942 cause havoc with your debugging session.
20944 @item target remote | @var{command}
20945 @itemx target extended-remote | @var{command}
20946 @cindex pipe, @code{target remote} to
20947 Run @var{command} in the background and communicate with it using a
20948 pipe. The @var{command} is a shell command, to be parsed and expanded
20949 by the system's command shell, @code{/bin/sh}; it should expect remote
20950 protocol packets on its standard input, and send replies on its
20951 standard output. You could use this to run a stand-alone simulator
20952 that speaks the remote debugging protocol, to make net connections
20953 using programs like @code{ssh}, or for other similar tricks.
20955 If @var{command} closes its standard output (perhaps by exiting),
20956 @value{GDBN} will try to send it a @code{SIGTERM} signal. (If the
20957 program has already exited, this will have no effect.)
20961 @cindex interrupting remote programs
20962 @cindex remote programs, interrupting
20963 Whenever @value{GDBN} is waiting for the remote program, if you type the
20964 interrupt character (often @kbd{Ctrl-c}), @value{GDBN} attempts to stop the
20965 program. This may or may not succeed, depending in part on the hardware
20966 and the serial drivers the remote system uses. If you type the
20967 interrupt character once again, @value{GDBN} displays this prompt:
20970 Interrupted while waiting for the program.
20971 Give up (and stop debugging it)? (y or n)
20974 In @code{target remote} mode, if you type @kbd{y}, @value{GDBN} abandons
20975 the remote debugging session. (If you decide you want to try again later,
20976 you can use @kbd{target remote} again to connect once more.) If you type
20977 @kbd{n}, @value{GDBN} goes back to waiting.
20979 In @code{target extended-remote} mode, typing @kbd{n} will leave
20980 @value{GDBN} connected to the target.
20983 @kindex detach (remote)
20985 When you have finished debugging the remote program, you can use the
20986 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control.
20987 Detaching from the target normally resumes its execution, but the results
20988 will depend on your particular remote stub. After the @code{detach}
20989 command in @code{target remote} mode, @value{GDBN} is free to connect to
20990 another target. In @code{target extended-remote} mode, @value{GDBN} is
20991 still connected to the target.
20995 The @code{disconnect} command closes the connection to the target, and
20996 the target is generally not resumed. It will wait for @value{GDBN}
20997 (this instance or another one) to connect and continue debugging. After
20998 the @code{disconnect} command, @value{GDBN} is again free to connect to
21001 @cindex send command to remote monitor
21002 @cindex extend @value{GDBN} for remote targets
21003 @cindex add new commands for external monitor
21005 @item monitor @var{cmd}
21006 This command allows you to send arbitrary commands directly to the
21007 remote monitor. Since @value{GDBN} doesn't care about the commands it
21008 sends like this, this command is the way to extend @value{GDBN}---you
21009 can add new commands that only the external monitor will understand
21013 @node File Transfer
21014 @section Sending files to a remote system
21015 @cindex remote target, file transfer
21016 @cindex file transfer
21017 @cindex sending files to remote systems
21019 Some remote targets offer the ability to transfer files over the same
21020 connection used to communicate with @value{GDBN}. This is convenient
21021 for targets accessible through other means, e.g.@: @sc{gnu}/Linux systems
21022 running @code{gdbserver} over a network interface. For other targets,
21023 e.g.@: embedded devices with only a single serial port, this may be
21024 the only way to upload or download files.
21026 Not all remote targets support these commands.
21030 @item remote put @var{hostfile} @var{targetfile}
21031 Copy file @var{hostfile} from the host system (the machine running
21032 @value{GDBN}) to @var{targetfile} on the target system.
21035 @item remote get @var{targetfile} @var{hostfile}
21036 Copy file @var{targetfile} from the target system to @var{hostfile}
21037 on the host system.
21039 @kindex remote delete
21040 @item remote delete @var{targetfile}
21041 Delete @var{targetfile} from the target system.
21046 @section Using the @code{gdbserver} Program
21049 @cindex remote connection without stubs
21050 @code{gdbserver} is a control program for Unix-like systems, which
21051 allows you to connect your program with a remote @value{GDBN} via
21052 @code{target remote} or @code{target extended-remote}---but without
21053 linking in the usual debugging stub.
21055 @code{gdbserver} is not a complete replacement for the debugging stubs,
21056 because it requires essentially the same operating-system facilities
21057 that @value{GDBN} itself does. In fact, a system that can run
21058 @code{gdbserver} to connect to a remote @value{GDBN} could also run
21059 @value{GDBN} locally! @code{gdbserver} is sometimes useful nevertheless,
21060 because it is a much smaller program than @value{GDBN} itself. It is
21061 also easier to port than all of @value{GDBN}, so you may be able to get
21062 started more quickly on a new system by using @code{gdbserver}.
21063 Finally, if you develop code for real-time systems, you may find that
21064 the tradeoffs involved in real-time operation make it more convenient to
21065 do as much development work as possible on another system, for example
21066 by cross-compiling. You can use @code{gdbserver} to make a similar
21067 choice for debugging.
21069 @value{GDBN} and @code{gdbserver} communicate via either a serial line
21070 or a TCP connection, using the standard @value{GDBN} remote serial
21074 @emph{Warning:} @code{gdbserver} does not have any built-in security.
21075 Do not run @code{gdbserver} connected to any public network; a
21076 @value{GDBN} connection to @code{gdbserver} provides access to the
21077 target system with the same privileges as the user running
21081 @anchor{Running gdbserver}
21082 @subsection Running @code{gdbserver}
21083 @cindex arguments, to @code{gdbserver}
21084 @cindex @code{gdbserver}, command-line arguments
21086 Run @code{gdbserver} on the target system. You need a copy of the
21087 program you want to debug, including any libraries it requires.
21088 @code{gdbserver} does not need your program's symbol table, so you can
21089 strip the program if necessary to save space. @value{GDBN} on the host
21090 system does all the symbol handling.
21092 To use the server, you must tell it how to communicate with @value{GDBN};
21093 the name of your program; and the arguments for your program. The usual
21097 target> gdbserver @var{comm} @var{program} [ @var{args} @dots{} ]
21100 @code{gdbserver} waits passively for the host @value{GDBN} to communicate
21103 @var{comm} may take several forms:
21107 A serial line device.
21111 To use the stdin/stdout of @code{gdbserver}.
21113 For example, to debug Emacs with the argument
21114 @samp{foo.txt} and communicate with @value{GDBN} over the serial port
21118 target> gdbserver /dev/com1 emacs foo.txt
21121 The @code{stdio} connection is useful when starting @code{gdbserver}
21125 (gdb) target remote | ssh -T hostname gdbserver - hello
21128 The @samp{-T} option to ssh is provided because we don't need a remote pty,
21129 and we don't want escape-character handling. Ssh does this by default when
21130 a command is provided, the flag is provided to make it explicit.
21131 You could elide it if you want to.
21133 Programs started with stdio-connected gdbserver have @file{/dev/null} for
21134 @code{stdin}, and @code{stdout},@code{stderr} are sent back to gdb for
21135 display through a pipe connected to gdbserver.
21136 Both @code{stdout} and @code{stderr} use the same pipe.
21138 @item @var{host}:@var{port}
21139 @itemx tcp:@var{host}:@var{port}
21140 @itemx tcp4:@var{host}:@var{port}
21141 To use a @acronym{TCP} @acronym{IPv4} socket connection on port number @var{port}.
21143 To use a TCP connection instead of a serial line:
21146 target> gdbserver host:2345 emacs foo.txt
21149 The only difference from the previous example is the first argument,
21150 specifying that you are communicating with the host @value{GDBN} via
21151 TCP. The @samp{host:2345} argument means that @code{gdbserver} is to
21152 expect a TCP connection from machine @samp{host} to local TCP port 2345.
21153 (Currently, the @samp{host} part is ignored.) You can choose any number
21154 you want for the port number as long as it does not conflict with any
21155 TCP ports already in use on the target system (for example, @code{23} is
21156 reserved for @code{telnet}).@footnote{If you choose a port number that
21157 conflicts with another service, @code{gdbserver} prints an error message
21158 and exits.} You must use the same port number with the host @value{GDBN}
21159 @code{target remote} command.
21162 @item tcp6:@var{host}:@var{port}
21163 To use a @acronym{TCP} @acronym{IPv6} socket connection on port number @var{port}.
21165 @item unix:@var{host}:@var{local-socket}
21166 To use a Unix domain socket. This will create a socket with the file
21167 system entry @var{local-socket} and listen on that. For example:
21170 target> gdbserver unix:localhost:/tmp/gdb-socket0 emacs foo.txt
21173 @var{host} must either be the empty string or the literal string @code{localhost}.
21177 @anchor{Attaching to a program}
21178 @subsubsection Attaching to a Running Program
21179 @cindex attach to a program, @code{gdbserver}
21180 @cindex @option{--attach}, @code{gdbserver} option
21182 On some targets, @code{gdbserver} can also attach to running programs.
21183 This is accomplished via the @code{--attach} argument. The syntax is:
21186 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} @var{pid}
21189 @var{pid} is the process ID of a currently running process. It isn't
21190 necessary to point @code{gdbserver} at a binary for the running process.
21192 In @code{target extended-remote} mode, you can also attach using the
21193 @value{GDBN} attach command
21194 (@pxref{Attaching in Types of Remote Connections}).
21197 You can debug processes by name instead of process ID if your target has the
21198 @code{pidof} utility:
21201 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} `pidof @var{program}`
21204 In case more than one copy of @var{program} is running, or @var{program}
21205 has multiple threads, most versions of @code{pidof} support the
21206 @code{-s} option to only return the first process ID.
21208 @subsubsection TCP port allocation lifecycle of @code{gdbserver}
21210 This section applies only when @code{gdbserver} is run to listen on a TCP
21213 @code{gdbserver} normally terminates after all of its debugged processes have
21214 terminated in @kbd{target remote} mode. On the other hand, for @kbd{target
21215 extended-remote}, @code{gdbserver} stays running even with no processes left.
21216 @value{GDBN} normally terminates the spawned debugged process on its exit,
21217 which normally also terminates @code{gdbserver} in the @kbd{target remote}
21218 mode. Therefore, when the connection drops unexpectedly, and @value{GDBN}
21219 cannot ask @code{gdbserver} to kill its debugged processes, @code{gdbserver}
21220 stays running even in the @kbd{target remote} mode.
21222 When @code{gdbserver} stays running, @value{GDBN} can connect to it again later.
21223 Such reconnecting is useful for features like @ref{disconnected tracing}. For
21224 completeness, at most one @value{GDBN} can be connected at a time.
21226 @cindex @option{--once}, @code{gdbserver} option
21227 By default, @code{gdbserver} keeps the listening TCP port open, so that
21228 subsequent connections are possible. However, if you start @code{gdbserver}
21229 with the @option{--once} option, it will stop listening for any further
21230 connection attempts after connecting to the first @value{GDBN} session. This
21231 means no further connections to @code{gdbserver} will be possible after the
21232 first one. It also means @code{gdbserver} will terminate after the first
21233 connection with remote @value{GDBN} has closed, even for unexpectedly closed
21234 connections and even in the @kbd{target extended-remote} mode. The
21235 @option{--once} option allows reusing the same port number for connecting to
21236 multiple instances of @code{gdbserver} running on the same host, since each
21237 instance closes its port after the first connection.
21239 @anchor{Other Command-Line Arguments for gdbserver}
21240 @subsubsection Other Command-Line Arguments for @code{gdbserver}
21242 You can use the @option{--multi} option to start @code{gdbserver} without
21243 specifying a program to debug or a process to attach to. Then you can
21244 attach in @code{target extended-remote} mode and run or attach to a
21245 program. For more information,
21246 @pxref{--multi Option in Types of Remote Connnections}.
21248 @cindex @option{--debug}, @code{gdbserver} option
21249 The @option{--debug} option tells @code{gdbserver} to display extra
21250 status information about the debugging process.
21251 @cindex @option{--remote-debug}, @code{gdbserver} option
21252 The @option{--remote-debug} option tells @code{gdbserver} to display
21253 remote protocol debug output. These options are intended for
21254 @code{gdbserver} development and for bug reports to the developers.
21256 @cindex @option{--debug-format}, @code{gdbserver} option
21257 The @option{--debug-format=option1[,option2,...]} option tells
21258 @code{gdbserver} to include additional information in each output.
21259 Possible options are:
21263 Turn off all extra information in debugging output.
21265 Turn on all extra information in debugging output.
21267 Include a timestamp in each line of debugging output.
21270 Options are processed in order. Thus, for example, if @option{none}
21271 appears last then no additional information is added to debugging output.
21273 @cindex @option{--wrapper}, @code{gdbserver} option
21274 The @option{--wrapper} option specifies a wrapper to launch programs
21275 for debugging. The option should be followed by the name of the
21276 wrapper, then any command-line arguments to pass to the wrapper, then
21277 @kbd{--} indicating the end of the wrapper arguments.
21279 @code{gdbserver} runs the specified wrapper program with a combined
21280 command line including the wrapper arguments, then the name of the
21281 program to debug, then any arguments to the program. The wrapper
21282 runs until it executes your program, and then @value{GDBN} gains control.
21284 You can use any program that eventually calls @code{execve} with
21285 its arguments as a wrapper. Several standard Unix utilities do
21286 this, e.g.@: @code{env} and @code{nohup}. Any Unix shell script ending
21287 with @code{exec "$@@"} will also work.
21289 For example, you can use @code{env} to pass an environment variable to
21290 the debugged program, without setting the variable in @code{gdbserver}'s
21294 $ gdbserver --wrapper env LD_PRELOAD=libtest.so -- :2222 ./testprog
21297 @cindex @option{--selftest}
21298 The @option{--selftest} option runs the self tests in @code{gdbserver}:
21301 $ gdbserver --selftest
21302 Ran 2 unit tests, 0 failed
21305 These tests are disabled in release.
21306 @subsection Connecting to @code{gdbserver}
21308 The basic procedure for connecting to the remote target is:
21312 Run @value{GDBN} on the host system.
21315 Make sure you have the necessary symbol files
21316 (@pxref{Host and target files}).
21317 Load symbols for your application using the @code{file} command before you
21318 connect. Use @code{set sysroot} to locate target libraries (unless your
21319 @value{GDBN} was compiled with the correct sysroot using
21320 @code{--with-sysroot}).
21323 Connect to your target (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a Remote Target}).
21324 For TCP connections, you must start up @code{gdbserver} prior to using
21325 the @code{target} command. Otherwise you may get an error whose
21326 text depends on the host system, but which usually looks something like
21327 @samp{Connection refused}. Don't use the @code{load}
21328 command in @value{GDBN} when using @code{target remote} mode, since the
21329 program is already on the target.
21333 @anchor{Monitor Commands for gdbserver}
21334 @subsection Monitor Commands for @code{gdbserver}
21335 @cindex monitor commands, for @code{gdbserver}
21337 During a @value{GDBN} session using @code{gdbserver}, you can use the
21338 @code{monitor} command to send special requests to @code{gdbserver}.
21339 Here are the available commands.
21343 List the available monitor commands.
21345 @item monitor set debug 0
21346 @itemx monitor set debug 1
21347 Disable or enable general debugging messages.
21349 @item monitor set remote-debug 0
21350 @itemx monitor set remote-debug 1
21351 Disable or enable specific debugging messages associated with the remote
21352 protocol (@pxref{Remote Protocol}).
21354 @item monitor set debug-format option1@r{[},option2,...@r{]}
21355 Specify additional text to add to debugging messages.
21356 Possible options are:
21360 Turn off all extra information in debugging output.
21362 Turn on all extra information in debugging output.
21364 Include a timestamp in each line of debugging output.
21367 Options are processed in order. Thus, for example, if @option{none}
21368 appears last then no additional information is added to debugging output.
21370 @item monitor set libthread-db-search-path [PATH]
21371 @cindex gdbserver, search path for @code{libthread_db}
21372 When this command is issued, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of
21373 directories to search for @code{libthread_db} (@pxref{Threads,,set
21374 libthread-db-search-path}). If you omit @var{path},
21375 @samp{libthread-db-search-path} will be reset to its default value.
21377 The special entry @samp{$pdir} for @samp{libthread-db-search-path} is
21378 not supported in @code{gdbserver}.
21381 Tell gdbserver to exit immediately. This command should be followed by
21382 @code{disconnect} to close the debugging session. @code{gdbserver} will
21383 detach from any attached processes and kill any processes it created.
21384 Use @code{monitor exit} to terminate @code{gdbserver} at the end
21385 of a multi-process mode debug session.
21389 @subsection Tracepoints support in @code{gdbserver}
21390 @cindex tracepoints support in @code{gdbserver}
21392 On some targets, @code{gdbserver} supports tracepoints, fast
21393 tracepoints and static tracepoints.
21395 For fast or static tracepoints to work, a special library called the
21396 @dfn{in-process agent} (IPA), must be loaded in the inferior process.
21397 This library is built and distributed as an integral part of
21398 @code{gdbserver}. In addition, support for static tracepoints
21399 requires building the in-process agent library with static tracepoints
21400 support. At present, the UST (LTTng Userspace Tracer,
21401 @url{http://lttng.org/ust}) tracing engine is supported. This support
21402 is automatically available if UST development headers are found in the
21403 standard include path when @code{gdbserver} is built, or if
21404 @code{gdbserver} was explicitly configured using @option{--with-ust}
21405 to point at such headers. You can explicitly disable the support
21406 using @option{--with-ust=no}.
21408 There are several ways to load the in-process agent in your program:
21411 @item Specifying it as dependency at link time
21413 You can link your program dynamically with the in-process agent
21414 library. On most systems, this is accomplished by adding
21415 @code{-linproctrace} to the link command.
21417 @item Using the system's preloading mechanisms
21419 You can force loading the in-process agent at startup time by using
21420 your system's support for preloading shared libraries. Many Unixes
21421 support the concept of preloading user defined libraries. In most
21422 cases, you do that by specifying @code{LD_PRELOAD=libinproctrace.so}
21423 in the environment. See also the description of @code{gdbserver}'s
21424 @option{--wrapper} command line option.
21426 @item Using @value{GDBN} to force loading the agent at run time
21428 On some systems, you can force the inferior to load a shared library,
21429 by calling a dynamic loader function in the inferior that takes care
21430 of dynamically looking up and loading a shared library. On most Unix
21431 systems, the function is @code{dlopen}. You'll use the @code{call}
21432 command for that. For example:
21435 (@value{GDBP}) call dlopen ("libinproctrace.so", ...)
21438 Note that on most Unix systems, for the @code{dlopen} function to be
21439 available, the program needs to be linked with @code{-ldl}.
21442 On systems that have a userspace dynamic loader, like most Unix
21443 systems, when you connect to @code{gdbserver} using @code{target
21444 remote}, you'll find that the program is stopped at the dynamic
21445 loader's entry point, and no shared library has been loaded in the
21446 program's address space yet, including the in-process agent. In that
21447 case, before being able to use any of the fast or static tracepoints
21448 features, you need to let the loader run and load the shared
21449 libraries. The simplest way to do that is to run the program to the
21450 main procedure. E.g., if debugging a C or C@t{++} program, start
21451 @code{gdbserver} like so:
21454 $ gdbserver :9999 myprogram
21457 Start GDB and connect to @code{gdbserver} like so, and run to main:
21461 (@value{GDBP}) target remote myhost:9999
21462 0x00007f215893ba60 in ?? () from /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2
21463 (@value{GDBP}) b main
21464 (@value{GDBP}) continue
21467 The in-process tracing agent library should now be loaded into the
21468 process; you can confirm it with the @code{info sharedlibrary}
21469 command, which will list @file{libinproctrace.so} as loaded in the
21470 process. You are now ready to install fast tracepoints, list static
21471 tracepoint markers, probe static tracepoints markers, and start
21474 @node Remote Configuration
21475 @section Remote Configuration
21478 @kindex show remote
21479 This section documents the configuration options available when
21480 debugging remote programs. For the options related to the File I/O
21481 extensions of the remote protocol, see @ref{system,
21482 system-call-allowed}.
21485 @item set remoteaddresssize @var{bits}
21486 @cindex address size for remote targets
21487 @cindex bits in remote address
21488 Set the maximum size of address in a memory packet to the specified
21489 number of bits. @value{GDBN} will mask off the address bits above
21490 that number, when it passes addresses to the remote target. The
21491 default value is the number of bits in the target's address.
21493 @item show remoteaddresssize
21494 Show the current value of remote address size in bits.
21496 @item set serial baud @var{n}
21497 @cindex baud rate for remote targets
21498 Set the baud rate for the remote serial I/O to @var{n} baud. The
21499 value is used to set the speed of the serial port used for debugging
21502 @item show serial baud
21503 Show the current speed of the remote connection.
21505 @item set serial parity @var{parity}
21506 Set the parity for the remote serial I/O. Supported values of @var{parity} are:
21507 @code{even}, @code{none}, and @code{odd}. The default is @code{none}.
21509 @item show serial parity
21510 Show the current parity of the serial port.
21512 @item set remotebreak
21513 @cindex interrupt remote programs
21514 @cindex BREAK signal instead of Ctrl-C
21515 @anchor{set remotebreak}
21516 If set to on, @value{GDBN} sends a @code{BREAK} signal to the remote
21517 when you type @kbd{Ctrl-c} to interrupt the program running
21518 on the remote. If set to off, @value{GDBN} sends the @samp{Ctrl-C}
21519 character instead. The default is off, since most remote systems
21520 expect to see @samp{Ctrl-C} as the interrupt signal.
21522 @item show remotebreak
21523 Show whether @value{GDBN} sends @code{BREAK} or @samp{Ctrl-C} to
21524 interrupt the remote program.
21526 @item set remoteflow on
21527 @itemx set remoteflow off
21528 @kindex set remoteflow
21529 Enable or disable hardware flow control (@code{RTS}/@code{CTS})
21530 on the serial port used to communicate to the remote target.
21532 @item show remoteflow
21533 @kindex show remoteflow
21534 Show the current setting of hardware flow control.
21536 @item set remotelogbase @var{base}
21537 Set the base (a.k.a.@: radix) of logging serial protocol
21538 communications to @var{base}. Supported values of @var{base} are:
21539 @code{ascii}, @code{octal}, and @code{hex}. The default is
21542 @item show remotelogbase
21543 Show the current setting of the radix for logging remote serial
21546 @item set remotelogfile @var{file}
21547 @cindex record serial communications on file
21548 Record remote serial communications on the named @var{file}. The
21549 default is not to record at all.
21551 @item show remotelogfile.
21552 Show the current setting of the file name on which to record the
21553 serial communications.
21555 @item set remotetimeout @var{num}
21556 @cindex timeout for serial communications
21557 @cindex remote timeout
21558 Set the timeout limit to wait for the remote target to respond to
21559 @var{num} seconds. The default is 2 seconds.
21561 @item show remotetimeout
21562 Show the current number of seconds to wait for the remote target
21565 @cindex limit hardware breakpoints and watchpoints
21566 @cindex remote target, limit break- and watchpoints
21567 @anchor{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}
21568 @anchor{set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit}
21569 @item set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit @var{limit}
21570 @itemx set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit @var{limit}
21571 Restrict @value{GDBN} to using @var{limit} remote hardware watchpoints
21572 or breakpoints. The @var{limit} can be set to 0 to disable hardware
21573 watchpoints or breakpoints, and @code{unlimited} for unlimited
21574 watchpoints or breakpoints.
21576 @item show remote hardware-watchpoint-limit
21577 @itemx show remote hardware-breakpoint-limit
21578 Show the current limit for the number of hardware watchpoints or
21579 breakpoints that @value{GDBN} can use.
21581 @cindex limit hardware watchpoints length
21582 @cindex remote target, limit watchpoints length
21583 @anchor{set remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit}
21584 @item set remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit @var{limit}
21585 Restrict @value{GDBN} to using @var{limit} bytes for the maximum
21586 length of a remote hardware watchpoint. A @var{limit} of 0 disables
21587 hardware watchpoints and @code{unlimited} allows watchpoints of any
21590 @item show remote hardware-watchpoint-length-limit
21591 Show the current limit (in bytes) of the maximum length of
21592 a remote hardware watchpoint.
21594 @item set remote exec-file @var{filename}
21595 @itemx show remote exec-file
21596 @anchor{set remote exec-file}
21597 @cindex executable file, for remote target
21598 Select the file used for @code{run} with @code{target
21599 extended-remote}. This should be set to a filename valid on the
21600 target system. If it is not set, the target will use a default
21601 filename (e.g.@: the last program run).
21603 @item set remote interrupt-sequence
21604 @cindex interrupt remote programs
21605 @cindex select Ctrl-C, BREAK or BREAK-g
21606 Allow the user to select one of @samp{Ctrl-C}, a @code{BREAK} or
21607 @samp{BREAK-g} as the
21608 sequence to the remote target in order to interrupt the execution.
21609 @samp{Ctrl-C} is a default. Some system prefers @code{BREAK} which
21610 is high level of serial line for some certain time.
21611 Linux kernel prefers @samp{BREAK-g}, a.k.a Magic SysRq g.
21612 It is @code{BREAK} signal followed by character @code{g}.
21614 @item show interrupt-sequence
21615 Show which of @samp{Ctrl-C}, @code{BREAK} or @code{BREAK-g}
21616 is sent by @value{GDBN} to interrupt the remote program.
21617 @code{BREAK-g} is BREAK signal followed by @code{g} and
21618 also known as Magic SysRq g.
21620 @item set remote interrupt-on-connect
21621 @cindex send interrupt-sequence on start
21622 Specify whether interrupt-sequence is sent to remote target when
21623 @value{GDBN} connects to it. This is mostly needed when you debug
21624 Linux kernel. Linux kernel expects @code{BREAK} followed by @code{g}
21625 which is known as Magic SysRq g in order to connect @value{GDBN}.
21627 @item show interrupt-on-connect
21628 Show whether interrupt-sequence is sent
21629 to remote target when @value{GDBN} connects to it.
21633 @item set tcp auto-retry on
21634 @cindex auto-retry, for remote TCP target
21635 Enable auto-retry for remote TCP connections. This is useful if the remote
21636 debugging agent is launched in parallel with @value{GDBN}; there is a race
21637 condition because the agent may not become ready to accept the connection
21638 before @value{GDBN} attempts to connect. When auto-retry is
21639 enabled, if the initial attempt to connect fails, @value{GDBN} reattempts
21640 to establish the connection using the timeout specified by
21641 @code{set tcp connect-timeout}.
21643 @item set tcp auto-retry off
21644 Do not auto-retry failed TCP connections.
21646 @item show tcp auto-retry
21647 Show the current auto-retry setting.
21649 @item set tcp connect-timeout @var{seconds}
21650 @itemx set tcp connect-timeout unlimited
21651 @cindex connection timeout, for remote TCP target
21652 @cindex timeout, for remote target connection
21653 Set the timeout for establishing a TCP connection to the remote target to
21654 @var{seconds}. The timeout affects both polling to retry failed connections
21655 (enabled by @code{set tcp auto-retry on}) and waiting for connections
21656 that are merely slow to complete, and represents an approximate cumulative
21657 value. If @var{seconds} is @code{unlimited}, there is no timeout and
21658 @value{GDBN} will keep attempting to establish a connection forever,
21659 unless interrupted with @kbd{Ctrl-c}. The default is 15 seconds.
21661 @item show tcp connect-timeout
21662 Show the current connection timeout setting.
21665 @cindex remote packets, enabling and disabling
21666 The @value{GDBN} remote protocol autodetects the packets supported by
21667 your debugging stub. If you need to override the autodetection, you
21668 can use these commands to enable or disable individual packets. Each
21669 packet can be set to @samp{on} (the remote target supports this
21670 packet), @samp{off} (the remote target does not support this packet),
21671 or @samp{auto} (detect remote target support for this packet). They
21672 all default to @samp{auto}. For more information about each packet,
21673 see @ref{Remote Protocol}.
21675 During normal use, you should not have to use any of these commands.
21676 If you do, that may be a bug in your remote debugging stub, or a bug
21677 in @value{GDBN}. You may want to report the problem to the
21678 @value{GDBN} developers.
21680 For each packet @var{name}, the command to enable or disable the
21681 packet is @code{set remote @var{name}-packet}. The available settings
21684 @multitable @columnfractions 0.28 0.32 0.25
21687 @tab Related Features
21689 @item @code{fetch-register}
21691 @tab @code{info registers}
21693 @item @code{set-register}
21697 @item @code{binary-download}
21699 @tab @code{load}, @code{set}
21701 @item @code{read-aux-vector}
21702 @tab @code{qXfer:auxv:read}
21703 @tab @code{info auxv}
21705 @item @code{symbol-lookup}
21706 @tab @code{qSymbol}
21707 @tab Detecting multiple threads
21709 @item @code{attach}
21710 @tab @code{vAttach}
21713 @item @code{verbose-resume}
21715 @tab Stepping or resuming multiple threads
21721 @item @code{software-breakpoint}
21725 @item @code{hardware-breakpoint}
21729 @item @code{write-watchpoint}
21733 @item @code{read-watchpoint}
21737 @item @code{access-watchpoint}
21741 @item @code{pid-to-exec-file}
21742 @tab @code{qXfer:exec-file:read}
21743 @tab @code{attach}, @code{run}
21745 @item @code{target-features}
21746 @tab @code{qXfer:features:read}
21747 @tab @code{set architecture}
21749 @item @code{library-info}
21750 @tab @code{qXfer:libraries:read}
21751 @tab @code{info sharedlibrary}
21753 @item @code{memory-map}
21754 @tab @code{qXfer:memory-map:read}
21755 @tab @code{info mem}
21757 @item @code{read-sdata-object}
21758 @tab @code{qXfer:sdata:read}
21759 @tab @code{print $_sdata}
21761 @item @code{read-spu-object}
21762 @tab @code{qXfer:spu:read}
21763 @tab @code{info spu}
21765 @item @code{write-spu-object}
21766 @tab @code{qXfer:spu:write}
21767 @tab @code{info spu}
21769 @item @code{read-siginfo-object}
21770 @tab @code{qXfer:siginfo:read}
21771 @tab @code{print $_siginfo}
21773 @item @code{write-siginfo-object}
21774 @tab @code{qXfer:siginfo:write}
21775 @tab @code{set $_siginfo}
21777 @item @code{threads}
21778 @tab @code{qXfer:threads:read}
21779 @tab @code{info threads}
21781 @item @code{get-thread-local-@*storage-address}
21782 @tab @code{qGetTLSAddr}
21783 @tab Displaying @code{__thread} variables
21785 @item @code{get-thread-information-block-address}
21786 @tab @code{qGetTIBAddr}
21787 @tab Display MS-Windows Thread Information Block.
21789 @item @code{search-memory}
21790 @tab @code{qSearch:memory}
21793 @item @code{supported-packets}
21794 @tab @code{qSupported}
21795 @tab Remote communications parameters
21797 @item @code{catch-syscalls}
21798 @tab @code{QCatchSyscalls}
21799 @tab @code{catch syscall}
21801 @item @code{pass-signals}
21802 @tab @code{QPassSignals}
21803 @tab @code{handle @var{signal}}
21805 @item @code{program-signals}
21806 @tab @code{QProgramSignals}
21807 @tab @code{handle @var{signal}}
21809 @item @code{hostio-close-packet}
21810 @tab @code{vFile:close}
21811 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
21813 @item @code{hostio-open-packet}
21814 @tab @code{vFile:open}
21815 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
21817 @item @code{hostio-pread-packet}
21818 @tab @code{vFile:pread}
21819 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
21821 @item @code{hostio-pwrite-packet}
21822 @tab @code{vFile:pwrite}
21823 @tab @code{remote get}, @code{remote put}
21825 @item @code{hostio-unlink-packet}
21826 @tab @code{vFile:unlink}
21827 @tab @code{remote delete}
21829 @item @code{hostio-readlink-packet}
21830 @tab @code{vFile:readlink}
21833 @item @code{hostio-fstat-packet}
21834 @tab @code{vFile:fstat}
21837 @item @code{hostio-setfs-packet}
21838 @tab @code{vFile:setfs}
21841 @item @code{noack-packet}
21842 @tab @code{QStartNoAckMode}
21843 @tab Packet acknowledgment
21845 @item @code{osdata}
21846 @tab @code{qXfer:osdata:read}
21847 @tab @code{info os}
21849 @item @code{query-attached}
21850 @tab @code{qAttached}
21851 @tab Querying remote process attach state.
21853 @item @code{trace-buffer-size}
21854 @tab @code{QTBuffer:size}
21855 @tab @code{set trace-buffer-size}
21857 @item @code{trace-status}
21858 @tab @code{qTStatus}
21859 @tab @code{tstatus}
21861 @item @code{traceframe-info}
21862 @tab @code{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
21863 @tab Traceframe info
21865 @item @code{install-in-trace}
21866 @tab @code{InstallInTrace}
21867 @tab Install tracepoint in tracing
21869 @item @code{disable-randomization}
21870 @tab @code{QDisableRandomization}
21871 @tab @code{set disable-randomization}
21873 @item @code{startup-with-shell}
21874 @tab @code{QStartupWithShell}
21875 @tab @code{set startup-with-shell}
21877 @item @code{environment-hex-encoded}
21878 @tab @code{QEnvironmentHexEncoded}
21879 @tab @code{set environment}
21881 @item @code{environment-unset}
21882 @tab @code{QEnvironmentUnset}
21883 @tab @code{unset environment}
21885 @item @code{environment-reset}
21886 @tab @code{QEnvironmentReset}
21887 @tab @code{Reset the inferior environment (i.e., unset user-set variables)}
21889 @item @code{set-working-dir}
21890 @tab @code{QSetWorkingDir}
21891 @tab @code{set cwd}
21893 @item @code{conditional-breakpoints-packet}
21894 @tab @code{Z0 and Z1}
21895 @tab @code{Support for target-side breakpoint condition evaluation}
21897 @item @code{multiprocess-extensions}
21898 @tab @code{multiprocess extensions}
21899 @tab Debug multiple processes and remote process PID awareness
21901 @item @code{swbreak-feature}
21902 @tab @code{swbreak stop reason}
21905 @item @code{hwbreak-feature}
21906 @tab @code{hwbreak stop reason}
21909 @item @code{fork-event-feature}
21910 @tab @code{fork stop reason}
21913 @item @code{vfork-event-feature}
21914 @tab @code{vfork stop reason}
21917 @item @code{exec-event-feature}
21918 @tab @code{exec stop reason}
21921 @item @code{thread-events}
21922 @tab @code{QThreadEvents}
21923 @tab Tracking thread lifetime.
21925 @item @code{no-resumed-stop-reply}
21926 @tab @code{no resumed thread left stop reply}
21927 @tab Tracking thread lifetime.
21932 @section Implementing a Remote Stub
21934 @cindex debugging stub, example
21935 @cindex remote stub, example
21936 @cindex stub example, remote debugging
21937 The stub files provided with @value{GDBN} implement the target side of the
21938 communication protocol, and the @value{GDBN} side is implemented in the
21939 @value{GDBN} source file @file{remote.c}. Normally, you can simply allow
21940 these subroutines to communicate, and ignore the details. (If you're
21941 implementing your own stub file, you can still ignore the details: start
21942 with one of the existing stub files. @file{sparc-stub.c} is the best
21943 organized, and therefore the easiest to read.)
21945 @cindex remote serial debugging, overview
21946 To debug a program running on another machine (the debugging
21947 @dfn{target} machine), you must first arrange for all the usual
21948 prerequisites for the program to run by itself. For example, for a C
21953 A startup routine to set up the C runtime environment; these usually
21954 have a name like @file{crt0}. The startup routine may be supplied by
21955 your hardware supplier, or you may have to write your own.
21958 A C subroutine library to support your program's
21959 subroutine calls, notably managing input and output.
21962 A way of getting your program to the other machine---for example, a
21963 download program. These are often supplied by the hardware
21964 manufacturer, but you may have to write your own from hardware
21968 The next step is to arrange for your program to use a serial port to
21969 communicate with the machine where @value{GDBN} is running (the @dfn{host}
21970 machine). In general terms, the scheme looks like this:
21974 @value{GDBN} already understands how to use this protocol; when everything
21975 else is set up, you can simply use the @samp{target remote} command
21976 (@pxref{Targets,,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
21978 @item On the target,
21979 you must link with your program a few special-purpose subroutines that
21980 implement the @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol. The file containing these
21981 subroutines is called a @dfn{debugging stub}.
21983 On certain remote targets, you can use an auxiliary program
21984 @code{gdbserver} instead of linking a stub into your program.
21985 @xref{Server,,Using the @code{gdbserver} Program}, for details.
21988 The debugging stub is specific to the architecture of the remote
21989 machine; for example, use @file{sparc-stub.c} to debug programs on
21992 @cindex remote serial stub list
21993 These working remote stubs are distributed with @value{GDBN}:
21998 @cindex @file{i386-stub.c}
22001 For Intel 386 and compatible architectures.
22004 @cindex @file{m68k-stub.c}
22005 @cindex Motorola 680x0
22007 For Motorola 680x0 architectures.
22010 @cindex @file{sh-stub.c}
22013 For Renesas SH architectures.
22016 @cindex @file{sparc-stub.c}
22018 For @sc{sparc} architectures.
22020 @item sparcl-stub.c
22021 @cindex @file{sparcl-stub.c}
22024 For Fujitsu @sc{sparclite} architectures.
22028 The @file{README} file in the @value{GDBN} distribution may list other
22029 recently added stubs.
22032 * Stub Contents:: What the stub can do for you
22033 * Bootstrapping:: What you must do for the stub
22034 * Debug Session:: Putting it all together
22037 @node Stub Contents
22038 @subsection What the Stub Can Do for You
22040 @cindex remote serial stub
22041 The debugging stub for your architecture supplies these three
22045 @item set_debug_traps
22046 @findex set_debug_traps
22047 @cindex remote serial stub, initialization
22048 This routine arranges for @code{handle_exception} to run when your
22049 program stops. You must call this subroutine explicitly in your
22050 program's startup code.
22052 @item handle_exception
22053 @findex handle_exception
22054 @cindex remote serial stub, main routine
22055 This is the central workhorse, but your program never calls it
22056 explicitly---the setup code arranges for @code{handle_exception} to
22057 run when a trap is triggered.
22059 @code{handle_exception} takes control when your program stops during
22060 execution (for example, on a breakpoint), and mediates communications
22061 with @value{GDBN} on the host machine. This is where the communications
22062 protocol is implemented; @code{handle_exception} acts as the @value{GDBN}
22063 representative on the target machine. It begins by sending summary
22064 information on the state of your program, then continues to execute,
22065 retrieving and transmitting any information @value{GDBN} needs, until you
22066 execute a @value{GDBN} command that makes your program resume; at that point,
22067 @code{handle_exception} returns control to your own code on the target
22071 @cindex @code{breakpoint} subroutine, remote
22072 Use this auxiliary subroutine to make your program contain a
22073 breakpoint. Depending on the particular situation, this may be the only
22074 way for @value{GDBN} to get control. For instance, if your target
22075 machine has some sort of interrupt button, you won't need to call this;
22076 pressing the interrupt button transfers control to
22077 @code{handle_exception}---in effect, to @value{GDBN}. On some machines,
22078 simply receiving characters on the serial port may also trigger a trap;
22079 again, in that situation, you don't need to call @code{breakpoint} from
22080 your own program---simply running @samp{target remote} from the host
22081 @value{GDBN} session gets control.
22083 Call @code{breakpoint} if none of these is true, or if you simply want
22084 to make certain your program stops at a predetermined point for the
22085 start of your debugging session.
22088 @node Bootstrapping
22089 @subsection What You Must Do for the Stub
22091 @cindex remote stub, support routines
22092 The debugging stubs that come with @value{GDBN} are set up for a particular
22093 chip architecture, but they have no information about the rest of your
22094 debugging target machine.
22096 First of all you need to tell the stub how to communicate with the
22100 @item int getDebugChar()
22101 @findex getDebugChar
22102 Write this subroutine to read a single character from the serial port.
22103 It may be identical to @code{getchar} for your target system; a
22104 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
22106 @item void putDebugChar(int)
22107 @findex putDebugChar
22108 Write this subroutine to write a single character to the serial port.
22109 It may be identical to @code{putchar} for your target system; a
22110 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
22113 @cindex control C, and remote debugging
22114 @cindex interrupting remote targets
22115 If you want @value{GDBN} to be able to stop your program while it is
22116 running, you need to use an interrupt-driven serial driver, and arrange
22117 for it to stop when it receives a @code{^C} (@samp{\003}, the control-C
22118 character). That is the character which @value{GDBN} uses to tell the
22119 remote system to stop.
22121 Getting the debugging target to return the proper status to @value{GDBN}
22122 probably requires changes to the standard stub; one quick and dirty way
22123 is to just execute a breakpoint instruction (the ``dirty'' part is that
22124 @value{GDBN} reports a @code{SIGTRAP} instead of a @code{SIGINT}).
22126 Other routines you need to supply are:
22129 @item void exceptionHandler (int @var{exception_number}, void *@var{exception_address})
22130 @findex exceptionHandler
22131 Write this function to install @var{exception_address} in the exception
22132 handling tables. You need to do this because the stub does not have any
22133 way of knowing what the exception handling tables on your target system
22134 are like (for example, the processor's table might be in @sc{rom},
22135 containing entries which point to a table in @sc{ram}).
22136 The @var{exception_number} specifies the exception which should be changed;
22137 its meaning is architecture-dependent (for example, different numbers
22138 might represent divide by zero, misaligned access, etc). When this
22139 exception occurs, control should be transferred directly to
22140 @var{exception_address}, and the processor state (stack, registers,
22141 and so on) should be just as it is when a processor exception occurs. So if
22142 you want to use a jump instruction to reach @var{exception_address}, it
22143 should be a simple jump, not a jump to subroutine.
22145 For the 386, @var{exception_address} should be installed as an interrupt
22146 gate so that interrupts are masked while the handler runs. The gate
22147 should be at privilege level 0 (the most privileged level). The
22148 @sc{sparc} and 68k stubs are able to mask interrupts themselves without
22149 help from @code{exceptionHandler}.
22151 @item void flush_i_cache()
22152 @findex flush_i_cache
22153 On @sc{sparc} and @sc{sparclite} only, write this subroutine to flush the
22154 instruction cache, if any, on your target machine. If there is no
22155 instruction cache, this subroutine may be a no-op.
22157 On target machines that have instruction caches, @value{GDBN} requires this
22158 function to make certain that the state of your program is stable.
22162 You must also make sure this library routine is available:
22165 @item void *memset(void *, int, int)
22167 This is the standard library function @code{memset} that sets an area of
22168 memory to a known value. If you have one of the free versions of
22169 @code{libc.a}, @code{memset} can be found there; otherwise, you must
22170 either obtain it from your hardware manufacturer, or write your own.
22173 If you do not use the GNU C compiler, you may need other standard
22174 library subroutines as well; this varies from one stub to another,
22175 but in general the stubs are likely to use any of the common library
22176 subroutines which @code{@value{NGCC}} generates as inline code.
22179 @node Debug Session
22180 @subsection Putting it All Together
22182 @cindex remote serial debugging summary
22183 In summary, when your program is ready to debug, you must follow these
22188 Make sure you have defined the supporting low-level routines
22189 (@pxref{Bootstrapping,,What You Must Do for the Stub}):
22191 @code{getDebugChar}, @code{putDebugChar},
22192 @code{flush_i_cache}, @code{memset}, @code{exceptionHandler}.
22196 Insert these lines in your program's startup code, before the main
22197 procedure is called:
22204 On some machines, when a breakpoint trap is raised, the hardware
22205 automatically makes the PC point to the instruction after the
22206 breakpoint. If your machine doesn't do that, you may need to adjust
22207 @code{handle_exception} to arrange for it to return to the instruction
22208 after the breakpoint on this first invocation, so that your program
22209 doesn't keep hitting the initial breakpoint instead of making
22213 For the 680x0 stub only, you need to provide a variable called
22214 @code{exceptionHook}. Normally you just use:
22217 void (*exceptionHook)() = 0;
22221 but if before calling @code{set_debug_traps}, you set it to point to a
22222 function in your program, that function is called when
22223 @code{@value{GDBN}} continues after stopping on a trap (for example, bus
22224 error). The function indicated by @code{exceptionHook} is called with
22225 one parameter: an @code{int} which is the exception number.
22228 Compile and link together: your program, the @value{GDBN} debugging stub for
22229 your target architecture, and the supporting subroutines.
22232 Make sure you have a serial connection between your target machine and
22233 the @value{GDBN} host, and identify the serial port on the host.
22236 @c The "remote" target now provides a `load' command, so we should
22237 @c document that. FIXME.
22238 Download your program to your target machine (or get it there by
22239 whatever means the manufacturer provides), and start it.
22242 Start @value{GDBN} on the host, and connect to the target
22243 (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a Remote Target}).
22247 @node Configurations
22248 @chapter Configuration-Specific Information
22250 While nearly all @value{GDBN} commands are available for all native and
22251 cross versions of the debugger, there are some exceptions. This chapter
22252 describes things that are only available in certain configurations.
22254 There are three major categories of configurations: native
22255 configurations, where the host and target are the same, embedded
22256 operating system configurations, which are usually the same for several
22257 different processor architectures, and bare embedded processors, which
22258 are quite different from each other.
22263 * Embedded Processors::
22270 This section describes details specific to particular native
22274 * BSD libkvm Interface:: Debugging BSD kernel memory images
22275 * Process Information:: Process information
22276 * DJGPP Native:: Features specific to the DJGPP port
22277 * Cygwin Native:: Features specific to the Cygwin port
22278 * Hurd Native:: Features specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd
22279 * Darwin:: Features specific to Darwin
22282 @node BSD libkvm Interface
22283 @subsection BSD libkvm Interface
22286 @cindex kernel memory image
22287 @cindex kernel crash dump
22289 BSD-derived systems (FreeBSD/NetBSD/OpenBSD) have a kernel memory
22290 interface that provides a uniform interface for accessing kernel virtual
22291 memory images, including live systems and crash dumps. @value{GDBN}
22292 uses this interface to allow you to debug live kernels and kernel crash
22293 dumps on many native BSD configurations. This is implemented as a
22294 special @code{kvm} debugging target. For debugging a live system, load
22295 the currently running kernel into @value{GDBN} and connect to the
22299 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm}
22302 For debugging crash dumps, provide the file name of the crash dump as an
22306 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm /var/crash/bsd.0}
22309 Once connected to the @code{kvm} target, the following commands are
22315 Set current context from the @dfn{Process Control Block} (PCB) address.
22318 Set current context from proc address. This command isn't available on
22319 modern FreeBSD systems.
22322 @node Process Information
22323 @subsection Process Information
22325 @cindex examine process image
22326 @cindex process info via @file{/proc}
22328 Some operating systems provide interfaces to fetch additional
22329 information about running processes beyond memory and per-thread
22330 register state. If @value{GDBN} is configured for an operating system
22331 with a supported interface, the command @code{info proc} is available
22332 to report information about the process running your program, or about
22333 any process running on your system.
22335 One supported interface is a facility called @samp{/proc} that can be
22336 used to examine the image of a running process using file-system
22337 subroutines. This facility is supported on @sc{gnu}/Linux and Solaris
22340 On FreeBSD systems, system control nodes are used to query process
22343 In addition, some systems may provide additional process information
22344 in core files. Note that a core file may include a subset of the
22345 information available from a live process. Process information is
22346 currently avaiable from cores created on @sc{gnu}/Linux and FreeBSD
22353 @itemx info proc @var{process-id}
22354 Summarize available information about a process. If a
22355 process ID is specified by @var{process-id}, display information about
22356 that process; otherwise display information about the program being
22357 debugged. The summary includes the debugged process ID, the command
22358 line used to invoke it, its current working directory, and its
22359 executable file's absolute file name.
22361 On some systems, @var{process-id} can be of the form
22362 @samp{[@var{pid}]/@var{tid}} which specifies a certain thread ID
22363 within a process. If the optional @var{pid} part is missing, it means
22364 a thread from the process being debugged (the leading @samp{/} still
22365 needs to be present, or else @value{GDBN} will interpret the number as
22366 a process ID rather than a thread ID).
22368 @item info proc cmdline
22369 @cindex info proc cmdline
22370 Show the original command line of the process. This command is
22371 supported on @sc{gnu}/Linux and FreeBSD.
22373 @item info proc cwd
22374 @cindex info proc cwd
22375 Show the current working directory of the process. This command is
22376 supported on @sc{gnu}/Linux and FreeBSD.
22378 @item info proc exe
22379 @cindex info proc exe
22380 Show the name of executable of the process. This command is supported
22381 on @sc{gnu}/Linux and FreeBSD.
22383 @item info proc files
22384 @cindex info proc files
22385 Show the file descriptors open by the process. For each open file
22386 descriptor, @value{GDBN} shows its number, type (file, directory,
22387 character device, socket), file pointer offset, and the name of the
22388 resource open on the descriptor. The resource name can be a file name
22389 (for files, directories, and devices) or a protocol followed by socket
22390 address (for network connections). This command is supported on
22393 This example shows the open file descriptors for a process using a
22394 tty for standard input and output as well as two network sockets:
22397 (gdb) info proc files 22136
22401 FD Type Offset Flags Name
22402 text file - r-------- /usr/bin/ssh
22403 ctty chr - rw------- /dev/pts/20
22404 cwd dir - r-------- /usr/home/john
22405 root dir - r-------- /
22406 0 chr 0x32933a4 rw------- /dev/pts/20
22407 1 chr 0x32933a4 rw------- /dev/pts/20
22408 2 chr 0x32933a4 rw------- /dev/pts/20
22409 3 socket 0x0 rw----n-- tcp4 10.0.1.2:53014 -> 10.0.1.10:22
22410 4 socket 0x0 rw------- unix stream:/tmp/ssh-FIt89oAzOn5f/agent.2456
22413 @item info proc mappings
22414 @cindex memory address space mappings
22415 Report the memory address space ranges accessible in a process. On
22416 Solaris and FreeBSD systems, each memory range includes information on
22417 whether the process has read, write, or execute access rights to each
22418 range. On @sc{gnu}/Linux and FreeBSD systems, each memory range
22419 includes the object file which is mapped to that range.
22421 @item info proc stat
22422 @itemx info proc status
22423 @cindex process detailed status information
22424 Show additional process-related information, including the user ID and
22425 group ID; virtual memory usage; the signals that are pending, blocked,
22426 and ignored; its TTY; its consumption of system and user time; its
22427 stack size; its @samp{nice} value; etc. These commands are supported
22428 on @sc{gnu}/Linux and FreeBSD.
22430 For @sc{gnu}/Linux systems, see the @samp{proc} man page for more
22431 information (type @kbd{man 5 proc} from your shell prompt).
22433 For FreeBSD systems, @code{info proc stat} is an alias for @code{info
22436 @item info proc all
22437 Show all the information about the process described under all of the
22438 above @code{info proc} subcommands.
22441 @comment These sub-options of 'info proc' were not included when
22442 @comment procfs.c was re-written. Keep their descriptions around
22443 @comment against the day when someone finds the time to put them back in.
22444 @kindex info proc times
22445 @item info proc times
22446 Starting time, user CPU time, and system CPU time for your program and
22449 @kindex info proc id
22451 Report on the process IDs related to your program: its own process ID,
22452 the ID of its parent, the process group ID, and the session ID.
22455 @item set procfs-trace
22456 @kindex set procfs-trace
22457 @cindex @code{procfs} API calls
22458 This command enables and disables tracing of @code{procfs} API calls.
22460 @item show procfs-trace
22461 @kindex show procfs-trace
22462 Show the current state of @code{procfs} API call tracing.
22464 @item set procfs-file @var{file}
22465 @kindex set procfs-file
22466 Tell @value{GDBN} to write @code{procfs} API trace to the named
22467 @var{file}. @value{GDBN} appends the trace info to the previous
22468 contents of the file. The default is to display the trace on the
22471 @item show procfs-file
22472 @kindex show procfs-file
22473 Show the file to which @code{procfs} API trace is written.
22475 @item proc-trace-entry
22476 @itemx proc-trace-exit
22477 @itemx proc-untrace-entry
22478 @itemx proc-untrace-exit
22479 @kindex proc-trace-entry
22480 @kindex proc-trace-exit
22481 @kindex proc-untrace-entry
22482 @kindex proc-untrace-exit
22483 These commands enable and disable tracing of entries into and exits
22484 from the @code{syscall} interface.
22487 @kindex info pidlist
22488 @cindex process list, QNX Neutrino
22489 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all the
22490 processes and all the threads within each process.
22493 @kindex info meminfo
22494 @cindex mapinfo list, QNX Neutrino
22495 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all mapinfos.
22499 @subsection Features for Debugging @sc{djgpp} Programs
22500 @cindex @sc{djgpp} debugging
22501 @cindex native @sc{djgpp} debugging
22502 @cindex MS-DOS-specific commands
22505 @sc{djgpp} is a port of the @sc{gnu} development tools to MS-DOS and
22506 MS-Windows. @sc{djgpp} programs are 32-bit protected-mode programs
22507 that use the @dfn{DPMI} (DOS Protected-Mode Interface) API to run on
22508 top of real-mode DOS systems and their emulations.
22510 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of @sc{djgpp} programs, and
22511 defines a few commands specific to the @sc{djgpp} port. This
22512 subsection describes those commands.
22517 This is a prefix of @sc{djgpp}-specific commands which print
22518 information about the target system and important OS structures.
22521 @cindex MS-DOS system info
22522 @cindex free memory information (MS-DOS)
22523 @item info dos sysinfo
22524 This command displays assorted information about the underlying
22525 platform: the CPU type and features, the OS version and flavor, the
22526 DPMI version, and the available conventional and DPMI memory.
22531 @cindex segment descriptor tables
22532 @cindex descriptor tables display
22534 @itemx info dos ldt
22535 @itemx info dos idt
22536 These 3 commands display entries from, respectively, Global, Local,
22537 and Interrupt Descriptor Tables (GDT, LDT, and IDT). The descriptor
22538 tables are data structures which store a descriptor for each segment
22539 that is currently in use. The segment's selector is an index into a
22540 descriptor table; the table entry for that index holds the
22541 descriptor's base address and limit, and its attributes and access
22544 A typical @sc{djgpp} program uses 3 segments: a code segment, a data
22545 segment (used for both data and the stack), and a DOS segment (which
22546 allows access to DOS/BIOS data structures and absolute addresses in
22547 conventional memory). However, the DPMI host will usually define
22548 additional segments in order to support the DPMI environment.
22550 @cindex garbled pointers
22551 These commands allow to display entries from the descriptor tables.
22552 Without an argument, all entries from the specified table are
22553 displayed. An argument, which should be an integer expression, means
22554 display a single entry whose index is given by the argument. For
22555 example, here's a convenient way to display information about the
22556 debugged program's data segment:
22559 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos ldt $ds}
22560 @exdent @code{0x13f: base=0x11970000 limit=0x0009ffff 32-Bit Data (Read/Write, Exp-up)}
22564 This comes in handy when you want to see whether a pointer is outside
22565 the data segment's limit (i.e.@: @dfn{garbled}).
22567 @cindex page tables display (MS-DOS)
22569 @itemx info dos pte
22570 These two commands display entries from, respectively, the Page
22571 Directory and the Page Tables. Page Directories and Page Tables are
22572 data structures which control how virtual memory addresses are mapped
22573 into physical addresses. A Page Table includes an entry for every
22574 page of memory that is mapped into the program's address space; there
22575 may be several Page Tables, each one holding up to 4096 entries. A
22576 Page Directory has up to 4096 entries, one each for every Page Table
22577 that is currently in use.
22579 Without an argument, @kbd{info dos pde} displays the entire Page
22580 Directory, and @kbd{info dos pte} displays all the entries in all of
22581 the Page Tables. An argument, an integer expression, given to the
22582 @kbd{info dos pde} command means display only that entry from the Page
22583 Directory table. An argument given to the @kbd{info dos pte} command
22584 means display entries from a single Page Table, the one pointed to by
22585 the specified entry in the Page Directory.
22587 @cindex direct memory access (DMA) on MS-DOS
22588 These commands are useful when your program uses @dfn{DMA} (Direct
22589 Memory Access), which needs physical addresses to program the DMA
22592 These commands are supported only with some DPMI servers.
22594 @cindex physical address from linear address
22595 @item info dos address-pte @var{addr}
22596 This command displays the Page Table entry for a specified linear
22597 address. The argument @var{addr} is a linear address which should
22598 already have the appropriate segment's base address added to it,
22599 because this command accepts addresses which may belong to @emph{any}
22600 segment. For example, here's how to display the Page Table entry for
22601 the page where a variable @code{i} is stored:
22604 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte __djgpp_base_address + (char *)&i}
22605 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x11a00d30:}
22606 @exdent @code{Base=0x02698000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0xd30}
22610 This says that @code{i} is stored at offset @code{0xd30} from the page
22611 whose physical base address is @code{0x02698000}, and shows all the
22612 attributes of that page.
22614 Note that you must cast the addresses of variables to a @code{char *},
22615 since otherwise the value of @code{__djgpp_base_address}, the base
22616 address of all variables and functions in a @sc{djgpp} program, will
22617 be added using the rules of C pointer arithmetics: if @code{i} is
22618 declared an @code{int}, @value{GDBN} will add 4 times the value of
22619 @code{__djgpp_base_address} to the address of @code{i}.
22621 Here's another example, it displays the Page Table entry for the
22625 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte *((unsigned *)&_go32_info_block + 3)}
22626 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x29110:}
22627 @exdent @code{Base=0x00029000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0x110}
22631 (The @code{+ 3} offset is because the transfer buffer's address is the
22632 3rd member of the @code{_go32_info_block} structure.) The output
22633 clearly shows that this DPMI server maps the addresses in conventional
22634 memory 1:1, i.e.@: the physical (@code{0x00029000} + @code{0x110}) and
22635 linear (@code{0x29110}) addresses are identical.
22637 This command is supported only with some DPMI servers.
22640 @cindex DOS serial data link, remote debugging
22641 In addition to native debugging, the DJGPP port supports remote
22642 debugging via a serial data link. The following commands are specific
22643 to remote serial debugging in the DJGPP port of @value{GDBN}.
22646 @kindex set com1base
22647 @kindex set com1irq
22648 @kindex set com2base
22649 @kindex set com2irq
22650 @kindex set com3base
22651 @kindex set com3irq
22652 @kindex set com4base
22653 @kindex set com4irq
22654 @item set com1base @var{addr}
22655 This command sets the base I/O port address of the @file{COM1} serial
22658 @item set com1irq @var{irq}
22659 This command sets the @dfn{Interrupt Request} (@code{IRQ}) line to use
22660 for the @file{COM1} serial port.
22662 There are similar commands @samp{set com2base}, @samp{set com3irq},
22663 etc.@: for setting the port address and the @code{IRQ} lines for the
22666 @kindex show com1base
22667 @kindex show com1irq
22668 @kindex show com2base
22669 @kindex show com2irq
22670 @kindex show com3base
22671 @kindex show com3irq
22672 @kindex show com4base
22673 @kindex show com4irq
22674 The related commands @samp{show com1base}, @samp{show com1irq} etc.@:
22675 display the current settings of the base address and the @code{IRQ}
22676 lines used by the COM ports.
22679 @kindex info serial
22680 @cindex DOS serial port status
22681 This command prints the status of the 4 DOS serial ports. For each
22682 port, it prints whether it's active or not, its I/O base address and
22683 IRQ number, whether it uses a 16550-style FIFO, its baudrate, and the
22684 counts of various errors encountered so far.
22688 @node Cygwin Native
22689 @subsection Features for Debugging MS Windows PE Executables
22690 @cindex MS Windows debugging
22691 @cindex native Cygwin debugging
22692 @cindex Cygwin-specific commands
22694 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of MS Windows programs, including
22695 DLLs with and without symbolic debugging information.
22697 @cindex Ctrl-BREAK, MS-Windows
22698 @cindex interrupt debuggee on MS-Windows
22699 MS-Windows programs that call @code{SetConsoleMode} to switch off the
22700 special meaning of the @samp{Ctrl-C} keystroke cannot be interrupted
22701 by typing @kbd{C-c}. For this reason, @value{GDBN} on MS-Windows
22702 supports @kbd{C-@key{BREAK}} as an alternative interrupt key
22703 sequence, which can be used to interrupt the debuggee even if it
22706 There are various additional Cygwin-specific commands, described in
22707 this section. Working with DLLs that have no debugging symbols is
22708 described in @ref{Non-debug DLL Symbols}.
22713 This is a prefix of MS Windows-specific commands which print
22714 information about the target system and important OS structures.
22716 @item info w32 selector
22717 This command displays information returned by
22718 the Win32 API @code{GetThreadSelectorEntry} function.
22719 It takes an optional argument that is evaluated to
22720 a long value to give the information about this given selector.
22721 Without argument, this command displays information
22722 about the six segment registers.
22724 @item info w32 thread-information-block
22725 This command displays thread specific information stored in the
22726 Thread Information Block (readable on the X86 CPU family using @code{$fs}
22727 selector for 32-bit programs and @code{$gs} for 64-bit programs).
22729 @kindex signal-event
22730 @item signal-event @var{id}
22731 This command signals an event with user-provided @var{id}. Used to resume
22732 crashing process when attached to it using MS-Windows JIT debugging (AeDebug).
22734 To use it, create or edit the following keys in
22735 @code{HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug} and/or
22736 @code{HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AeDebug}
22737 (for x86_64 versions):
22741 @code{Debugger} (REG_SZ) --- a command to launch the debugger.
22742 Suggested command is: @code{@var{fully-qualified-path-to-gdb.exe} -ex
22743 "attach %ld" -ex "signal-event %ld" -ex "continue"}.
22745 The first @code{%ld} will be replaced by the process ID of the
22746 crashing process, the second @code{%ld} will be replaced by the ID of
22747 the event that blocks the crashing process, waiting for @value{GDBN}
22751 @code{Auto} (REG_SZ) --- either @code{1} or @code{0}. @code{1} will
22752 make the system run debugger specified by the Debugger key
22753 automatically, @code{0} will cause a dialog box with ``OK'' and
22754 ``Cancel'' buttons to appear, which allows the user to either
22755 terminate the crashing process (OK) or debug it (Cancel).
22758 @kindex set cygwin-exceptions
22759 @cindex debugging the Cygwin DLL
22760 @cindex Cygwin DLL, debugging
22761 @item set cygwin-exceptions @var{mode}
22762 If @var{mode} is @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will break on exceptions that
22763 happen inside the Cygwin DLL. If @var{mode} is @code{off},
22764 @value{GDBN} will delay recognition of exceptions, and may ignore some
22765 exceptions which seem to be caused by internal Cygwin DLL
22766 ``bookkeeping''. This option is meant primarily for debugging the
22767 Cygwin DLL itself; the default value is @code{off} to avoid annoying
22768 @value{GDBN} users with false @code{SIGSEGV} signals.
22770 @kindex show cygwin-exceptions
22771 @item show cygwin-exceptions
22772 Displays whether @value{GDBN} will break on exceptions that happen
22773 inside the Cygwin DLL itself.
22775 @kindex set new-console
22776 @item set new-console @var{mode}
22777 If @var{mode} is @code{on} the debuggee will
22778 be started in a new console on next start.
22779 If @var{mode} is @code{off}, the debuggee will
22780 be started in the same console as the debugger.
22782 @kindex show new-console
22783 @item show new-console
22784 Displays whether a new console is used
22785 when the debuggee is started.
22787 @kindex set new-group
22788 @item set new-group @var{mode}
22789 This boolean value controls whether the debuggee should
22790 start a new group or stay in the same group as the debugger.
22791 This affects the way the Windows OS handles
22794 @kindex show new-group
22795 @item show new-group
22796 Displays current value of new-group boolean.
22798 @kindex set debugevents
22799 @item set debugevents
22800 This boolean value adds debug output concerning kernel events related
22801 to the debuggee seen by the debugger. This includes events that
22802 signal thread and process creation and exit, DLL loading and
22803 unloading, console interrupts, and debugging messages produced by the
22804 Windows @code{OutputDebugString} API call.
22806 @kindex set debugexec
22807 @item set debugexec
22808 This boolean value adds debug output concerning execute events
22809 (such as resume thread) seen by the debugger.
22811 @kindex set debugexceptions
22812 @item set debugexceptions
22813 This boolean value adds debug output concerning exceptions in the
22814 debuggee seen by the debugger.
22816 @kindex set debugmemory
22817 @item set debugmemory
22818 This boolean value adds debug output concerning debuggee memory reads
22819 and writes by the debugger.
22823 This boolean values specifies whether the debuggee is called
22824 via a shell or directly (default value is on).
22828 Displays if the debuggee will be started with a shell.
22833 * Non-debug DLL Symbols:: Support for DLLs without debugging symbols
22836 @node Non-debug DLL Symbols
22837 @subsubsection Support for DLLs without Debugging Symbols
22838 @cindex DLLs with no debugging symbols
22839 @cindex Minimal symbols and DLLs
22841 Very often on windows, some of the DLLs that your program relies on do
22842 not include symbolic debugging information (for example,
22843 @file{kernel32.dll}). When @value{GDBN} doesn't recognize any debugging
22844 symbols in a DLL, it relies on the minimal amount of symbolic
22845 information contained in the DLL's export table. This section
22846 describes working with such symbols, known internally to @value{GDBN} as
22847 ``minimal symbols''.
22849 Note that before the debugged program has started execution, no DLLs
22850 will have been loaded. The easiest way around this problem is simply to
22851 start the program --- either by setting a breakpoint or letting the
22852 program run once to completion.
22854 @subsubsection DLL Name Prefixes
22856 In keeping with the naming conventions used by the Microsoft debugging
22857 tools, DLL export symbols are made available with a prefix based on the
22858 DLL name, for instance @code{KERNEL32!CreateFileA}. The plain name is
22859 also entered into the symbol table, so @code{CreateFileA} is often
22860 sufficient. In some cases there will be name clashes within a program
22861 (particularly if the executable itself includes full debugging symbols)
22862 necessitating the use of the fully qualified name when referring to the
22863 contents of the DLL. Use single-quotes around the name to avoid the
22864 exclamation mark (``!'') being interpreted as a language operator.
22866 Note that the internal name of the DLL may be all upper-case, even
22867 though the file name of the DLL is lower-case, or vice-versa. Since
22868 symbols within @value{GDBN} are @emph{case-sensitive} this may cause
22869 some confusion. If in doubt, try the @code{info functions} and
22870 @code{info variables} commands or even @code{maint print msymbols}
22871 (@pxref{Symbols}). Here's an example:
22874 (@value{GDBP}) info function CreateFileA
22875 All functions matching regular expression "CreateFileA":
22877 Non-debugging symbols:
22878 0x77e885f4 CreateFileA
22879 0x77e885f4 KERNEL32!CreateFileA
22883 (@value{GDBP}) info function !
22884 All functions matching regular expression "!":
22886 Non-debugging symbols:
22887 0x6100114c cygwin1!__assert
22888 0x61004034 cygwin1!_dll_crt0@@0
22889 0x61004240 cygwin1!dll_crt0(per_process *)
22893 @subsubsection Working with Minimal Symbols
22895 Symbols extracted from a DLL's export table do not contain very much
22896 type information. All that @value{GDBN} can do is guess whether a symbol
22897 refers to a function or variable depending on the linker section that
22898 contains the symbol. Also note that the actual contents of the memory
22899 contained in a DLL are not available unless the program is running. This
22900 means that you cannot examine the contents of a variable or disassemble
22901 a function within a DLL without a running program.
22903 Variables are generally treated as pointers and dereferenced
22904 automatically. For this reason, it is often necessary to prefix a
22905 variable name with the address-of operator (``&'') and provide explicit
22906 type information in the command. Here's an example of the type of
22910 (@value{GDBP}) print 'cygwin1!__argv'
22911 'cygwin1!__argv' has unknown type; cast it to its declared type
22915 (@value{GDBP}) x 'cygwin1!__argv'
22916 'cygwin1!__argv' has unknown type; cast it to its declared type
22919 And two possible solutions:
22922 (@value{GDBP}) print ((char **)'cygwin1!__argv')[0]
22923 $2 = 0x22fd98 "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
22927 (@value{GDBP}) x/2x &'cygwin1!__argv'
22928 0x610c0aa8 <cygwin1!__argv>: 0x10021608 0x00000000
22929 (@value{GDBP}) x/x 0x10021608
22930 0x10021608: 0x0022fd98
22931 (@value{GDBP}) x/s 0x0022fd98
22932 0x22fd98: "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
22935 Setting a break point within a DLL is possible even before the program
22936 starts execution. However, under these circumstances, @value{GDBN} can't
22937 examine the initial instructions of the function in order to skip the
22938 function's frame set-up code. You can work around this by using ``*&''
22939 to set the breakpoint at a raw memory address:
22942 (@value{GDBP}) break *&'python22!PyOS_Readline'
22943 Breakpoint 1 at 0x1e04eff0
22946 The author of these extensions is not entirely convinced that setting a
22947 break point within a shared DLL like @file{kernel32.dll} is completely
22951 @subsection Commands Specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd Systems
22952 @cindex @sc{gnu} Hurd debugging
22954 This subsection describes @value{GDBN} commands specific to the
22955 @sc{gnu} Hurd native debugging.
22960 @kindex set signals@r{, Hurd command}
22961 @kindex set sigs@r{, Hurd command}
22962 This command toggles the state of inferior signal interception by
22963 @value{GDBN}. Mach exceptions, such as breakpoint traps, are not
22964 affected by this command. @code{sigs} is a shorthand alias for
22969 @kindex show signals@r{, Hurd command}
22970 @kindex show sigs@r{, Hurd command}
22971 Show the current state of intercepting inferior's signals.
22973 @item set signal-thread
22974 @itemx set sigthread
22975 @kindex set signal-thread
22976 @kindex set sigthread
22977 This command tells @value{GDBN} which thread is the @code{libc} signal
22978 thread. That thread is run when a signal is delivered to a running
22979 process. @code{set sigthread} is the shorthand alias of @code{set
22982 @item show signal-thread
22983 @itemx show sigthread
22984 @kindex show signal-thread
22985 @kindex show sigthread
22986 These two commands show which thread will run when the inferior is
22987 delivered a signal.
22990 @kindex set stopped@r{, Hurd command}
22991 This commands tells @value{GDBN} that the inferior process is stopped,
22992 as with the @code{SIGSTOP} signal. The stopped process can be
22993 continued by delivering a signal to it.
22996 @kindex show stopped@r{, Hurd command}
22997 This command shows whether @value{GDBN} thinks the debuggee is
23000 @item set exceptions
23001 @kindex set exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
23002 Use this command to turn off trapping of exceptions in the inferior.
23003 When exception trapping is off, neither breakpoints nor
23004 single-stepping will work. To restore the default, set exception
23007 @item show exceptions
23008 @kindex show exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
23009 Show the current state of trapping exceptions in the inferior.
23011 @item set task pause
23012 @kindex set task@r{, Hurd commands}
23013 @cindex task attributes (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
23014 @cindex pause current task (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
23015 This command toggles task suspension when @value{GDBN} has control.
23016 Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the task is suspended
23017 whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to off will take
23018 effect the next time the inferior is continued. If this option is set
23019 to off, you can use @code{set thread default pause on} or @code{set
23020 thread pause on} (see below) to pause individual threads.
23022 @item show task pause
23023 @kindex show task@r{, Hurd commands}
23024 Show the current state of task suspension.
23026 @item set task detach-suspend-count
23027 @cindex task suspend count
23028 @cindex detach from task, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23029 This command sets the suspend count the task will be left with when
23030 @value{GDBN} detaches from it.
23032 @item show task detach-suspend-count
23033 Show the suspend count the task will be left with when detaching.
23035 @item set task exception-port
23036 @itemx set task excp
23037 @cindex task exception port, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23038 This command sets the task exception port to which @value{GDBN} will
23039 forward exceptions. The argument should be the value of the @dfn{send
23040 rights} of the task. @code{set task excp} is a shorthand alias.
23042 @item set noninvasive
23043 @cindex noninvasive task options
23044 This command switches @value{GDBN} to a mode that is the least
23045 invasive as far as interfering with the inferior is concerned. This
23046 is the same as using @code{set task pause}, @code{set exceptions}, and
23047 @code{set signals} to values opposite to the defaults.
23049 @item info send-rights
23050 @itemx info receive-rights
23051 @itemx info port-rights
23052 @itemx info port-sets
23053 @itemx info dead-names
23056 @cindex send rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23057 @cindex receive rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23058 @cindex port rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23059 @cindex port sets, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23060 @cindex dead names, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23061 These commands display information about, respectively, send rights,
23062 receive rights, port rights, port sets, and dead names of a task.
23063 There are also shorthand aliases: @code{info ports} for @code{info
23064 port-rights} and @code{info psets} for @code{info port-sets}.
23066 @item set thread pause
23067 @kindex set thread@r{, Hurd command}
23068 @cindex thread properties, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23069 @cindex pause current thread (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
23070 This command toggles current thread suspension when @value{GDBN} has
23071 control. Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the current
23072 thread is suspended whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to
23073 off will take effect the next time the inferior is continued.
23074 Normally, this command has no effect, since when @value{GDBN} has
23075 control, the whole task is suspended. However, if you used @code{set
23076 task pause off} (see above), this command comes in handy to suspend
23077 only the current thread.
23079 @item show thread pause
23080 @kindex show thread@r{, Hurd command}
23081 This command shows the state of current thread suspension.
23083 @item set thread run
23084 This command sets whether the current thread is allowed to run.
23086 @item show thread run
23087 Show whether the current thread is allowed to run.
23089 @item set thread detach-suspend-count
23090 @cindex thread suspend count, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23091 @cindex detach from thread, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23092 This command sets the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on a
23093 thread when detaching. This number is relative to the suspend count
23094 found by @value{GDBN} when it notices the thread; use @code{set thread
23095 takeover-suspend-count} to force it to an absolute value.
23097 @item show thread detach-suspend-count
23098 Show the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on the thread when
23101 @item set thread exception-port
23102 @itemx set thread excp
23103 Set the thread exception port to which to forward exceptions. This
23104 overrides the port set by @code{set task exception-port} (see above).
23105 @code{set thread excp} is the shorthand alias.
23107 @item set thread takeover-suspend-count
23108 Normally, @value{GDBN}'s thread suspend counts are relative to the
23109 value @value{GDBN} finds when it notices each thread. This command
23110 changes the suspend counts to be absolute instead.
23112 @item set thread default
23113 @itemx show thread default
23114 @cindex thread default settings, @sc{gnu} Hurd
23115 Each of the above @code{set thread} commands has a @code{set thread
23116 default} counterpart (e.g., @code{set thread default pause}, @code{set
23117 thread default exception-port}, etc.). The @code{thread default}
23118 variety of commands sets the default thread properties for all
23119 threads; you can then change the properties of individual threads with
23120 the non-default commands.
23127 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands specific to the Darwin target:
23130 @item set debug darwin @var{num}
23131 @kindex set debug darwin
23132 When set to a non zero value, enables debugging messages specific to
23133 the Darwin support. Higher values produce more verbose output.
23135 @item show debug darwin
23136 @kindex show debug darwin
23137 Show the current state of Darwin messages.
23139 @item set debug mach-o @var{num}
23140 @kindex set debug mach-o
23141 When set to a non zero value, enables debugging messages while
23142 @value{GDBN} is reading Darwin object files. (@dfn{Mach-O} is the
23143 file format used on Darwin for object and executable files.) Higher
23144 values produce more verbose output. This is a command to diagnose
23145 problems internal to @value{GDBN} and should not be needed in normal
23148 @item show debug mach-o
23149 @kindex show debug mach-o
23150 Show the current state of Mach-O file messages.
23152 @item set mach-exceptions on
23153 @itemx set mach-exceptions off
23154 @kindex set mach-exceptions
23155 On Darwin, faults are first reported as a Mach exception and are then
23156 mapped to a Posix signal. Use this command to turn on trapping of
23157 Mach exceptions in the inferior. This might be sometimes useful to
23158 better understand the cause of a fault. The default is off.
23160 @item show mach-exceptions
23161 @kindex show mach-exceptions
23162 Show the current state of exceptions trapping.
23167 @section Embedded Operating Systems
23169 This section describes configurations involving the debugging of
23170 embedded operating systems that are available for several different
23173 @value{GDBN} includes the ability to debug programs running on
23174 various real-time operating systems.
23176 @node Embedded Processors
23177 @section Embedded Processors
23179 This section goes into details specific to particular embedded
23182 @cindex send command to simulator
23183 Whenever a specific embedded processor has a simulator, @value{GDBN}
23184 allows to send an arbitrary command to the simulator.
23187 @item sim @var{command}
23188 @kindex sim@r{, a command}
23189 Send an arbitrary @var{command} string to the simulator. Consult the
23190 documentation for the specific simulator in use for information about
23191 acceptable commands.
23196 * ARC:: Synopsys ARC
23198 * M68K:: Motorola M68K
23199 * MicroBlaze:: Xilinx MicroBlaze
23200 * MIPS Embedded:: MIPS Embedded
23201 * OpenRISC 1000:: OpenRISC 1000 (or1k)
23202 * PowerPC Embedded:: PowerPC Embedded
23205 * Super-H:: Renesas Super-H
23209 @subsection Synopsys ARC
23210 @cindex Synopsys ARC
23211 @cindex ARC specific commands
23217 @value{GDBN} provides the following ARC-specific commands:
23220 @item set debug arc
23221 @kindex set debug arc
23222 Control the level of ARC specific debug messages. Use 0 for no messages (the
23223 default), 1 for debug messages, and 2 for even more debug messages.
23225 @item show debug arc
23226 @kindex show debug arc
23227 Show the level of ARC specific debugging in operation.
23229 @item maint print arc arc-instruction @var{address}
23230 @kindex maint print arc arc-instruction
23231 Print internal disassembler information about instruction at a given address.
23238 @value{GDBN} provides the following ARM-specific commands:
23241 @item set arm disassembler
23243 This commands selects from a list of disassembly styles. The
23244 @code{"std"} style is the standard style.
23246 @item show arm disassembler
23248 Show the current disassembly style.
23250 @item set arm apcs32
23251 @cindex ARM 32-bit mode
23252 This command toggles ARM operation mode between 32-bit and 26-bit.
23254 @item show arm apcs32
23255 Display the current usage of the ARM 32-bit mode.
23257 @item set arm fpu @var{fputype}
23258 This command sets the ARM floating-point unit (FPU) type. The
23259 argument @var{fputype} can be one of these:
23263 Determine the FPU type by querying the OS ABI.
23265 Software FPU, with mixed-endian doubles on little-endian ARM
23268 GCC-compiled FPA co-processor.
23270 Software FPU with pure-endian doubles.
23276 Show the current type of the FPU.
23279 This command forces @value{GDBN} to use the specified ABI.
23282 Show the currently used ABI.
23284 @item set arm fallback-mode (arm|thumb|auto)
23285 @value{GDBN} uses the symbol table, when available, to determine
23286 whether instructions are ARM or Thumb. This command controls
23287 @value{GDBN}'s default behavior when the symbol table is not
23288 available. The default is @samp{auto}, which causes @value{GDBN} to
23289 use the current execution mode (from the @code{T} bit in the @code{CPSR}
23292 @item show arm fallback-mode
23293 Show the current fallback instruction mode.
23295 @item set arm force-mode (arm|thumb|auto)
23296 This command overrides use of the symbol table to determine whether
23297 instructions are ARM or Thumb. The default is @samp{auto}, which
23298 causes @value{GDBN} to use the symbol table and then the setting
23299 of @samp{set arm fallback-mode}.
23301 @item show arm force-mode
23302 Show the current forced instruction mode.
23304 @item set debug arm
23305 Toggle whether to display ARM-specific debugging messages from the ARM
23306 target support subsystem.
23308 @item show debug arm
23309 Show whether ARM-specific debugging messages are enabled.
23313 @item target sim @r{[}@var{simargs}@r{]} @dots{}
23314 The @value{GDBN} ARM simulator accepts the following optional arguments.
23317 @item --swi-support=@var{type}
23318 Tell the simulator which SWI interfaces to support. The argument
23319 @var{type} may be a comma separated list of the following values.
23320 The default value is @code{all}.
23335 The Motorola m68k configuration includes ColdFire support.
23338 @subsection MicroBlaze
23339 @cindex Xilinx MicroBlaze
23340 @cindex XMD, Xilinx Microprocessor Debugger
23342 The MicroBlaze is a soft-core processor supported on various Xilinx
23343 FPGAs, such as Spartan or Virtex series. Boards with these processors
23344 usually have JTAG ports which connect to a host system running the Xilinx
23345 Embedded Development Kit (EDK) or Software Development Kit (SDK).
23346 This host system is used to download the configuration bitstream to
23347 the target FPGA. The Xilinx Microprocessor Debugger (XMD) program
23348 communicates with the target board using the JTAG interface and
23349 presents a @code{gdbserver} interface to the board. By default
23350 @code{xmd} uses port @code{1234}. (While it is possible to change
23351 this default port, it requires the use of undocumented @code{xmd}
23352 commands. Contact Xilinx support if you need to do this.)
23354 Use these GDB commands to connect to the MicroBlaze target processor.
23357 @item target remote :1234
23358 Use this command to connect to the target if you are running @value{GDBN}
23359 on the same system as @code{xmd}.
23361 @item target remote @var{xmd-host}:1234
23362 Use this command to connect to the target if it is connected to @code{xmd}
23363 running on a different system named @var{xmd-host}.
23366 Use this command to download a program to the MicroBlaze target.
23368 @item set debug microblaze @var{n}
23369 Enable MicroBlaze-specific debugging messages if non-zero.
23371 @item show debug microblaze @var{n}
23372 Show MicroBlaze-specific debugging level.
23375 @node MIPS Embedded
23376 @subsection @acronym{MIPS} Embedded
23379 @value{GDBN} supports these special commands for @acronym{MIPS} targets:
23382 @item set mipsfpu double
23383 @itemx set mipsfpu single
23384 @itemx set mipsfpu none
23385 @itemx set mipsfpu auto
23386 @itemx show mipsfpu
23387 @kindex set mipsfpu
23388 @kindex show mipsfpu
23389 @cindex @acronym{MIPS} remote floating point
23390 @cindex floating point, @acronym{MIPS} remote
23391 If your target board does not support the @acronym{MIPS} floating point
23392 coprocessor, you should use the command @samp{set mipsfpu none} (if you
23393 need this, you may wish to put the command in your @value{GDBN} init
23394 file). This tells @value{GDBN} how to find the return value of
23395 functions which return floating point values. It also allows
23396 @value{GDBN} to avoid saving the floating point registers when calling
23397 functions on the board. If you are using a floating point coprocessor
23398 with only single precision floating point support, as on the @sc{r4650}
23399 processor, use the command @samp{set mipsfpu single}. The default
23400 double precision floating point coprocessor may be selected using
23401 @samp{set mipsfpu double}.
23403 In previous versions the only choices were double precision or no
23404 floating point, so @samp{set mipsfpu on} will select double precision
23405 and @samp{set mipsfpu off} will select no floating point.
23407 As usual, you can inquire about the @code{mipsfpu} variable with
23408 @samp{show mipsfpu}.
23411 @node OpenRISC 1000
23412 @subsection OpenRISC 1000
23413 @cindex OpenRISC 1000
23416 The OpenRISC 1000 provides a free RISC instruction set architecture. It is
23417 mainly provided as a soft-core which can run on Xilinx, Altera and other
23420 @value{GDBN} for OpenRISC supports the below commands when connecting to
23428 Runs the builtin CPU simulator which can run very basic
23429 programs but does not support most hardware functions like MMU.
23430 For more complex use cases the user is advised to run an external
23431 target, and connect using @samp{target remote}.
23433 Example: @code{target sim}
23435 @item set debug or1k
23436 Toggle whether to display OpenRISC-specific debugging messages from the
23437 OpenRISC target support subsystem.
23439 @item show debug or1k
23440 Show whether OpenRISC-specific debugging messages are enabled.
23443 @node PowerPC Embedded
23444 @subsection PowerPC Embedded
23446 @cindex DVC register
23447 @value{GDBN} supports using the DVC (Data Value Compare) register to
23448 implement in hardware simple hardware watchpoint conditions of the form:
23451 (@value{GDBP}) watch @var{ADDRESS|VARIABLE} \
23452 if @var{ADDRESS|VARIABLE} == @var{CONSTANT EXPRESSION}
23455 The DVC register will be automatically used when @value{GDBN} detects
23456 such pattern in a condition expression, and the created watchpoint uses one
23457 debug register (either the @code{exact-watchpoints} option is on and the
23458 variable is scalar, or the variable has a length of one byte). This feature
23459 is available in native @value{GDBN} running on a Linux kernel version 2.6.34
23462 When running on PowerPC embedded processors, @value{GDBN} automatically uses
23463 ranged hardware watchpoints, unless the @code{exact-watchpoints} option is on,
23464 in which case watchpoints using only one debug register are created when
23465 watching variables of scalar types.
23467 You can create an artificial array to watch an arbitrary memory
23468 region using one of the following commands (@pxref{Expressions}):
23471 (@value{GDBP}) watch *((char *) @var{address})@@@var{length}
23472 (@value{GDBP}) watch @{char[@var{length}]@} @var{address}
23475 PowerPC embedded processors support masked watchpoints. See the discussion
23476 about the @code{mask} argument in @ref{Set Watchpoints}.
23478 @cindex ranged breakpoint
23479 PowerPC embedded processors support hardware accelerated
23480 @dfn{ranged breakpoints}. A ranged breakpoint stops execution of
23481 the inferior whenever it executes an instruction at any address within
23482 the range it specifies. To set a ranged breakpoint in @value{GDBN},
23483 use the @code{break-range} command.
23485 @value{GDBN} provides the following PowerPC-specific commands:
23488 @kindex break-range
23489 @item break-range @var{start-location}, @var{end-location}
23490 Set a breakpoint for an address range given by
23491 @var{start-location} and @var{end-location}, which can specify a function name,
23492 a line number, an offset of lines from the current line or from the start
23493 location, or an address of an instruction (see @ref{Specify Location},
23494 for a list of all the possible ways to specify a @var{location}.)
23495 The breakpoint will stop execution of the inferior whenever it
23496 executes an instruction at any address within the specified range,
23497 (including @var{start-location} and @var{end-location}.)
23499 @kindex set powerpc
23500 @item set powerpc soft-float
23501 @itemx show powerpc soft-float
23502 Force @value{GDBN} to use (or not use) a software floating point calling
23503 convention. By default, @value{GDBN} selects the calling convention based
23504 on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
23506 @item set powerpc vector-abi
23507 @itemx show powerpc vector-abi
23508 Force @value{GDBN} to use the specified calling convention for vector
23509 arguments and return values. The valid options are @samp{auto};
23510 @samp{generic}, to avoid vector registers even if they are present;
23511 @samp{altivec}, to use AltiVec registers; and @samp{spe} to use SPE
23512 registers. By default, @value{GDBN} selects the calling convention
23513 based on the selected architecture and the provided executable file.
23515 @item set powerpc exact-watchpoints
23516 @itemx show powerpc exact-watchpoints
23517 Allow @value{GDBN} to use only one debug register when watching a variable
23518 of scalar type, thus assuming that the variable is accessed through the
23519 address of its first byte.
23524 @subsection Atmel AVR
23527 When configured for debugging the Atmel AVR, @value{GDBN} supports the
23528 following AVR-specific commands:
23531 @item info io_registers
23532 @kindex info io_registers@r{, AVR}
23533 @cindex I/O registers (Atmel AVR)
23534 This command displays information about the AVR I/O registers. For
23535 each register, @value{GDBN} prints its number and value.
23542 When configured for debugging CRIS, @value{GDBN} provides the
23543 following CRIS-specific commands:
23546 @item set cris-version @var{ver}
23547 @cindex CRIS version
23548 Set the current CRIS version to @var{ver}, either @samp{10} or @samp{32}.
23549 The CRIS version affects register names and sizes. This command is useful in
23550 case autodetection of the CRIS version fails.
23552 @item show cris-version
23553 Show the current CRIS version.
23555 @item set cris-dwarf2-cfi
23556 @cindex DWARF-2 CFI and CRIS
23557 Set the usage of DWARF-2 CFI for CRIS debugging. The default is @samp{on}.
23558 Change to @samp{off} when using @code{gcc-cris} whose version is below
23561 @item show cris-dwarf2-cfi
23562 Show the current state of using DWARF-2 CFI.
23564 @item set cris-mode @var{mode}
23566 Set the current CRIS mode to @var{mode}. It should only be changed when
23567 debugging in guru mode, in which case it should be set to
23568 @samp{guru} (the default is @samp{normal}).
23570 @item show cris-mode
23571 Show the current CRIS mode.
23575 @subsection Renesas Super-H
23578 For the Renesas Super-H processor, @value{GDBN} provides these
23582 @item set sh calling-convention @var{convention}
23583 @kindex set sh calling-convention
23584 Set the calling-convention used when calling functions from @value{GDBN}.
23585 Allowed values are @samp{gcc}, which is the default setting, and @samp{renesas}.
23586 With the @samp{gcc} setting, functions are called using the @value{NGCC} calling
23587 convention. If the DWARF-2 information of the called function specifies
23588 that the function follows the Renesas calling convention, the function
23589 is called using the Renesas calling convention. If the calling convention
23590 is set to @samp{renesas}, the Renesas calling convention is always used,
23591 regardless of the DWARF-2 information. This can be used to override the
23592 default of @samp{gcc} if debug information is missing, or the compiler
23593 does not emit the DWARF-2 calling convention entry for a function.
23595 @item show sh calling-convention
23596 @kindex show sh calling-convention
23597 Show the current calling convention setting.
23602 @node Architectures
23603 @section Architectures
23605 This section describes characteristics of architectures that affect
23606 all uses of @value{GDBN} with the architecture, both native and cross.
23613 * HPPA:: HP PA architecture
23614 * SPU:: Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture
23622 @subsection AArch64
23623 @cindex AArch64 support
23625 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the AArch64 architecture, it provides the
23626 following special commands:
23629 @item set debug aarch64
23630 @kindex set debug aarch64
23631 This command determines whether AArch64 architecture-specific debugging
23632 messages are to be displayed.
23634 @item show debug aarch64
23635 Show whether AArch64 debugging messages are displayed.
23639 @subsubsection AArch64 SVE.
23640 @cindex AArch64 SVE.
23642 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the AArch64 architecture, if the Scalable Vector
23643 Extension (SVE) is present, then @value{GDBN} will provide the vector registers
23644 @code{$z0} through @code{$z31}, vector predicate registers @code{$p0} through
23645 @code{$p15}, and the @code{$ffr} register. In addition, the pseudo register
23646 @code{$vg} will be provided. This is the vector granule for the current thread
23647 and represents the number of 64-bit chunks in an SVE @code{z} register.
23649 If the vector length changes, then the @code{$vg} register will be updated,
23650 but the lengths of the @code{z} and @code{p} registers will not change. This
23651 is a known limitation of @value{GDBN} and does not affect the execution of the
23656 @subsection x86 Architecture-specific Issues
23659 @item set struct-convention @var{mode}
23660 @kindex set struct-convention
23661 @cindex struct return convention
23662 @cindex struct/union returned in registers
23663 Set the convention used by the inferior to return @code{struct}s and
23664 @code{union}s from functions to @var{mode}. Possible values of
23665 @var{mode} are @code{"pcc"}, @code{"reg"}, and @code{"default"} (the
23666 default). @code{"default"} or @code{"pcc"} means that @code{struct}s
23667 are returned on the stack, while @code{"reg"} means that a
23668 @code{struct} or a @code{union} whose size is 1, 2, 4, or 8 bytes will
23669 be returned in a register.
23671 @item show struct-convention
23672 @kindex show struct-convention
23673 Show the current setting of the convention to return @code{struct}s
23678 @subsubsection Intel @dfn{Memory Protection Extensions} (MPX).
23679 @cindex Intel Memory Protection Extensions (MPX).
23681 Memory Protection Extension (MPX) adds the bound registers @samp{BND0}
23682 @footnote{The register named with capital letters represent the architecture
23683 registers.} through @samp{BND3}. Bound registers store a pair of 64-bit values
23684 which are the lower bound and upper bound. Bounds are effective addresses or
23685 memory locations. The upper bounds are architecturally represented in 1's
23686 complement form. A bound having lower bound = 0, and upper bound = 0
23687 (1's complement of all bits set) will allow access to the entire address space.
23689 @samp{BND0} through @samp{BND3} are represented in @value{GDBN} as @samp{bnd0raw}
23690 through @samp{bnd3raw}. Pseudo registers @samp{bnd0} through @samp{bnd3}
23691 display the upper bound performing the complement of one operation on the
23692 upper bound value, i.e.@ when upper bound in @samp{bnd0raw} is 0 in the
23693 @value{GDBN} @samp{bnd0} it will be @code{0xfff@dots{}}. In this sense it
23694 can also be noted that the upper bounds are inclusive.
23696 As an example, assume that the register BND0 holds bounds for a pointer having
23697 access allowed for the range between 0x32 and 0x71. The values present on
23698 bnd0raw and bnd registers are presented as follows:
23701 bnd0raw = @{0x32, 0xffffffff8e@}
23702 bnd0 = @{lbound = 0x32, ubound = 0x71@} : size 64
23705 This way the raw value can be accessed via bnd0raw@dots{}bnd3raw. Any
23706 change on bnd0@dots{}bnd3 or bnd0raw@dots{}bnd3raw is reflect on its
23707 counterpart. When the bnd0@dots{}bnd3 registers are displayed via
23708 Python, the display includes the memory size, in bits, accessible to
23711 Bounds can also be stored in bounds tables, which are stored in
23712 application memory. These tables store bounds for pointers by specifying
23713 the bounds pointer's value along with its bounds. Evaluating and changing
23714 bounds located in bound tables is therefore interesting while investigating
23715 bugs on MPX context. @value{GDBN} provides commands for this purpose:
23718 @item show mpx bound @var{pointer}
23719 @kindex show mpx bound
23720 Display bounds of the given @var{pointer}.
23722 @item set mpx bound @var{pointer}, @var{lbound}, @var{ubound}
23723 @kindex set mpx bound
23724 Set the bounds of a pointer in the bound table.
23725 This command takes three parameters: @var{pointer} is the pointers
23726 whose bounds are to be changed, @var{lbound} and @var{ubound} are new values
23727 for lower and upper bounds respectively.
23730 When you call an inferior function on an Intel MPX enabled program,
23731 GDB sets the inferior's bound registers to the init (disabled) state
23732 before calling the function. As a consequence, bounds checks for the
23733 pointer arguments passed to the function will always pass.
23735 This is necessary because when you call an inferior function, the
23736 program is usually in the middle of the execution of other function.
23737 Since at that point bound registers are in an arbitrary state, not
23738 clearing them would lead to random bound violations in the called
23741 You can still examine the influence of the bound registers on the
23742 execution of the called function by stopping the execution of the
23743 called function at its prologue, setting bound registers, and
23744 continuing the execution. For example:
23748 Breakpoint 2 at 0x4009de: file i386-mpx-call.c, line 47.
23749 $ print upper (a, b, c, d, 1)
23750 Breakpoint 2, upper (a=0x0, b=0x6e0000005b, c=0x0, d=0x0, len=48)....
23752 @{lbound = 0x0, ubound = ffffffff@} : size -1
23755 At this last step the value of bnd0 can be changed for investigation of bound
23756 violations caused along the execution of the call. In order to know how to
23757 set the bound registers or bound table for the call consult the ABI.
23762 See the following section.
23765 @subsection @acronym{MIPS}
23767 @cindex stack on Alpha
23768 @cindex stack on @acronym{MIPS}
23769 @cindex Alpha stack
23770 @cindex @acronym{MIPS} stack
23771 Alpha- and @acronym{MIPS}-based computers use an unusual stack frame, which
23772 sometimes requires @value{GDBN} to search backward in the object code to
23773 find the beginning of a function.
23775 @cindex response time, @acronym{MIPS} debugging
23776 To improve response time (especially for embedded applications, where
23777 @value{GDBN} may be restricted to a slow serial line for this search)
23778 you may want to limit the size of this search, using one of these
23782 @cindex @code{heuristic-fence-post} (Alpha, @acronym{MIPS})
23783 @item set heuristic-fence-post @var{limit}
23784 Restrict @value{GDBN} to examining at most @var{limit} bytes in its
23785 search for the beginning of a function. A value of @var{0} (the
23786 default) means there is no limit. However, except for @var{0}, the
23787 larger the limit the more bytes @code{heuristic-fence-post} must search
23788 and therefore the longer it takes to run. You should only need to use
23789 this command when debugging a stripped executable.
23791 @item show heuristic-fence-post
23792 Display the current limit.
23796 These commands are available @emph{only} when @value{GDBN} is configured
23797 for debugging programs on Alpha or @acronym{MIPS} processors.
23799 Several @acronym{MIPS}-specific commands are available when debugging @acronym{MIPS}
23803 @item set mips abi @var{arg}
23804 @kindex set mips abi
23805 @cindex set ABI for @acronym{MIPS}
23806 Tell @value{GDBN} which @acronym{MIPS} ABI is used by the inferior. Possible
23807 values of @var{arg} are:
23811 The default ABI associated with the current binary (this is the
23821 @item show mips abi
23822 @kindex show mips abi
23823 Show the @acronym{MIPS} ABI used by @value{GDBN} to debug the inferior.
23825 @item set mips compression @var{arg}
23826 @kindex set mips compression
23827 @cindex code compression, @acronym{MIPS}
23828 Tell @value{GDBN} which @acronym{MIPS} compressed
23829 @acronym{ISA, Instruction Set Architecture} encoding is used by the
23830 inferior. @value{GDBN} uses this for code disassembly and other
23831 internal interpretation purposes. This setting is only referred to
23832 when no executable has been associated with the debugging session or
23833 the executable does not provide information about the encoding it uses.
23834 Otherwise this setting is automatically updated from information
23835 provided by the executable.
23837 Possible values of @var{arg} are @samp{mips16} and @samp{micromips}.
23838 The default compressed @acronym{ISA} encoding is @samp{mips16}, as
23839 executables containing @acronym{MIPS16} code frequently are not
23840 identified as such.
23842 This setting is ``sticky''; that is, it retains its value across
23843 debugging sessions until reset either explicitly with this command or
23844 implicitly from an executable.
23846 The compiler and/or assembler typically add symbol table annotations to
23847 identify functions compiled for the @acronym{MIPS16} or
23848 @acronym{microMIPS} @acronym{ISA}s. If these function-scope annotations
23849 are present, @value{GDBN} uses them in preference to the global
23850 compressed @acronym{ISA} encoding setting.
23852 @item show mips compression
23853 @kindex show mips compression
23854 Show the @acronym{MIPS} compressed @acronym{ISA} encoding used by
23855 @value{GDBN} to debug the inferior.
23858 @itemx show mipsfpu
23859 @xref{MIPS Embedded, set mipsfpu}.
23861 @item set mips mask-address @var{arg}
23862 @kindex set mips mask-address
23863 @cindex @acronym{MIPS} addresses, masking
23864 This command determines whether the most-significant 32 bits of 64-bit
23865 @acronym{MIPS} addresses are masked off. The argument @var{arg} can be
23866 @samp{on}, @samp{off}, or @samp{auto}. The latter is the default
23867 setting, which lets @value{GDBN} determine the correct value.
23869 @item show mips mask-address
23870 @kindex show mips mask-address
23871 Show whether the upper 32 bits of @acronym{MIPS} addresses are masked off or
23874 @item set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
23875 @kindex set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
23876 This command controls compatibility with 64-bit @acronym{MIPS} targets that
23877 transfer data in 32-bit quantities. If you have an old @acronym{MIPS} 64 target
23878 that transfers 32 bits for some registers, like @sc{sr} and @sc{fsr},
23879 and 64 bits for other registers, set this option to @samp{on}.
23881 @item show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
23882 @kindex show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
23883 Show the current setting of compatibility with older @acronym{MIPS} 64 targets.
23885 @item set debug mips
23886 @kindex set debug mips
23887 This command turns on and off debugging messages for the @acronym{MIPS}-specific
23888 target code in @value{GDBN}.
23890 @item show debug mips
23891 @kindex show debug mips
23892 Show the current setting of @acronym{MIPS} debugging messages.
23898 @cindex HPPA support
23900 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the HP PA architecture, it provides the
23901 following special commands:
23904 @item set debug hppa
23905 @kindex set debug hppa
23906 This command determines whether HPPA architecture-specific debugging
23907 messages are to be displayed.
23909 @item show debug hppa
23910 Show whether HPPA debugging messages are displayed.
23912 @item maint print unwind @var{address}
23913 @kindex maint print unwind@r{, HPPA}
23914 This command displays the contents of the unwind table entry at the
23915 given @var{address}.
23921 @subsection Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture
23922 @cindex Cell Broadband Engine
23925 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the Cell Broadband Engine SPU architecture,
23926 it provides the following special commands:
23929 @item info spu event
23931 Display SPU event facility status. Shows current event mask
23932 and pending event status.
23934 @item info spu signal
23935 Display SPU signal notification facility status. Shows pending
23936 signal-control word and signal notification mode of both signal
23937 notification channels.
23939 @item info spu mailbox
23940 Display SPU mailbox facility status. Shows all pending entries,
23941 in order of processing, in each of the SPU Write Outbound,
23942 SPU Write Outbound Interrupt, and SPU Read Inbound mailboxes.
23945 Display MFC DMA status. Shows all pending commands in the MFC
23946 DMA queue. For each entry, opcode, tag, class IDs, effective
23947 and local store addresses and transfer size are shown.
23949 @item info spu proxydma
23950 Display MFC Proxy-DMA status. Shows all pending commands in the MFC
23951 Proxy-DMA queue. For each entry, opcode, tag, class IDs, effective
23952 and local store addresses and transfer size are shown.
23956 When @value{GDBN} is debugging a combined PowerPC/SPU application
23957 on the Cell Broadband Engine, it provides in addition the following
23961 @item set spu stop-on-load @var{arg}
23963 Set whether to stop for new SPE threads. When set to @code{on}, @value{GDBN}
23964 will give control to the user when a new SPE thread enters its @code{main}
23965 function. The default is @code{off}.
23967 @item show spu stop-on-load
23969 Show whether to stop for new SPE threads.
23971 @item set spu auto-flush-cache @var{arg}
23972 Set whether to automatically flush the software-managed cache. When set to
23973 @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will automatically cause the SPE software-managed
23974 cache to be flushed whenever SPE execution stops. This provides a consistent
23975 view of PowerPC memory that is accessed via the cache. If an application
23976 does not use the software-managed cache, this option has no effect.
23978 @item show spu auto-flush-cache
23979 Show whether to automatically flush the software-managed cache.
23984 @subsection PowerPC
23985 @cindex PowerPC architecture
23987 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the PowerPC architecture, it provides a set of
23988 pseudo-registers to enable inspection of 128-bit wide Decimal Floating Point
23989 numbers stored in the floating point registers. These values must be stored
23990 in two consecutive registers, always starting at an even register like
23991 @code{f0} or @code{f2}.
23993 The pseudo-registers go from @code{$dl0} through @code{$dl15}, and are formed
23994 by joining the even/odd register pairs @code{f0} and @code{f1} for @code{$dl0},
23995 @code{f2} and @code{f3} for @code{$dl1} and so on.
23997 For POWER7 processors, @value{GDBN} provides a set of pseudo-registers, the 64-bit
23998 wide Extended Floating Point Registers (@samp{f32} through @samp{f63}).
24001 @subsection Nios II
24002 @cindex Nios II architecture
24004 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the Nios II architecture,
24005 it provides the following special commands:
24009 @item set debug nios2
24010 @kindex set debug nios2
24011 This command turns on and off debugging messages for the Nios II
24012 target code in @value{GDBN}.
24014 @item show debug nios2
24015 @kindex show debug nios2
24016 Show the current setting of Nios II debugging messages.
24020 @subsection Sparc64
24021 @cindex Sparc64 support
24022 @cindex Application Data Integrity
24023 @subsubsection ADI Support
24025 The M7 processor supports an Application Data Integrity (ADI) feature that
24026 detects invalid data accesses. When software allocates memory and enables
24027 ADI on the allocated memory, it chooses a 4-bit version number, sets the
24028 version in the upper 4 bits of the 64-bit pointer to that data, and stores
24029 the 4-bit version in every cacheline of that data. Hardware saves the latter
24030 in spare bits in the cache and memory hierarchy. On each load and store,
24031 the processor compares the upper 4 VA (virtual address) bits to the
24032 cacheline's version. If there is a mismatch, the processor generates a
24033 version mismatch trap which can be either precise or disrupting. The trap
24034 is an error condition which the kernel delivers to the process as a SIGSEGV
24037 Note that only 64-bit applications can use ADI and need to be built with
24040 Values of the ADI version tags, which are in granularity of a
24041 cacheline (64 bytes), can be viewed or modified.
24045 @kindex adi examine
24046 @item adi (examine | x) [ / @var{n} ] @var{addr}
24048 The @code{adi examine} command displays the value of one ADI version tag per
24051 @var{n} is a decimal integer specifying the number in bytes; the default
24052 is 1. It specifies how much ADI version information, at the ratio of 1:ADI
24053 block size, to display.
24055 @var{addr} is the address in user address space where you want @value{GDBN}
24056 to begin displaying the ADI version tags.
24058 Below is an example of displaying ADI versions of variable "shmaddr".
24061 (@value{GDBP}) adi x/100 shmaddr
24062 0xfff800010002c000: 0 0
24066 @item adi (assign | a) [ / @var{n} ] @var{addr} = @var{tag}
24068 The @code{adi assign} command is used to assign new ADI version tag
24071 @var{n} is a decimal integer specifying the number in bytes;
24072 the default is 1. It specifies how much ADI version information, at the
24073 ratio of 1:ADI block size, to modify.
24075 @var{addr} is the address in user address space where you want @value{GDBN}
24076 to begin modifying the ADI version tags.
24078 @var{tag} is the new ADI version tag.
24080 For example, do the following to modify then verify ADI versions of
24081 variable "shmaddr":
24084 (@value{GDBP}) adi a/100 shmaddr = 7
24085 (@value{GDBP}) adi x/100 shmaddr
24086 0xfff800010002c000: 7 7
24093 @cindex S12Z support
24095 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the S12Z architecture,
24096 it provides the following special command:
24099 @item maint info bdccsr
24100 @kindex maint info bdccsr@r{, S12Z}
24101 This command displays the current value of the microprocessor's
24106 @node Controlling GDB
24107 @chapter Controlling @value{GDBN}
24109 You can alter the way @value{GDBN} interacts with you by using the
24110 @code{set} command. For commands controlling how @value{GDBN} displays
24111 data, see @ref{Print Settings, ,Print Settings}. Other settings are
24116 * Editing:: Command editing
24117 * Command History:: Command history
24118 * Screen Size:: Screen size
24119 * Numbers:: Numbers
24120 * ABI:: Configuring the current ABI
24121 * Auto-loading:: Automatically loading associated files
24122 * Messages/Warnings:: Optional warnings and messages
24123 * Debugging Output:: Optional messages about internal happenings
24124 * Other Misc Settings:: Other Miscellaneous Settings
24132 @value{GDBN} indicates its readiness to read a command by printing a string
24133 called the @dfn{prompt}. This string is normally @samp{(@value{GDBP})}. You
24134 can change the prompt string with the @code{set prompt} command. For
24135 instance, when debugging @value{GDBN} with @value{GDBN}, it is useful to change
24136 the prompt in one of the @value{GDBN} sessions so that you can always tell
24137 which one you are talking to.
24139 @emph{Note:} @code{set prompt} does not add a space for you after the
24140 prompt you set. This allows you to set a prompt which ends in a space
24141 or a prompt that does not.
24145 @item set prompt @var{newprompt}
24146 Directs @value{GDBN} to use @var{newprompt} as its prompt string henceforth.
24148 @kindex show prompt
24150 Prints a line of the form: @samp{Gdb's prompt is: @var{your-prompt}}
24153 Versions of @value{GDBN} that ship with Python scripting enabled have
24154 prompt extensions. The commands for interacting with these extensions
24158 @kindex set extended-prompt
24159 @item set extended-prompt @var{prompt}
24160 Set an extended prompt that allows for substitutions.
24161 @xref{gdb.prompt}, for a list of escape sequences that can be used for
24162 substitution. Any escape sequences specified as part of the prompt
24163 string are replaced with the corresponding strings each time the prompt
24169 set extended-prompt Current working directory: \w (gdb)
24172 Note that when an extended-prompt is set, it takes control of the
24173 @var{prompt_hook} hook. @xref{prompt_hook}, for further information.
24175 @kindex show extended-prompt
24176 @item show extended-prompt
24177 Prints the extended prompt. Any escape sequences specified as part of
24178 the prompt string with @code{set extended-prompt}, are replaced with the
24179 corresponding strings each time the prompt is displayed.
24183 @section Command Editing
24185 @cindex command line editing
24187 @value{GDBN} reads its input commands via the @dfn{Readline} interface. This
24188 @sc{gnu} library provides consistent behavior for programs which provide a
24189 command line interface to the user. Advantages are @sc{gnu} Emacs-style
24190 or @dfn{vi}-style inline editing of commands, @code{csh}-like history
24191 substitution, and a storage and recall of command history across
24192 debugging sessions.
24194 You may control the behavior of command line editing in @value{GDBN} with the
24195 command @code{set}.
24198 @kindex set editing
24201 @itemx set editing on
24202 Enable command line editing (enabled by default).
24204 @item set editing off
24205 Disable command line editing.
24207 @kindex show editing
24209 Show whether command line editing is enabled.
24212 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
24213 @xref{Command Line Editing, , , rluserman, GNU Readline Library},
24215 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
24216 @xref{Command Line Editing},
24218 for more details about the Readline
24219 interface. Users unfamiliar with @sc{gnu} Emacs or @code{vi} are
24220 encouraged to read that chapter.
24222 @node Command History
24223 @section Command History
24224 @cindex command history
24226 @value{GDBN} can keep track of the commands you type during your
24227 debugging sessions, so that you can be certain of precisely what
24228 happened. Use these commands to manage the @value{GDBN} command
24231 @value{GDBN} uses the @sc{gnu} History library, a part of the Readline
24232 package, to provide the history facility.
24233 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
24234 @xref{Using History Interactively, , , history, GNU History Library},
24236 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
24237 @xref{Using History Interactively},
24239 for the detailed description of the History library.
24241 To issue a command to @value{GDBN} without affecting certain aspects of
24242 the state which is seen by users, prefix it with @samp{server }
24243 (@pxref{Server Prefix}). This
24244 means that this command will not affect the command history, nor will it
24245 affect @value{GDBN}'s notion of which command to repeat if @key{RET} is
24246 pressed on a line by itself.
24248 @cindex @code{server}, command prefix
24249 The server prefix does not affect the recording of values into the value
24250 history; to print a value without recording it into the value history,
24251 use the @code{output} command instead of the @code{print} command.
24253 Here is the description of @value{GDBN} commands related to command
24257 @cindex history substitution
24258 @cindex history file
24259 @kindex set history filename
24260 @cindex @env{GDBHISTFILE}, environment variable
24261 @item set history filename @var{fname}
24262 Set the name of the @value{GDBN} command history file to @var{fname}.
24263 This is the file where @value{GDBN} reads an initial command history
24264 list, and where it writes the command history from this session when it
24265 exits. You can access this list through history expansion or through
24266 the history command editing characters listed below. This file defaults
24267 to the value of the environment variable @code{GDBHISTFILE}, or to
24268 @file{./.gdb_history} (@file{./_gdb_history} on MS-DOS) if this variable
24271 @cindex save command history
24272 @kindex set history save
24273 @item set history save
24274 @itemx set history save on
24275 Record command history in a file, whose name may be specified with the
24276 @code{set history filename} command. By default, this option is disabled.
24278 @item set history save off
24279 Stop recording command history in a file.
24281 @cindex history size
24282 @kindex set history size
24283 @cindex @env{GDBHISTSIZE}, environment variable
24284 @item set history size @var{size}
24285 @itemx set history size unlimited
24286 Set the number of commands which @value{GDBN} keeps in its history list.
24287 This defaults to the value of the environment variable @env{GDBHISTSIZE}, or
24288 to 256 if this variable is not set. Non-numeric values of @env{GDBHISTSIZE}
24289 are ignored. If @var{size} is @code{unlimited} or if @env{GDBHISTSIZE} is
24290 either a negative number or the empty string, then the number of commands
24291 @value{GDBN} keeps in the history list is unlimited.
24293 @cindex remove duplicate history
24294 @kindex set history remove-duplicates
24295 @item set history remove-duplicates @var{count}
24296 @itemx set history remove-duplicates unlimited
24297 Control the removal of duplicate history entries in the command history list.
24298 If @var{count} is non-zero, @value{GDBN} will look back at the last @var{count}
24299 history entries and remove the first entry that is a duplicate of the current
24300 entry being added to the command history list. If @var{count} is
24301 @code{unlimited} then this lookbehind is unbounded. If @var{count} is 0, then
24302 removal of duplicate history entries is disabled.
24304 Only history entries added during the current session are considered for
24305 removal. This option is set to 0 by default.
24309 History expansion assigns special meaning to the character @kbd{!}.
24310 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
24311 @xref{Event Designators, , , history, GNU History Library},
24313 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
24314 @xref{Event Designators},
24318 @cindex history expansion, turn on/off
24319 Since @kbd{!} is also the logical not operator in C, history expansion
24320 is off by default. If you decide to enable history expansion with the
24321 @code{set history expansion on} command, you may sometimes need to
24322 follow @kbd{!} (when it is used as logical not, in an expression) with
24323 a space or a tab to prevent it from being expanded. The readline
24324 history facilities do not attempt substitution on the strings
24325 @kbd{!=} and @kbd{!(}, even when history expansion is enabled.
24327 The commands to control history expansion are:
24330 @item set history expansion on
24331 @itemx set history expansion
24332 @kindex set history expansion
24333 Enable history expansion. History expansion is off by default.
24335 @item set history expansion off
24336 Disable history expansion.
24339 @kindex show history
24341 @itemx show history filename
24342 @itemx show history save
24343 @itemx show history size
24344 @itemx show history expansion
24345 These commands display the state of the @value{GDBN} history parameters.
24346 @code{show history} by itself displays all four states.
24351 @kindex show commands
24352 @cindex show last commands
24353 @cindex display command history
24354 @item show commands
24355 Display the last ten commands in the command history.
24357 @item show commands @var{n}
24358 Print ten commands centered on command number @var{n}.
24360 @item show commands +
24361 Print ten commands just after the commands last printed.
24365 @section Screen Size
24366 @cindex size of screen
24367 @cindex screen size
24370 @cindex pauses in output
24372 Certain commands to @value{GDBN} may produce large amounts of
24373 information output to the screen. To help you read all of it,
24374 @value{GDBN} pauses and asks you for input at the end of each page of
24375 output. Type @key{RET} when you want to see one more page of output,
24376 @kbd{q} to discard the remaining output, or @kbd{c} to continue
24377 without paging for the rest of the current command. Also, the screen
24378 width setting determines when to wrap lines of output. Depending on
24379 what is being printed, @value{GDBN} tries to break the line at a
24380 readable place, rather than simply letting it overflow onto the
24383 Normally @value{GDBN} knows the size of the screen from the terminal
24384 driver software. For example, on Unix @value{GDBN} uses the termcap data base
24385 together with the value of the @code{TERM} environment variable and the
24386 @code{stty rows} and @code{stty cols} settings. If this is not correct,
24387 you can override it with the @code{set height} and @code{set
24394 @kindex show height
24395 @item set height @var{lpp}
24396 @itemx set height unlimited
24398 @itemx set width @var{cpl}
24399 @itemx set width unlimited
24401 These @code{set} commands specify a screen height of @var{lpp} lines and
24402 a screen width of @var{cpl} characters. The associated @code{show}
24403 commands display the current settings.
24405 If you specify a height of either @code{unlimited} or zero lines,
24406 @value{GDBN} does not pause during output no matter how long the
24407 output is. This is useful if output is to a file or to an editor
24410 Likewise, you can specify @samp{set width unlimited} or @samp{set
24411 width 0} to prevent @value{GDBN} from wrapping its output.
24413 @item set pagination on
24414 @itemx set pagination off
24415 @kindex set pagination
24416 Turn the output pagination on or off; the default is on. Turning
24417 pagination off is the alternative to @code{set height unlimited}. Note that
24418 running @value{GDBN} with the @option{--batch} option (@pxref{Mode
24419 Options, -batch}) also automatically disables pagination.
24421 @item show pagination
24422 @kindex show pagination
24423 Show the current pagination mode.
24428 @cindex number representation
24429 @cindex entering numbers
24431 You can always enter numbers in octal, decimal, or hexadecimal in
24432 @value{GDBN} by the usual conventions: octal numbers begin with
24433 @samp{0}, decimal numbers end with @samp{.}, and hexadecimal numbers
24434 begin with @samp{0x}. Numbers that neither begin with @samp{0} or
24435 @samp{0x}, nor end with a @samp{.} are, by default, entered in base
24436 10; likewise, the default display for numbers---when no particular
24437 format is specified---is base 10. You can change the default base for
24438 both input and output with the commands described below.
24441 @kindex set input-radix
24442 @item set input-radix @var{base}
24443 Set the default base for numeric input. Supported choices
24444 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. The base must itself be
24445 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix; for
24449 set input-radix 012
24450 set input-radix 10.
24451 set input-radix 0xa
24455 sets the input base to decimal. On the other hand, @samp{set input-radix 10}
24456 leaves the input radix unchanged, no matter what it was, since
24457 @samp{10}, being without any leading or trailing signs of its base, is
24458 interpreted in the current radix. Thus, if the current radix is 16,
24459 @samp{10} is interpreted in hex, i.e.@: as 16 decimal, which doesn't
24462 @kindex set output-radix
24463 @item set output-radix @var{base}
24464 Set the default base for numeric display. Supported choices
24465 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. The base must itself be
24466 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix.
24468 @kindex show input-radix
24469 @item show input-radix
24470 Display the current default base for numeric input.
24472 @kindex show output-radix
24473 @item show output-radix
24474 Display the current default base for numeric display.
24476 @item set radix @r{[}@var{base}@r{]}
24480 These commands set and show the default base for both input and output
24481 of numbers. @code{set radix} sets the radix of input and output to
24482 the same base; without an argument, it resets the radix back to its
24483 default value of 10.
24488 @section Configuring the Current ABI
24490 @value{GDBN} can determine the @dfn{ABI} (Application Binary Interface) of your
24491 application automatically. However, sometimes you need to override its
24492 conclusions. Use these commands to manage @value{GDBN}'s view of the
24498 @cindex Newlib OS ABI and its influence on the longjmp handling
24500 One @value{GDBN} configuration can debug binaries for multiple operating
24501 system targets, either via remote debugging or native emulation.
24502 @value{GDBN} will autodetect the @dfn{OS ABI} (Operating System ABI) in use,
24503 but you can override its conclusion using the @code{set osabi} command.
24504 One example where this is useful is in debugging of binaries which use
24505 an alternate C library (e.g.@: @sc{uClibc} for @sc{gnu}/Linux) which does
24506 not have the same identifying marks that the standard C library for your
24509 When @value{GDBN} is debugging the AArch64 architecture, it provides a
24510 ``Newlib'' OS ABI. This is useful for handling @code{setjmp} and
24511 @code{longjmp} when debugging binaries that use the @sc{newlib} C library.
24512 The ``Newlib'' OS ABI can be selected by @code{set osabi Newlib}.
24516 Show the OS ABI currently in use.
24519 With no argument, show the list of registered available OS ABI's.
24521 @item set osabi @var{abi}
24522 Set the current OS ABI to @var{abi}.
24525 @cindex float promotion
24527 Generally, the way that an argument of type @code{float} is passed to a
24528 function depends on whether the function is prototyped. For a prototyped
24529 (i.e.@: ANSI/ISO style) function, @code{float} arguments are passed unchanged,
24530 according to the architecture's convention for @code{float}. For unprototyped
24531 (i.e.@: K&R style) functions, @code{float} arguments are first promoted to type
24532 @code{double} and then passed.
24534 Unfortunately, some forms of debug information do not reliably indicate whether
24535 a function is prototyped. If @value{GDBN} calls a function that is not marked
24536 as prototyped, it consults @kbd{set coerce-float-to-double}.
24539 @kindex set coerce-float-to-double
24540 @item set coerce-float-to-double
24541 @itemx set coerce-float-to-double on
24542 Arguments of type @code{float} will be promoted to @code{double} when passed
24543 to an unprototyped function. This is the default setting.
24545 @item set coerce-float-to-double off
24546 Arguments of type @code{float} will be passed directly to unprototyped
24549 @kindex show coerce-float-to-double
24550 @item show coerce-float-to-double
24551 Show the current setting of promoting @code{float} to @code{double}.
24555 @kindex show cp-abi
24556 @value{GDBN} needs to know the ABI used for your program's C@t{++}
24557 objects. The correct C@t{++} ABI depends on which C@t{++} compiler was
24558 used to build your application. @value{GDBN} only fully supports
24559 programs with a single C@t{++} ABI; if your program contains code using
24560 multiple C@t{++} ABI's or if @value{GDBN} can not identify your
24561 program's ABI correctly, you can tell @value{GDBN} which ABI to use.
24562 Currently supported ABI's include ``gnu-v2'', for @code{g++} versions
24563 before 3.0, ``gnu-v3'', for @code{g++} versions 3.0 and later, and
24564 ``hpaCC'' for the HP ANSI C@t{++} compiler. Other C@t{++} compilers may
24565 use the ``gnu-v2'' or ``gnu-v3'' ABI's as well. The default setting is
24570 Show the C@t{++} ABI currently in use.
24573 With no argument, show the list of supported C@t{++} ABI's.
24575 @item set cp-abi @var{abi}
24576 @itemx set cp-abi auto
24577 Set the current C@t{++} ABI to @var{abi}, or return to automatic detection.
24581 @section Automatically loading associated files
24582 @cindex auto-loading
24584 @value{GDBN} sometimes reads files with commands and settings automatically,
24585 without being explicitly told so by the user. We call this feature
24586 @dfn{auto-loading}. While auto-loading is useful for automatically adapting
24587 @value{GDBN} to the needs of your project, it can sometimes produce unexpected
24588 results or introduce security risks (e.g., if the file comes from untrusted
24592 * Init File in the Current Directory:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load local-gdbinit}
24593 * libthread_db.so.1 file:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load libthread-db}
24595 * Auto-loading safe path:: @samp{set/show/info auto-load safe-path}
24596 * Auto-loading verbose mode:: @samp{set/show debug auto-load}
24599 There are various kinds of files @value{GDBN} can automatically load.
24600 In addition to these files, @value{GDBN} supports auto-loading code written
24601 in various extension languages. @xref{Auto-loading extensions}.
24603 Note that loading of these associated files (including the local @file{.gdbinit}
24604 file) requires accordingly configured @code{auto-load safe-path}
24605 (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
24607 For these reasons, @value{GDBN} includes commands and options to let you
24608 control when to auto-load files and which files should be auto-loaded.
24611 @anchor{set auto-load off}
24612 @kindex set auto-load off
24613 @item set auto-load off
24614 Globally disable loading of all auto-loaded files.
24615 You may want to use this command with the @samp{-iex} option
24616 (@pxref{Option -init-eval-command}) such as:
24618 $ @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load off" untrusted-executable corefile}
24621 Be aware that system init file (@pxref{System-wide configuration})
24622 and init files from your home directory (@pxref{Home Directory Init File})
24623 still get read (as they come from generally trusted directories).
24624 To prevent @value{GDBN} from auto-loading even those init files, use the
24625 @option{-nx} option (@pxref{Mode Options}), in addition to
24626 @code{set auto-load no}.
24628 @anchor{show auto-load}
24629 @kindex show auto-load
24630 @item show auto-load
24631 Show whether auto-loading of each specific @samp{auto-load} file(s) is enabled
24635 (gdb) show auto-load
24636 gdb-scripts: Auto-loading of canned sequences of commands scripts is on.
24637 libthread-db: Auto-loading of inferior specific libthread_db is on.
24638 local-gdbinit: Auto-loading of .gdbinit script from current directory
24640 python-scripts: Auto-loading of Python scripts is on.
24641 safe-path: List of directories from which it is safe to auto-load files
24642 is $debugdir:$datadir/auto-load.
24643 scripts-directory: List of directories from which to load auto-loaded scripts
24644 is $debugdir:$datadir/auto-load.
24647 @anchor{info auto-load}
24648 @kindex info auto-load
24649 @item info auto-load
24650 Print whether each specific @samp{auto-load} file(s) have been auto-loaded or
24654 (gdb) info auto-load
24657 Yes /home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.gdb
24658 libthread-db: No auto-loaded libthread-db.
24659 local-gdbinit: Local .gdbinit file "/home/user/gdb/.gdbinit" has been
24663 Yes /home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.py
24667 These are @value{GDBN} control commands for the auto-loading:
24669 @multitable @columnfractions .5 .5
24670 @item @xref{set auto-load off}.
24671 @tab Disable auto-loading globally.
24672 @item @xref{show auto-load}.
24673 @tab Show setting of all kinds of files.
24674 @item @xref{info auto-load}.
24675 @tab Show state of all kinds of files.
24676 @item @xref{set auto-load gdb-scripts}.
24677 @tab Control for @value{GDBN} command scripts.
24678 @item @xref{show auto-load gdb-scripts}.
24679 @tab Show setting of @value{GDBN} command scripts.
24680 @item @xref{info auto-load gdb-scripts}.
24681 @tab Show state of @value{GDBN} command scripts.
24682 @item @xref{set auto-load python-scripts}.
24683 @tab Control for @value{GDBN} Python scripts.
24684 @item @xref{show auto-load python-scripts}.
24685 @tab Show setting of @value{GDBN} Python scripts.
24686 @item @xref{info auto-load python-scripts}.
24687 @tab Show state of @value{GDBN} Python scripts.
24688 @item @xref{set auto-load guile-scripts}.
24689 @tab Control for @value{GDBN} Guile scripts.
24690 @item @xref{show auto-load guile-scripts}.
24691 @tab Show setting of @value{GDBN} Guile scripts.
24692 @item @xref{info auto-load guile-scripts}.
24693 @tab Show state of @value{GDBN} Guile scripts.
24694 @item @xref{set auto-load scripts-directory}.
24695 @tab Control for @value{GDBN} auto-loaded scripts location.
24696 @item @xref{show auto-load scripts-directory}.
24697 @tab Show @value{GDBN} auto-loaded scripts location.
24698 @item @xref{add-auto-load-scripts-directory}.
24699 @tab Add directory for auto-loaded scripts location list.
24700 @item @xref{set auto-load local-gdbinit}.
24701 @tab Control for init file in the current directory.
24702 @item @xref{show auto-load local-gdbinit}.
24703 @tab Show setting of init file in the current directory.
24704 @item @xref{info auto-load local-gdbinit}.
24705 @tab Show state of init file in the current directory.
24706 @item @xref{set auto-load libthread-db}.
24707 @tab Control for thread debugging library.
24708 @item @xref{show auto-load libthread-db}.
24709 @tab Show setting of thread debugging library.
24710 @item @xref{info auto-load libthread-db}.
24711 @tab Show state of thread debugging library.
24712 @item @xref{set auto-load safe-path}.
24713 @tab Control directories trusted for automatic loading.
24714 @item @xref{show auto-load safe-path}.
24715 @tab Show directories trusted for automatic loading.
24716 @item @xref{add-auto-load-safe-path}.
24717 @tab Add directory trusted for automatic loading.
24720 @node Init File in the Current Directory
24721 @subsection Automatically loading init file in the current directory
24722 @cindex auto-loading init file in the current directory
24724 By default, @value{GDBN} reads and executes the canned sequences of commands
24725 from init file (if any) in the current working directory,
24726 see @ref{Init File in the Current Directory during Startup}.
24728 Note that loading of this local @file{.gdbinit} file also requires accordingly
24729 configured @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
24732 @anchor{set auto-load local-gdbinit}
24733 @kindex set auto-load local-gdbinit
24734 @item set auto-load local-gdbinit [on|off]
24735 Enable or disable the auto-loading of canned sequences of commands
24736 (@pxref{Sequences}) found in init file in the current directory.
24738 @anchor{show auto-load local-gdbinit}
24739 @kindex show auto-load local-gdbinit
24740 @item show auto-load local-gdbinit
24741 Show whether auto-loading of canned sequences of commands from init file in the
24742 current directory is enabled or disabled.
24744 @anchor{info auto-load local-gdbinit}
24745 @kindex info auto-load local-gdbinit
24746 @item info auto-load local-gdbinit
24747 Print whether canned sequences of commands from init file in the
24748 current directory have been auto-loaded.
24751 @node libthread_db.so.1 file
24752 @subsection Automatically loading thread debugging library
24753 @cindex auto-loading libthread_db.so.1
24755 This feature is currently present only on @sc{gnu}/Linux native hosts.
24757 @value{GDBN} reads in some cases thread debugging library from places specific
24758 to the inferior (@pxref{set libthread-db-search-path}).
24760 The special @samp{libthread-db-search-path} entry @samp{$sdir} is processed
24761 without checking this @samp{set auto-load libthread-db} switch as system
24762 libraries have to be trusted in general. In all other cases of
24763 @samp{libthread-db-search-path} entries @value{GDBN} checks first if @samp{set
24764 auto-load libthread-db} is enabled before trying to open such thread debugging
24767 Note that loading of this debugging library also requires accordingly configured
24768 @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
24771 @anchor{set auto-load libthread-db}
24772 @kindex set auto-load libthread-db
24773 @item set auto-load libthread-db [on|off]
24774 Enable or disable the auto-loading of inferior specific thread debugging library.
24776 @anchor{show auto-load libthread-db}
24777 @kindex show auto-load libthread-db
24778 @item show auto-load libthread-db
24779 Show whether auto-loading of inferior specific thread debugging library is
24780 enabled or disabled.
24782 @anchor{info auto-load libthread-db}
24783 @kindex info auto-load libthread-db
24784 @item info auto-load libthread-db
24785 Print the list of all loaded inferior specific thread debugging libraries and
24786 for each such library print list of inferior @var{pid}s using it.
24789 @node Auto-loading safe path
24790 @subsection Security restriction for auto-loading
24791 @cindex auto-loading safe-path
24793 As the files of inferior can come from untrusted source (such as submitted by
24794 an application user) @value{GDBN} does not always load any files automatically.
24795 @value{GDBN} provides the @samp{set auto-load safe-path} setting to list
24796 directories trusted for loading files not explicitly requested by user.
24797 Each directory can also be a shell wildcard pattern.
24799 If the path is not set properly you will see a warning and the file will not
24804 Reading symbols from /home/user/gdb/gdb...done.
24805 warning: File "/home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.gdb" auto-loading has been
24806 declined by your `auto-load safe-path' set
24807 to "$debugdir:$datadir/auto-load".
24808 warning: File "/home/user/gdb/gdb-gdb.py" auto-loading has been
24809 declined by your `auto-load safe-path' set
24810 to "$debugdir:$datadir/auto-load".
24814 To instruct @value{GDBN} to go ahead and use the init files anyway,
24815 invoke @value{GDBN} like this:
24818 $ gdb -q -iex "set auto-load safe-path /home/user/gdb" ./gdb
24821 The list of trusted directories is controlled by the following commands:
24824 @anchor{set auto-load safe-path}
24825 @kindex set auto-load safe-path
24826 @item set auto-load safe-path @r{[}@var{directories}@r{]}
24827 Set the list of directories (and their subdirectories) trusted for automatic
24828 loading and execution of scripts. You can also enter a specific trusted file.
24829 Each directory can also be a shell wildcard pattern; wildcards do not match
24830 directory separator - see @code{FNM_PATHNAME} for system function @code{fnmatch}
24831 (@pxref{Wildcard Matching, fnmatch, , libc, GNU C Library Reference Manual}).
24832 If you omit @var{directories}, @samp{auto-load safe-path} will be reset to
24833 its default value as specified during @value{GDBN} compilation.
24835 The list of directories uses path separator (@samp{:} on GNU and Unix
24836 systems, @samp{;} on MS-Windows and MS-DOS) to separate directories, similarly
24837 to the @env{PATH} environment variable.
24839 @anchor{show auto-load safe-path}
24840 @kindex show auto-load safe-path
24841 @item show auto-load safe-path
24842 Show the list of directories trusted for automatic loading and execution of
24845 @anchor{add-auto-load-safe-path}
24846 @kindex add-auto-load-safe-path
24847 @item add-auto-load-safe-path
24848 Add an entry (or list of entries) to the list of directories trusted for
24849 automatic loading and execution of scripts. Multiple entries may be delimited
24850 by the host platform path separator in use.
24853 This variable defaults to what @code{--with-auto-load-dir} has been configured
24854 to (@pxref{with-auto-load-dir}). @file{$debugdir} and @file{$datadir}
24855 substitution applies the same as for @ref{set auto-load scripts-directory}.
24856 The default @code{set auto-load safe-path} value can be also overriden by
24857 @value{GDBN} configuration option @option{--with-auto-load-safe-path}.
24859 Setting this variable to @file{/} disables this security protection,
24860 corresponding @value{GDBN} configuration option is
24861 @option{--without-auto-load-safe-path}.
24862 This variable is supposed to be set to the system directories writable by the
24863 system superuser only. Users can add their source directories in init files in
24864 their home directories (@pxref{Home Directory Init File}). See also deprecated
24865 init file in the current directory
24866 (@pxref{Init File in the Current Directory during Startup}).
24868 To force @value{GDBN} to load the files it declined to load in the previous
24869 example, you could use one of the following ways:
24872 @item @file{~/.gdbinit}: @samp{add-auto-load-safe-path ~/src/gdb}
24873 Specify this trusted directory (or a file) as additional component of the list.
24874 You have to specify also any existing directories displayed by
24875 by @samp{show auto-load safe-path} (such as @samp{/usr:/bin} in this example).
24877 @item @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load safe-path /usr:/bin:~/src/gdb" @dots{}}
24878 Specify this directory as in the previous case but just for a single
24879 @value{GDBN} session.
24881 @item @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load safe-path /" @dots{}}
24882 Disable auto-loading safety for a single @value{GDBN} session.
24883 This assumes all the files you debug during this @value{GDBN} session will come
24884 from trusted sources.
24886 @item @kbd{./configure --without-auto-load-safe-path}
24887 During compilation of @value{GDBN} you may disable any auto-loading safety.
24888 This assumes all the files you will ever debug with this @value{GDBN} come from
24892 On the other hand you can also explicitly forbid automatic files loading which
24893 also suppresses any such warning messages:
24896 @item @kbd{gdb -iex "set auto-load no" @dots{}}
24897 You can use @value{GDBN} command-line option for a single @value{GDBN} session.
24899 @item @file{~/.gdbinit}: @samp{set auto-load no}
24900 Disable auto-loading globally for the user
24901 (@pxref{Home Directory Init File}). While it is improbable, you could also
24902 use system init file instead (@pxref{System-wide configuration}).
24905 This setting applies to the file names as entered by user. If no entry matches
24906 @value{GDBN} tries as a last resort to also resolve all the file names into
24907 their canonical form (typically resolving symbolic links) and compare the
24908 entries again. @value{GDBN} already canonicalizes most of the filenames on its
24909 own before starting the comparison so a canonical form of directories is
24910 recommended to be entered.
24912 @node Auto-loading verbose mode
24913 @subsection Displaying files tried for auto-load
24914 @cindex auto-loading verbose mode
24916 For better visibility of all the file locations where you can place scripts to
24917 be auto-loaded with inferior --- or to protect yourself against accidental
24918 execution of untrusted scripts --- @value{GDBN} provides a feature for printing
24919 all the files attempted to be loaded. Both existing and non-existing files may
24922 For example the list of directories from which it is safe to auto-load files
24923 (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}) applies also to canonicalized filenames which
24924 may not be too obvious while setting it up.
24927 (gdb) set debug auto-load on
24928 (gdb) file ~/src/t/true
24929 auto-load: Loading canned sequences of commands script "/tmp/true-gdb.gdb"
24930 for objfile "/tmp/true".
24931 auto-load: Updating directories of "/usr:/opt".
24932 auto-load: Using directory "/usr".
24933 auto-load: Using directory "/opt".
24934 warning: File "/tmp/true-gdb.gdb" auto-loading has been declined
24935 by your `auto-load safe-path' set to "/usr:/opt".
24939 @anchor{set debug auto-load}
24940 @kindex set debug auto-load
24941 @item set debug auto-load [on|off]
24942 Set whether to print the filenames attempted to be auto-loaded.
24944 @anchor{show debug auto-load}
24945 @kindex show debug auto-load
24946 @item show debug auto-load
24947 Show whether printing of the filenames attempted to be auto-loaded is turned
24951 @node Messages/Warnings
24952 @section Optional Warnings and Messages
24954 @cindex verbose operation
24955 @cindex optional warnings
24956 By default, @value{GDBN} is silent about its inner workings. If you are
24957 running on a slow machine, you may want to use the @code{set verbose}
24958 command. This makes @value{GDBN} tell you when it does a lengthy
24959 internal operation, so you will not think it has crashed.
24961 Currently, the messages controlled by @code{set verbose} are those
24962 which announce that the symbol table for a source file is being read;
24963 see @code{symbol-file} in @ref{Files, ,Commands to Specify Files}.
24966 @kindex set verbose
24967 @item set verbose on
24968 Enables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
24970 @item set verbose off
24971 Disables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
24973 @kindex show verbose
24975 Displays whether @code{set verbose} is on or off.
24978 By default, if @value{GDBN} encounters bugs in the symbol table of an
24979 object file, it is silent; but if you are debugging a compiler, you may
24980 find this information useful (@pxref{Symbol Errors, ,Errors Reading
24985 @kindex set complaints
24986 @item set complaints @var{limit}
24987 Permits @value{GDBN} to output @var{limit} complaints about each type of
24988 unusual symbols before becoming silent about the problem. Set
24989 @var{limit} to zero to suppress all complaints; set it to a large number
24990 to prevent complaints from being suppressed.
24992 @kindex show complaints
24993 @item show complaints
24994 Displays how many symbol complaints @value{GDBN} is permitted to produce.
24998 @anchor{confirmation requests}
24999 By default, @value{GDBN} is cautious, and asks what sometimes seems to be a
25000 lot of stupid questions to confirm certain commands. For example, if
25001 you try to run a program which is already running:
25005 The program being debugged has been started already.
25006 Start it from the beginning? (y or n)
25009 If you are willing to unflinchingly face the consequences of your own
25010 commands, you can disable this ``feature'':
25014 @kindex set confirm
25016 @cindex confirmation
25017 @cindex stupid questions
25018 @item set confirm off
25019 Disables confirmation requests. Note that running @value{GDBN} with
25020 the @option{--batch} option (@pxref{Mode Options, -batch}) also
25021 automatically disables confirmation requests.
25023 @item set confirm on
25024 Enables confirmation requests (the default).
25026 @kindex show confirm
25028 Displays state of confirmation requests.
25032 @cindex command tracing
25033 If you need to debug user-defined commands or sourced files you may find it
25034 useful to enable @dfn{command tracing}. In this mode each command will be
25035 printed as it is executed, prefixed with one or more @samp{+} symbols, the
25036 quantity denoting the call depth of each command.
25039 @kindex set trace-commands
25040 @cindex command scripts, debugging
25041 @item set trace-commands on
25042 Enable command tracing.
25043 @item set trace-commands off
25044 Disable command tracing.
25045 @item show trace-commands
25046 Display the current state of command tracing.
25049 @node Debugging Output
25050 @section Optional Messages about Internal Happenings
25051 @cindex optional debugging messages
25053 @value{GDBN} has commands that enable optional debugging messages from
25054 various @value{GDBN} subsystems; normally these commands are of
25055 interest to @value{GDBN} maintainers, or when reporting a bug. This
25056 section documents those commands.
25059 @kindex set exec-done-display
25060 @item set exec-done-display
25061 Turns on or off the notification of asynchronous commands'
25062 completion. When on, @value{GDBN} will print a message when an
25063 asynchronous command finishes its execution. The default is off.
25064 @kindex show exec-done-display
25065 @item show exec-done-display
25066 Displays the current setting of asynchronous command completion
25069 @cindex ARM AArch64
25070 @item set debug aarch64
25071 Turns on or off display of debugging messages related to ARM AArch64.
25072 The default is off.
25074 @item show debug aarch64
25075 Displays the current state of displaying debugging messages related to
25077 @cindex gdbarch debugging info
25078 @cindex architecture debugging info
25079 @item set debug arch
25080 Turns on or off display of gdbarch debugging info. The default is off
25081 @item show debug arch
25082 Displays the current state of displaying gdbarch debugging info.
25083 @item set debug aix-solib
25084 @cindex AIX shared library debugging
25085 Control display of debugging messages from the AIX shared library
25086 support module. The default is off.
25087 @item show debug aix-thread
25088 Show the current state of displaying AIX shared library debugging messages.
25089 @item set debug aix-thread
25090 @cindex AIX threads
25091 Display debugging messages about inner workings of the AIX thread
25093 @item show debug aix-thread
25094 Show the current state of AIX thread debugging info display.
25095 @item set debug check-physname
25097 Check the results of the ``physname'' computation. When reading DWARF
25098 debugging information for C@t{++}, @value{GDBN} attempts to compute
25099 each entity's name. @value{GDBN} can do this computation in two
25100 different ways, depending on exactly what information is present.
25101 When enabled, this setting causes @value{GDBN} to compute the names
25102 both ways and display any discrepancies.
25103 @item show debug check-physname
25104 Show the current state of ``physname'' checking.
25105 @item set debug coff-pe-read
25106 @cindex COFF/PE exported symbols
25107 Control display of debugging messages related to reading of COFF/PE
25108 exported symbols. The default is off.
25109 @item show debug coff-pe-read
25110 Displays the current state of displaying debugging messages related to
25111 reading of COFF/PE exported symbols.
25112 @item set debug dwarf-die
25114 Dump DWARF DIEs after they are read in.
25115 The value is the number of nesting levels to print.
25116 A value of zero turns off the display.
25117 @item show debug dwarf-die
25118 Show the current state of DWARF DIE debugging.
25119 @item set debug dwarf-line
25120 @cindex DWARF Line Tables
25121 Turns on or off display of debugging messages related to reading
25122 DWARF line tables. The default is 0 (off).
25123 A value of 1 provides basic information.
25124 A value greater than 1 provides more verbose information.
25125 @item show debug dwarf-line
25126 Show the current state of DWARF line table debugging.
25127 @item set debug dwarf-read
25128 @cindex DWARF Reading
25129 Turns on or off display of debugging messages related to reading
25130 DWARF debug info. The default is 0 (off).
25131 A value of 1 provides basic information.
25132 A value greater than 1 provides more verbose information.
25133 @item show debug dwarf-read
25134 Show the current state of DWARF reader debugging.
25135 @item set debug displaced
25136 @cindex displaced stepping debugging info
25137 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} debugging info for the
25138 displaced stepping support. The default is off.
25139 @item show debug displaced
25140 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} debugging info
25141 related to displaced stepping.
25142 @item set debug event
25143 @cindex event debugging info
25144 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} event debugging info. The
25146 @item show debug event
25147 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} event debugging
25149 @item set debug expression
25150 @cindex expression debugging info
25151 Turns on or off display of debugging info about @value{GDBN}
25152 expression parsing. The default is off.
25153 @item show debug expression
25154 Displays the current state of displaying debugging info about
25155 @value{GDBN} expression parsing.
25156 @item set debug fbsd-lwp
25157 @cindex FreeBSD LWP debug messages
25158 Turns on or off debugging messages from the FreeBSD LWP debug support.
25159 @item show debug fbsd-lwp
25160 Show the current state of FreeBSD LWP debugging messages.
25161 @item set debug fbsd-nat
25162 @cindex FreeBSD native target debug messages
25163 Turns on or off debugging messages from the FreeBSD native target.
25164 @item show debug fbsd-nat
25165 Show the current state of FreeBSD native target debugging messages.
25166 @item set debug frame
25167 @cindex frame debugging info
25168 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} frame debugging info. The
25170 @item show debug frame
25171 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} frame debugging
25173 @item set debug gnu-nat
25174 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Hurd debug messages
25175 Turn on or off debugging messages from the @sc{gnu}/Hurd debug support.
25176 @item show debug gnu-nat
25177 Show the current state of @sc{gnu}/Hurd debugging messages.
25178 @item set debug infrun
25179 @cindex inferior debugging info
25180 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} debugging info for running the inferior.
25181 The default is off. @file{infrun.c} contains GDB's runtime state machine used
25182 for implementing operations such as single-stepping the inferior.
25183 @item show debug infrun
25184 Displays the current state of @value{GDBN} inferior debugging.
25185 @item set debug jit
25186 @cindex just-in-time compilation, debugging messages
25187 Turn on or off debugging messages from JIT debug support.
25188 @item show debug jit
25189 Displays the current state of @value{GDBN} JIT debugging.
25190 @item set debug lin-lwp
25191 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Linux LWP debug messages
25192 @cindex Linux lightweight processes
25193 Turn on or off debugging messages from the Linux LWP debug support.
25194 @item show debug lin-lwp
25195 Show the current state of Linux LWP debugging messages.
25196 @item set debug linux-namespaces
25197 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Linux namespaces debug messages
25198 Turn on or off debugging messages from the Linux namespaces debug support.
25199 @item show debug linux-namespaces
25200 Show the current state of Linux namespaces debugging messages.
25201 @item set debug mach-o
25202 @cindex Mach-O symbols processing
25203 Control display of debugging messages related to Mach-O symbols
25204 processing. The default is off.
25205 @item show debug mach-o
25206 Displays the current state of displaying debugging messages related to
25207 reading of COFF/PE exported symbols.
25208 @item set debug notification
25209 @cindex remote async notification debugging info
25210 Turn on or off debugging messages about remote async notification.
25211 The default is off.
25212 @item show debug notification
25213 Displays the current state of remote async notification debugging messages.
25214 @item set debug observer
25215 @cindex observer debugging info
25216 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} observer debugging. This
25217 includes info such as the notification of observable events.
25218 @item show debug observer
25219 Displays the current state of observer debugging.
25220 @item set debug overload
25221 @cindex C@t{++} overload debugging info
25222 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload debugging
25223 info. This includes info such as ranking of functions, etc. The default
25225 @item show debug overload
25226 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload
25228 @cindex expression parser, debugging info
25229 @cindex debug expression parser
25230 @item set debug parser
25231 Turns on or off the display of expression parser debugging output.
25232 Internally, this sets the @code{yydebug} variable in the expression
25233 parser. @xref{Tracing, , Tracing Your Parser, bison, Bison}, for
25234 details. The default is off.
25235 @item show debug parser
25236 Show the current state of expression parser debugging.
25237 @cindex packets, reporting on stdout
25238 @cindex serial connections, debugging
25239 @cindex debug remote protocol
25240 @cindex remote protocol debugging
25241 @cindex display remote packets
25242 @item set debug remote
25243 Turns on or off display of reports on all packets sent back and forth across
25244 the serial line to the remote machine. The info is printed on the
25245 @value{GDBN} standard output stream. The default is off.
25246 @item show debug remote
25247 Displays the state of display of remote packets.
25249 @item set debug separate-debug-file
25250 Turns on or off display of debug output about separate debug file search.
25251 @item show debug separate-debug-file
25252 Displays the state of separate debug file search debug output.
25254 @item set debug serial
25255 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} serial debugging info. The
25257 @item show debug serial
25258 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} serial debugging
25260 @item set debug solib-frv
25261 @cindex FR-V shared-library debugging
25262 Turn on or off debugging messages for FR-V shared-library code.
25263 @item show debug solib-frv
25264 Display the current state of FR-V shared-library code debugging
25266 @item set debug symbol-lookup
25267 @cindex symbol lookup
25268 Turns on or off display of debugging messages related to symbol lookup.
25269 The default is 0 (off).
25270 A value of 1 provides basic information.
25271 A value greater than 1 provides more verbose information.
25272 @item show debug symbol-lookup
25273 Show the current state of symbol lookup debugging messages.
25274 @item set debug symfile
25275 @cindex symbol file functions
25276 Turns on or off display of debugging messages related to symbol file functions.
25277 The default is off. @xref{Files}.
25278 @item show debug symfile
25279 Show the current state of symbol file debugging messages.
25280 @item set debug symtab-create
25281 @cindex symbol table creation
25282 Turns on or off display of debugging messages related to symbol table creation.
25283 The default is 0 (off).
25284 A value of 1 provides basic information.
25285 A value greater than 1 provides more verbose information.
25286 @item show debug symtab-create
25287 Show the current state of symbol table creation debugging.
25288 @item set debug target
25289 @cindex target debugging info
25290 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} target debugging info. This info
25291 includes what is going on at the target level of GDB, as it happens. The
25292 default is 0. Set it to 1 to track events, and to 2 to also track the
25293 value of large memory transfers.
25294 @item show debug target
25295 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} target debugging
25297 @item set debug timestamp
25298 @cindex timestampping debugging info
25299 Turns on or off display of timestamps with @value{GDBN} debugging info.
25300 When enabled, seconds and microseconds are displayed before each debugging
25302 @item show debug timestamp
25303 Displays the current state of displaying timestamps with @value{GDBN}
25305 @item set debug varobj
25306 @cindex variable object debugging info
25307 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} variable object debugging
25308 info. The default is off.
25309 @item show debug varobj
25310 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} variable object
25312 @item set debug xml
25313 @cindex XML parser debugging
25314 Turn on or off debugging messages for built-in XML parsers.
25315 @item show debug xml
25316 Displays the current state of XML debugging messages.
25319 @node Other Misc Settings
25320 @section Other Miscellaneous Settings
25321 @cindex miscellaneous settings
25324 @kindex set interactive-mode
25325 @item set interactive-mode
25326 If @code{on}, forces @value{GDBN} to assume that GDB was started
25327 in a terminal. In practice, this means that @value{GDBN} should wait
25328 for the user to answer queries generated by commands entered at
25329 the command prompt. If @code{off}, forces @value{GDBN} to operate
25330 in the opposite mode, and it uses the default answers to all queries.
25331 If @code{auto} (the default), @value{GDBN} tries to determine whether
25332 its standard input is a terminal, and works in interactive-mode if it
25333 is, non-interactively otherwise.
25335 In the vast majority of cases, the debugger should be able to guess
25336 correctly which mode should be used. But this setting can be useful
25337 in certain specific cases, such as running a MinGW @value{GDBN}
25338 inside a cygwin window.
25340 @kindex show interactive-mode
25341 @item show interactive-mode
25342 Displays whether the debugger is operating in interactive mode or not.
25345 @node Extending GDB
25346 @chapter Extending @value{GDBN}
25347 @cindex extending GDB
25349 @value{GDBN} provides several mechanisms for extension.
25350 @value{GDBN} also provides the ability to automatically load
25351 extensions when it reads a file for debugging. This allows the
25352 user to automatically customize @value{GDBN} for the program
25356 * Sequences:: Canned Sequences of @value{GDBN} Commands
25357 * Python:: Extending @value{GDBN} using Python
25358 * Guile:: Extending @value{GDBN} using Guile
25359 * Auto-loading extensions:: Automatically loading extensions
25360 * Multiple Extension Languages:: Working with multiple extension languages
25361 * Aliases:: Creating new spellings of existing commands
25364 To facilitate the use of extension languages, @value{GDBN} is capable
25365 of evaluating the contents of a file. When doing so, @value{GDBN}
25366 can recognize which extension language is being used by looking at
25367 the filename extension. Files with an unrecognized filename extension
25368 are always treated as a @value{GDBN} Command Files.
25369 @xref{Command Files,, Command files}.
25371 You can control how @value{GDBN} evaluates these files with the following
25375 @kindex set script-extension
25376 @kindex show script-extension
25377 @item set script-extension off
25378 All scripts are always evaluated as @value{GDBN} Command Files.
25380 @item set script-extension soft
25381 The debugger determines the scripting language based on filename
25382 extension. If this scripting language is supported, @value{GDBN}
25383 evaluates the script using that language. Otherwise, it evaluates
25384 the file as a @value{GDBN} Command File.
25386 @item set script-extension strict
25387 The debugger determines the scripting language based on filename
25388 extension, and evaluates the script using that language. If the
25389 language is not supported, then the evaluation fails.
25391 @item show script-extension
25392 Display the current value of the @code{script-extension} option.
25397 @section Canned Sequences of Commands
25399 Aside from breakpoint commands (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint
25400 Command Lists}), @value{GDBN} provides two ways to store sequences of
25401 commands for execution as a unit: user-defined commands and command
25405 * Define:: How to define your own commands
25406 * Hooks:: Hooks for user-defined commands
25407 * Command Files:: How to write scripts of commands to be stored in a file
25408 * Output:: Commands for controlled output
25409 * Auto-loading sequences:: Controlling auto-loaded command files
25413 @subsection User-defined Commands
25415 @cindex user-defined command
25416 @cindex arguments, to user-defined commands
25417 A @dfn{user-defined command} is a sequence of @value{GDBN} commands to
25418 which you assign a new name as a command. This is done with the
25419 @code{define} command. User commands may accept an unlimited number of arguments
25420 separated by whitespace. Arguments are accessed within the user command
25421 via @code{$arg0@dots{}$argN}. A trivial example:
25425 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
25430 To execute the command use:
25437 This defines the command @code{adder}, which prints the sum of
25438 its three arguments. Note the arguments are text substitutions, so they may
25439 reference variables, use complex expressions, or even perform inferior
25442 @cindex argument count in user-defined commands
25443 @cindex how many arguments (user-defined commands)
25444 In addition, @code{$argc} may be used to find out how many arguments have
25450 print $arg0 + $arg1
25453 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
25458 Combining with the @code{eval} command (@pxref{eval}) makes it easier
25459 to process a variable number of arguments:
25466 eval "set $sum = $sum + $arg%d", $i
25476 @item define @var{commandname}
25477 Define a command named @var{commandname}. If there is already a command
25478 by that name, you are asked to confirm that you want to redefine it.
25479 The argument @var{commandname} may be a bare command name consisting of letters,
25480 numbers, dashes, and underscores. It may also start with any predefined
25481 prefix command. For example, @samp{define target my-target} creates
25482 a user-defined @samp{target my-target} command.
25484 The definition of the command is made up of other @value{GDBN} command lines,
25485 which are given following the @code{define} command. The end of these
25486 commands is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
25489 @kindex end@r{ (user-defined commands)}
25490 @item document @var{commandname}
25491 Document the user-defined command @var{commandname}, so that it can be
25492 accessed by @code{help}. The command @var{commandname} must already be
25493 defined. This command reads lines of documentation just as @code{define}
25494 reads the lines of the command definition, ending with @code{end}.
25495 After the @code{document} command is finished, @code{help} on command
25496 @var{commandname} displays the documentation you have written.
25498 You may use the @code{document} command again to change the
25499 documentation of a command. Redefining the command with @code{define}
25500 does not change the documentation.
25502 @kindex dont-repeat
25503 @cindex don't repeat command
25505 Used inside a user-defined command, this tells @value{GDBN} that this
25506 command should not be repeated when the user hits @key{RET}
25507 (@pxref{Command Syntax, repeat last command}).
25509 @kindex help user-defined
25510 @item help user-defined
25511 List all user-defined commands and all python commands defined in class
25512 COMAND_USER. The first line of the documentation or docstring is
25517 @itemx show user @var{commandname}
25518 Display the @value{GDBN} commands used to define @var{commandname} (but
25519 not its documentation). If no @var{commandname} is given, display the
25520 definitions for all user-defined commands.
25521 This does not work for user-defined python commands.
25523 @cindex infinite recursion in user-defined commands
25524 @kindex show max-user-call-depth
25525 @kindex set max-user-call-depth
25526 @item show max-user-call-depth
25527 @itemx set max-user-call-depth
25528 The value of @code{max-user-call-depth} controls how many recursion
25529 levels are allowed in user-defined commands before @value{GDBN} suspects an
25530 infinite recursion and aborts the command.
25531 This does not apply to user-defined python commands.
25534 In addition to the above commands, user-defined commands frequently
25535 use control flow commands, described in @ref{Command Files}.
25537 When user-defined commands are executed, the
25538 commands of the definition are not printed. An error in any command
25539 stops execution of the user-defined command.
25541 If used interactively, commands that would ask for confirmation proceed
25542 without asking when used inside a user-defined command. Many @value{GDBN}
25543 commands that normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the
25544 messages when used in a user-defined command.
25547 @subsection User-defined Command Hooks
25548 @cindex command hooks
25549 @cindex hooks, for commands
25550 @cindex hooks, pre-command
25553 You may define @dfn{hooks}, which are a special kind of user-defined
25554 command. Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined
25555 command @samp{hook-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments)
25556 before that command.
25558 @cindex hooks, post-command
25560 A hook may also be defined which is run after the command you executed.
25561 Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined command
25562 @samp{hookpost-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments) after
25563 that command. Post-execution hooks may exist simultaneously with
25564 pre-execution hooks, for the same command.
25566 It is valid for a hook to call the command which it hooks. If this
25567 occurs, the hook is not re-executed, thereby avoiding infinite recursion.
25569 @c It would be nice if hookpost could be passed a parameter indicating
25570 @c if the command it hooks executed properly or not. FIXME!
25572 @kindex stop@r{, a pseudo-command}
25573 In addition, a pseudo-command, @samp{stop} exists. Defining
25574 (@samp{hook-stop}) makes the associated commands execute every time
25575 execution stops in your program: before breakpoint commands are run,
25576 displays are printed, or the stack frame is printed.
25578 For example, to ignore @code{SIGALRM} signals while
25579 single-stepping, but treat them normally during normal execution,
25584 handle SIGALRM nopass
25588 handle SIGALRM pass
25591 define hook-continue
25592 handle SIGALRM pass
25596 As a further example, to hook at the beginning and end of the @code{echo}
25597 command, and to add extra text to the beginning and end of the message,
25605 define hookpost-echo
25609 (@value{GDBP}) echo Hello World
25610 <<<---Hello World--->>>
25615 You can define a hook for any single-word command in @value{GDBN}, but
25616 not for command aliases; you should define a hook for the basic command
25617 name, e.g.@: @code{backtrace} rather than @code{bt}.
25618 @c FIXME! So how does Joe User discover whether a command is an alias
25620 You can hook a multi-word command by adding @code{hook-} or
25621 @code{hookpost-} to the last word of the command, e.g.@:
25622 @samp{define target hook-remote} to add a hook to @samp{target remote}.
25624 If an error occurs during the execution of your hook, execution of
25625 @value{GDBN} commands stops and @value{GDBN} issues a prompt
25626 (before the command that you actually typed had a chance to run).
25628 If you try to define a hook which does not match any known command, you
25629 get a warning from the @code{define} command.
25631 @node Command Files
25632 @subsection Command Files
25634 @cindex command files
25635 @cindex scripting commands
25636 A command file for @value{GDBN} is a text file made of lines that are
25637 @value{GDBN} commands. Comments (lines starting with @kbd{#}) may
25638 also be included. An empty line in a command file does nothing; it
25639 does not mean to repeat the last command, as it would from the
25642 You can request the execution of a command file with the @code{source}
25643 command. Note that the @code{source} command is also used to evaluate
25644 scripts that are not Command Files. The exact behavior can be configured
25645 using the @code{script-extension} setting.
25646 @xref{Extending GDB,, Extending GDB}.
25650 @cindex execute commands from a file
25651 @item source [-s] [-v] @var{filename}
25652 Execute the command file @var{filename}.
25655 The lines in a command file are generally executed sequentially,
25656 unless the order of execution is changed by one of the
25657 @emph{flow-control commands} described below. The commands are not
25658 printed as they are executed. An error in any command terminates
25659 execution of the command file and control is returned to the console.
25661 @value{GDBN} first searches for @var{filename} in the current directory.
25662 If the file is not found there, and @var{filename} does not specify a
25663 directory, then @value{GDBN} also looks for the file on the source search path
25664 (specified with the @samp{directory} command);
25665 except that @file{$cdir} is not searched because the compilation directory
25666 is not relevant to scripts.
25668 If @code{-s} is specified, then @value{GDBN} searches for @var{filename}
25669 on the search path even if @var{filename} specifies a directory.
25670 The search is done by appending @var{filename} to each element of the
25671 search path. So, for example, if @var{filename} is @file{mylib/myscript}
25672 and the search path contains @file{/home/user} then @value{GDBN} will
25673 look for the script @file{/home/user/mylib/myscript}.
25674 The search is also done if @var{filename} is an absolute path.
25675 For example, if @var{filename} is @file{/tmp/myscript} and
25676 the search path contains @file{/home/user} then @value{GDBN} will
25677 look for the script @file{/home/user/tmp/myscript}.
25678 For DOS-like systems, if @var{filename} contains a drive specification,
25679 it is stripped before concatenation. For example, if @var{filename} is
25680 @file{d:myscript} and the search path contains @file{c:/tmp} then @value{GDBN}
25681 will look for the script @file{c:/tmp/myscript}.
25683 If @code{-v}, for verbose mode, is given then @value{GDBN} displays
25684 each command as it is executed. The option must be given before
25685 @var{filename}, and is interpreted as part of the filename anywhere else.
25687 Commands that would ask for confirmation if used interactively proceed
25688 without asking when used in a command file. Many @value{GDBN} commands that
25689 normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the messages
25690 when called from command files.
25692 @value{GDBN} also accepts command input from standard input. In this
25693 mode, normal output goes to standard output and error output goes to
25694 standard error. Errors in a command file supplied on standard input do
25695 not terminate execution of the command file---execution continues with
25699 gdb < cmds > log 2>&1
25702 (The syntax above will vary depending on the shell used.) This example
25703 will execute commands from the file @file{cmds}. All output and errors
25704 would be directed to @file{log}.
25706 Since commands stored on command files tend to be more general than
25707 commands typed interactively, they frequently need to deal with
25708 complicated situations, such as different or unexpected values of
25709 variables and symbols, changes in how the program being debugged is
25710 built, etc. @value{GDBN} provides a set of flow-control commands to
25711 deal with these complexities. Using these commands, you can write
25712 complex scripts that loop over data structures, execute commands
25713 conditionally, etc.
25720 This command allows to include in your script conditionally executed
25721 commands. The @code{if} command takes a single argument, which is an
25722 expression to evaluate. It is followed by a series of commands that
25723 are executed only if the expression is true (its value is nonzero).
25724 There can then optionally be an @code{else} line, followed by a series
25725 of commands that are only executed if the expression was false. The
25726 end of the list is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
25730 This command allows to write loops. Its syntax is similar to
25731 @code{if}: the command takes a single argument, which is an expression
25732 to evaluate, and must be followed by the commands to execute, one per
25733 line, terminated by an @code{end}. These commands are called the
25734 @dfn{body} of the loop. The commands in the body of @code{while} are
25735 executed repeatedly as long as the expression evaluates to true.
25739 This command exits the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included.
25740 Execution of the script continues after that @code{while}s @code{end}
25743 @kindex loop_continue
25744 @item loop_continue
25745 This command skips the execution of the rest of the body of commands
25746 in the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included. Execution
25747 branches to the beginning of the @code{while} loop, where it evaluates
25748 the controlling expression.
25750 @kindex end@r{ (if/else/while commands)}
25752 Terminate the block of commands that are the body of @code{if},
25753 @code{else}, or @code{while} flow-control commands.
25758 @subsection Commands for Controlled Output
25760 During the execution of a command file or a user-defined command, normal
25761 @value{GDBN} output is suppressed; the only output that appears is what is
25762 explicitly printed by the commands in the definition. This section
25763 describes three commands useful for generating exactly the output you
25768 @item echo @var{text}
25769 @c I do not consider backslash-space a standard C escape sequence
25770 @c because it is not in ANSI.
25771 Print @var{text}. Nonprinting characters can be included in
25772 @var{text} using C escape sequences, such as @samp{\n} to print a
25773 newline. @strong{No newline is printed unless you specify one.}
25774 In addition to the standard C escape sequences, a backslash followed
25775 by a space stands for a space. This is useful for displaying a
25776 string with spaces at the beginning or the end, since leading and
25777 trailing spaces are otherwise trimmed from all arguments.
25778 To print @samp{@w{ }and foo =@w{ }}, use the command
25779 @samp{echo \@w{ }and foo = \@w{ }}.
25781 A backslash at the end of @var{text} can be used, as in C, to continue
25782 the command onto subsequent lines. For example,
25785 echo This is some text\n\
25786 which is continued\n\
25787 onto several lines.\n
25790 produces the same output as
25793 echo This is some text\n
25794 echo which is continued\n
25795 echo onto several lines.\n
25799 @item output @var{expression}
25800 Print the value of @var{expression} and nothing but that value: no
25801 newlines, no @samp{$@var{nn} = }. The value is not entered in the
25802 value history either. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information
25805 @item output/@var{fmt} @var{expression}
25806 Print the value of @var{expression} in format @var{fmt}. You can use
25807 the same formats as for @code{print}. @xref{Output Formats,,Output
25808 Formats}, for more information.
25811 @item printf @var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{}
25812 Print the values of one or more @var{expressions} under the control of
25813 the string @var{template}. To print several values, make
25814 @var{expressions} be a comma-separated list of individual expressions,
25815 which may be either numbers or pointers. Their values are printed as
25816 specified by @var{template}, exactly as a C program would do by
25817 executing the code below:
25820 printf (@var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{});
25823 As in @code{C} @code{printf}, ordinary characters in @var{template}
25824 are printed verbatim, while @dfn{conversion specification} introduced
25825 by the @samp{%} character cause subsequent @var{expressions} to be
25826 evaluated, their values converted and formatted according to type and
25827 style information encoded in the conversion specifications, and then
25830 For example, you can print two values in hex like this:
25833 printf "foo, bar-foo = 0x%x, 0x%x\n", foo, bar-foo
25836 @code{printf} supports all the standard @code{C} conversion
25837 specifications, including the flags and modifiers between the @samp{%}
25838 character and the conversion letter, with the following exceptions:
25842 The argument-ordering modifiers, such as @samp{2$}, are not supported.
25845 The modifier @samp{*} is not supported for specifying precision or
25849 The @samp{'} flag (for separation of digits into groups according to
25850 @code{LC_NUMERIC'}) is not supported.
25853 The type modifiers @samp{hh}, @samp{j}, @samp{t}, and @samp{z} are not
25857 The conversion letter @samp{n} (as in @samp{%n}) is not supported.
25860 The conversion letters @samp{a} and @samp{A} are not supported.
25864 Note that the @samp{ll} type modifier is supported only if the
25865 underlying @code{C} implementation used to build @value{GDBN} supports
25866 the @code{long long int} type, and the @samp{L} type modifier is
25867 supported only if @code{long double} type is available.
25869 As in @code{C}, @code{printf} supports simple backslash-escape
25870 sequences, such as @code{\n}, @samp{\t}, @samp{\\}, @samp{\"},
25871 @samp{\a}, and @samp{\f}, that consist of backslash followed by a
25872 single character. Octal and hexadecimal escape sequences are not
25875 Additionally, @code{printf} supports conversion specifications for DFP
25876 (@dfn{Decimal Floating Point}) types using the following length modifiers
25877 together with a floating point specifier.
25882 @samp{H} for printing @code{Decimal32} types.
25885 @samp{D} for printing @code{Decimal64} types.
25888 @samp{DD} for printing @code{Decimal128} types.
25891 If the underlying @code{C} implementation used to build @value{GDBN} has
25892 support for the three length modifiers for DFP types, other modifiers
25893 such as width and precision will also be available for @value{GDBN} to use.
25895 In case there is no such @code{C} support, no additional modifiers will be
25896 available and the value will be printed in the standard way.
25898 Here's an example of printing DFP types using the above conversion letters:
25900 printf "D32: %Hf - D64: %Df - D128: %DDf\n",1.2345df,1.2E10dd,1.2E1dl
25905 @item eval @var{template}, @var{expressions}@dots{}
25906 Convert the values of one or more @var{expressions} under the control of
25907 the string @var{template} to a command line, and call it.
25911 @node Auto-loading sequences
25912 @subsection Controlling auto-loading native @value{GDBN} scripts
25913 @cindex native script auto-loading
25915 When a new object file is read (for example, due to the @code{file}
25916 command, or because the inferior has loaded a shared library),
25917 @value{GDBN} will look for the command file @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.gdb}.
25918 @xref{Auto-loading extensions}.
25920 Auto-loading can be enabled or disabled,
25921 and the list of auto-loaded scripts can be printed.
25924 @anchor{set auto-load gdb-scripts}
25925 @kindex set auto-load gdb-scripts
25926 @item set auto-load gdb-scripts [on|off]
25927 Enable or disable the auto-loading of canned sequences of commands scripts.
25929 @anchor{show auto-load gdb-scripts}
25930 @kindex show auto-load gdb-scripts
25931 @item show auto-load gdb-scripts
25932 Show whether auto-loading of canned sequences of commands scripts is enabled or
25935 @anchor{info auto-load gdb-scripts}
25936 @kindex info auto-load gdb-scripts
25937 @cindex print list of auto-loaded canned sequences of commands scripts
25938 @item info auto-load gdb-scripts [@var{regexp}]
25939 Print the list of all canned sequences of commands scripts that @value{GDBN}
25943 If @var{regexp} is supplied only canned sequences of commands scripts with
25944 matching names are printed.
25946 @c Python docs live in a separate file.
25947 @include python.texi
25949 @c Guile docs live in a separate file.
25950 @include guile.texi
25952 @node Auto-loading extensions
25953 @section Auto-loading extensions
25954 @cindex auto-loading extensions
25956 @value{GDBN} provides two mechanisms for automatically loading extensions
25957 when a new object file is read (for example, due to the @code{file}
25958 command, or because the inferior has loaded a shared library):
25959 @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.@var{ext}} and the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts}
25960 section of modern file formats like ELF.
25963 * objfile-gdb.ext file: objfile-gdbdotext file. The @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.@var{ext}} file
25964 * .debug_gdb_scripts section: dotdebug_gdb_scripts section. The @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
25965 * Which flavor to choose?::
25968 The auto-loading feature is useful for supplying application-specific
25969 debugging commands and features.
25971 Auto-loading can be enabled or disabled,
25972 and the list of auto-loaded scripts can be printed.
25973 See the @samp{auto-loading} section of each extension language
25974 for more information.
25975 For @value{GDBN} command files see @ref{Auto-loading sequences}.
25976 For Python files see @ref{Python Auto-loading}.
25978 Note that loading of this script file also requires accordingly configured
25979 @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
25981 @node objfile-gdbdotext file
25982 @subsection The @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.@var{ext}} file
25983 @cindex @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.gdb}
25984 @cindex @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py}
25985 @cindex @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.scm}
25987 When a new object file is read, @value{GDBN} looks for a file named
25988 @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.@var{ext}} (we call it @var{script-name} below),
25989 where @var{objfile} is the object file's name and
25990 where @var{ext} is the file extension for the extension language:
25993 @item @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.gdb}
25994 GDB's own command language
25995 @item @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.py}
25997 @item @file{@var{objfile}-gdb.scm}
26001 @var{script-name} is formed by ensuring that the file name of @var{objfile}
26002 is absolute, following all symlinks, and resolving @code{.} and @code{..}
26003 components, and appending the @file{-gdb.@var{ext}} suffix.
26004 If this file exists and is readable, @value{GDBN} will evaluate it as a
26005 script in the specified extension language.
26007 If this file does not exist, then @value{GDBN} will look for
26008 @var{script-name} file in all of the directories as specified below.
26010 Note that loading of these files requires an accordingly configured
26011 @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
26013 For object files using @file{.exe} suffix @value{GDBN} tries to load first the
26014 scripts normally according to its @file{.exe} filename. But if no scripts are
26015 found @value{GDBN} also tries script filenames matching the object file without
26016 its @file{.exe} suffix. This @file{.exe} stripping is case insensitive and it
26017 is attempted on any platform. This makes the script filenames compatible
26018 between Unix and MS-Windows hosts.
26021 @anchor{set auto-load scripts-directory}
26022 @kindex set auto-load scripts-directory
26023 @item set auto-load scripts-directory @r{[}@var{directories}@r{]}
26024 Control @value{GDBN} auto-loaded scripts location. Multiple directory entries
26025 may be delimited by the host platform path separator in use
26026 (@samp{:} on Unix, @samp{;} on MS-Windows and MS-DOS).
26028 Each entry here needs to be covered also by the security setting
26029 @code{set auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{set auto-load safe-path}).
26031 @anchor{with-auto-load-dir}
26032 This variable defaults to @file{$debugdir:$datadir/auto-load}. The default
26033 @code{set auto-load safe-path} value can be also overriden by @value{GDBN}
26034 configuration option @option{--with-auto-load-dir}.
26036 Any reference to @file{$debugdir} will get replaced by
26037 @var{debug-file-directory} value (@pxref{Separate Debug Files}) and any
26038 reference to @file{$datadir} will get replaced by @var{data-directory} which is
26039 determined at @value{GDBN} startup (@pxref{Data Files}). @file{$debugdir} and
26040 @file{$datadir} must be placed as a directory component --- either alone or
26041 delimited by @file{/} or @file{\} directory separators, depending on the host
26044 The list of directories uses path separator (@samp{:} on GNU and Unix
26045 systems, @samp{;} on MS-Windows and MS-DOS) to separate directories, similarly
26046 to the @env{PATH} environment variable.
26048 @anchor{show auto-load scripts-directory}
26049 @kindex show auto-load scripts-directory
26050 @item show auto-load scripts-directory
26051 Show @value{GDBN} auto-loaded scripts location.
26053 @anchor{add-auto-load-scripts-directory}
26054 @kindex add-auto-load-scripts-directory
26055 @item add-auto-load-scripts-directory @r{[}@var{directories}@dots{}@r{]}
26056 Add an entry (or list of entries) to the list of auto-loaded scripts locations.
26057 Multiple entries may be delimited by the host platform path separator in use.
26060 @value{GDBN} does not track which files it has already auto-loaded this way.
26061 @value{GDBN} will load the associated script every time the corresponding
26062 @var{objfile} is opened.
26063 So your @file{-gdb.@var{ext}} file should be careful to avoid errors if it
26064 is evaluated more than once.
26066 @node dotdebug_gdb_scripts section
26067 @subsection The @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
26068 @cindex @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section
26070 For systems using file formats like ELF and COFF,
26071 when @value{GDBN} loads a new object file
26072 it will look for a special section named @code{.debug_gdb_scripts}.
26073 If this section exists, its contents is a list of null-terminated entries
26074 specifying scripts to load. Each entry begins with a non-null prefix byte that
26075 specifies the kind of entry, typically the extension language and whether the
26076 script is in a file or inlined in @code{.debug_gdb_scripts}.
26078 The following entries are supported:
26081 @item SECTION_SCRIPT_ID_PYTHON_FILE = 1
26082 @item SECTION_SCRIPT_ID_SCHEME_FILE = 3
26083 @item SECTION_SCRIPT_ID_PYTHON_TEXT = 4
26084 @item SECTION_SCRIPT_ID_SCHEME_TEXT = 6
26087 @subsubsection Script File Entries
26089 If the entry specifies a file, @value{GDBN} will look for the file first
26090 in the current directory and then along the source search path
26091 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying Source Directories}),
26092 except that @file{$cdir} is not searched, since the compilation
26093 directory is not relevant to scripts.
26095 File entries can be placed in section @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} with,
26096 for example, this GCC macro for Python scripts.
26099 /* Note: The "MS" section flags are to remove duplicates. */
26100 #define DEFINE_GDB_PY_SCRIPT(script_name) \
26102 .pushsection \".debug_gdb_scripts\", \"MS\",@@progbits,1\n\
26103 .byte 1 /* Python */\n\
26104 .asciz \"" script_name "\"\n\
26110 For Guile scripts, replace @code{.byte 1} with @code{.byte 3}.
26111 Then one can reference the macro in a header or source file like this:
26114 DEFINE_GDB_PY_SCRIPT ("my-app-scripts.py")
26117 The script name may include directories if desired.
26119 Note that loading of this script file also requires accordingly configured
26120 @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
26122 If the macro invocation is put in a header, any application or library
26123 using this header will get a reference to the specified script,
26124 and with the use of @code{"MS"} attributes on the section, the linker
26125 will remove duplicates.
26127 @subsubsection Script Text Entries
26129 Script text entries allow to put the executable script in the entry
26130 itself instead of loading it from a file.
26131 The first line of the entry, everything after the prefix byte and up to
26132 the first newline (@code{0xa}) character, is the script name, and must not
26133 contain any kind of space character, e.g., spaces or tabs.
26134 The rest of the entry, up to the trailing null byte, is the script to
26135 execute in the specified language. The name needs to be unique among
26136 all script names, as @value{GDBN} executes each script only once based
26139 Here is an example from file @file{py-section-script.c} in the @value{GDBN}
26143 #include "symcat.h"
26144 #include "gdb/section-scripts.h"
26146 ".pushsection \".debug_gdb_scripts\", \"MS\",@@progbits,1\n"
26147 ".byte " XSTRING (SECTION_SCRIPT_ID_PYTHON_TEXT) "\n"
26148 ".ascii \"gdb.inlined-script\\n\"\n"
26149 ".ascii \"class test_cmd (gdb.Command):\\n\"\n"
26150 ".ascii \" def __init__ (self):\\n\"\n"
26151 ".ascii \" super (test_cmd, self).__init__ ("
26152 "\\\"test-cmd\\\", gdb.COMMAND_OBSCURE)\\n\"\n"
26153 ".ascii \" def invoke (self, arg, from_tty):\\n\"\n"
26154 ".ascii \" print (\\\"test-cmd output, arg = %s\\\" % arg)\\n\"\n"
26155 ".ascii \"test_cmd ()\\n\"\n"
26161 Loading of inlined scripts requires a properly configured
26162 @code{auto-load safe-path} (@pxref{Auto-loading safe path}).
26163 The path to specify in @code{auto-load safe-path} is the path of the file
26164 containing the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section.
26166 @node Which flavor to choose?
26167 @subsection Which flavor to choose?
26169 Given the multiple ways of auto-loading extensions, it might not always
26170 be clear which one to choose. This section provides some guidance.
26173 Benefits of the @file{-gdb.@var{ext}} way:
26177 Can be used with file formats that don't support multiple sections.
26180 Ease of finding scripts for public libraries.
26182 Scripts specified in the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section are searched for
26183 in the source search path.
26184 For publicly installed libraries, e.g., @file{libstdc++}, there typically
26185 isn't a source directory in which to find the script.
26188 Doesn't require source code additions.
26192 Benefits of the @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} way:
26196 Works with static linking.
26198 Scripts for libraries done the @file{-gdb.@var{ext}} way require an objfile to
26199 trigger their loading. When an application is statically linked the only
26200 objfile available is the executable, and it is cumbersome to attach all the
26201 scripts from all the input libraries to the executable's
26202 @file{-gdb.@var{ext}} script.
26205 Works with classes that are entirely inlined.
26207 Some classes can be entirely inlined, and thus there may not be an associated
26208 shared library to attach a @file{-gdb.@var{ext}} script to.
26211 Scripts needn't be copied out of the source tree.
26213 In some circumstances, apps can be built out of large collections of internal
26214 libraries, and the build infrastructure necessary to install the
26215 @file{-gdb.@var{ext}} scripts in a place where @value{GDBN} can find them is
26216 cumbersome. It may be easier to specify the scripts in the
26217 @code{.debug_gdb_scripts} section as relative paths, and add a path to the
26218 top of the source tree to the source search path.
26221 @node Multiple Extension Languages
26222 @section Multiple Extension Languages
26224 The Guile and Python extension languages do not share any state,
26225 and generally do not interfere with each other.
26226 There are some things to be aware of, however.
26228 @subsection Python comes first
26230 Python was @value{GDBN}'s first extension language, and to avoid breaking
26231 existing behaviour Python comes first. This is generally solved by the
26232 ``first one wins'' principle. @value{GDBN} maintains a list of enabled
26233 extension languages, and when it makes a call to an extension language,
26234 (say to pretty-print a value), it tries each in turn until an extension
26235 language indicates it has performed the request (e.g., has returned the
26236 pretty-printed form of a value).
26237 This extends to errors while performing such requests: If an error happens
26238 while, for example, trying to pretty-print an object then the error is
26239 reported and any following extension languages are not tried.
26242 @section Creating new spellings of existing commands
26243 @cindex aliases for commands
26245 It is often useful to define alternate spellings of existing commands.
26246 For example, if a new @value{GDBN} command defined in Python has
26247 a long name to type, it is handy to have an abbreviated version of it
26248 that involves less typing.
26250 @value{GDBN} itself uses aliases. For example @samp{s} is an alias
26251 of the @samp{step} command even though it is otherwise an ambiguous
26252 abbreviation of other commands like @samp{set} and @samp{show}.
26254 Aliases are also used to provide shortened or more common versions
26255 of multi-word commands. For example, @value{GDBN} provides the
26256 @samp{tty} alias of the @samp{set inferior-tty} command.
26258 You can define a new alias with the @samp{alias} command.
26263 @item alias [-a] [--] @var{ALIAS} = @var{COMMAND}
26267 @var{ALIAS} specifies the name of the new alias.
26268 Each word of @var{ALIAS} must consist of letters, numbers, dashes and
26271 @var{COMMAND} specifies the name of an existing command
26272 that is being aliased.
26274 The @samp{-a} option specifies that the new alias is an abbreviation
26275 of the command. Abbreviations are not shown in command
26276 lists displayed by the @samp{help} command.
26278 The @samp{--} option specifies the end of options,
26279 and is useful when @var{ALIAS} begins with a dash.
26281 Here is a simple example showing how to make an abbreviation
26282 of a command so that there is less to type.
26283 Suppose you were tired of typing @samp{disas}, the current
26284 shortest unambiguous abbreviation of the @samp{disassemble} command
26285 and you wanted an even shorter version named @samp{di}.
26286 The following will accomplish this.
26289 (gdb) alias -a di = disas
26292 Note that aliases are different from user-defined commands.
26293 With a user-defined command, you also need to write documentation
26294 for it with the @samp{document} command.
26295 An alias automatically picks up the documentation of the existing command.
26297 Here is an example where we make @samp{elms} an abbreviation of
26298 @samp{elements} in the @samp{set print elements} command.
26299 This is to show that you can make an abbreviation of any part
26303 (gdb) alias -a set print elms = set print elements
26304 (gdb) alias -a show print elms = show print elements
26305 (gdb) set p elms 20
26307 Limit on string chars or array elements to print is 200.
26310 Note that if you are defining an alias of a @samp{set} command,
26311 and you want to have an alias for the corresponding @samp{show}
26312 command, then you need to define the latter separately.
26314 Unambiguously abbreviated commands are allowed in @var{COMMAND} and
26315 @var{ALIAS}, just as they are normally.
26318 (gdb) alias -a set pr elms = set p ele
26321 Finally, here is an example showing the creation of a one word
26322 alias for a more complex command.
26323 This creates alias @samp{spe} of the command @samp{set print elements}.
26326 (gdb) alias spe = set print elements
26331 @chapter Command Interpreters
26332 @cindex command interpreters
26334 @value{GDBN} supports multiple command interpreters, and some command
26335 infrastructure to allow users or user interface writers to switch
26336 between interpreters or run commands in other interpreters.
26338 @value{GDBN} currently supports two command interpreters, the console
26339 interpreter (sometimes called the command-line interpreter or @sc{cli})
26340 and the machine interface interpreter (or @sc{gdb/mi}). This manual
26341 describes both of these interfaces in great detail.
26343 By default, @value{GDBN} will start with the console interpreter.
26344 However, the user may choose to start @value{GDBN} with another
26345 interpreter by specifying the @option{-i} or @option{--interpreter}
26346 startup options. Defined interpreters include:
26350 @cindex console interpreter
26351 The traditional console or command-line interpreter. This is the most often
26352 used interpreter with @value{GDBN}. With no interpreter specified at runtime,
26353 @value{GDBN} will use this interpreter.
26356 @cindex mi interpreter
26357 The newest @sc{gdb/mi} interface (currently @code{mi2}). Used primarily
26358 by programs wishing to use @value{GDBN} as a backend for a debugger GUI
26359 or an IDE. For more information, see @ref{GDB/MI, ,The @sc{gdb/mi}
26363 @cindex mi2 interpreter
26364 The current @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
26367 @cindex mi1 interpreter
26368 The @sc{gdb/mi} interface included in @value{GDBN} 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3.
26372 @cindex invoke another interpreter
26374 @kindex interpreter-exec
26375 You may execute commands in any interpreter from the current
26376 interpreter using the appropriate command. If you are running the
26377 console interpreter, simply use the @code{interpreter-exec} command:
26380 interpreter-exec mi "-data-list-register-names"
26383 @sc{gdb/mi} has a similar command, although it is only available in versions of
26384 @value{GDBN} which support @sc{gdb/mi} version 2 (or greater).
26386 Note that @code{interpreter-exec} only changes the interpreter for the
26387 duration of the specified command. It does not change the interpreter
26390 @cindex start a new independent interpreter
26392 Although you may only choose a single interpreter at startup, it is
26393 possible to run an independent interpreter on a specified input/output
26394 device (usually a tty).
26396 For example, consider a debugger GUI or IDE that wants to provide a
26397 @value{GDBN} console view. It may do so by embedding a terminal
26398 emulator widget in its GUI, starting @value{GDBN} in the traditional
26399 command-line mode with stdin/stdout/stderr redirected to that
26400 terminal, and then creating an MI interpreter running on a specified
26401 input/output device. The console interpreter created by @value{GDBN}
26402 at startup handles commands the user types in the terminal widget,
26403 while the GUI controls and synchronizes state with @value{GDBN} using
26404 the separate MI interpreter.
26406 To start a new secondary @dfn{user interface} running MI, use the
26407 @code{new-ui} command:
26410 @cindex new user interface
26412 new-ui @var{interpreter} @var{tty}
26415 The @var{interpreter} parameter specifies the interpreter to run.
26416 This accepts the same values as the @code{interpreter-exec} command.
26417 For example, @samp{console}, @samp{mi}, @samp{mi2}, etc. The
26418 @var{tty} parameter specifies the name of the bidirectional file the
26419 interpreter uses for input/output, usually the name of a
26420 pseudoterminal slave on Unix systems. For example:
26423 (@value{GDBP}) new-ui mi /dev/pts/9
26427 runs an MI interpreter on @file{/dev/pts/9}.
26430 @chapter @value{GDBN} Text User Interface
26432 @cindex Text User Interface
26435 * TUI Overview:: TUI overview
26436 * TUI Keys:: TUI key bindings
26437 * TUI Single Key Mode:: TUI single key mode
26438 * TUI Commands:: TUI-specific commands
26439 * TUI Configuration:: TUI configuration variables
26442 The @value{GDBN} Text User Interface (TUI) is a terminal
26443 interface which uses the @code{curses} library to show the source
26444 file, the assembly output, the program registers and @value{GDBN}
26445 commands in separate text windows. The TUI mode is supported only
26446 on platforms where a suitable version of the @code{curses} library
26449 The TUI mode is enabled by default when you invoke @value{GDBN} as
26450 @samp{@value{GDBP} -tui}.
26451 You can also switch in and out of TUI mode while @value{GDBN} runs by
26452 using various TUI commands and key bindings, such as @command{tui
26453 enable} or @kbd{C-x C-a}. @xref{TUI Commands, ,TUI Commands}, and
26454 @ref{TUI Keys, ,TUI Key Bindings}.
26457 @section TUI Overview
26459 In TUI mode, @value{GDBN} can display several text windows:
26463 This window is the @value{GDBN} command window with the @value{GDBN}
26464 prompt and the @value{GDBN} output. The @value{GDBN} input is still
26465 managed using readline.
26468 The source window shows the source file of the program. The current
26469 line and active breakpoints are displayed in this window.
26472 The assembly window shows the disassembly output of the program.
26475 This window shows the processor registers. Registers are highlighted
26476 when their values change.
26479 The source and assembly windows show the current program position
26480 by highlighting the current line and marking it with a @samp{>} marker.
26481 Breakpoints are indicated with two markers. The first marker
26482 indicates the breakpoint type:
26486 Breakpoint which was hit at least once.
26489 Breakpoint which was never hit.
26492 Hardware breakpoint which was hit at least once.
26495 Hardware breakpoint which was never hit.
26498 The second marker indicates whether the breakpoint is enabled or not:
26502 Breakpoint is enabled.
26505 Breakpoint is disabled.
26508 The source, assembly and register windows are updated when the current
26509 thread changes, when the frame changes, or when the program counter
26512 These windows are not all visible at the same time. The command
26513 window is always visible. The others can be arranged in several
26524 source and assembly,
26527 source and registers, or
26530 assembly and registers.
26533 A status line above the command window shows the following information:
26537 Indicates the current @value{GDBN} target.
26538 (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
26541 Gives the current process or thread number.
26542 When no process is being debugged, this field is set to @code{No process}.
26545 Gives the current function name for the selected frame.
26546 The name is demangled if demangling is turned on (@pxref{Print Settings}).
26547 When there is no symbol corresponding to the current program counter,
26548 the string @code{??} is displayed.
26551 Indicates the current line number for the selected frame.
26552 When the current line number is not known, the string @code{??} is displayed.
26555 Indicates the current program counter address.
26559 @section TUI Key Bindings
26560 @cindex TUI key bindings
26562 The TUI installs several key bindings in the readline keymaps
26563 @ifset SYSTEM_READLINE
26564 (@pxref{Command Line Editing, , , rluserman, GNU Readline Library}).
26566 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
26567 (@pxref{Command Line Editing}).
26569 The following key bindings are installed for both TUI mode and the
26570 @value{GDBN} standard mode.
26579 Enter or leave the TUI mode. When leaving the TUI mode,
26580 the curses window management stops and @value{GDBN} operates using
26581 its standard mode, writing on the terminal directly. When reentering
26582 the TUI mode, control is given back to the curses windows.
26583 The screen is then refreshed.
26587 Use a TUI layout with only one window. The layout will
26588 either be @samp{source} or @samp{assembly}. When the TUI mode
26589 is not active, it will switch to the TUI mode.
26591 Think of this key binding as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 1} binding.
26595 Use a TUI layout with at least two windows. When the current
26596 layout already has two windows, the next layout with two windows is used.
26597 When a new layout is chosen, one window will always be common to the
26598 previous layout and the new one.
26600 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 2} binding.
26604 Change the active window. The TUI associates several key bindings
26605 (like scrolling and arrow keys) with the active window. This command
26606 gives the focus to the next TUI window.
26608 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x o} binding.
26612 Switch in and out of the TUI SingleKey mode that binds single
26613 keys to @value{GDBN} commands (@pxref{TUI Single Key Mode}).
26616 The following key bindings only work in the TUI mode:
26621 Scroll the active window one page up.
26625 Scroll the active window one page down.
26629 Scroll the active window one line up.
26633 Scroll the active window one line down.
26637 Scroll the active window one column left.
26641 Scroll the active window one column right.
26645 Refresh the screen.
26648 Because the arrow keys scroll the active window in the TUI mode, they
26649 are not available for their normal use by readline unless the command
26650 window has the focus. When another window is active, you must use
26651 other readline key bindings such as @kbd{C-p}, @kbd{C-n}, @kbd{C-b}
26652 and @kbd{C-f} to control the command window.
26654 @node TUI Single Key Mode
26655 @section TUI Single Key Mode
26656 @cindex TUI single key mode
26658 The TUI also provides a @dfn{SingleKey} mode, which binds several
26659 frequently used @value{GDBN} commands to single keys. Type @kbd{C-x s} to
26660 switch into this mode, where the following key bindings are used:
26663 @kindex c @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26667 @kindex d @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26671 @kindex f @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26675 @kindex n @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26679 @kindex o @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26681 nexti. The shortcut letter @samp{o} stands for ``step Over''.
26683 @kindex q @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26685 exit the SingleKey mode.
26687 @kindex r @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26691 @kindex s @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26695 @kindex i @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26697 stepi. The shortcut letter @samp{i} stands for ``step Into''.
26699 @kindex u @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26703 @kindex v @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26707 @kindex w @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
26712 Other keys temporarily switch to the @value{GDBN} command prompt.
26713 The key that was pressed is inserted in the editing buffer so that
26714 it is possible to type most @value{GDBN} commands without interaction
26715 with the TUI SingleKey mode. Once the command is entered the TUI
26716 SingleKey mode is restored. The only way to permanently leave
26717 this mode is by typing @kbd{q} or @kbd{C-x s}.
26721 @section TUI-specific Commands
26722 @cindex TUI commands
26724 The TUI has specific commands to control the text windows.
26725 These commands are always available, even when @value{GDBN} is not in
26726 the TUI mode. When @value{GDBN} is in the standard mode, most
26727 of these commands will automatically switch to the TUI mode.
26729 Note that if @value{GDBN}'s @code{stdout} is not connected to a
26730 terminal, or @value{GDBN} has been started with the machine interface
26731 interpreter (@pxref{GDB/MI, ,The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface}), most of
26732 these commands will fail with an error, because it would not be
26733 possible or desirable to enable curses window management.
26738 Activate TUI mode. The last active TUI window layout will be used if
26739 TUI mode has prevsiouly been used in the current debugging session,
26740 otherwise a default layout is used.
26743 @kindex tui disable
26744 Disable TUI mode, returning to the console interpreter.
26748 List and give the size of all displayed windows.
26750 @item layout @var{name}
26752 Changes which TUI windows are displayed. In each layout the command
26753 window is always displayed, the @var{name} parameter controls which
26754 additional windows are displayed, and can be any of the following:
26758 Display the next layout.
26761 Display the previous layout.
26764 Display the source and command windows.
26767 Display the assembly and command windows.
26770 Display the source, assembly, and command windows.
26773 When in @code{src} layout display the register, source, and command
26774 windows. When in @code{asm} or @code{split} layout display the
26775 register, assembler, and command windows.
26778 @item focus @var{name}
26780 Changes which TUI window is currently active for scrolling. The
26781 @var{name} parameter can be any of the following:
26785 Make the next window active for scrolling.
26788 Make the previous window active for scrolling.
26791 Make the source window active for scrolling.
26794 Make the assembly window active for scrolling.
26797 Make the register window active for scrolling.
26800 Make the command window active for scrolling.
26805 Refresh the screen. This is similar to typing @kbd{C-L}.
26807 @item tui reg @var{group}
26809 Changes the register group displayed in the tui register window to
26810 @var{group}. If the register window is not currently displayed this
26811 command will cause the register window to be displayed. The list of
26812 register groups, as well as their order is target specific. The
26813 following groups are available on most targets:
26816 Repeatedly selecting this group will cause the display to cycle
26817 through all of the available register groups.
26820 Repeatedly selecting this group will cause the display to cycle
26821 through all of the available register groups in the reverse order to
26825 Display the general registers.
26827 Display the floating point registers.
26829 Display the system registers.
26831 Display the vector registers.
26833 Display all registers.
26838 Update the source window and the current execution point.
26840 @item winheight @var{name} +@var{count}
26841 @itemx winheight @var{name} -@var{count}
26843 Change the height of the window @var{name} by @var{count}
26844 lines. Positive counts increase the height, while negative counts
26845 decrease it. The @var{name} parameter can be one of @code{src} (the
26846 source window), @code{cmd} (the command window), @code{asm} (the
26847 disassembly window), or @code{regs} (the register display window).
26850 @node TUI Configuration
26851 @section TUI Configuration Variables
26852 @cindex TUI configuration variables
26854 Several configuration variables control the appearance of TUI windows.
26857 @item set tui border-kind @var{kind}
26858 @kindex set tui border-kind
26859 Select the border appearance for the source, assembly and register windows.
26860 The possible values are the following:
26863 Use a space character to draw the border.
26866 Use @sc{ascii} characters @samp{+}, @samp{-} and @samp{|} to draw the border.
26869 Use the Alternate Character Set to draw the border. The border is
26870 drawn using character line graphics if the terminal supports them.
26873 @item set tui border-mode @var{mode}
26874 @kindex set tui border-mode
26875 @itemx set tui active-border-mode @var{mode}
26876 @kindex set tui active-border-mode
26877 Select the display attributes for the borders of the inactive windows
26878 or the active window. The @var{mode} can be one of the following:
26881 Use normal attributes to display the border.
26887 Use reverse video mode.
26890 Use half bright mode.
26892 @item half-standout
26893 Use half bright and standout mode.
26896 Use extra bright or bold mode.
26898 @item bold-standout
26899 Use extra bright or bold and standout mode.
26902 @item set tui tab-width @var{nchars}
26903 @kindex set tui tab-width
26905 Set the width of tab stops to be @var{nchars} characters. This
26906 setting affects the display of TAB characters in the source and
26911 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs
26914 @cindex @sc{gnu} Emacs
26915 A special interface allows you to use @sc{gnu} Emacs to view (and
26916 edit) the source files for the program you are debugging with
26919 To use this interface, use the command @kbd{M-x gdb} in Emacs. Give the
26920 executable file you want to debug as an argument. This command starts
26921 @value{GDBN} as a subprocess of Emacs, with input and output through a newly
26922 created Emacs buffer.
26923 @c (Do not use the @code{-tui} option to run @value{GDBN} from Emacs.)
26925 Running @value{GDBN} under Emacs can be just like running @value{GDBN} normally except for two
26930 All ``terminal'' input and output goes through an Emacs buffer, called
26933 This applies both to @value{GDBN} commands and their output, and to the input
26934 and output done by the program you are debugging.
26936 This is useful because it means that you can copy the text of previous
26937 commands and input them again; you can even use parts of the output
26940 All the facilities of Emacs' Shell mode are available for interacting
26941 with your program. In particular, you can send signals the usual
26942 way---for example, @kbd{C-c C-c} for an interrupt, @kbd{C-c C-z} for a
26946 @value{GDBN} displays source code through Emacs.
26948 Each time @value{GDBN} displays a stack frame, Emacs automatically finds the
26949 source file for that frame and puts an arrow (@samp{=>}) at the
26950 left margin of the current line. Emacs uses a separate buffer for
26951 source display, and splits the screen to show both your @value{GDBN} session
26954 Explicit @value{GDBN} @code{list} or search commands still produce output as
26955 usual, but you probably have no reason to use them from Emacs.
26958 We call this @dfn{text command mode}. Emacs 22.1, and later, also uses
26959 a graphical mode, enabled by default, which provides further buffers
26960 that can control the execution and describe the state of your program.
26961 @xref{GDB Graphical Interface,,, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}.
26963 If you specify an absolute file name when prompted for the @kbd{M-x
26964 gdb} argument, then Emacs sets your current working directory to where
26965 your program resides. If you only specify the file name, then Emacs
26966 sets your current working directory to the directory associated
26967 with the previous buffer. In this case, @value{GDBN} may find your
26968 program by searching your environment's @code{PATH} variable, but on
26969 some operating systems it might not find the source. So, although the
26970 @value{GDBN} input and output session proceeds normally, the auxiliary
26971 buffer does not display the current source and line of execution.
26973 The initial working directory of @value{GDBN} is printed on the top
26974 line of the GUD buffer and this serves as a default for the commands
26975 that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate on. @xref{Files,
26976 ,Commands to Specify Files}.
26978 By default, @kbd{M-x gdb} calls the program called @file{gdb}. If you
26979 need to call @value{GDBN} by a different name (for example, if you
26980 keep several configurations around, with different names) you can
26981 customize the Emacs variable @code{gud-gdb-command-name} to run the
26984 In the GUD buffer, you can use these special Emacs commands in
26985 addition to the standard Shell mode commands:
26989 Describe the features of Emacs' GUD Mode.
26992 Execute to another source line, like the @value{GDBN} @code{step} command; also
26993 update the display window to show the current file and location.
26996 Execute to next source line in this function, skipping all function
26997 calls, like the @value{GDBN} @code{next} command. Then update the display window
26998 to show the current file and location.
27001 Execute one instruction, like the @value{GDBN} @code{stepi} command; update
27002 display window accordingly.
27005 Execute until exit from the selected stack frame, like the @value{GDBN}
27006 @code{finish} command.
27009 Continue execution of your program, like the @value{GDBN} @code{continue}
27013 Go up the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument
27014 (@pxref{Arguments, , Numeric Arguments, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}),
27015 like the @value{GDBN} @code{up} command.
27018 Go down the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument, like the
27019 @value{GDBN} @code{down} command.
27022 In any source file, the Emacs command @kbd{C-x @key{SPC}} (@code{gud-break})
27023 tells @value{GDBN} to set a breakpoint on the source line point is on.
27025 In text command mode, if you type @kbd{M-x speedbar}, Emacs displays a
27026 separate frame which shows a backtrace when the GUD buffer is current.
27027 Move point to any frame in the stack and type @key{RET} to make it
27028 become the current frame and display the associated source in the
27029 source buffer. Alternatively, click @kbd{Mouse-2} to make the
27030 selected frame become the current one. In graphical mode, the
27031 speedbar displays watch expressions.
27033 If you accidentally delete the source-display buffer, an easy way to get
27034 it back is to type the command @code{f} in the @value{GDBN} buffer, to
27035 request a frame display; when you run under Emacs, this recreates
27036 the source buffer if necessary to show you the context of the current
27039 The source files displayed in Emacs are in ordinary Emacs buffers
27040 which are visiting the source files in the usual way. You can edit
27041 the files with these buffers if you wish; but keep in mind that @value{GDBN}
27042 communicates with Emacs in terms of line numbers. If you add or
27043 delete lines from the text, the line numbers that @value{GDBN} knows cease
27044 to correspond properly with the code.
27046 A more detailed description of Emacs' interaction with @value{GDBN} is
27047 given in the Emacs manual (@pxref{Debuggers,,, Emacs, The @sc{gnu}
27051 @chapter The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface
27053 @unnumberedsec Function and Purpose
27055 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, its purpose
27056 @sc{gdb/mi} is a line based machine oriented text interface to
27057 @value{GDBN} and is activated by specifying using the
27058 @option{--interpreter} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}). It
27059 is specifically intended to support the development of systems which
27060 use the debugger as just one small component of a larger system.
27062 This chapter is a specification of the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. It is written
27063 in the form of a reference manual.
27065 Note that @sc{gdb/mi} is still under construction, so some of the
27066 features described below are incomplete and subject to change
27067 (@pxref{GDB/MI Development and Front Ends, , @sc{gdb/mi} Development and Front Ends}).
27069 @unnumberedsec Notation and Terminology
27071 @cindex notational conventions, for @sc{gdb/mi}
27072 This chapter uses the following notation:
27076 @code{|} separates two alternatives.
27079 @code{[ @var{something} ]} indicates that @var{something} is optional:
27080 it may or may not be given.
27083 @code{( @var{group} )*} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
27084 may repeat zero or more times.
27087 @code{( @var{group} )+} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
27088 may repeat one or more times.
27091 @code{"@var{string}"} means a literal @var{string}.
27095 @heading Dependencies
27099 * GDB/MI General Design::
27100 * GDB/MI Command Syntax::
27101 * GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI::
27102 * GDB/MI Development and Front Ends::
27103 * GDB/MI Output Records::
27104 * GDB/MI Simple Examples::
27105 * GDB/MI Command Description Format::
27106 * GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands::
27107 * GDB/MI Catchpoint Commands::
27108 * GDB/MI Program Context::
27109 * GDB/MI Thread Commands::
27110 * GDB/MI Ada Tasking Commands::
27111 * GDB/MI Program Execution::
27112 * GDB/MI Stack Manipulation::
27113 * GDB/MI Variable Objects::
27114 * GDB/MI Data Manipulation::
27115 * GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands::
27116 * GDB/MI Symbol Query::
27117 * GDB/MI File Commands::
27119 * GDB/MI Kod Commands::
27120 * GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands::
27121 * GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands::
27123 * GDB/MI Target Manipulation::
27124 * GDB/MI File Transfer Commands::
27125 * GDB/MI Ada Exceptions Commands::
27126 * GDB/MI Support Commands::
27127 * GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands::
27130 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27131 @node GDB/MI General Design
27132 @section @sc{gdb/mi} General Design
27133 @cindex GDB/MI General Design
27135 Interaction of a @sc{GDB/MI} frontend with @value{GDBN} involves three
27136 parts---commands sent to @value{GDBN}, responses to those commands
27137 and notifications. Each command results in exactly one response,
27138 indicating either successful completion of the command, or an error.
27139 For the commands that do not resume the target, the response contains the
27140 requested information. For the commands that resume the target, the
27141 response only indicates whether the target was successfully resumed.
27142 Notifications is the mechanism for reporting changes in the state of the
27143 target, or in @value{GDBN} state, that cannot conveniently be associated with
27144 a command and reported as part of that command response.
27146 The important examples of notifications are:
27150 Exec notifications. These are used to report changes in
27151 target state---when a target is resumed, or stopped. It would not
27152 be feasible to include this information in response of resuming
27153 commands, because one resume commands can result in multiple events in
27154 different threads. Also, quite some time may pass before any event
27155 happens in the target, while a frontend needs to know whether the resuming
27156 command itself was successfully executed.
27159 Console output, and status notifications. Console output
27160 notifications are used to report output of CLI commands, as well as
27161 diagnostics for other commands. Status notifications are used to
27162 report the progress of a long-running operation. Naturally, including
27163 this information in command response would mean no output is produced
27164 until the command is finished, which is undesirable.
27167 General notifications. Commands may have various side effects on
27168 the @value{GDBN} or target state beyond their official purpose. For example,
27169 a command may change the selected thread. Although such changes can
27170 be included in command response, using notification allows for more
27171 orthogonal frontend design.
27175 There's no guarantee that whenever an MI command reports an error,
27176 @value{GDBN} or the target are in any specific state, and especially,
27177 the state is not reverted to the state before the MI command was
27178 processed. Therefore, whenever an MI command results in an error,
27179 we recommend that the frontend refreshes all the information shown in
27180 the user interface.
27184 * Context management::
27185 * Asynchronous and non-stop modes::
27189 @node Context management
27190 @subsection Context management
27192 @subsubsection Threads and Frames
27194 In most cases when @value{GDBN} accesses the target, this access is
27195 done in context of a specific thread and frame (@pxref{Frames}).
27196 Often, even when accessing global data, the target requires that a thread
27197 be specified. The CLI interface maintains the selected thread and frame,
27198 and supplies them to target on each command. This is convenient,
27199 because a command line user would not want to specify that information
27200 explicitly on each command, and because user interacts with
27201 @value{GDBN} via a single terminal, so no confusion is possible as
27202 to what thread and frame are the current ones.
27204 In the case of MI, the concept of selected thread and frame is less
27205 useful. First, a frontend can easily remember this information
27206 itself. Second, a graphical frontend can have more than one window,
27207 each one used for debugging a different thread, and the frontend might
27208 want to access additional threads for internal purposes. This
27209 increases the risk that by relying on implicitly selected thread, the
27210 frontend may be operating on a wrong one. Therefore, each MI command
27211 should explicitly specify which thread and frame to operate on. To
27212 make it possible, each MI command accepts the @samp{--thread} and
27213 @samp{--frame} options, the value to each is @value{GDBN} global
27214 identifier for thread and frame to operate on.
27216 Usually, each top-level window in a frontend allows the user to select
27217 a thread and a frame, and remembers the user selection for further
27218 operations. However, in some cases @value{GDBN} may suggest that the
27219 current thread or frame be changed. For example, when stopping on a
27220 breakpoint it is reasonable to switch to the thread where breakpoint is
27221 hit. For another example, if the user issues the CLI @samp{thread} or
27222 @samp{frame} commands via the frontend, it is desirable to change the
27223 frontend's selection to the one specified by user. @value{GDBN}
27224 communicates the suggestion to change current thread and frame using the
27225 @samp{=thread-selected} notification.
27227 Note that historically, MI shares the selected thread with CLI, so
27228 frontends used the @code{-thread-select} to execute commands in the
27229 right context. However, getting this to work right is cumbersome. The
27230 simplest way is for frontend to emit @code{-thread-select} command
27231 before every command. This doubles the number of commands that need
27232 to be sent. The alternative approach is to suppress @code{-thread-select}
27233 if the selected thread in @value{GDBN} is supposed to be identical to the
27234 thread the frontend wants to operate on. However, getting this
27235 optimization right can be tricky. In particular, if the frontend
27236 sends several commands to @value{GDBN}, and one of the commands changes the
27237 selected thread, then the behaviour of subsequent commands will
27238 change. So, a frontend should either wait for response from such
27239 problematic commands, or explicitly add @code{-thread-select} for
27240 all subsequent commands. No frontend is known to do this exactly
27241 right, so it is suggested to just always pass the @samp{--thread} and
27242 @samp{--frame} options.
27244 @subsubsection Language
27246 The execution of several commands depends on which language is selected.
27247 By default, the current language (@pxref{show language}) is used.
27248 But for commands known to be language-sensitive, it is recommended
27249 to use the @samp{--language} option. This option takes one argument,
27250 which is the name of the language to use while executing the command.
27254 -data-evaluate-expression --language c "sizeof (void*)"
27259 The valid language names are the same names accepted by the
27260 @samp{set language} command (@pxref{Manually}), excluding @samp{auto},
27261 @samp{local} or @samp{unknown}.
27263 @node Asynchronous and non-stop modes
27264 @subsection Asynchronous command execution and non-stop mode
27266 On some targets, @value{GDBN} is capable of processing MI commands
27267 even while the target is running. This is called @dfn{asynchronous
27268 command execution} (@pxref{Background Execution}). The frontend may
27269 specify a preferrence for asynchronous execution using the
27270 @code{-gdb-set mi-async 1} command, which should be emitted before
27271 either running the executable or attaching to the target. After the
27272 frontend has started the executable or attached to the target, it can
27273 find if asynchronous execution is enabled using the
27274 @code{-list-target-features} command.
27277 @item -gdb-set mi-async on
27278 @item -gdb-set mi-async off
27279 Set whether MI is in asynchronous mode.
27281 When @code{off}, which is the default, MI execution commands (e.g.,
27282 @code{-exec-continue}) are foreground commands, and @value{GDBN} waits
27283 for the program to stop before processing further commands.
27285 When @code{on}, MI execution commands are background execution
27286 commands (e.g., @code{-exec-continue} becomes the equivalent of the
27287 @code{c&} CLI command), and so @value{GDBN} is capable of processing
27288 MI commands even while the target is running.
27290 @item -gdb-show mi-async
27291 Show whether MI asynchronous mode is enabled.
27294 Note: In @value{GDBN} version 7.7 and earlier, this option was called
27295 @code{target-async} instead of @code{mi-async}, and it had the effect
27296 of both putting MI in asynchronous mode and making CLI background
27297 commands possible. CLI background commands are now always possible
27298 ``out of the box'' if the target supports them. The old spelling is
27299 kept as a deprecated alias for backwards compatibility.
27301 Even if @value{GDBN} can accept a command while target is running,
27302 many commands that access the target do not work when the target is
27303 running. Therefore, asynchronous command execution is most useful
27304 when combined with non-stop mode (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}). Then,
27305 it is possible to examine the state of one thread, while other threads
27308 When a given thread is running, MI commands that try to access the
27309 target in the context of that thread may not work, or may work only on
27310 some targets. In particular, commands that try to operate on thread's
27311 stack will not work, on any target. Commands that read memory, or
27312 modify breakpoints, may work or not work, depending on the target. Note
27313 that even commands that operate on global state, such as @code{print},
27314 @code{set}, and breakpoint commands, still access the target in the
27315 context of a specific thread, so frontend should try to find a
27316 stopped thread and perform the operation on that thread (using the
27317 @samp{--thread} option).
27319 Which commands will work in the context of a running thread is
27320 highly target dependent. However, the two commands
27321 @code{-exec-interrupt}, to stop a thread, and @code{-thread-info},
27322 to find the state of a thread, will always work.
27324 @node Thread groups
27325 @subsection Thread groups
27326 @value{GDBN} may be used to debug several processes at the same time.
27327 On some platfroms, @value{GDBN} may support debugging of several
27328 hardware systems, each one having several cores with several different
27329 processes running on each core. This section describes the MI
27330 mechanism to support such debugging scenarios.
27332 The key observation is that regardless of the structure of the
27333 target, MI can have a global list of threads, because most commands that
27334 accept the @samp{--thread} option do not need to know what process that
27335 thread belongs to. Therefore, it is not necessary to introduce
27336 neither additional @samp{--process} option, nor an notion of the
27337 current process in the MI interface. The only strictly new feature
27338 that is required is the ability to find how the threads are grouped
27341 To allow the user to discover such grouping, and to support arbitrary
27342 hierarchy of machines/cores/processes, MI introduces the concept of a
27343 @dfn{thread group}. Thread group is a collection of threads and other
27344 thread groups. A thread group always has a string identifier, a type,
27345 and may have additional attributes specific to the type. A new
27346 command, @code{-list-thread-groups}, returns the list of top-level
27347 thread groups, which correspond to processes that @value{GDBN} is
27348 debugging at the moment. By passing an identifier of a thread group
27349 to the @code{-list-thread-groups} command, it is possible to obtain
27350 the members of specific thread group.
27352 To allow the user to easily discover processes, and other objects, he
27353 wishes to debug, a concept of @dfn{available thread group} is
27354 introduced. Available thread group is an thread group that
27355 @value{GDBN} is not debugging, but that can be attached to, using the
27356 @code{-target-attach} command. The list of available top-level thread
27357 groups can be obtained using @samp{-list-thread-groups --available}.
27358 In general, the content of a thread group may be only retrieved only
27359 after attaching to that thread group.
27361 Thread groups are related to inferiors (@pxref{Inferiors and
27362 Programs}). Each inferior corresponds to a thread group of a special
27363 type @samp{process}, and some additional operations are permitted on
27364 such thread groups.
27366 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27367 @node GDB/MI Command Syntax
27368 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Syntax
27371 * GDB/MI Input Syntax::
27372 * GDB/MI Output Syntax::
27375 @node GDB/MI Input Syntax
27376 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Input Syntax
27378 @cindex input syntax for @sc{gdb/mi}
27379 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, input syntax
27381 @item @var{command} @expansion{}
27382 @code{@var{cli-command} | @var{mi-command}}
27384 @item @var{cli-command} @expansion{}
27385 @code{[ @var{token} ] @var{cli-command} @var{nl}}, where
27386 @var{cli-command} is any existing @value{GDBN} CLI command.
27388 @item @var{mi-command} @expansion{}
27389 @code{[ @var{token} ] "-" @var{operation} ( " " @var{option} )*
27390 @code{[} " --" @code{]} ( " " @var{parameter} )* @var{nl}}
27392 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
27393 "any sequence of digits"
27395 @item @var{option} @expansion{}
27396 @code{"-" @var{parameter} [ " " @var{parameter} ]}
27398 @item @var{parameter} @expansion{}
27399 @code{@var{non-blank-sequence} | @var{c-string}}
27401 @item @var{operation} @expansion{}
27402 @emph{any of the operations described in this chapter}
27404 @item @var{non-blank-sequence} @expansion{}
27405 @emph{anything, provided it doesn't contain special characters such as
27406 "-", @var{nl}, """ and of course " "}
27408 @item @var{c-string} @expansion{}
27409 @code{""" @var{seven-bit-iso-c-string-content} """}
27411 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
27420 The CLI commands are still handled by the @sc{mi} interpreter; their
27421 output is described below.
27424 The @code{@var{token}}, when present, is passed back when the command
27428 Some @sc{mi} commands accept optional arguments as part of the parameter
27429 list. Each option is identified by a leading @samp{-} (dash) and may be
27430 followed by an optional argument parameter. Options occur first in the
27431 parameter list and can be delimited from normal parameters using
27432 @samp{--} (this is useful when some parameters begin with a dash).
27439 We want easy access to the existing CLI syntax (for debugging).
27442 We want it to be easy to spot a @sc{mi} operation.
27445 @node GDB/MI Output Syntax
27446 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax
27448 @cindex output syntax of @sc{gdb/mi}
27449 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, output syntax
27450 The output from @sc{gdb/mi} consists of zero or more out-of-band records
27451 followed, optionally, by a single result record. This result record
27452 is for the most recent command. The sequence of output records is
27453 terminated by @samp{(gdb)}.
27455 If an input command was prefixed with a @code{@var{token}} then the
27456 corresponding output for that command will also be prefixed by that same
27460 @item @var{output} @expansion{}
27461 @code{( @var{out-of-band-record} )* [ @var{result-record} ] "(gdb)" @var{nl}}
27463 @item @var{result-record} @expansion{}
27464 @code{ [ @var{token} ] "^" @var{result-class} ( "," @var{result} )* @var{nl}}
27466 @item @var{out-of-band-record} @expansion{}
27467 @code{@var{async-record} | @var{stream-record}}
27469 @item @var{async-record} @expansion{}
27470 @code{@var{exec-async-output} | @var{status-async-output} | @var{notify-async-output}}
27472 @item @var{exec-async-output} @expansion{}
27473 @code{[ @var{token} ] "*" @var{async-output nl}}
27475 @item @var{status-async-output} @expansion{}
27476 @code{[ @var{token} ] "+" @var{async-output nl}}
27478 @item @var{notify-async-output} @expansion{}
27479 @code{[ @var{token} ] "=" @var{async-output nl}}
27481 @item @var{async-output} @expansion{}
27482 @code{@var{async-class} ( "," @var{result} )*}
27484 @item @var{result-class} @expansion{}
27485 @code{"done" | "running" | "connected" | "error" | "exit"}
27487 @item @var{async-class} @expansion{}
27488 @code{"stopped" | @var{others}} (where @var{others} will be added
27489 depending on the needs---this is still in development).
27491 @item @var{result} @expansion{}
27492 @code{ @var{variable} "=" @var{value}}
27494 @item @var{variable} @expansion{}
27495 @code{ @var{string} }
27497 @item @var{value} @expansion{}
27498 @code{ @var{const} | @var{tuple} | @var{list} }
27500 @item @var{const} @expansion{}
27501 @code{@var{c-string}}
27503 @item @var{tuple} @expansion{}
27504 @code{ "@{@}" | "@{" @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "@}" }
27506 @item @var{list} @expansion{}
27507 @code{ "[]" | "[" @var{value} ( "," @var{value} )* "]" | "["
27508 @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "]" }
27510 @item @var{stream-record} @expansion{}
27511 @code{@var{console-stream-output} | @var{target-stream-output} | @var{log-stream-output}}
27513 @item @var{console-stream-output} @expansion{}
27514 @code{"~" @var{c-string nl}}
27516 @item @var{target-stream-output} @expansion{}
27517 @code{"@@" @var{c-string nl}}
27519 @item @var{log-stream-output} @expansion{}
27520 @code{"&" @var{c-string nl}}
27522 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
27525 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
27526 @emph{any sequence of digits}.
27534 All output sequences end in a single line containing a period.
27537 The @code{@var{token}} is from the corresponding request. Note that
27538 for all async output, while the token is allowed by the grammar and
27539 may be output by future versions of @value{GDBN} for select async
27540 output messages, it is generally omitted. Frontends should treat
27541 all async output as reporting general changes in the state of the
27542 target and there should be no need to associate async output to any
27546 @cindex status output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27547 @var{status-async-output} contains on-going status information about the
27548 progress of a slow operation. It can be discarded. All status output is
27549 prefixed by @samp{+}.
27552 @cindex async output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27553 @var{exec-async-output} contains asynchronous state change on the target
27554 (stopped, started, disappeared). All async output is prefixed by
27558 @cindex notify output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27559 @var{notify-async-output} contains supplementary information that the
27560 client should handle (e.g., a new breakpoint information). All notify
27561 output is prefixed by @samp{=}.
27564 @cindex console output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27565 @var{console-stream-output} is output that should be displayed as is in the
27566 console. It is the textual response to a CLI command. All the console
27567 output is prefixed by @samp{~}.
27570 @cindex target output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27571 @var{target-stream-output} is the output produced by the target program.
27572 All the target output is prefixed by @samp{@@}.
27575 @cindex log output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27576 @var{log-stream-output} is output text coming from @value{GDBN}'s internals, for
27577 instance messages that should be displayed as part of an error log. All
27578 the log output is prefixed by @samp{&}.
27581 @cindex list output in @sc{gdb/mi}
27582 New @sc{gdb/mi} commands should only output @var{lists} containing
27588 @xref{GDB/MI Stream Records, , @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records}, for more
27589 details about the various output records.
27591 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27592 @node GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI
27593 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Compatibility with CLI
27595 @cindex compatibility, @sc{gdb/mi} and CLI
27596 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, compatibility with CLI
27598 For the developers convenience CLI commands can be entered directly,
27599 but there may be some unexpected behaviour. For example, commands
27600 that query the user will behave as if the user replied yes, breakpoint
27601 command lists are not executed and some CLI commands, such as
27602 @code{if}, @code{when} and @code{define}, prompt for further input with
27603 @samp{>}, which is not valid MI output.
27605 This feature may be removed at some stage in the future and it is
27606 recommended that front ends use the @code{-interpreter-exec} command
27607 (@pxref{-interpreter-exec}).
27609 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27610 @node GDB/MI Development and Front Ends
27611 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Development and Front Ends
27612 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi} development
27614 The application which takes the MI output and presents the state of the
27615 program being debugged to the user is called a @dfn{front end}.
27617 Although @sc{gdb/mi} is still incomplete, it is currently being used
27618 by a variety of front ends to @value{GDBN}. This makes it difficult
27619 to introduce new functionality without breaking existing usage. This
27620 section tries to minimize the problems by describing how the protocol
27623 Some changes in MI need not break a carefully designed front end, and
27624 for these the MI version will remain unchanged. The following is a
27625 list of changes that may occur within one level, so front ends should
27626 parse MI output in a way that can handle them:
27630 New MI commands may be added.
27633 New fields may be added to the output of any MI command.
27636 The range of values for fields with specified values, e.g.,
27637 @code{in_scope} (@pxref{-var-update}) may be extended.
27639 @c The format of field's content e.g type prefix, may change so parse it
27640 @c at your own risk. Yes, in general?
27642 @c The order of fields may change? Shouldn't really matter but it might
27643 @c resolve inconsistencies.
27646 If the changes are likely to break front ends, the MI version level
27647 will be increased by one. This will allow the front end to parse the
27648 output according to the MI version. Apart from mi0, new versions of
27649 @value{GDBN} will not support old versions of MI and it will be the
27650 responsibility of the front end to work with the new one.
27652 @c Starting with mi3, add a new command -mi-version that prints the MI
27655 The best way to avoid unexpected changes in MI that might break your front
27656 end is to make your project known to @value{GDBN} developers and
27657 follow development on @email{gdb@@sourceware.org} and
27658 @email{gdb-patches@@sourceware.org}.
27659 @cindex mailing lists
27661 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
27662 @node GDB/MI Output Records
27663 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Output Records
27666 * GDB/MI Result Records::
27667 * GDB/MI Stream Records::
27668 * GDB/MI Async Records::
27669 * GDB/MI Breakpoint Information::
27670 * GDB/MI Frame Information::
27671 * GDB/MI Thread Information::
27672 * GDB/MI Ada Exception Information::
27675 @node GDB/MI Result Records
27676 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Result Records
27678 @cindex result records in @sc{gdb/mi}
27679 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, result records
27680 In addition to a number of out-of-band notifications, the response to a
27681 @sc{gdb/mi} command includes one of the following result indications:
27685 @item "^done" [ "," @var{results} ]
27686 The synchronous operation was successful, @code{@var{results}} are the return
27691 This result record is equivalent to @samp{^done}. Historically, it
27692 was output instead of @samp{^done} if the command has resumed the
27693 target. This behaviour is maintained for backward compatibility, but
27694 all frontends should treat @samp{^done} and @samp{^running}
27695 identically and rely on the @samp{*running} output record to determine
27696 which threads are resumed.
27700 @value{GDBN} has connected to a remote target.
27702 @item "^error" "," "msg=" @var{c-string} [ "," "code=" @var{c-string} ]
27704 The operation failed. The @code{msg=@var{c-string}} variable contains
27705 the corresponding error message.
27707 If present, the @code{code=@var{c-string}} variable provides an error
27708 code on which consumers can rely on to detect the corresponding
27709 error condition. At present, only one error code is defined:
27712 @item "undefined-command"
27713 Indicates that the command causing the error does not exist.
27718 @value{GDBN} has terminated.
27722 @node GDB/MI Stream Records
27723 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records
27725 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, stream records
27726 @cindex stream records in @sc{gdb/mi}
27727 @value{GDBN} internally maintains a number of output streams: the console, the
27728 target, and the log. The output intended for each of these streams is
27729 funneled through the @sc{gdb/mi} interface using @dfn{stream records}.
27731 Each stream record begins with a unique @dfn{prefix character} which
27732 identifies its stream (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, , @sc{gdb/mi} Output
27733 Syntax}). In addition to the prefix, each stream record contains a
27734 @code{@var{string-output}}. This is either raw text (with an implicit new
27735 line) or a quoted C string (which does not contain an implicit newline).
27738 @item "~" @var{string-output}
27739 The console output stream contains text that should be displayed in the
27740 CLI console window. It contains the textual responses to CLI commands.
27742 @item "@@" @var{string-output}
27743 The target output stream contains any textual output from the running
27744 target. This is only present when GDB's event loop is truly
27745 asynchronous, which is currently only the case for remote targets.
27747 @item "&" @var{string-output}
27748 The log stream contains debugging messages being produced by @value{GDBN}'s
27752 @node GDB/MI Async Records
27753 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Async Records
27755 @cindex async records in @sc{gdb/mi}
27756 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, async records
27757 @dfn{Async} records are used to notify the @sc{gdb/mi} client of
27758 additional changes that have occurred. Those changes can either be a
27759 consequence of @sc{gdb/mi} commands (e.g., a breakpoint modified) or a result of
27760 target activity (e.g., target stopped).
27762 The following is the list of possible async records:
27766 @item *running,thread-id="@var{thread}"
27767 The target is now running. The @var{thread} field can be the global
27768 thread ID of the the thread that is now running, and it can be
27769 @samp{all} if all threads are running. The frontend should assume
27770 that no interaction with a running thread is possible after this
27771 notification is produced. The frontend should not assume that this
27772 notification is output only once for any command. @value{GDBN} may
27773 emit this notification several times, either for different threads,
27774 because it cannot resume all threads together, or even for a single
27775 thread, if the thread must be stepped though some code before letting
27778 @item *stopped,reason="@var{reason}",thread-id="@var{id}",stopped-threads="@var{stopped}",core="@var{core}"
27779 The target has stopped. The @var{reason} field can have one of the
27783 @item breakpoint-hit
27784 A breakpoint was reached.
27785 @item watchpoint-trigger
27786 A watchpoint was triggered.
27787 @item read-watchpoint-trigger
27788 A read watchpoint was triggered.
27789 @item access-watchpoint-trigger
27790 An access watchpoint was triggered.
27791 @item function-finished
27792 An -exec-finish or similar CLI command was accomplished.
27793 @item location-reached
27794 An -exec-until or similar CLI command was accomplished.
27795 @item watchpoint-scope
27796 A watchpoint has gone out of scope.
27797 @item end-stepping-range
27798 An -exec-next, -exec-next-instruction, -exec-step, -exec-step-instruction or
27799 similar CLI command was accomplished.
27800 @item exited-signalled
27801 The inferior exited because of a signal.
27803 The inferior exited.
27804 @item exited-normally
27805 The inferior exited normally.
27806 @item signal-received
27807 A signal was received by the inferior.
27809 The inferior has stopped due to a library being loaded or unloaded.
27810 This can happen when @code{stop-on-solib-events} (@pxref{Files}) is
27811 set or when a @code{catch load} or @code{catch unload} catchpoint is
27812 in use (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}).
27814 The inferior has forked. This is reported when @code{catch fork}
27815 (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27817 The inferior has vforked. This is reported in when @code{catch vfork}
27818 (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27819 @item syscall-entry
27820 The inferior entered a system call. This is reported when @code{catch
27821 syscall} (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27822 @item syscall-return
27823 The inferior returned from a system call. This is reported when
27824 @code{catch syscall} (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27826 The inferior called @code{exec}. This is reported when @code{catch exec}
27827 (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}) has been used.
27830 The @var{id} field identifies the global thread ID of the thread
27831 that directly caused the stop -- for example by hitting a breakpoint.
27832 Depending on whether all-stop
27833 mode is in effect (@pxref{All-Stop Mode}), @value{GDBN} may either
27834 stop all threads, or only the thread that directly triggered the stop.
27835 If all threads are stopped, the @var{stopped} field will have the
27836 value of @code{"all"}. Otherwise, the value of the @var{stopped}
27837 field will be a list of thread identifiers. Presently, this list will
27838 always include a single thread, but frontend should be prepared to see
27839 several threads in the list. The @var{core} field reports the
27840 processor core on which the stop event has happened. This field may be absent
27841 if such information is not available.
27843 @item =thread-group-added,id="@var{id}"
27844 @itemx =thread-group-removed,id="@var{id}"
27845 A thread group was either added or removed. The @var{id} field
27846 contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread group. When a thread
27847 group is added, it generally might not be associated with a running
27848 process. When a thread group is removed, its id becomes invalid and
27849 cannot be used in any way.
27851 @item =thread-group-started,id="@var{id}",pid="@var{pid}"
27852 A thread group became associated with a running program,
27853 either because the program was just started or the thread group
27854 was attached to a program. The @var{id} field contains the
27855 @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread group. The @var{pid} field
27856 contains process identifier, specific to the operating system.
27858 @item =thread-group-exited,id="@var{id}"[,exit-code="@var{code}"]
27859 A thread group is no longer associated with a running program,
27860 either because the program has exited, or because it was detached
27861 from. The @var{id} field contains the @value{GDBN} identifier of the
27862 thread group. The @var{code} field is the exit code of the inferior; it exists
27863 only when the inferior exited with some code.
27865 @item =thread-created,id="@var{id}",group-id="@var{gid}"
27866 @itemx =thread-exited,id="@var{id}",group-id="@var{gid}"
27867 A thread either was created, or has exited. The @var{id} field
27868 contains the global @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread. The @var{gid}
27869 field identifies the thread group this thread belongs to.
27871 @item =thread-selected,id="@var{id}"[,frame="@var{frame}"]
27872 Informs that the selected thread or frame were changed. This notification
27873 is not emitted as result of the @code{-thread-select} or
27874 @code{-stack-select-frame} commands, but is emitted whenever an MI command
27875 that is not documented to change the selected thread and frame actually
27876 changes them. In particular, invoking, directly or indirectly
27877 (via user-defined command), the CLI @code{thread} or @code{frame} commands,
27878 will generate this notification. Changing the thread or frame from another
27879 user interface (see @ref{Interpreters}) will also generate this notification.
27881 The @var{frame} field is only present if the newly selected thread is
27882 stopped. See @ref{GDB/MI Frame Information} for the format of its value.
27884 We suggest that in response to this notification, front ends
27885 highlight the selected thread and cause subsequent commands to apply to
27888 @item =library-loaded,...
27889 Reports that a new library file was loaded by the program. This
27890 notification has 5 fields---@var{id}, @var{target-name},
27891 @var{host-name}, @var{symbols-loaded} and @var{ranges}. The @var{id} field is an
27892 opaque identifier of the library. For remote debugging case,
27893 @var{target-name} and @var{host-name} fields give the name of the
27894 library file on the target, and on the host respectively. For native
27895 debugging, both those fields have the same value. The
27896 @var{symbols-loaded} field is emitted only for backward compatibility
27897 and should not be relied on to convey any useful information. The
27898 @var{thread-group} field, if present, specifies the id of the thread
27899 group in whose context the library was loaded. If the field is
27900 absent, it means the library was loaded in the context of all present
27901 thread groups. The @var{ranges} field specifies the ranges of addresses belonging
27904 @item =library-unloaded,...
27905 Reports that a library was unloaded by the program. This notification
27906 has 3 fields---@var{id}, @var{target-name} and @var{host-name} with
27907 the same meaning as for the @code{=library-loaded} notification.
27908 The @var{thread-group} field, if present, specifies the id of the
27909 thread group in whose context the library was unloaded. If the field is
27910 absent, it means the library was unloaded in the context of all present
27913 @item =traceframe-changed,num=@var{tfnum},tracepoint=@var{tpnum}
27914 @itemx =traceframe-changed,end
27915 Reports that the trace frame was changed and its new number is
27916 @var{tfnum}. The number of the tracepoint associated with this trace
27917 frame is @var{tpnum}.
27919 @item =tsv-created,name=@var{name},initial=@var{initial}
27920 Reports that the new trace state variable @var{name} is created with
27921 initial value @var{initial}.
27923 @item =tsv-deleted,name=@var{name}
27924 @itemx =tsv-deleted
27925 Reports that the trace state variable @var{name} is deleted or all
27926 trace state variables are deleted.
27928 @item =tsv-modified,name=@var{name},initial=@var{initial}[,current=@var{current}]
27929 Reports that the trace state variable @var{name} is modified with
27930 the initial value @var{initial}. The current value @var{current} of
27931 trace state variable is optional and is reported if the current
27932 value of trace state variable is known.
27934 @item =breakpoint-created,bkpt=@{...@}
27935 @itemx =breakpoint-modified,bkpt=@{...@}
27936 @itemx =breakpoint-deleted,id=@var{number}
27937 Reports that a breakpoint was created, modified, or deleted,
27938 respectively. Only user-visible breakpoints are reported to the MI
27941 The @var{bkpt} argument is of the same form as returned by the various
27942 breakpoint commands; @xref{GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands}. The
27943 @var{number} is the ordinal number of the breakpoint.
27945 Note that if a breakpoint is emitted in the result record of a
27946 command, then it will not also be emitted in an async record.
27948 @item =record-started,thread-group="@var{id}",method="@var{method}"[,format="@var{format}"]
27949 @itemx =record-stopped,thread-group="@var{id}"
27950 Execution log recording was either started or stopped on an
27951 inferior. The @var{id} is the @value{GDBN} identifier of the thread
27952 group corresponding to the affected inferior.
27954 The @var{method} field indicates the method used to record execution. If the
27955 method in use supports multiple recording formats, @var{format} will be present
27956 and contain the currently used format. @xref{Process Record and Replay},
27957 for existing method and format values.
27959 @item =cmd-param-changed,param=@var{param},value=@var{value}
27960 Reports that a parameter of the command @code{set @var{param}} is
27961 changed to @var{value}. In the multi-word @code{set} command,
27962 the @var{param} is the whole parameter list to @code{set} command.
27963 For example, In command @code{set check type on}, @var{param}
27964 is @code{check type} and @var{value} is @code{on}.
27966 @item =memory-changed,thread-group=@var{id},addr=@var{addr},len=@var{len}[,type="code"]
27967 Reports that bytes from @var{addr} to @var{data} + @var{len} were
27968 written in an inferior. The @var{id} is the identifier of the
27969 thread group corresponding to the affected inferior. The optional
27970 @code{type="code"} part is reported if the memory written to holds
27974 @node GDB/MI Breakpoint Information
27975 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Breakpoint Information
27977 When @value{GDBN} reports information about a breakpoint, a
27978 tracepoint, a watchpoint, or a catchpoint, it uses a tuple with the
27983 The breakpoint number. For a breakpoint that represents one location
27984 of a multi-location breakpoint, this will be a dotted pair, like
27988 The type of the breakpoint. For ordinary breakpoints this will be
27989 @samp{breakpoint}, but many values are possible.
27992 If the type of the breakpoint is @samp{catchpoint}, then this
27993 indicates the exact type of catchpoint.
27996 This is the breakpoint disposition---either @samp{del}, meaning that
27997 the breakpoint will be deleted at the next stop, or @samp{keep},
27998 meaning that the breakpoint will not be deleted.
28001 This indicates whether the breakpoint is enabled, in which case the
28002 value is @samp{y}, or disabled, in which case the value is @samp{n}.
28003 Note that this is not the same as the field @code{enable}.
28006 The address of the breakpoint. This may be a hexidecimal number,
28007 giving the address; or the string @samp{<PENDING>}, for a pending
28008 breakpoint; or the string @samp{<MULTIPLE>}, for a breakpoint with
28009 multiple locations. This field will not be present if no address can
28010 be determined. For example, a watchpoint does not have an address.
28013 If known, the function in which the breakpoint appears.
28014 If not known, this field is not present.
28017 The name of the source file which contains this function, if known.
28018 If not known, this field is not present.
28021 The full file name of the source file which contains this function, if
28022 known. If not known, this field is not present.
28025 The line number at which this breakpoint appears, if known.
28026 If not known, this field is not present.
28029 If the source file is not known, this field may be provided. If
28030 provided, this holds the address of the breakpoint, possibly followed
28034 If this breakpoint is pending, this field is present and holds the
28035 text used to set the breakpoint, as entered by the user.
28038 Where this breakpoint's condition is evaluated, either @samp{host} or
28042 If this is a thread-specific breakpoint, then this identifies the
28043 thread in which the breakpoint can trigger.
28046 If this breakpoint is restricted to a particular Ada task, then this
28047 field will hold the task identifier.
28050 If the breakpoint is conditional, this is the condition expression.
28053 The ignore count of the breakpoint.
28056 The enable count of the breakpoint.
28058 @item traceframe-usage
28061 @item static-tracepoint-marker-string-id
28062 For a static tracepoint, the name of the static tracepoint marker.
28065 For a masked watchpoint, this is the mask.
28068 A tracepoint's pass count.
28070 @item original-location
28071 The location of the breakpoint as originally specified by the user.
28072 This field is optional.
28075 The number of times the breakpoint has been hit.
28078 This field is only given for tracepoints. This is either @samp{y},
28079 meaning that the tracepoint is installed, or @samp{n}, meaning that it
28083 Some extra data, the exact contents of which are type-dependent.
28087 For example, here is what the output of @code{-break-insert}
28088 (@pxref{GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands}) might be:
28091 -> -break-insert main
28092 <- ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
28093 enabled="y",addr="0x08048564",func="main",file="myprog.c",
28094 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68",thread-groups=["i1"],
28099 @node GDB/MI Frame Information
28100 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Frame Information
28102 Response from many MI commands includes an information about stack
28103 frame. This information is a tuple that may have the following
28108 The level of the stack frame. The innermost frame has the level of
28109 zero. This field is always present.
28112 The name of the function corresponding to the frame. This field may
28113 be absent if @value{GDBN} is unable to determine the function name.
28116 The code address for the frame. This field is always present.
28119 The name of the source files that correspond to the frame's code
28120 address. This field may be absent.
28123 The source line corresponding to the frames' code address. This field
28127 The name of the binary file (either executable or shared library) the
28128 corresponds to the frame's code address. This field may be absent.
28132 @node GDB/MI Thread Information
28133 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Thread Information
28135 Whenever @value{GDBN} has to report an information about a thread, it
28136 uses a tuple with the following fields. The fields are always present unless
28141 The global numeric id assigned to the thread by @value{GDBN}.
28144 The target-specific string identifying the thread.
28147 Additional information about the thread provided by the target.
28148 It is supposed to be human-readable and not interpreted by the
28149 frontend. This field is optional.
28152 The name of the thread. If the user specified a name using the
28153 @code{thread name} command, then this name is given. Otherwise, if
28154 @value{GDBN} can extract the thread name from the target, then that
28155 name is given. If @value{GDBN} cannot find the thread name, then this
28159 The execution state of the thread, either @samp{stopped} or @samp{running},
28160 depending on whether the thread is presently running.
28163 The stack frame currently executing in the thread. This field is only present
28164 if the thread is stopped. Its format is documented in
28165 @ref{GDB/MI Frame Information}.
28168 The value of this field is an integer number of the processor core the
28169 thread was last seen on. This field is optional.
28172 @node GDB/MI Ada Exception Information
28173 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Ada Exception Information
28175 Whenever a @code{*stopped} record is emitted because the program
28176 stopped after hitting an exception catchpoint (@pxref{Set Catchpoints}),
28177 @value{GDBN} provides the name of the exception that was raised via
28178 the @code{exception-name} field. Also, for exceptions that were raised
28179 with an exception message, @value{GDBN} provides that message via
28180 the @code{exception-message} field.
28182 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28183 @node GDB/MI Simple Examples
28184 @section Simple Examples of @sc{gdb/mi} Interaction
28185 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, simple examples
28187 This subsection presents several simple examples of interaction using
28188 the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. In these examples, @samp{->} means that the
28189 following line is passed to @sc{gdb/mi} as input, while @samp{<-} means
28190 the output received from @sc{gdb/mi}.
28192 Note the line breaks shown in the examples are here only for
28193 readability, they don't appear in the real output.
28195 @subheading Setting a Breakpoint
28197 Setting a breakpoint generates synchronous output which contains detailed
28198 information of the breakpoint.
28201 -> -break-insert main
28202 <- ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
28203 enabled="y",addr="0x08048564",func="main",file="myprog.c",
28204 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68",thread-groups=["i1"],
28209 @subheading Program Execution
28211 Program execution generates asynchronous records and MI gives the
28212 reason that execution stopped.
28218 <- *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",thread-id="0",
28219 frame=@{addr="0x08048564",func="main",
28220 args=[@{name="argc",value="1"@},@{name="argv",value="0xbfc4d4d4"@}],
28221 file="myprog.c",fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="68",
28222 arch="i386:x86_64"@}
28227 <- *stopped,reason="exited-normally"
28231 @subheading Quitting @value{GDBN}
28233 Quitting @value{GDBN} just prints the result class @samp{^exit}.
28241 Please note that @samp{^exit} is printed immediately, but it might
28242 take some time for @value{GDBN} to actually exit. During that time, @value{GDBN}
28243 performs necessary cleanups, including killing programs being debugged
28244 or disconnecting from debug hardware, so the frontend should wait till
28245 @value{GDBN} exits and should only forcibly kill @value{GDBN} if it
28246 fails to exit in reasonable time.
28248 @subheading A Bad Command
28250 Here's what happens if you pass a non-existent command:
28254 <- ^error,msg="Undefined MI command: rubbish"
28259 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28260 @node GDB/MI Command Description Format
28261 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Description Format
28263 The remaining sections describe blocks of commands. Each block of
28264 commands is laid out in a fashion similar to this section.
28266 @subheading Motivation
28268 The motivation for this collection of commands.
28270 @subheading Introduction
28272 A brief introduction to this collection of commands as a whole.
28274 @subheading Commands
28276 For each command in the block, the following is described:
28278 @subsubheading Synopsis
28281 -command @var{args}@dots{}
28284 @subsubheading Result
28286 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28288 The corresponding @value{GDBN} CLI command(s), if any.
28290 @subsubheading Example
28292 Example(s) formatted for readability. Some of the described commands have
28293 not been implemented yet and these are labeled N.A.@: (not available).
28296 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28297 @node GDB/MI Breakpoint Commands
28298 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Breakpoint Commands
28300 @cindex breakpoint commands for @sc{gdb/mi}
28301 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, breakpoint commands
28302 This section documents @sc{gdb/mi} commands for manipulating
28305 @subheading The @code{-break-after} Command
28306 @findex -break-after
28308 @subsubheading Synopsis
28311 -break-after @var{number} @var{count}
28314 The breakpoint number @var{number} is not in effect until it has been
28315 hit @var{count} times. To see how this is reflected in the output of
28316 the @samp{-break-list} command, see the description of the
28317 @samp{-break-list} command below.
28319 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28321 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ignore}.
28323 @subsubheading Example
28328 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
28329 enabled="y",addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",
28330 fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",line="5",thread-groups=["i1"],
28338 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28339 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28340 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28341 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28342 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28343 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28344 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28345 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28346 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28347 line="5",thread-groups=["i1"],times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
28352 @subheading The @code{-break-catch} Command
28353 @findex -break-catch
28356 @subheading The @code{-break-commands} Command
28357 @findex -break-commands
28359 @subsubheading Synopsis
28362 -break-commands @var{number} [ @var{command1} ... @var{commandN} ]
28365 Specifies the CLI commands that should be executed when breakpoint
28366 @var{number} is hit. The parameters @var{command1} to @var{commandN}
28367 are the commands. If no command is specified, any previously-set
28368 commands are cleared. @xref{Break Commands}. Typical use of this
28369 functionality is tracing a program, that is, printing of values of
28370 some variables whenever breakpoint is hit and then continuing.
28372 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28374 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{commands}.
28376 @subsubheading Example
28381 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
28382 enabled="y",addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",
28383 fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",line="5",thread-groups=["i1"],
28386 -break-commands 1 "print v" "continue"
28391 @subheading The @code{-break-condition} Command
28392 @findex -break-condition
28394 @subsubheading Synopsis
28397 -break-condition @var{number} @var{expr}
28400 Breakpoint @var{number} will stop the program only if the condition in
28401 @var{expr} is true. The condition becomes part of the
28402 @samp{-break-list} output (see the description of the @samp{-break-list}
28405 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28407 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{condition}.
28409 @subsubheading Example
28413 -break-condition 1 1
28417 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28418 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28419 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28420 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28421 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28422 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28423 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28424 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28425 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28426 line="5",cond="1",thread-groups=["i1"],times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
28430 @subheading The @code{-break-delete} Command
28431 @findex -break-delete
28433 @subsubheading Synopsis
28436 -break-delete ( @var{breakpoint} )+
28439 Delete the breakpoint(s) whose number(s) are specified in the argument
28440 list. This is obviously reflected in the breakpoint list.
28442 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28444 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{delete}.
28446 @subsubheading Example
28454 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
28455 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28456 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28457 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28458 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28459 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28460 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28465 @subheading The @code{-break-disable} Command
28466 @findex -break-disable
28468 @subsubheading Synopsis
28471 -break-disable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
28474 Disable the named @var{breakpoint}(s). The field @samp{enabled} in the
28475 break list is now set to @samp{n} for the named @var{breakpoint}(s).
28477 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28479 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disable}.
28481 @subsubheading Example
28489 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28490 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28491 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28492 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28493 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28494 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28495 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28496 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="n",
28497 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28498 line="5",thread-groups=["i1"],times="0"@}]@}
28502 @subheading The @code{-break-enable} Command
28503 @findex -break-enable
28505 @subsubheading Synopsis
28508 -break-enable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
28511 Enable (previously disabled) @var{breakpoint}(s).
28513 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28515 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{enable}.
28517 @subsubheading Example
28525 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28526 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28527 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28528 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28529 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28530 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28531 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28532 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28533 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28534 line="5",thread-groups=["i1"],times="0"@}]@}
28538 @subheading The @code{-break-info} Command
28539 @findex -break-info
28541 @subsubheading Synopsis
28544 -break-info @var{breakpoint}
28548 Get information about a single breakpoint.
28550 The result is a table of breakpoints. @xref{GDB/MI Breakpoint
28551 Information}, for details on the format of each breakpoint in the
28554 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28556 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break @var{breakpoint}}.
28558 @subsubheading Example
28561 @subheading The @code{-break-insert} Command
28562 @findex -break-insert
28563 @anchor{-break-insert}
28565 @subsubheading Synopsis
28568 -break-insert [ -t ] [ -h ] [ -f ] [ -d ] [ -a ]
28569 [ -c @var{condition} ] [ -i @var{ignore-count} ]
28570 [ -p @var{thread-id} ] [ @var{location} ]
28574 If specified, @var{location}, can be one of:
28577 @item linespec location
28578 A linespec location. @xref{Linespec Locations}.
28580 @item explicit location
28581 An explicit location. @sc{gdb/mi} explicit locations are
28582 analogous to the CLI's explicit locations using the option names
28583 listed below. @xref{Explicit Locations}.
28586 @item --source @var{filename}
28587 The source file name of the location. This option requires the use
28588 of either @samp{--function} or @samp{--line}.
28590 @item --function @var{function}
28591 The name of a function or method.
28593 @item --label @var{label}
28594 The name of a label.
28596 @item --line @var{lineoffset}
28597 An absolute or relative line offset from the start of the location.
28600 @item address location
28601 An address location, *@var{address}. @xref{Address Locations}.
28605 The possible optional parameters of this command are:
28609 Insert a temporary breakpoint.
28611 Insert a hardware breakpoint.
28613 If @var{location} cannot be parsed (for example if it
28614 refers to unknown files or functions), create a pending
28615 breakpoint. Without this flag, @value{GDBN} will report
28616 an error, and won't create a breakpoint, if @var{location}
28619 Create a disabled breakpoint.
28621 Create a tracepoint. @xref{Tracepoints}. When this parameter
28622 is used together with @samp{-h}, a fast tracepoint is created.
28623 @item -c @var{condition}
28624 Make the breakpoint conditional on @var{condition}.
28625 @item -i @var{ignore-count}
28626 Initialize the @var{ignore-count}.
28627 @item -p @var{thread-id}
28628 Restrict the breakpoint to the thread with the specified global
28632 @subsubheading Result
28634 @xref{GDB/MI Breakpoint Information}, for details on the format of the
28635 resulting breakpoint.
28637 Note: this format is open to change.
28638 @c An out-of-band breakpoint instead of part of the result?
28640 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28642 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{break}, @samp{tbreak},
28643 @samp{hbreak}, and @samp{thbreak}. @c and @samp{rbreak}.
28645 @subsubheading Example
28650 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",
28651 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="4",thread-groups=["i1"],
28654 -break-insert -t foo
28655 ^done,bkpt=@{number="2",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c",
28656 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="11",thread-groups=["i1"],
28660 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
28661 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28662 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28663 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28664 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28665 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28666 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28667 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28668 addr="0x0001072c", func="main",file="recursive2.c",
28669 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,"line="4",thread-groups=["i1"],
28671 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="del",enabled="y",
28672 addr="0x00010774",func="foo",file="recursive2.c",
28673 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",thread-groups=["i1"],
28676 @c -break-insert -r foo.*
28677 @c ~int foo(int, int);
28678 @c ^done,bkpt=@{number="3",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c,
28679 @c "fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",thread-groups=["i1"],
28684 @subheading The @code{-dprintf-insert} Command
28685 @findex -dprintf-insert
28687 @subsubheading Synopsis
28690 -dprintf-insert [ -t ] [ -f ] [ -d ]
28691 [ -c @var{condition} ] [ -i @var{ignore-count} ]
28692 [ -p @var{thread-id} ] [ @var{location} ] [ @var{format} ]
28697 If supplied, @var{location} may be specified the same way as for
28698 the @code{-break-insert} command. @xref{-break-insert}.
28700 The possible optional parameters of this command are:
28704 Insert a temporary breakpoint.
28706 If @var{location} cannot be parsed (for example, if it
28707 refers to unknown files or functions), create a pending
28708 breakpoint. Without this flag, @value{GDBN} will report
28709 an error, and won't create a breakpoint, if @var{location}
28712 Create a disabled breakpoint.
28713 @item -c @var{condition}
28714 Make the breakpoint conditional on @var{condition}.
28715 @item -i @var{ignore-count}
28716 Set the ignore count of the breakpoint (@pxref{Conditions, ignore count})
28717 to @var{ignore-count}.
28718 @item -p @var{thread-id}
28719 Restrict the breakpoint to the thread with the specified global
28723 @subsubheading Result
28725 @xref{GDB/MI Breakpoint Information}, for details on the format of the
28726 resulting breakpoint.
28728 @c An out-of-band breakpoint instead of part of the result?
28730 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28732 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{dprintf}.
28734 @subsubheading Example
28738 4-dprintf-insert foo "At foo entry\n"
28739 4^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="dprintf",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28740 addr="0x000000000040061b",func="foo",file="mi-dprintf.c",
28741 fullname="mi-dprintf.c",line="25",thread-groups=["i1"],
28742 times="0",script=@{"printf \"At foo entry\\n\"","continue"@},
28743 original-location="foo"@}
28745 5-dprintf-insert 26 "arg=%d, g=%d\n" arg g
28746 5^done,bkpt=@{number="2",type="dprintf",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28747 addr="0x000000000040062a",func="foo",file="mi-dprintf.c",
28748 fullname="mi-dprintf.c",line="26",thread-groups=["i1"],
28749 times="0",script=@{"printf \"arg=%d, g=%d\\n\", arg, g","continue"@},
28750 original-location="mi-dprintf.c:26"@}
28754 @subheading The @code{-break-list} Command
28755 @findex -break-list
28757 @subsubheading Synopsis
28763 Displays the list of inserted breakpoints, showing the following fields:
28767 number of the breakpoint
28769 type of the breakpoint: @samp{breakpoint} or @samp{watchpoint}
28771 should the breakpoint be deleted or disabled when it is hit: @samp{keep}
28774 is the breakpoint enabled or no: @samp{y} or @samp{n}
28776 memory location at which the breakpoint is set
28778 logical location of the breakpoint, expressed by function name, file
28780 @item Thread-groups
28781 list of thread groups to which this breakpoint applies
28783 number of times the breakpoint has been hit
28786 If there are no breakpoints or watchpoints, the @code{BreakpointTable}
28787 @code{body} field is an empty list.
28789 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28791 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break}.
28793 @subsubheading Example
28798 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
28799 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28800 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28801 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28802 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28803 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28804 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28805 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28806 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",line="5",thread-groups=["i1"],
28808 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28809 addr="0x00010114",func="foo",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
28810 line="13",thread-groups=["i1"],times="0"@}]@}
28814 Here's an example of the result when there are no breakpoints:
28819 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
28820 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28821 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28822 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28823 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28824 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28825 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28830 @subheading The @code{-break-passcount} Command
28831 @findex -break-passcount
28833 @subsubheading Synopsis
28836 -break-passcount @var{tracepoint-number} @var{passcount}
28839 Set the passcount for tracepoint @var{tracepoint-number} to
28840 @var{passcount}. If the breakpoint referred to by @var{tracepoint-number}
28841 is not a tracepoint, error is emitted. This corresponds to CLI
28842 command @samp{passcount}.
28844 @subheading The @code{-break-watch} Command
28845 @findex -break-watch
28847 @subsubheading Synopsis
28850 -break-watch [ -a | -r ]
28853 Create a watchpoint. With the @samp{-a} option it will create an
28854 @dfn{access} watchpoint, i.e., a watchpoint that triggers either on a
28855 read from or on a write to the memory location. With the @samp{-r}
28856 option, the watchpoint created is a @dfn{read} watchpoint, i.e., it will
28857 trigger only when the memory location is accessed for reading. Without
28858 either of the options, the watchpoint created is a regular watchpoint,
28859 i.e., it will trigger when the memory location is accessed for writing.
28860 @xref{Set Watchpoints, , Setting Watchpoints}.
28862 Note that @samp{-break-list} will report a single list of watchpoints and
28863 breakpoints inserted.
28865 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
28867 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{watch}, @samp{awatch}, and
28870 @subsubheading Example
28872 Setting a watchpoint on a variable in the @code{main} function:
28877 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@}
28882 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@},
28883 value=@{old="-268439212",new="55"@},
28884 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
28885 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="5",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
28889 Setting a watchpoint on a variable local to a function. @value{GDBN} will stop
28890 the program execution twice: first for the variable changing value, then
28891 for the watchpoint going out of scope.
28896 ^done,wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@}
28901 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",
28902 wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@},value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
28903 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
28904 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28905 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13",
28906 arch="i386:x86_64"@}
28911 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="5",
28912 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
28913 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
28914 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28915 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18",
28916 arch="i386:x86_64"@}
28920 Listing breakpoints and watchpoints, at different points in the program
28921 execution. Note that once the watchpoint goes out of scope, it is
28927 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@}
28930 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
28931 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28932 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28933 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28934 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28935 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28936 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28937 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28938 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
28939 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28940 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c"line="8",thread-groups=["i1"],
28942 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
28943 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",thread-groups=["i1"],times="0"@}]@}
28948 *stopped,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@},
28949 value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
28950 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
28951 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28952 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13",
28953 arch="i386:x86_64"@}
28956 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
28957 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28958 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28959 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28960 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28961 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28962 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28963 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28964 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
28965 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28966 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",thread-groups=["i1"],
28968 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
28969 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",thread-groups=["i1"],times="-5"@}]@}
28973 ^done,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="2",
28974 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
28975 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
28976 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28977 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18",
28978 arch="i386:x86_64"@}
28981 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
28982 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
28983 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
28984 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
28985 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
28986 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
28987 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
28988 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
28989 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
28990 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
28991 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",
28992 thread-groups=["i1"],times="1"@}]@}
28997 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
28998 @node GDB/MI Catchpoint Commands
28999 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Catchpoint Commands
29001 This section documents @sc{gdb/mi} commands for manipulating
29005 * Shared Library GDB/MI Catchpoint Commands::
29006 * Ada Exception GDB/MI Catchpoint Commands::
29009 @node Shared Library GDB/MI Catchpoint Commands
29010 @subsection Shared Library @sc{gdb/mi} Catchpoints
29012 @subheading The @code{-catch-load} Command
29013 @findex -catch-load
29015 @subsubheading Synopsis
29018 -catch-load [ -t ] [ -d ] @var{regexp}
29021 Add a catchpoint for library load events. If the @samp{-t} option is used,
29022 the catchpoint is a temporary one (@pxref{Set Breaks, ,Setting
29023 Breakpoints}). If the @samp{-d} option is used, the catchpoint is created
29024 in a disabled state. The @samp{regexp} argument is a regular
29025 expression used to match the name of the loaded library.
29028 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29030 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{catch load}.
29032 @subsubheading Example
29035 -catch-load -t foo.so
29036 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="catchpoint",disp="del",enabled="y",
29037 what="load of library matching foo.so",catch-type="load",times="0"@}
29042 @subheading The @code{-catch-unload} Command
29043 @findex -catch-unload
29045 @subsubheading Synopsis
29048 -catch-unload [ -t ] [ -d ] @var{regexp}
29051 Add a catchpoint for library unload events. If the @samp{-t} option is
29052 used, the catchpoint is a temporary one (@pxref{Set Breaks, ,Setting
29053 Breakpoints}). If the @samp{-d} option is used, the catchpoint is
29054 created in a disabled state. The @samp{regexp} argument is a regular
29055 expression used to match the name of the unloaded library.
29057 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29059 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{catch unload}.
29061 @subsubheading Example
29064 -catch-unload -d bar.so
29065 ^done,bkpt=@{number="2",type="catchpoint",disp="keep",enabled="n",
29066 what="load of library matching bar.so",catch-type="unload",times="0"@}
29070 @node Ada Exception GDB/MI Catchpoint Commands
29071 @subsection Ada Exception @sc{gdb/mi} Catchpoints
29073 The following @sc{gdb/mi} commands can be used to create catchpoints
29074 that stop the execution when Ada exceptions are being raised.
29076 @subheading The @code{-catch-assert} Command
29077 @findex -catch-assert
29079 @subsubheading Synopsis
29082 -catch-assert [ -c @var{condition}] [ -d ] [ -t ]
29085 Add a catchpoint for failed Ada assertions.
29087 The possible optional parameters for this command are:
29090 @item -c @var{condition}
29091 Make the catchpoint conditional on @var{condition}.
29093 Create a disabled catchpoint.
29095 Create a temporary catchpoint.
29098 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29100 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{catch assert}.
29102 @subsubheading Example
29106 ^done,bkptno="5",bkpt=@{number="5",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
29107 enabled="y",addr="0x0000000000404888",what="failed Ada assertions",
29108 thread-groups=["i1"],times="0",
29109 original-location="__gnat_debug_raise_assert_failure"@}
29113 @subheading The @code{-catch-exception} Command
29114 @findex -catch-exception
29116 @subsubheading Synopsis
29119 -catch-exception [ -c @var{condition}] [ -d ] [ -e @var{exception-name} ]
29123 Add a catchpoint stopping when Ada exceptions are raised.
29124 By default, the command stops the program when any Ada exception
29125 gets raised. But it is also possible, by using some of the
29126 optional parameters described below, to create more selective
29129 The possible optional parameters for this command are:
29132 @item -c @var{condition}
29133 Make the catchpoint conditional on @var{condition}.
29135 Create a disabled catchpoint.
29136 @item -e @var{exception-name}
29137 Only stop when @var{exception-name} is raised. This option cannot
29138 be used combined with @samp{-u}.
29140 Create a temporary catchpoint.
29142 Stop only when an unhandled exception gets raised. This option
29143 cannot be used combined with @samp{-e}.
29146 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29148 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{catch exception}
29149 and @samp{catch exception unhandled}.
29151 @subsubheading Example
29154 -catch-exception -e Program_Error
29155 ^done,bkptno="4",bkpt=@{number="4",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
29156 enabled="y",addr="0x0000000000404874",
29157 what="`Program_Error' Ada exception", thread-groups=["i1"],
29158 times="0",original-location="__gnat_debug_raise_exception"@}
29162 @subheading The @code{-catch-handlers} Command
29163 @findex -catch-handlers
29165 @subsubheading Synopsis
29168 -catch-handlers [ -c @var{condition}] [ -d ] [ -e @var{exception-name} ]
29172 Add a catchpoint stopping when Ada exceptions are handled.
29173 By default, the command stops the program when any Ada exception
29174 gets handled. But it is also possible, by using some of the
29175 optional parameters described below, to create more selective
29178 The possible optional parameters for this command are:
29181 @item -c @var{condition}
29182 Make the catchpoint conditional on @var{condition}.
29184 Create a disabled catchpoint.
29185 @item -e @var{exception-name}
29186 Only stop when @var{exception-name} is handled.
29188 Create a temporary catchpoint.
29191 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29193 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{catch handlers}.
29195 @subsubheading Example
29198 -catch-handlers -e Constraint_Error
29199 ^done,bkptno="4",bkpt=@{number="4",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",
29200 enabled="y",addr="0x0000000000402f68",
29201 what="`Constraint_Error' Ada exception handlers",thread-groups=["i1"],
29202 times="0",original-location="__gnat_begin_handler"@}
29206 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
29207 @node GDB/MI Program Context
29208 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Program Context
29210 @subheading The @code{-exec-arguments} Command
29211 @findex -exec-arguments
29214 @subsubheading Synopsis
29217 -exec-arguments @var{args}
29220 Set the inferior program arguments, to be used in the next
29223 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29225 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set args}.
29227 @subsubheading Example
29231 -exec-arguments -v word
29238 @subheading The @code{-exec-show-arguments} Command
29239 @findex -exec-show-arguments
29241 @subsubheading Synopsis
29244 -exec-show-arguments
29247 Print the arguments of the program.
29249 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29251 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show args}.
29253 @subsubheading Example
29258 @subheading The @code{-environment-cd} Command
29259 @findex -environment-cd
29261 @subsubheading Synopsis
29264 -environment-cd @var{pathdir}
29267 Set @value{GDBN}'s working directory.
29269 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29271 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{cd}.
29273 @subsubheading Example
29277 -environment-cd /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
29283 @subheading The @code{-environment-directory} Command
29284 @findex -environment-directory
29286 @subsubheading Synopsis
29289 -environment-directory [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
29292 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for source files.
29293 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the default
29294 search path. If directories @var{pathdir} are supplied in addition to the
29295 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
29297 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
29298 multiple directories in a single command
29299 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
29300 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
29301 If blanks are needed as
29302 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
29303 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
29304 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-separator
29305 character must not be used
29306 in any directory name.
29307 If no directories are specified, the current search path is displayed.
29309 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29311 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{dir}.
29313 @subsubheading Example
29317 -environment-directory /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
29318 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
29320 -environment-directory ""
29321 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
29323 -environment-directory -r /home/jjohnstn/src/gdb /usr/src
29324 ^done,source-path="/home/jjohnstn/src/gdb:/usr/src:$cdir:$cwd"
29326 -environment-directory -r
29327 ^done,source-path="$cdir:$cwd"
29332 @subheading The @code{-environment-path} Command
29333 @findex -environment-path
29335 @subsubheading Synopsis
29338 -environment-path [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
29341 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for object files.
29342 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the original
29343 search path that existed at gdb start-up. If directories @var{pathdir} are
29344 supplied in addition to the
29345 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
29347 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
29348 multiple directories in a single command
29349 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
29350 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
29351 If blanks are needed as
29352 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
29353 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
29354 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-separator
29355 character must not be used
29356 in any directory name.
29357 If no directories are specified, the current path is displayed.
29360 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29362 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{path}.
29364 @subsubheading Example
29369 ^done,path="/usr/bin"
29371 -environment-path /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb /bin
29372 ^done,path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb:/bin:/usr/bin"
29374 -environment-path -r /usr/local/bin
29375 ^done,path="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin"
29380 @subheading The @code{-environment-pwd} Command
29381 @findex -environment-pwd
29383 @subsubheading Synopsis
29389 Show the current working directory.
29391 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29393 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{pwd}.
29395 @subsubheading Example
29400 ^done,cwd="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb"
29404 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
29405 @node GDB/MI Thread Commands
29406 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Thread Commands
29409 @subheading The @code{-thread-info} Command
29410 @findex -thread-info
29412 @subsubheading Synopsis
29415 -thread-info [ @var{thread-id} ]
29418 Reports information about either a specific thread, if the
29419 @var{thread-id} parameter is present, or about all threads.
29420 @var{thread-id} is the thread's global thread ID. When printing
29421 information about all threads, also reports the global ID of the
29424 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29426 The @samp{info thread} command prints the same information
29429 @subsubheading Result
29431 The result contains the following attributes:
29435 A list of threads. The format of the elements of the list is described in
29436 @ref{GDB/MI Thread Information}.
29438 @item current-thread-id
29439 The global id of the currently selected thread. This field is omitted if there
29440 is no selected thread (for example, when the selected inferior is not running,
29441 and therefore has no threads) or if a @var{thread-id} argument was passed to
29446 @subsubheading Example
29451 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90 (LWP 21257)",
29452 frame=@{level="0",addr="0xffffe410",func="__kernel_vsyscall",
29453 args=[]@},state="running"@},
29454 @{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e156b0 (LWP 21254)",
29455 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0804891f",func="foo",
29456 args=[@{name="i",value="10"@}],
29457 file="/tmp/a.c",fullname="/tmp/a.c",line="158",arch="i386:x86_64"@},
29458 state="running"@}],
29459 current-thread-id="1"
29463 @subheading The @code{-thread-list-ids} Command
29464 @findex -thread-list-ids
29466 @subsubheading Synopsis
29472 Produces a list of the currently known global @value{GDBN} thread ids.
29473 At the end of the list it also prints the total number of such
29476 This command is retained for historical reasons, the
29477 @code{-thread-info} command should be used instead.
29479 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29481 Part of @samp{info threads} supplies the same information.
29483 @subsubheading Example
29488 ^done,thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
29489 current-thread-id="1",number-of-threads="3"
29494 @subheading The @code{-thread-select} Command
29495 @findex -thread-select
29497 @subsubheading Synopsis
29500 -thread-select @var{thread-id}
29503 Make thread with global thread number @var{thread-id} the current
29504 thread. It prints the number of the new current thread, and the
29505 topmost frame for that thread.
29507 This command is deprecated in favor of explicitly using the
29508 @samp{--thread} option to each command.
29510 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29512 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{thread}.
29514 @subsubheading Example
29521 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",thread-id="2",line="187",
29522 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.threads/linux-dp.c"
29526 thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
29527 number-of-threads="3"
29530 ^done,new-thread-id="3",
29531 frame=@{level="0",func="vprintf",
29532 args=[@{name="format",value="0x8048e9c \"%*s%c %d %c\\n\""@},
29533 @{name="arg",value="0x2"@}],file="vprintf.c",line="31",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
29537 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
29538 @node GDB/MI Ada Tasking Commands
29539 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Ada Tasking Commands
29541 @subheading The @code{-ada-task-info} Command
29542 @findex -ada-task-info
29544 @subsubheading Synopsis
29547 -ada-task-info [ @var{task-id} ]
29550 Reports information about either a specific Ada task, if the
29551 @var{task-id} parameter is present, or about all Ada tasks.
29553 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29555 The @samp{info tasks} command prints the same information
29556 about all Ada tasks (@pxref{Ada Tasks}).
29558 @subsubheading Result
29560 The result is a table of Ada tasks. The following columns are
29561 defined for each Ada task:
29565 This field exists only for the current thread. It has the value @samp{*}.
29568 The identifier that @value{GDBN} uses to refer to the Ada task.
29571 The identifier that the target uses to refer to the Ada task.
29574 The global thread identifier of the thread corresponding to the Ada
29577 This field should always exist, as Ada tasks are always implemented
29578 on top of a thread. But if @value{GDBN} cannot find this corresponding
29579 thread for any reason, the field is omitted.
29582 This field exists only when the task was created by another task.
29583 In this case, it provides the ID of the parent task.
29586 The base priority of the task.
29589 The current state of the task. For a detailed description of the
29590 possible states, see @ref{Ada Tasks}.
29593 The name of the task.
29597 @subsubheading Example
29601 ^done,tasks=@{nr_rows="3",nr_cols="8",
29602 hdr=[@{width="1",alignment="-1",col_name="current",colhdr=""@},
29603 @{width="3",alignment="1",col_name="id",colhdr="ID"@},
29604 @{width="9",alignment="1",col_name="task-id",colhdr="TID"@},
29605 @{width="4",alignment="1",col_name="thread-id",colhdr=""@},
29606 @{width="4",alignment="1",col_name="parent-id",colhdr="P-ID"@},
29607 @{width="3",alignment="1",col_name="priority",colhdr="Pri"@},
29608 @{width="22",alignment="-1",col_name="state",colhdr="State"@},
29609 @{width="1",alignment="2",col_name="name",colhdr="Name"@}],
29610 body=[@{current="*",id="1",task-id=" 644010",thread-id="1",priority="48",
29611 state="Child Termination Wait",name="main_task"@}]@}
29615 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
29616 @node GDB/MI Program Execution
29617 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Program Execution
29619 These are the asynchronous commands which generate the out-of-band
29620 record @samp{*stopped}. Currently @value{GDBN} only really executes
29621 asynchronously with remote targets and this interaction is mimicked in
29624 @subheading The @code{-exec-continue} Command
29625 @findex -exec-continue
29627 @subsubheading Synopsis
29630 -exec-continue [--reverse] [--all|--thread-group N]
29633 Resumes the execution of the inferior program, which will continue
29634 to execute until it reaches a debugger stop event. If the
29635 @samp{--reverse} option is specified, execution resumes in reverse until
29636 it reaches a stop event. Stop events may include
29639 breakpoints or watchpoints
29641 signals or exceptions
29643 the end of the process (or its beginning under @samp{--reverse})
29645 the end or beginning of a replay log if one is being used.
29647 In all-stop mode (@pxref{All-Stop
29648 Mode}), may resume only one thread, or all threads, depending on the
29649 value of the @samp{scheduler-locking} variable. If @samp{--all} is
29650 specified, all threads (in all inferiors) will be resumed. The @samp{--all} option is
29651 ignored in all-stop mode. If the @samp{--thread-group} options is
29652 specified, then all threads in that thread group are resumed.
29654 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29656 The corresponding @value{GDBN} corresponding is @samp{continue}.
29658 @subsubheading Example
29665 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="2",frame=@{
29666 func="foo",args=[],file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",
29667 line="13",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
29672 @subheading The @code{-exec-finish} Command
29673 @findex -exec-finish
29675 @subsubheading Synopsis
29678 -exec-finish [--reverse]
29681 Resumes the execution of the inferior program until the current
29682 function is exited. Displays the results returned by the function.
29683 If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes the reverse
29684 execution of the inferior program until the point where current
29685 function was called.
29687 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29689 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{finish}.
29691 @subsubheading Example
29693 Function returning @code{void}.
29700 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
29701 file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",line="7",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
29705 Function returning other than @code{void}. The name of the internal
29706 @value{GDBN} variable storing the result is printed, together with the
29713 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{addr="0x000107b0",func="foo",
29714 args=[@{name="a",value="1"],@{name="b",value="9"@}@},
29715 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
29716 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
29717 gdb-result-var="$1",return-value="0"
29722 @subheading The @code{-exec-interrupt} Command
29723 @findex -exec-interrupt
29725 @subsubheading Synopsis
29728 -exec-interrupt [--all|--thread-group N]
29731 Interrupts the background execution of the target. Note how the token
29732 associated with the stop message is the one for the execution command
29733 that has been interrupted. The token for the interrupt itself only
29734 appears in the @samp{^done} output. If the user is trying to
29735 interrupt a non-running program, an error message will be printed.
29737 Note that when asynchronous execution is enabled, this command is
29738 asynchronous just like other execution commands. That is, first the
29739 @samp{^done} response will be printed, and the target stop will be
29740 reported after that using the @samp{*stopped} notification.
29742 In non-stop mode, only the context thread is interrupted by default.
29743 All threads (in all inferiors) will be interrupted if the
29744 @samp{--all} option is specified. If the @samp{--thread-group}
29745 option is specified, all threads in that group will be interrupted.
29747 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29749 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interrupt}.
29751 @subsubheading Example
29762 111*stopped,signal-name="SIGINT",signal-meaning="Interrupt",
29763 frame=@{addr="0x00010140",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
29764 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="13",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
29769 ^error,msg="mi_cmd_exec_interrupt: Inferior not executing."
29773 @subheading The @code{-exec-jump} Command
29776 @subsubheading Synopsis
29779 -exec-jump @var{location}
29782 Resumes execution of the inferior program at the location specified by
29783 parameter. @xref{Specify Location}, for a description of the
29784 different forms of @var{location}.
29786 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29788 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{jump}.
29790 @subsubheading Example
29793 -exec-jump foo.c:10
29794 *running,thread-id="all"
29799 @subheading The @code{-exec-next} Command
29802 @subsubheading Synopsis
29805 -exec-next [--reverse]
29808 Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping when the beginning
29809 of the next source line is reached.
29811 If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse execution
29812 of the inferior program, stopping at the beginning of the previous
29813 source line. If you issue this command on the first line of a
29814 function, it will take you back to the caller of that function, to the
29815 source line where the function was called.
29818 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29820 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{next}.
29822 @subsubheading Example
29828 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="8",file="hello.c"
29833 @subheading The @code{-exec-next-instruction} Command
29834 @findex -exec-next-instruction
29836 @subsubheading Synopsis
29839 -exec-next-instruction [--reverse]
29842 Executes one machine instruction. If the instruction is a function
29843 call, continues until the function returns. If the program stops at an
29844 instruction in the middle of a source line, the address will be
29847 If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse execution
29848 of the inferior program, stopping at the previous instruction. If the
29849 previously executed instruction was a return from another function,
29850 it will continue to execute in reverse until the call to that function
29851 (from the current stack frame) is reached.
29853 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29855 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{nexti}.
29857 @subsubheading Example
29861 -exec-next-instruction
29865 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
29866 addr="0x000100d4",line="5",file="hello.c"
29871 @subheading The @code{-exec-return} Command
29872 @findex -exec-return
29874 @subsubheading Synopsis
29880 Makes current function return immediately. Doesn't execute the inferior.
29881 Displays the new current frame.
29883 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29885 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{return}.
29887 @subsubheading Example
29891 200-break-insert callee4
29892 200^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x00010734",
29893 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@}
29898 000*stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",
29899 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
29900 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29901 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",
29902 arch="i386:x86_64"@}
29908 111^done,frame=@{level="0",func="callee3",
29909 args=[@{name="strarg",
29910 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
29911 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
29912 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18",
29913 arch="i386:x86_64"@}
29918 @subheading The @code{-exec-run} Command
29921 @subsubheading Synopsis
29924 -exec-run [ --all | --thread-group N ] [ --start ]
29927 Starts execution of the inferior from the beginning. The inferior
29928 executes until either a breakpoint is encountered or the program
29929 exits. In the latter case the output will include an exit code, if
29930 the program has exited exceptionally.
29932 When neither the @samp{--all} nor the @samp{--thread-group} option
29933 is specified, the current inferior is started. If the
29934 @samp{--thread-group} option is specified, it should refer to a thread
29935 group of type @samp{process}, and that thread group will be started.
29936 If the @samp{--all} option is specified, then all inferiors will be started.
29938 Using the @samp{--start} option instructs the debugger to stop
29939 the execution at the start of the inferior's main subprogram,
29940 following the same behavior as the @code{start} command
29941 (@pxref{Starting}).
29943 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
29945 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{run}.
29947 @subsubheading Examples
29952 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",line="4"@}
29957 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",
29958 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
29959 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
29964 Program exited normally:
29972 *stopped,reason="exited-normally"
29977 Program exited exceptionally:
29985 *stopped,reason="exited",exit-code="01"
29989 Another way the program can terminate is if it receives a signal such as
29990 @code{SIGINT}. In this case, @sc{gdb/mi} displays this:
29994 *stopped,reason="exited-signalled",signal-name="SIGINT",
29995 signal-meaning="Interrupt"
29999 @c @subheading -exec-signal
30002 @subheading The @code{-exec-step} Command
30005 @subsubheading Synopsis
30008 -exec-step [--reverse]
30011 Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping when the beginning
30012 of the next source line is reached, if the next source line is not a
30013 function call. If it is, stop at the first instruction of the called
30014 function. If the @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse
30015 execution of the inferior program, stopping at the beginning of the
30016 previously executed source line.
30018 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30020 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{step}.
30022 @subsubheading Example
30024 Stepping into a function:
30030 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
30031 frame=@{func="foo",args=[@{name="a",value="10"@},
30032 @{name="b",value="0"@}],file="recursive2.c",
30033 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
30043 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="14",file="recursive2.c"
30048 @subheading The @code{-exec-step-instruction} Command
30049 @findex -exec-step-instruction
30051 @subsubheading Synopsis
30054 -exec-step-instruction [--reverse]
30057 Resumes the inferior which executes one machine instruction. If the
30058 @samp{--reverse} option is specified, resumes reverse execution of the
30059 inferior program, stopping at the previously executed instruction.
30060 The output, once @value{GDBN} has stopped, will vary depending on
30061 whether we have stopped in the middle of a source line or not. In the
30062 former case, the address at which the program stopped will be printed
30065 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30067 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{stepi}.
30069 @subsubheading Example
30073 -exec-step-instruction
30077 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
30078 frame=@{func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
30079 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
30081 -exec-step-instruction
30085 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
30086 frame=@{addr="0x000100f4",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
30087 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
30092 @subheading The @code{-exec-until} Command
30093 @findex -exec-until
30095 @subsubheading Synopsis
30098 -exec-until [ @var{location} ]
30101 Executes the inferior until the @var{location} specified in the
30102 argument is reached. If there is no argument, the inferior executes
30103 until a source line greater than the current one is reached. The
30104 reason for stopping in this case will be @samp{location-reached}.
30106 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30108 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{until}.
30110 @subsubheading Example
30114 -exec-until recursive2.c:6
30118 *stopped,reason="location-reached",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
30119 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="6",
30120 arch="i386:x86_64"@}
30125 @subheading -file-clear
30126 Is this going away????
30129 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
30130 @node GDB/MI Stack Manipulation
30131 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Stack Manipulation Commands
30133 @subheading The @code{-enable-frame-filters} Command
30134 @findex -enable-frame-filters
30137 -enable-frame-filters
30140 @value{GDBN} allows Python-based frame filters to affect the output of
30141 the MI commands relating to stack traces. As there is no way to
30142 implement this in a fully backward-compatible way, a front end must
30143 request that this functionality be enabled.
30145 Once enabled, this feature cannot be disabled.
30147 Note that if Python support has not been compiled into @value{GDBN},
30148 this command will still succeed (and do nothing).
30150 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-frame} Command
30151 @findex -stack-info-frame
30153 @subsubheading Synopsis
30159 Get info on the selected frame.
30161 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30163 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info frame} or @samp{frame}
30164 (without arguments).
30166 @subsubheading Example
30171 ^done,frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
30172 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
30173 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17",
30174 arch="i386:x86_64"@}
30178 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-depth} Command
30179 @findex -stack-info-depth
30181 @subsubheading Synopsis
30184 -stack-info-depth [ @var{max-depth} ]
30187 Return the depth of the stack. If the integer argument @var{max-depth}
30188 is specified, do not count beyond @var{max-depth} frames.
30190 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30192 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
30194 @subsubheading Example
30196 For a stack with frame levels 0 through 11:
30203 -stack-info-depth 4
30206 -stack-info-depth 12
30209 -stack-info-depth 11
30212 -stack-info-depth 13
30217 @anchor{-stack-list-arguments}
30218 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-arguments} Command
30219 @findex -stack-list-arguments
30221 @subsubheading Synopsis
30224 -stack-list-arguments [ --no-frame-filters ] [ --skip-unavailable ] @var{print-values}
30225 [ @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
30228 Display a list of the arguments for the frames between @var{low-frame}
30229 and @var{high-frame} (inclusive). If @var{low-frame} and
30230 @var{high-frame} are not provided, list the arguments for the whole
30231 call stack. If the two arguments are equal, show the single frame
30232 at the corresponding level. It is an error if @var{low-frame} is
30233 larger than the actual number of frames. On the other hand,
30234 @var{high-frame} may be larger than the actual number of frames, in
30235 which case only existing frames will be returned.
30237 If @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
30238 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
30239 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
30240 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for arrays,
30241 structures and unions. If the option @code{--no-frame-filters} is
30242 supplied, then Python frame filters will not be executed.
30244 If the @code{--skip-unavailable} option is specified, arguments that
30245 are not available are not listed. Partially available arguments
30246 are still displayed, however.
30248 Use of this command to obtain arguments in a single frame is
30249 deprecated in favor of the @samp{-stack-list-variables} command.
30251 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30253 @value{GDBN} does not have an equivalent command. @code{gdbtk} has a
30254 @samp{gdb_get_args} command which partially overlaps with the
30255 functionality of @samp{-stack-list-arguments}.
30257 @subsubheading Example
30264 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
30265 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
30266 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",
30267 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30268 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
30269 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
30270 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17",
30271 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30272 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x0001078c",func="callee2",
30273 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
30274 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="22",
30275 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30276 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107b4",func="callee1",
30277 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
30278 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="27",
30279 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30280 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107e0",func="main",
30281 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
30282 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="32",
30283 arch="i386:x86_64"@}]
30285 -stack-list-arguments 0
30288 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
30289 frame=@{level="1",args=[name="strarg"]@},
30290 frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@},
30291 frame=@{level="3",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg",name="fltarg"]@},
30292 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
30294 -stack-list-arguments 1
30297 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
30299 args=[@{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
30300 frame=@{level="2",args=[
30301 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
30302 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
30303 @{frame=@{level="3",args=[
30304 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
30305 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@},
30306 @{name="fltarg",value="3.5"@}]@},
30307 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
30309 -stack-list-arguments 0 2 2
30310 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@}]
30312 -stack-list-arguments 1 2 2
30313 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",
30314 args=[@{name="intarg",value="2"@},
30315 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@}]
30319 @c @subheading -stack-list-exception-handlers
30322 @anchor{-stack-list-frames}
30323 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-frames} Command
30324 @findex -stack-list-frames
30326 @subsubheading Synopsis
30329 -stack-list-frames [ --no-frame-filters @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
30332 List the frames currently on the stack. For each frame it displays the
30337 The frame number, 0 being the topmost frame, i.e., the innermost function.
30339 The @code{$pc} value for that frame.
30343 File name of the source file where the function lives.
30344 @item @var{fullname}
30345 The full file name of the source file where the function lives.
30347 Line number corresponding to the @code{$pc}.
30349 The shared library where this function is defined. This is only given
30350 if the frame's function is not known.
30352 Frame's architecture.
30355 If invoked without arguments, this command prints a backtrace for the
30356 whole stack. If given two integer arguments, it shows the frames whose
30357 levels are between the two arguments (inclusive). If the two arguments
30358 are equal, it shows the single frame at the corresponding level. It is
30359 an error if @var{low-frame} is larger than the actual number of
30360 frames. On the other hand, @var{high-frame} may be larger than the
30361 actual number of frames, in which case only existing frames will be
30362 returned. If the option @code{--no-frame-filters} is supplied, then
30363 Python frame filters will not be executed.
30365 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30367 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{backtrace} and @samp{where}.
30369 @subsubheading Example
30371 Full stack backtrace:
30377 [frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0001076c",func="foo",
30378 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11",
30379 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30380 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30381 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30382 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30383 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30384 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30385 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30386 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30387 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30388 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30389 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30390 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30391 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30392 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30393 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30394 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30395 frame=@{level="6",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30396 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30397 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30398 frame=@{level="7",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30399 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30400 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30401 frame=@{level="8",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30402 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30403 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30404 frame=@{level="9",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30405 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30406 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30407 frame=@{level="10",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30408 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30409 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30410 frame=@{level="11",addr="0x00010738",func="main",
30411 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4",
30412 arch="i386:x86_64"@}]
30416 Show frames between @var{low_frame} and @var{high_frame}:
30420 -stack-list-frames 3 5
30422 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30423 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30424 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30425 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30426 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30427 arch="i386:x86_64"@},
30428 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30429 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30430 arch="i386:x86_64"@}]
30434 Show a single frame:
30438 -stack-list-frames 3 3
30440 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
30441 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14",
30442 arch="i386:x86_64"@}]
30447 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-locals} Command
30448 @findex -stack-list-locals
30449 @anchor{-stack-list-locals}
30451 @subsubheading Synopsis
30454 -stack-list-locals [ --no-frame-filters ] [ --skip-unavailable ] @var{print-values}
30457 Display the local variable names for the selected frame. If
30458 @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
30459 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
30460 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
30461 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for arrays,
30462 structures and unions. In this last case, a frontend can immediately
30463 display the value of simple data types and create variable objects for
30464 other data types when the user wishes to explore their values in
30465 more detail. If the option @code{--no-frame-filters} is supplied, then
30466 Python frame filters will not be executed.
30468 If the @code{--skip-unavailable} option is specified, local variables
30469 that are not available are not listed. Partially available local
30470 variables are still displayed, however.
30472 This command is deprecated in favor of the
30473 @samp{-stack-list-variables} command.
30475 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30477 @samp{info locals} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_get_locals} in @code{gdbtk}.
30479 @subsubheading Example
30483 -stack-list-locals 0
30484 ^done,locals=[name="A",name="B",name="C"]
30486 -stack-list-locals --all-values
30487 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",value="1"@},@{name="B",value="2"@},
30488 @{name="C",value="@{1, 2, 3@}"@}]
30489 -stack-list-locals --simple-values
30490 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",type="int",value="1"@},
30491 @{name="B",type="int",value="2"@},@{name="C",type="int [3]"@}]
30495 @anchor{-stack-list-variables}
30496 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-variables} Command
30497 @findex -stack-list-variables
30499 @subsubheading Synopsis
30502 -stack-list-variables [ --no-frame-filters ] [ --skip-unavailable ] @var{print-values}
30505 Display the names of local variables and function arguments for the selected frame. If
30506 @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
30507 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
30508 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
30509 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for arrays,
30510 structures and unions. If the option @code{--no-frame-filters} is
30511 supplied, then Python frame filters will not be executed.
30513 If the @code{--skip-unavailable} option is specified, local variables
30514 and arguments that are not available are not listed. Partially
30515 available arguments and local variables are still displayed, however.
30517 @subsubheading Example
30521 -stack-list-variables --thread 1 --frame 0 --all-values
30522 ^done,variables=[@{name="x",value="11"@},@{name="s",value="@{a = 1, b = 2@}"@}]
30527 @subheading The @code{-stack-select-frame} Command
30528 @findex -stack-select-frame
30530 @subsubheading Synopsis
30533 -stack-select-frame @var{framenum}
30536 Change the selected frame. Select a different frame @var{framenum} on
30539 This command in deprecated in favor of passing the @samp{--frame}
30540 option to every command.
30542 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
30544 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{frame}, @samp{up},
30545 @samp{down}, @samp{select-frame}, @samp{up-silent}, and @samp{down-silent}.
30547 @subsubheading Example
30551 -stack-select-frame 2
30556 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
30557 @node GDB/MI Variable Objects
30558 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Variable Objects
30562 @subheading Motivation for Variable Objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
30564 For the implementation of a variable debugger window (locals, watched
30565 expressions, etc.), we are proposing the adaptation of the existing code
30566 used by @code{Insight}.
30568 The two main reasons for that are:
30572 It has been proven in practice (it is already on its second generation).
30575 It will shorten development time (needless to say how important it is
30579 The original interface was designed to be used by Tcl code, so it was
30580 slightly changed so it could be used through @sc{gdb/mi}. This section
30581 describes the @sc{gdb/mi} operations that will be available and gives some
30582 hints about their use.
30584 @emph{Note}: In addition to the set of operations described here, we
30585 expect the @sc{gui} implementation of a variable window to require, at
30586 least, the following operations:
30589 @item @code{-gdb-show} @code{output-radix}
30590 @item @code{-stack-list-arguments}
30591 @item @code{-stack-list-locals}
30592 @item @code{-stack-select-frame}
30597 @subheading Introduction to Variable Objects
30599 @cindex variable objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
30601 Variable objects are "object-oriented" MI interface for examining and
30602 changing values of expressions. Unlike some other MI interfaces that
30603 work with expressions, variable objects are specifically designed for
30604 simple and efficient presentation in the frontend. A variable object
30605 is identified by string name. When a variable object is created, the
30606 frontend specifies the expression for that variable object. The
30607 expression can be a simple variable, or it can be an arbitrary complex
30608 expression, and can even involve CPU registers. After creating a
30609 variable object, the frontend can invoke other variable object
30610 operations---for example to obtain or change the value of a variable
30611 object, or to change display format.
30613 Variable objects have hierarchical tree structure. Any variable object
30614 that corresponds to a composite type, such as structure in C, has
30615 a number of child variable objects, for example corresponding to each
30616 element of a structure. A child variable object can itself have
30617 children, recursively. Recursion ends when we reach
30618 leaf variable objects, which always have built-in types. Child variable
30619 objects are created only by explicit request, so if a frontend
30620 is not interested in the children of a particular variable object, no
30621 child will be created.
30623 For a leaf variable object it is possible to obtain its value as a
30624 string, or set the value from a string. String value can be also
30625 obtained for a non-leaf variable object, but it's generally a string
30626 that only indicates the type of the object, and does not list its
30627 contents. Assignment to a non-leaf variable object is not allowed.
30629 A frontend does not need to read the values of all variable objects each time
30630 the program stops. Instead, MI provides an update command that lists all
30631 variable objects whose values has changed since the last update
30632 operation. This considerably reduces the amount of data that must
30633 be transferred to the frontend. As noted above, children variable
30634 objects are created on demand, and only leaf variable objects have a
30635 real value. As result, gdb will read target memory only for leaf
30636 variables that frontend has created.
30638 The automatic update is not always desirable. For example, a frontend
30639 might want to keep a value of some expression for future reference,
30640 and never update it. For another example, fetching memory is
30641 relatively slow for embedded targets, so a frontend might want
30642 to disable automatic update for the variables that are either not
30643 visible on the screen, or ``closed''. This is possible using so
30644 called ``frozen variable objects''. Such variable objects are never
30645 implicitly updated.
30647 Variable objects can be either @dfn{fixed} or @dfn{floating}. For the
30648 fixed variable object, the expression is parsed when the variable
30649 object is created, including associating identifiers to specific
30650 variables. The meaning of expression never changes. For a floating
30651 variable object the values of variables whose names appear in the
30652 expressions are re-evaluated every time in the context of the current
30653 frame. Consider this example:
30658 struct work_state state;
30665 If a fixed variable object for the @code{state} variable is created in
30666 this function, and we enter the recursive call, the variable
30667 object will report the value of @code{state} in the top-level
30668 @code{do_work} invocation. On the other hand, a floating variable
30669 object will report the value of @code{state} in the current frame.
30671 If an expression specified when creating a fixed variable object
30672 refers to a local variable, the variable object becomes bound to the
30673 thread and frame in which the variable object is created. When such
30674 variable object is updated, @value{GDBN} makes sure that the
30675 thread/frame combination the variable object is bound to still exists,
30676 and re-evaluates the variable object in context of that thread/frame.
30678 The following is the complete set of @sc{gdb/mi} operations defined to
30679 access this functionality:
30681 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .6
30682 @item @strong{Operation}
30683 @tab @strong{Description}
30685 @item @code{-enable-pretty-printing}
30686 @tab enable Python-based pretty-printing
30687 @item @code{-var-create}
30688 @tab create a variable object
30689 @item @code{-var-delete}
30690 @tab delete the variable object and/or its children
30691 @item @code{-var-set-format}
30692 @tab set the display format of this variable
30693 @item @code{-var-show-format}
30694 @tab show the display format of this variable
30695 @item @code{-var-info-num-children}
30696 @tab tells how many children this object has
30697 @item @code{-var-list-children}
30698 @tab return a list of the object's children
30699 @item @code{-var-info-type}
30700 @tab show the type of this variable object
30701 @item @code{-var-info-expression}
30702 @tab print parent-relative expression that this variable object represents
30703 @item @code{-var-info-path-expression}
30704 @tab print full expression that this variable object represents
30705 @item @code{-var-show-attributes}
30706 @tab is this variable editable? does it exist here?
30707 @item @code{-var-evaluate-expression}
30708 @tab get the value of this variable
30709 @item @code{-var-assign}
30710 @tab set the value of this variable
30711 @item @code{-var-update}
30712 @tab update the variable and its children
30713 @item @code{-var-set-frozen}
30714 @tab set frozeness attribute
30715 @item @code{-var-set-update-range}
30716 @tab set range of children to display on update
30719 In the next subsection we describe each operation in detail and suggest
30720 how it can be used.
30722 @subheading Description And Use of Operations on Variable Objects
30724 @subheading The @code{-enable-pretty-printing} Command
30725 @findex -enable-pretty-printing
30728 -enable-pretty-printing
30731 @value{GDBN} allows Python-based visualizers to affect the output of the
30732 MI variable object commands. However, because there was no way to
30733 implement this in a fully backward-compatible way, a front end must
30734 request that this functionality be enabled.
30736 Once enabled, this feature cannot be disabled.
30738 Note that if Python support has not been compiled into @value{GDBN},
30739 this command will still succeed (and do nothing).
30741 This feature is currently (as of @value{GDBN} 7.0) experimental, and
30742 may work differently in future versions of @value{GDBN}.
30744 @subheading The @code{-var-create} Command
30745 @findex -var-create
30747 @subsubheading Synopsis
30750 -var-create @{@var{name} | "-"@}
30751 @{@var{frame-addr} | "*" | "@@"@} @var{expression}
30754 This operation creates a variable object, which allows the monitoring of
30755 a variable, the result of an expression, a memory cell or a CPU
30758 The @var{name} parameter is the string by which the object can be
30759 referenced. It must be unique. If @samp{-} is specified, the varobj
30760 system will generate a string ``varNNNNNN'' automatically. It will be
30761 unique provided that one does not specify @var{name} of that format.
30762 The command fails if a duplicate name is found.
30764 The frame under which the expression should be evaluated can be
30765 specified by @var{frame-addr}. A @samp{*} indicates that the current
30766 frame should be used. A @samp{@@} indicates that a floating variable
30767 object must be created.
30769 @var{expression} is any expression valid on the current language set (must not
30770 begin with a @samp{*}), or one of the following:
30774 @samp{*@var{addr}}, where @var{addr} is the address of a memory cell
30777 @samp{*@var{addr}-@var{addr}} --- a memory address range (TBD)
30780 @samp{$@var{regname}} --- a CPU register name
30783 @cindex dynamic varobj
30784 A varobj's contents may be provided by a Python-based pretty-printer. In this
30785 case the varobj is known as a @dfn{dynamic varobj}. Dynamic varobjs
30786 have slightly different semantics in some cases. If the
30787 @code{-enable-pretty-printing} command is not sent, then @value{GDBN}
30788 will never create a dynamic varobj. This ensures backward
30789 compatibility for existing clients.
30791 @subsubheading Result
30793 This operation returns attributes of the newly-created varobj. These
30798 The name of the varobj.
30801 The number of children of the varobj. This number is not necessarily
30802 reliable for a dynamic varobj. Instead, you must examine the
30803 @samp{has_more} attribute.
30806 The varobj's scalar value. For a varobj whose type is some sort of
30807 aggregate (e.g., a @code{struct}), or for a dynamic varobj, this value
30808 will not be interesting.
30811 The varobj's type. This is a string representation of the type, as
30812 would be printed by the @value{GDBN} CLI. If @samp{print object}
30813 (@pxref{Print Settings, set print object}) is set to @code{on}, the
30814 @emph{actual} (derived) type of the object is shown rather than the
30815 @emph{declared} one.
30818 If a variable object is bound to a specific thread, then this is the
30819 thread's global identifier.
30822 For a dynamic varobj, this indicates whether there appear to be any
30823 children available. For a non-dynamic varobj, this will be 0.
30826 This attribute will be present and have the value @samp{1} if the
30827 varobj is a dynamic varobj. If the varobj is not a dynamic varobj,
30828 then this attribute will not be present.
30831 A dynamic varobj can supply a display hint to the front end. The
30832 value comes directly from the Python pretty-printer object's
30833 @code{display_hint} method. @xref{Pretty Printing API}.
30836 Typical output will look like this:
30839 name="@var{name}",numchild="@var{N}",type="@var{type}",thread-id="@var{M}",
30840 has_more="@var{has_more}"
30844 @subheading The @code{-var-delete} Command
30845 @findex -var-delete
30847 @subsubheading Synopsis
30850 -var-delete [ -c ] @var{name}
30853 Deletes a previously created variable object and all of its children.
30854 With the @samp{-c} option, just deletes the children.
30856 Returns an error if the object @var{name} is not found.
30859 @subheading The @code{-var-set-format} Command
30860 @findex -var-set-format
30862 @subsubheading Synopsis
30865 -var-set-format @var{name} @var{format-spec}
30868 Sets the output format for the value of the object @var{name} to be
30871 @anchor{-var-set-format}
30872 The syntax for the @var{format-spec} is as follows:
30875 @var{format-spec} @expansion{}
30876 @{binary | decimal | hexadecimal | octal | natural | zero-hexadecimal@}
30879 The natural format is the default format choosen automatically
30880 based on the variable type (like decimal for an @code{int}, hex
30881 for pointers, etc.).
30883 The zero-hexadecimal format has a representation similar to hexadecimal
30884 but with padding zeroes to the left of the value. For example, a 32-bit
30885 hexadecimal value of 0x1234 would be represented as 0x00001234 in the
30886 zero-hexadecimal format.
30888 For a variable with children, the format is set only on the
30889 variable itself, and the children are not affected.
30891 @subheading The @code{-var-show-format} Command
30892 @findex -var-show-format
30894 @subsubheading Synopsis
30897 -var-show-format @var{name}
30900 Returns the format used to display the value of the object @var{name}.
30903 @var{format} @expansion{}
30908 @subheading The @code{-var-info-num-children} Command
30909 @findex -var-info-num-children
30911 @subsubheading Synopsis
30914 -var-info-num-children @var{name}
30917 Returns the number of children of a variable object @var{name}:
30923 Note that this number is not completely reliable for a dynamic varobj.
30924 It will return the current number of children, but more children may
30928 @subheading The @code{-var-list-children} Command
30929 @findex -var-list-children
30931 @subsubheading Synopsis
30934 -var-list-children [@var{print-values}] @var{name} [@var{from} @var{to}]
30936 @anchor{-var-list-children}
30938 Return a list of the children of the specified variable object and
30939 create variable objects for them, if they do not already exist. With
30940 a single argument or if @var{print-values} has a value of 0 or
30941 @code{--no-values}, print only the names of the variables; if
30942 @var{print-values} is 1 or @code{--all-values}, also print their
30943 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values} print the name and
30944 value for simple data types and just the name for arrays, structures
30947 @var{from} and @var{to}, if specified, indicate the range of children
30948 to report. If @var{from} or @var{to} is less than zero, the range is
30949 reset and all children will be reported. Otherwise, children starting
30950 at @var{from} (zero-based) and up to and excluding @var{to} will be
30953 If a child range is requested, it will only affect the current call to
30954 @code{-var-list-children}, but not future calls to @code{-var-update}.
30955 For this, you must instead use @code{-var-set-update-range}. The
30956 intent of this approach is to enable a front end to implement any
30957 update approach it likes; for example, scrolling a view may cause the
30958 front end to request more children with @code{-var-list-children}, and
30959 then the front end could call @code{-var-set-update-range} with a
30960 different range to ensure that future updates are restricted to just
30963 For each child the following results are returned:
30968 Name of the variable object created for this child.
30971 The expression to be shown to the user by the front end to designate this child.
30972 For example this may be the name of a structure member.
30974 For a dynamic varobj, this value cannot be used to form an
30975 expression. There is no way to do this at all with a dynamic varobj.
30977 For C/C@t{++} structures there are several pseudo children returned to
30978 designate access qualifiers. For these pseudo children @var{exp} is
30979 @samp{public}, @samp{private}, or @samp{protected}. In this case the
30980 type and value are not present.
30982 A dynamic varobj will not report the access qualifying
30983 pseudo-children, regardless of the language. This information is not
30984 available at all with a dynamic varobj.
30987 Number of children this child has. For a dynamic varobj, this will be
30991 The type of the child. If @samp{print object}
30992 (@pxref{Print Settings, set print object}) is set to @code{on}, the
30993 @emph{actual} (derived) type of the object is shown rather than the
30994 @emph{declared} one.
30997 If values were requested, this is the value.
31000 If this variable object is associated with a thread, this is the
31001 thread's global thread id. Otherwise this result is not present.
31004 If the variable object is frozen, this variable will be present with a value of 1.
31007 A dynamic varobj can supply a display hint to the front end. The
31008 value comes directly from the Python pretty-printer object's
31009 @code{display_hint} method. @xref{Pretty Printing API}.
31012 This attribute will be present and have the value @samp{1} if the
31013 varobj is a dynamic varobj. If the varobj is not a dynamic varobj,
31014 then this attribute will not be present.
31018 The result may have its own attributes:
31022 A dynamic varobj can supply a display hint to the front end. The
31023 value comes directly from the Python pretty-printer object's
31024 @code{display_hint} method. @xref{Pretty Printing API}.
31027 This is an integer attribute which is nonzero if there are children
31028 remaining after the end of the selected range.
31031 @subsubheading Example
31035 -var-list-children n
31036 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[child=@{name=@var{name},exp=@var{exp},
31037 numchild=@var{n},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
31039 -var-list-children --all-values n
31040 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[child=@{name=@var{name},exp=@var{exp},
31041 numchild=@var{n},value=@var{value},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
31045 @subheading The @code{-var-info-type} Command
31046 @findex -var-info-type
31048 @subsubheading Synopsis
31051 -var-info-type @var{name}
31054 Returns the type of the specified variable @var{name}. The type is
31055 returned as a string in the same format as it is output by the
31059 type=@var{typename}
31063 @subheading The @code{-var-info-expression} Command
31064 @findex -var-info-expression
31066 @subsubheading Synopsis
31069 -var-info-expression @var{name}
31072 Returns a string that is suitable for presenting this
31073 variable object in user interface. The string is generally
31074 not valid expression in the current language, and cannot be evaluated.
31076 For example, if @code{a} is an array, and variable object
31077 @code{A} was created for @code{a}, then we'll get this output:
31080 (gdb) -var-info-expression A.1
31081 ^done,lang="C",exp="1"
31085 Here, the value of @code{lang} is the language name, which can be
31086 found in @ref{Supported Languages}.
31088 Note that the output of the @code{-var-list-children} command also
31089 includes those expressions, so the @code{-var-info-expression} command
31092 @subheading The @code{-var-info-path-expression} Command
31093 @findex -var-info-path-expression
31095 @subsubheading Synopsis
31098 -var-info-path-expression @var{name}
31101 Returns an expression that can be evaluated in the current
31102 context and will yield the same value that a variable object has.
31103 Compare this with the @code{-var-info-expression} command, which
31104 result can be used only for UI presentation. Typical use of
31105 the @code{-var-info-path-expression} command is creating a
31106 watchpoint from a variable object.
31108 This command is currently not valid for children of a dynamic varobj,
31109 and will give an error when invoked on one.
31111 For example, suppose @code{C} is a C@t{++} class, derived from class
31112 @code{Base}, and that the @code{Base} class has a member called
31113 @code{m_size}. Assume a variable @code{c} is has the type of
31114 @code{C} and a variable object @code{C} was created for variable
31115 @code{c}. Then, we'll get this output:
31117 (gdb) -var-info-path-expression C.Base.public.m_size
31118 ^done,path_expr=((Base)c).m_size)
31121 @subheading The @code{-var-show-attributes} Command
31122 @findex -var-show-attributes
31124 @subsubheading Synopsis
31127 -var-show-attributes @var{name}
31130 List attributes of the specified variable object @var{name}:
31133 status=@var{attr} [ ( ,@var{attr} )* ]
31137 where @var{attr} is @code{@{ @{ editable | noneditable @} | TBD @}}.
31139 @subheading The @code{-var-evaluate-expression} Command
31140 @findex -var-evaluate-expression
31142 @subsubheading Synopsis
31145 -var-evaluate-expression [-f @var{format-spec}] @var{name}
31148 Evaluates the expression that is represented by the specified variable
31149 object and returns its value as a string. The format of the string
31150 can be specified with the @samp{-f} option. The possible values of
31151 this option are the same as for @code{-var-set-format}
31152 (@pxref{-var-set-format}). If the @samp{-f} option is not specified,
31153 the current display format will be used. The current display format
31154 can be changed using the @code{-var-set-format} command.
31160 Note that one must invoke @code{-var-list-children} for a variable
31161 before the value of a child variable can be evaluated.
31163 @subheading The @code{-var-assign} Command
31164 @findex -var-assign
31166 @subsubheading Synopsis
31169 -var-assign @var{name} @var{expression}
31172 Assigns the value of @var{expression} to the variable object specified
31173 by @var{name}. The object must be @samp{editable}. If the variable's
31174 value is altered by the assign, the variable will show up in any
31175 subsequent @code{-var-update} list.
31177 @subsubheading Example
31185 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",in_scope="true",type_changed="false"@}]
31189 @subheading The @code{-var-update} Command
31190 @findex -var-update
31192 @subsubheading Synopsis
31195 -var-update [@var{print-values}] @{@var{name} | "*"@}
31198 Reevaluate the expressions corresponding to the variable object
31199 @var{name} and all its direct and indirect children, and return the
31200 list of variable objects whose values have changed; @var{name} must
31201 be a root variable object. Here, ``changed'' means that the result of
31202 @code{-var-evaluate-expression} before and after the
31203 @code{-var-update} is different. If @samp{*} is used as the variable
31204 object names, all existing variable objects are updated, except
31205 for frozen ones (@pxref{-var-set-frozen}). The option
31206 @var{print-values} determines whether both names and values, or just
31207 names are printed. The possible values of this option are the same
31208 as for @code{-var-list-children} (@pxref{-var-list-children}). It is
31209 recommended to use the @samp{--all-values} option, to reduce the
31210 number of MI commands needed on each program stop.
31212 With the @samp{*} parameter, if a variable object is bound to a
31213 currently running thread, it will not be updated, without any
31216 If @code{-var-set-update-range} was previously used on a varobj, then
31217 only the selected range of children will be reported.
31219 @code{-var-update} reports all the changed varobjs in a tuple named
31222 Each item in the change list is itself a tuple holding:
31226 The name of the varobj.
31229 If values were requested for this update, then this field will be
31230 present and will hold the value of the varobj.
31233 @anchor{-var-update}
31234 This field is a string which may take one of three values:
31238 The variable object's current value is valid.
31241 The variable object does not currently hold a valid value but it may
31242 hold one in the future if its associated expression comes back into
31246 The variable object no longer holds a valid value.
31247 This can occur when the executable file being debugged has changed,
31248 either through recompilation or by using the @value{GDBN} @code{file}
31249 command. The front end should normally choose to delete these variable
31253 In the future new values may be added to this list so the front should
31254 be prepared for this possibility. @xref{GDB/MI Development and Front Ends, ,@sc{GDB/MI} Development and Front Ends}.
31257 This is only present if the varobj is still valid. If the type
31258 changed, then this will be the string @samp{true}; otherwise it will
31261 When a varobj's type changes, its children are also likely to have
31262 become incorrect. Therefore, the varobj's children are automatically
31263 deleted when this attribute is @samp{true}. Also, the varobj's update
31264 range, when set using the @code{-var-set-update-range} command, is
31268 If the varobj's type changed, then this field will be present and will
31271 @item new_num_children
31272 For a dynamic varobj, if the number of children changed, or if the
31273 type changed, this will be the new number of children.
31275 The @samp{numchild} field in other varobj responses is generally not
31276 valid for a dynamic varobj -- it will show the number of children that
31277 @value{GDBN} knows about, but because dynamic varobjs lazily
31278 instantiate their children, this will not reflect the number of
31279 children which may be available.
31281 The @samp{new_num_children} attribute only reports changes to the
31282 number of children known by @value{GDBN}. This is the only way to
31283 detect whether an update has removed children (which necessarily can
31284 only happen at the end of the update range).
31287 The display hint, if any.
31290 This is an integer value, which will be 1 if there are more children
31291 available outside the varobj's update range.
31294 This attribute will be present and have the value @samp{1} if the
31295 varobj is a dynamic varobj. If the varobj is not a dynamic varobj,
31296 then this attribute will not be present.
31299 If new children were added to a dynamic varobj within the selected
31300 update range (as set by @code{-var-set-update-range}), then they will
31301 be listed in this attribute.
31304 @subsubheading Example
31311 -var-update --all-values var1
31312 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",value="3",in_scope="true",
31313 type_changed="false"@}]
31317 @subheading The @code{-var-set-frozen} Command
31318 @findex -var-set-frozen
31319 @anchor{-var-set-frozen}
31321 @subsubheading Synopsis
31324 -var-set-frozen @var{name} @var{flag}
31327 Set the frozenness flag on the variable object @var{name}. The
31328 @var{flag} parameter should be either @samp{1} to make the variable
31329 frozen or @samp{0} to make it unfrozen. If a variable object is
31330 frozen, then neither itself, nor any of its children, are
31331 implicitly updated by @code{-var-update} of
31332 a parent variable or by @code{-var-update *}. Only
31333 @code{-var-update} of the variable itself will update its value and
31334 values of its children. After a variable object is unfrozen, it is
31335 implicitly updated by all subsequent @code{-var-update} operations.
31336 Unfreezing a variable does not update it, only subsequent
31337 @code{-var-update} does.
31339 @subsubheading Example
31343 -var-set-frozen V 1
31348 @subheading The @code{-var-set-update-range} command
31349 @findex -var-set-update-range
31350 @anchor{-var-set-update-range}
31352 @subsubheading Synopsis
31355 -var-set-update-range @var{name} @var{from} @var{to}
31358 Set the range of children to be returned by future invocations of
31359 @code{-var-update}.
31361 @var{from} and @var{to} indicate the range of children to report. If
31362 @var{from} or @var{to} is less than zero, the range is reset and all
31363 children will be reported. Otherwise, children starting at @var{from}
31364 (zero-based) and up to and excluding @var{to} will be reported.
31366 @subsubheading Example
31370 -var-set-update-range V 1 2
31374 @subheading The @code{-var-set-visualizer} command
31375 @findex -var-set-visualizer
31376 @anchor{-var-set-visualizer}
31378 @subsubheading Synopsis
31381 -var-set-visualizer @var{name} @var{visualizer}
31384 Set a visualizer for the variable object @var{name}.
31386 @var{visualizer} is the visualizer to use. The special value
31387 @samp{None} means to disable any visualizer in use.
31389 If not @samp{None}, @var{visualizer} must be a Python expression.
31390 This expression must evaluate to a callable object which accepts a
31391 single argument. @value{GDBN} will call this object with the value of
31392 the varobj @var{name} as an argument (this is done so that the same
31393 Python pretty-printing code can be used for both the CLI and MI).
31394 When called, this object must return an object which conforms to the
31395 pretty-printing interface (@pxref{Pretty Printing API}).
31397 The pre-defined function @code{gdb.default_visualizer} may be used to
31398 select a visualizer by following the built-in process
31399 (@pxref{Selecting Pretty-Printers}). This is done automatically when
31400 a varobj is created, and so ordinarily is not needed.
31402 This feature is only available if Python support is enabled. The MI
31403 command @code{-list-features} (@pxref{GDB/MI Support Commands})
31404 can be used to check this.
31406 @subsubheading Example
31408 Resetting the visualizer:
31412 -var-set-visualizer V None
31416 Reselecting the default (type-based) visualizer:
31420 -var-set-visualizer V gdb.default_visualizer
31424 Suppose @code{SomeClass} is a visualizer class. A lambda expression
31425 can be used to instantiate this class for a varobj:
31429 -var-set-visualizer V "lambda val: SomeClass()"
31433 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
31434 @node GDB/MI Data Manipulation
31435 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Data Manipulation
31437 @cindex data manipulation, in @sc{gdb/mi}
31438 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, data manipulation
31439 This section describes the @sc{gdb/mi} commands that manipulate data:
31440 examine memory and registers, evaluate expressions, etc.
31442 For details about what an addressable memory unit is,
31443 @pxref{addressable memory unit}.
31445 @c REMOVED FROM THE INTERFACE.
31446 @c @subheading -data-assign
31447 @c Change the value of a program variable. Plenty of side effects.
31448 @c @subsubheading GDB Command
31450 @c @subsubheading Example
31453 @subheading The @code{-data-disassemble} Command
31454 @findex -data-disassemble
31456 @subsubheading Synopsis
31460 [ -s @var{start-addr} -e @var{end-addr} ]
31461 | [ -a @var{addr} ]
31462 | [ -f @var{filename} -l @var{linenum} [ -n @var{lines} ] ]
31470 @item @var{start-addr}
31471 is the beginning address (or @code{$pc})
31472 @item @var{end-addr}
31475 is an address anywhere within (or the name of) the function to
31476 disassemble. If an address is specified, the whole function
31477 surrounding that address will be disassembled. If a name is
31478 specified, the whole function with that name will be disassembled.
31479 @item @var{filename}
31480 is the name of the file to disassemble
31481 @item @var{linenum}
31482 is the line number to disassemble around
31484 is the number of disassembly lines to be produced. If it is -1,
31485 the whole function will be disassembled, in case no @var{end-addr} is
31486 specified. If @var{end-addr} is specified as a non-zero value, and
31487 @var{lines} is lower than the number of disassembly lines between
31488 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only @var{lines} lines are
31489 displayed; if @var{lines} is higher than the number of lines between
31490 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only the lines up to @var{end-addr}
31495 @item 0 disassembly only
31496 @item 1 mixed source and disassembly (deprecated)
31497 @item 2 disassembly with raw opcodes
31498 @item 3 mixed source and disassembly with raw opcodes (deprecated)
31499 @item 4 mixed source and disassembly
31500 @item 5 mixed source and disassembly with raw opcodes
31503 Modes 1 and 3 are deprecated. The output is ``source centric''
31504 which hasn't proved useful in practice.
31505 @xref{Machine Code}, for a discussion of the difference between
31506 @code{/m} and @code{/s} output of the @code{disassemble} command.
31509 @subsubheading Result
31511 The result of the @code{-data-disassemble} command will be a list named
31512 @samp{asm_insns}, the contents of this list depend on the @var{mode}
31513 used with the @code{-data-disassemble} command.
31515 For modes 0 and 2 the @samp{asm_insns} list contains tuples with the
31520 The address at which this instruction was disassembled.
31523 The name of the function this instruction is within.
31526 The decimal offset in bytes from the start of @samp{func-name}.
31529 The text disassembly for this @samp{address}.
31532 This field is only present for modes 2, 3 and 5. This contains the raw opcode
31533 bytes for the @samp{inst} field.
31537 For modes 1, 3, 4 and 5 the @samp{asm_insns} list contains tuples named
31538 @samp{src_and_asm_line}, each of which has the following fields:
31542 The line number within @samp{file}.
31545 The file name from the compilation unit. This might be an absolute
31546 file name or a relative file name depending on the compile command
31550 Absolute file name of @samp{file}. It is converted to a canonical form
31551 using the source file search path
31552 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying Source Directories})
31553 and after resolving all the symbolic links.
31555 If the source file is not found this field will contain the path as
31556 present in the debug information.
31558 @item line_asm_insn
31559 This is a list of tuples containing the disassembly for @samp{line} in
31560 @samp{file}. The fields of each tuple are the same as for
31561 @code{-data-disassemble} in @var{mode} 0 and 2, so @samp{address},
31562 @samp{func-name}, @samp{offset}, @samp{inst}, and optionally
31567 Note that whatever included in the @samp{inst} field, is not
31568 manipulated directly by @sc{gdb/mi}, i.e., it is not possible to
31571 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31573 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disassemble}.
31575 @subsubheading Example
31577 Disassemble from the current value of @code{$pc} to @code{$pc + 20}:
31581 -data-disassemble -s $pc -e "$pc + 20" -- 0
31584 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
31585 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
31586 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
31587 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
31588 @{address="0x000107c8",func-name="main",offset="12",
31589 inst="or %o2, 0x140, %o1\t! 0x11940 <_lib_version+8>"@},
31590 @{address="0x000107cc",func-name="main",offset="16",
31591 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
31592 @{address="0x000107d0",func-name="main",offset="20",
31593 inst="or %o2, 0x168, %o4\t! 0x11968 <_lib_version+48>"@}]
31597 Disassemble the whole @code{main} function. Line 32 is part of
31601 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -- 0
31603 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
31604 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
31605 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
31606 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
31607 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
31608 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
31610 @{address="0x0001081c",func-name="main",offset="96",inst="ret "@},
31611 @{address="0x00010820",func-name="main",offset="100",inst="restore "@}]
31615 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main}:
31619 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 0
31621 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
31622 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
31623 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
31624 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
31625 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
31626 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]
31630 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main} in mixed mode:
31634 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 1
31636 src_and_asm_line=@{line="31",
31637 file="../../../src/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
31638 fullname="/absolute/path/to/src/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
31639 line_asm_insn=[@{address="0x000107bc",
31640 func-name="main",offset="0",inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@}]@},
31641 src_and_asm_line=@{line="32",
31642 file="../../../src/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
31643 fullname="/absolute/path/to/src/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
31644 line_asm_insn=[@{address="0x000107c0",
31645 func-name="main",offset="4",inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
31646 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
31647 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]@}]
31652 @subheading The @code{-data-evaluate-expression} Command
31653 @findex -data-evaluate-expression
31655 @subsubheading Synopsis
31658 -data-evaluate-expression @var{expr}
31661 Evaluate @var{expr} as an expression. The expression could contain an
31662 inferior function call. The function call will execute synchronously.
31663 If the expression contains spaces, it must be enclosed in double quotes.
31665 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31667 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{print}, @samp{output}, and
31668 @samp{call}. In @code{gdbtk} only, there's a corresponding
31669 @samp{gdb_eval} command.
31671 @subsubheading Example
31673 In the following example, the numbers that precede the commands are the
31674 @dfn{tokens} described in @ref{GDB/MI Command Syntax, ,@sc{gdb/mi}
31675 Command Syntax}. Notice how @sc{gdb/mi} returns the same tokens in its
31679 211-data-evaluate-expression A
31682 311-data-evaluate-expression &A
31683 311^done,value="0xefffeb7c"
31685 411-data-evaluate-expression A+3
31688 511-data-evaluate-expression "A + 3"
31694 @subheading The @code{-data-list-changed-registers} Command
31695 @findex -data-list-changed-registers
31697 @subsubheading Synopsis
31700 -data-list-changed-registers
31703 Display a list of the registers that have changed.
31705 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31707 @value{GDBN} doesn't have a direct analog for this command; @code{gdbtk}
31708 has the corresponding command @samp{gdb_changed_register_list}.
31710 @subsubheading Example
31712 On a PPC MBX board:
31720 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",frame=@{
31721 func="main",args=[],file="try.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",
31722 line="5",arch="powerpc"@}
31724 -data-list-changed-registers
31725 ^done,changed-registers=["0","1","2","4","5","6","7","8","9",
31726 "10","11","13","14","15","16","17","18","19","20","21","22","23",
31727 "24","25","26","27","28","30","31","64","65","66","67","69"]
31732 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-names} Command
31733 @findex -data-list-register-names
31735 @subsubheading Synopsis
31738 -data-list-register-names [ ( @var{regno} )+ ]
31741 Show a list of register names for the current target. If no arguments
31742 are given, it shows a list of the names of all the registers. If
31743 integer numbers are given as arguments, it will print a list of the
31744 names of the registers corresponding to the arguments. To ensure
31745 consistency between a register name and its number, the output list may
31746 include empty register names.
31748 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31750 @value{GDBN} does not have a command which corresponds to
31751 @samp{-data-list-register-names}. In @code{gdbtk} there is a
31752 corresponding command @samp{gdb_regnames}.
31754 @subsubheading Example
31756 For the PPC MBX board:
31759 -data-list-register-names
31760 ^done,register-names=["r0","r1","r2","r3","r4","r5","r6","r7",
31761 "r8","r9","r10","r11","r12","r13","r14","r15","r16","r17","r18",
31762 "r19","r20","r21","r22","r23","r24","r25","r26","r27","r28","r29",
31763 "r30","r31","f0","f1","f2","f3","f4","f5","f6","f7","f8","f9",
31764 "f10","f11","f12","f13","f14","f15","f16","f17","f18","f19","f20",
31765 "f21","f22","f23","f24","f25","f26","f27","f28","f29","f30","f31",
31766 "", "pc","ps","cr","lr","ctr","xer"]
31768 -data-list-register-names 1 2 3
31769 ^done,register-names=["r1","r2","r3"]
31773 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-values} Command
31774 @findex -data-list-register-values
31776 @subsubheading Synopsis
31779 -data-list-register-values
31780 [ @code{--skip-unavailable} ] @var{fmt} [ ( @var{regno} )*]
31783 Display the registers' contents. The format according to which the
31784 registers' contents are to be returned is given by @var{fmt}, followed
31785 by an optional list of numbers specifying the registers to display. A
31786 missing list of numbers indicates that the contents of all the
31787 registers must be returned. The @code{--skip-unavailable} option
31788 indicates that only the available registers are to be returned.
31790 Allowed formats for @var{fmt} are:
31807 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31809 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{info reg}, @samp{info
31810 all-reg}, and (in @code{gdbtk}) @samp{gdb_fetch_registers}.
31812 @subsubheading Example
31814 For a PPC MBX board (note: line breaks are for readability only, they
31815 don't appear in the actual output):
31819 -data-list-register-values r 64 65
31820 ^done,register-values=[@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
31821 @{number="65",value="0x00029002"@}]
31823 -data-list-register-values x
31824 ^done,register-values=[@{number="0",value="0xfe0043c8"@},
31825 @{number="1",value="0x3fff88"@},@{number="2",value="0xfffffffe"@},
31826 @{number="3",value="0x0"@},@{number="4",value="0xa"@},
31827 @{number="5",value="0x3fff68"@},@{number="6",value="0x3fff58"@},
31828 @{number="7",value="0xfe011e98"@},@{number="8",value="0x2"@},
31829 @{number="9",value="0xfa202820"@},@{number="10",value="0xfa202808"@},
31830 @{number="11",value="0x1"@},@{number="12",value="0x0"@},
31831 @{number="13",value="0x4544"@},@{number="14",value="0xffdfffff"@},
31832 @{number="15",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="16",value="0xfffffeff"@},
31833 @{number="17",value="0xefffffed"@},@{number="18",value="0xfffffffe"@},
31834 @{number="19",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="20",value="0xffffffff"@},
31835 @{number="21",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="22",value="0xfffffff7"@},
31836 @{number="23",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="24",value="0xffffffff"@},
31837 @{number="25",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="26",value="0xfffffffb"@},
31838 @{number="27",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="28",value="0xf7bfffff"@},
31839 @{number="29",value="0x0"@},@{number="30",value="0xfe010000"@},
31840 @{number="31",value="0x0"@},@{number="32",value="0x0"@},
31841 @{number="33",value="0x0"@},@{number="34",value="0x0"@},
31842 @{number="35",value="0x0"@},@{number="36",value="0x0"@},
31843 @{number="37",value="0x0"@},@{number="38",value="0x0"@},
31844 @{number="39",value="0x0"@},@{number="40",value="0x0"@},
31845 @{number="41",value="0x0"@},@{number="42",value="0x0"@},
31846 @{number="43",value="0x0"@},@{number="44",value="0x0"@},
31847 @{number="45",value="0x0"@},@{number="46",value="0x0"@},
31848 @{number="47",value="0x0"@},@{number="48",value="0x0"@},
31849 @{number="49",value="0x0"@},@{number="50",value="0x0"@},
31850 @{number="51",value="0x0"@},@{number="52",value="0x0"@},
31851 @{number="53",value="0x0"@},@{number="54",value="0x0"@},
31852 @{number="55",value="0x0"@},@{number="56",value="0x0"@},
31853 @{number="57",value="0x0"@},@{number="58",value="0x0"@},
31854 @{number="59",value="0x0"@},@{number="60",value="0x0"@},
31855 @{number="61",value="0x0"@},@{number="62",value="0x0"@},
31856 @{number="63",value="0x0"@},@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
31857 @{number="65",value="0x29002"@},@{number="66",value="0x202f04b5"@},
31858 @{number="67",value="0xfe0043b0"@},@{number="68",value="0xfe00b3e4"@},
31859 @{number="69",value="0x20002b03"@}]
31864 @subheading The @code{-data-read-memory} Command
31865 @findex -data-read-memory
31867 This command is deprecated, use @code{-data-read-memory-bytes} instead.
31869 @subsubheading Synopsis
31872 -data-read-memory [ -o @var{byte-offset} ]
31873 @var{address} @var{word-format} @var{word-size}
31874 @var{nr-rows} @var{nr-cols} [ @var{aschar} ]
31881 @item @var{address}
31882 An expression specifying the address of the first memory word to be
31883 read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
31884 quoted using the C convention.
31886 @item @var{word-format}
31887 The format to be used to print the memory words. The notation is the
31888 same as for @value{GDBN}'s @code{print} command (@pxref{Output Formats,
31891 @item @var{word-size}
31892 The size of each memory word in bytes.
31894 @item @var{nr-rows}
31895 The number of rows in the output table.
31897 @item @var{nr-cols}
31898 The number of columns in the output table.
31901 If present, indicates that each row should include an @sc{ascii} dump. The
31902 value of @var{aschar} is used as a padding character when a byte is not a
31903 member of the printable @sc{ascii} character set (printable @sc{ascii}
31904 characters are those whose code is between 32 and 126, inclusively).
31906 @item @var{byte-offset}
31907 An offset to add to the @var{address} before fetching memory.
31910 This command displays memory contents as a table of @var{nr-rows} by
31911 @var{nr-cols} words, each word being @var{word-size} bytes. In total,
31912 @code{@var{nr-rows} * @var{nr-cols} * @var{word-size}} bytes are read
31913 (returned as @samp{total-bytes}). Should less than the requested number
31914 of bytes be returned by the target, the missing words are identified
31915 using @samp{N/A}. The number of bytes read from the target is returned
31916 in @samp{nr-bytes} and the starting address used to read memory in
31919 The address of the next/previous row or page is available in
31920 @samp{next-row} and @samp{prev-row}, @samp{next-page} and
31923 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
31925 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{x}. @code{gdbtk} has
31926 @samp{gdb_get_mem} memory read command.
31928 @subsubheading Example
31930 Read six bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+6} but then offset by
31931 @code{-6} bytes. Format as three rows of two columns. One byte per
31932 word. Display each word in hex.
31936 9-data-read-memory -o -6 -- bytes+6 x 1 3 2
31937 9^done,addr="0x00001390",nr-bytes="6",total-bytes="6",
31938 next-row="0x00001396",prev-row="0x0000138e",next-page="0x00001396",
31939 prev-page="0x0000138a",memory=[
31940 @{addr="0x00001390",data=["0x00","0x01"]@},
31941 @{addr="0x00001392",data=["0x02","0x03"]@},
31942 @{addr="0x00001394",data=["0x04","0x05"]@}]
31946 Read two bytes of memory starting at address @code{shorts + 64} and
31947 display as a single word formatted in decimal.
31951 5-data-read-memory shorts+64 d 2 1 1
31952 5^done,addr="0x00001510",nr-bytes="2",total-bytes="2",
31953 next-row="0x00001512",prev-row="0x0000150e",
31954 next-page="0x00001512",prev-page="0x0000150e",memory=[
31955 @{addr="0x00001510",data=["128"]@}]
31959 Read thirty two bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+16} and format
31960 as eight rows of four columns. Include a string encoding with @samp{x}
31961 used as the non-printable character.
31965 4-data-read-memory bytes+16 x 1 8 4 x
31966 4^done,addr="0x000013a0",nr-bytes="32",total-bytes="32",
31967 next-row="0x000013c0",prev-row="0x0000139c",
31968 next-page="0x000013c0",prev-page="0x00001380",memory=[
31969 @{addr="0x000013a0",data=["0x10","0x11","0x12","0x13"],ascii="xxxx"@},
31970 @{addr="0x000013a4",data=["0x14","0x15","0x16","0x17"],ascii="xxxx"@},
31971 @{addr="0x000013a8",data=["0x18","0x19","0x1a","0x1b"],ascii="xxxx"@},
31972 @{addr="0x000013ac",data=["0x1c","0x1d","0x1e","0x1f"],ascii="xxxx"@},
31973 @{addr="0x000013b0",data=["0x20","0x21","0x22","0x23"],ascii=" !\"#"@},
31974 @{addr="0x000013b4",data=["0x24","0x25","0x26","0x27"],ascii="$%&'"@},
31975 @{addr="0x000013b8",data=["0x28","0x29","0x2a","0x2b"],ascii="()*+"@},
31976 @{addr="0x000013bc",data=["0x2c","0x2d","0x2e","0x2f"],ascii=",-./"@}]
31980 @subheading The @code{-data-read-memory-bytes} Command
31981 @findex -data-read-memory-bytes
31983 @subsubheading Synopsis
31986 -data-read-memory-bytes [ -o @var{offset} ]
31987 @var{address} @var{count}
31994 @item @var{address}
31995 An expression specifying the address of the first addressable memory unit
31996 to be read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
31997 quoted using the C convention.
32000 The number of addressable memory units to read. This should be an integer
32004 The offset relative to @var{address} at which to start reading. This
32005 should be an integer literal. This option is provided so that a frontend
32006 is not required to first evaluate address and then perform address
32007 arithmetics itself.
32011 This command attempts to read all accessible memory regions in the
32012 specified range. First, all regions marked as unreadable in the memory
32013 map (if one is defined) will be skipped. @xref{Memory Region
32014 Attributes}. Second, @value{GDBN} will attempt to read the remaining
32015 regions. For each one, if reading full region results in an errors,
32016 @value{GDBN} will try to read a subset of the region.
32018 In general, every single memory unit in the region may be readable or not,
32019 and the only way to read every readable unit is to try a read at
32020 every address, which is not practical. Therefore, @value{GDBN} will
32021 attempt to read all accessible memory units at either beginning or the end
32022 of the region, using a binary division scheme. This heuristic works
32023 well for reading accross a memory map boundary. Note that if a region
32024 has a readable range that is neither at the beginning or the end,
32025 @value{GDBN} will not read it.
32027 The result record (@pxref{GDB/MI Result Records}) that is output of
32028 the command includes a field named @samp{memory} whose content is a
32029 list of tuples. Each tuple represent a successfully read memory block
32030 and has the following fields:
32034 The start address of the memory block, as hexadecimal literal.
32037 The end address of the memory block, as hexadecimal literal.
32040 The offset of the memory block, as hexadecimal literal, relative to
32041 the start address passed to @code{-data-read-memory-bytes}.
32044 The contents of the memory block, in hex.
32050 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32052 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{x}.
32054 @subsubheading Example
32058 -data-read-memory-bytes &a 10
32059 ^done,memory=[@{begin="0xbffff154",offset="0x00000000",
32061 contents="01000000020000000300"@}]
32066 @subheading The @code{-data-write-memory-bytes} Command
32067 @findex -data-write-memory-bytes
32069 @subsubheading Synopsis
32072 -data-write-memory-bytes @var{address} @var{contents}
32073 -data-write-memory-bytes @var{address} @var{contents} @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
32080 @item @var{address}
32081 An expression specifying the address of the first addressable memory unit
32082 to be written. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should
32083 be quoted using the C convention.
32085 @item @var{contents}
32086 The hex-encoded data to write. It is an error if @var{contents} does
32087 not represent an integral number of addressable memory units.
32090 Optional argument indicating the number of addressable memory units to be
32091 written. If @var{count} is greater than @var{contents}' length,
32092 @value{GDBN} will repeatedly write @var{contents} until it fills
32093 @var{count} memory units.
32097 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32099 There's no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
32101 @subsubheading Example
32105 -data-write-memory-bytes &a "aabbccdd"
32112 -data-write-memory-bytes &a "aabbccdd" 16e
32117 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32118 @node GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands
32119 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Tracepoint Commands
32121 The commands defined in this section implement MI support for
32122 tracepoints. For detailed introduction, see @ref{Tracepoints}.
32124 @subheading The @code{-trace-find} Command
32125 @findex -trace-find
32127 @subsubheading Synopsis
32130 -trace-find @var{mode} [@var{parameters}@dots{}]
32133 Find a trace frame using criteria defined by @var{mode} and
32134 @var{parameters}. The following table lists permissible
32135 modes and their parameters. For details of operation, see @ref{tfind}.
32140 No parameters are required. Stops examining trace frames.
32143 An integer is required as parameter. Selects tracepoint frame with
32146 @item tracepoint-number
32147 An integer is required as parameter. Finds next
32148 trace frame that corresponds to tracepoint with the specified number.
32151 An address is required as parameter. Finds
32152 next trace frame that corresponds to any tracepoint at the specified
32155 @item pc-inside-range
32156 Two addresses are required as parameters. Finds next trace
32157 frame that corresponds to a tracepoint at an address inside the
32158 specified range. Both bounds are considered to be inside the range.
32160 @item pc-outside-range
32161 Two addresses are required as parameters. Finds
32162 next trace frame that corresponds to a tracepoint at an address outside
32163 the specified range. Both bounds are considered to be inside the range.
32166 Line specification is required as parameter. @xref{Specify Location}.
32167 Finds next trace frame that corresponds to a tracepoint at
32168 the specified location.
32172 If @samp{none} was passed as @var{mode}, the response does not
32173 have fields. Otherwise, the response may have the following fields:
32177 This field has either @samp{0} or @samp{1} as the value, depending
32178 on whether a matching tracepoint was found.
32181 The index of the found traceframe. This field is present iff
32182 the @samp{found} field has value of @samp{1}.
32185 The index of the found tracepoint. This field is present iff
32186 the @samp{found} field has value of @samp{1}.
32189 The information about the frame corresponding to the found trace
32190 frame. This field is present only if a trace frame was found.
32191 @xref{GDB/MI Frame Information}, for description of this field.
32195 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32197 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tfind}.
32199 @subheading -trace-define-variable
32200 @findex -trace-define-variable
32202 @subsubheading Synopsis
32205 -trace-define-variable @var{name} [ @var{value} ]
32208 Create trace variable @var{name} if it does not exist. If
32209 @var{value} is specified, sets the initial value of the specified
32210 trace variable to that value. Note that the @var{name} should start
32211 with the @samp{$} character.
32213 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32215 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tvariable}.
32217 @subheading The @code{-trace-frame-collected} Command
32218 @findex -trace-frame-collected
32220 @subsubheading Synopsis
32223 -trace-frame-collected
32224 [--var-print-values @var{var_pval}]
32225 [--comp-print-values @var{comp_pval}]
32226 [--registers-format @var{regformat}]
32227 [--memory-contents]
32230 This command returns the set of collected objects, register names,
32231 trace state variable names, memory ranges and computed expressions
32232 that have been collected at a particular trace frame. The optional
32233 parameters to the command affect the output format in different ways.
32234 See the output description table below for more details.
32236 The reported names can be used in the normal manner to create
32237 varobjs and inspect the objects themselves. The items returned by
32238 this command are categorized so that it is clear which is a variable,
32239 which is a register, which is a trace state variable, which is a
32240 memory range and which is a computed expression.
32242 For instance, if the actions were
32244 collect myVar, myArray[myIndex], myObj.field, myPtr->field, myCount + 2
32245 collect *(int*)0xaf02bef0@@40
32249 the object collected in its entirety would be @code{myVar}. The
32250 object @code{myArray} would be partially collected, because only the
32251 element at index @code{myIndex} would be collected. The remaining
32252 objects would be computed expressions.
32254 An example output would be:
32258 -trace-frame-collected
32260 explicit-variables=[@{name="myVar",value="1"@}],
32261 computed-expressions=[@{name="myArray[myIndex]",value="0"@},
32262 @{name="myObj.field",value="0"@},
32263 @{name="myPtr->field",value="1"@},
32264 @{name="myCount + 2",value="3"@},
32265 @{name="$tvar1 + 1",value="43970027"@}],
32266 registers=[@{number="0",value="0x7fe2c6e79ec8"@},
32267 @{number="1",value="0x0"@},
32268 @{number="2",value="0x4"@},
32270 @{number="125",value="0x0"@}],
32271 tvars=[@{name="$tvar1",current="43970026"@}],
32272 memory=[@{address="0x0000000000602264",length="4"@},
32273 @{address="0x0000000000615bc0",length="4"@}]
32280 @item explicit-variables
32281 The set of objects that have been collected in their entirety (as
32282 opposed to collecting just a few elements of an array or a few struct
32283 members). For each object, its name and value are printed.
32284 The @code{--var-print-values} option affects how or whether the value
32285 field is output. If @var{var_pval} is 0, then print only the names;
32286 if it is 1, print also their values; and if it is 2, print the name,
32287 type and value for simple data types, and the name and type for
32288 arrays, structures and unions.
32290 @item computed-expressions
32291 The set of computed expressions that have been collected at the
32292 current trace frame. The @code{--comp-print-values} option affects
32293 this set like the @code{--var-print-values} option affects the
32294 @code{explicit-variables} set. See above.
32297 The registers that have been collected at the current trace frame.
32298 For each register collected, the name and current value are returned.
32299 The value is formatted according to the @code{--registers-format}
32300 option. See the @command{-data-list-register-values} command for a
32301 list of the allowed formats. The default is @samp{x}.
32304 The trace state variables that have been collected at the current
32305 trace frame. For each trace state variable collected, the name and
32306 current value are returned.
32309 The set of memory ranges that have been collected at the current trace
32310 frame. Its content is a list of tuples. Each tuple represents a
32311 collected memory range and has the following fields:
32315 The start address of the memory range, as hexadecimal literal.
32318 The length of the memory range, as decimal literal.
32321 The contents of the memory block, in hex. This field is only present
32322 if the @code{--memory-contents} option is specified.
32328 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32330 There is no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
32332 @subsubheading Example
32334 @subheading -trace-list-variables
32335 @findex -trace-list-variables
32337 @subsubheading Synopsis
32340 -trace-list-variables
32343 Return a table of all defined trace variables. Each element of the
32344 table has the following fields:
32348 The name of the trace variable. This field is always present.
32351 The initial value. This is a 64-bit signed integer. This
32352 field is always present.
32355 The value the trace variable has at the moment. This is a 64-bit
32356 signed integer. This field is absent iff current value is
32357 not defined, for example if the trace was never run, or is
32362 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32364 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tvariables}.
32366 @subsubheading Example
32370 -trace-list-variables
32371 ^done,trace-variables=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="3",
32372 hdr=[@{width="15",alignment="-1",col_name="name",colhdr="Name"@},
32373 @{width="11",alignment="-1",col_name="initial",colhdr="Initial"@},
32374 @{width="11",alignment="-1",col_name="current",colhdr="Current"@}],
32375 body=[variable=@{name="$trace_timestamp",initial="0"@}
32376 variable=@{name="$foo",initial="10",current="15"@}]@}
32380 @subheading -trace-save
32381 @findex -trace-save
32383 @subsubheading Synopsis
32386 -trace-save [ -r ] [ -ctf ] @var{filename}
32389 Saves the collected trace data to @var{filename}. Without the
32390 @samp{-r} option, the data is downloaded from the target and saved
32391 in a local file. With the @samp{-r} option the target is asked
32392 to perform the save.
32394 By default, this command will save the trace in the tfile format. You can
32395 supply the optional @samp{-ctf} argument to save it the CTF format. See
32396 @ref{Trace Files} for more information about CTF.
32398 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32400 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tsave}.
32403 @subheading -trace-start
32404 @findex -trace-start
32406 @subsubheading Synopsis
32412 Starts a tracing experiment. The result of this command does not
32415 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32417 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tstart}.
32419 @subheading -trace-status
32420 @findex -trace-status
32422 @subsubheading Synopsis
32428 Obtains the status of a tracing experiment. The result may include
32429 the following fields:
32434 May have a value of either @samp{0}, when no tracing operations are
32435 supported, @samp{1}, when all tracing operations are supported, or
32436 @samp{file} when examining trace file. In the latter case, examining
32437 of trace frame is possible but new tracing experiement cannot be
32438 started. This field is always present.
32441 May have a value of either @samp{0} or @samp{1} depending on whether
32442 tracing experiement is in progress on target. This field is present
32443 if @samp{supported} field is not @samp{0}.
32446 Report the reason why the tracing was stopped last time. This field
32447 may be absent iff tracing was never stopped on target yet. The
32448 value of @samp{request} means the tracing was stopped as result of
32449 the @code{-trace-stop} command. The value of @samp{overflow} means
32450 the tracing buffer is full. The value of @samp{disconnection} means
32451 tracing was automatically stopped when @value{GDBN} has disconnected.
32452 The value of @samp{passcount} means tracing was stopped when a
32453 tracepoint was passed a maximal number of times for that tracepoint.
32454 This field is present if @samp{supported} field is not @samp{0}.
32456 @item stopping-tracepoint
32457 The number of tracepoint whose passcount as exceeded. This field is
32458 present iff the @samp{stop-reason} field has the value of
32462 @itemx frames-created
32463 The @samp{frames} field is a count of the total number of trace frames
32464 in the trace buffer, while @samp{frames-created} is the total created
32465 during the run, including ones that were discarded, such as when a
32466 circular trace buffer filled up. Both fields are optional.
32470 These fields tell the current size of the tracing buffer and the
32471 remaining space. These fields are optional.
32474 The value of the circular trace buffer flag. @code{1} means that the
32475 trace buffer is circular and old trace frames will be discarded if
32476 necessary to make room, @code{0} means that the trace buffer is linear
32480 The value of the disconnected tracing flag. @code{1} means that
32481 tracing will continue after @value{GDBN} disconnects, @code{0} means
32482 that the trace run will stop.
32485 The filename of the trace file being examined. This field is
32486 optional, and only present when examining a trace file.
32490 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32492 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tstatus}.
32494 @subheading -trace-stop
32495 @findex -trace-stop
32497 @subsubheading Synopsis
32503 Stops a tracing experiment. The result of this command has the same
32504 fields as @code{-trace-status}, except that the @samp{supported} and
32505 @samp{running} fields are not output.
32507 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32509 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{tstop}.
32512 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32513 @node GDB/MI Symbol Query
32514 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Symbol Query Commands
32518 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-address} Command
32519 @findex -symbol-info-address
32521 @subsubheading Synopsis
32524 -symbol-info-address @var{symbol}
32527 Describe where @var{symbol} is stored.
32529 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32531 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info address}.
32533 @subsubheading Example
32537 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-file} Command
32538 @findex -symbol-info-file
32540 @subsubheading Synopsis
32546 Show the file for the symbol.
32548 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32550 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command. @code{gdbtk} has
32551 @samp{gdb_find_file}.
32553 @subsubheading Example
32557 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-function} Command
32558 @findex -symbol-info-function
32560 @subsubheading Synopsis
32563 -symbol-info-function
32566 Show which function the symbol lives in.
32568 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32570 @samp{gdb_get_function} in @code{gdbtk}.
32572 @subsubheading Example
32576 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-line} Command
32577 @findex -symbol-info-line
32579 @subsubheading Synopsis
32585 Show the core addresses of the code for a source line.
32587 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32589 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info line}.
32590 @code{gdbtk} has the @samp{gdb_get_line} and @samp{gdb_get_file} commands.
32592 @subsubheading Example
32596 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-symbol} Command
32597 @findex -symbol-info-symbol
32599 @subsubheading Synopsis
32602 -symbol-info-symbol @var{addr}
32605 Describe what symbol is at location @var{addr}.
32607 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32609 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info symbol}.
32611 @subsubheading Example
32615 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-functions} Command
32616 @findex -symbol-list-functions
32618 @subsubheading Synopsis
32621 -symbol-list-functions
32624 List the functions in the executable.
32626 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32628 @samp{info functions} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_listfunc} and
32629 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
32631 @subsubheading Example
32636 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-lines} Command
32637 @findex -symbol-list-lines
32639 @subsubheading Synopsis
32642 -symbol-list-lines @var{filename}
32645 Print the list of lines that contain code and their associated program
32646 addresses for the given source filename. The entries are sorted in
32647 ascending PC order.
32649 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32651 There is no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
32653 @subsubheading Example
32656 -symbol-list-lines basics.c
32657 ^done,lines=[@{pc="0x08048554",line="7"@},@{pc="0x0804855a",line="8"@}]
32663 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-types} Command
32664 @findex -symbol-list-types
32666 @subsubheading Synopsis
32672 List all the type names.
32674 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32676 The corresponding commands are @samp{info types} in @value{GDBN},
32677 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
32679 @subsubheading Example
32683 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-variables} Command
32684 @findex -symbol-list-variables
32686 @subsubheading Synopsis
32689 -symbol-list-variables
32692 List all the global and static variable names.
32694 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32696 @samp{info variables} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
32698 @subsubheading Example
32702 @subheading The @code{-symbol-locate} Command
32703 @findex -symbol-locate
32705 @subsubheading Synopsis
32711 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32713 @samp{gdb_loc} in @code{gdbtk}.
32715 @subsubheading Example
32719 @subheading The @code{-symbol-type} Command
32720 @findex -symbol-type
32722 @subsubheading Synopsis
32725 -symbol-type @var{variable}
32728 Show type of @var{variable}.
32730 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32732 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ptype}, @code{gdbtk} has
32733 @samp{gdb_obj_variable}.
32735 @subsubheading Example
32740 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32741 @node GDB/MI File Commands
32742 @section @sc{gdb/mi} File Commands
32744 This section describes the GDB/MI commands to specify executable file names
32745 and to read in and obtain symbol table information.
32747 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-and-symbols} Command
32748 @findex -file-exec-and-symbols
32750 @subsubheading Synopsis
32753 -file-exec-and-symbols @var{file}
32756 Specify the executable file to be debugged. This file is the one from
32757 which the symbol table is also read. If no file is specified, the
32758 command clears the executable and symbol information. If breakpoints
32759 are set when using this command with no arguments, @value{GDBN} will produce
32760 error messages. Otherwise, no output is produced, except a completion
32763 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32765 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{file}.
32767 @subsubheading Example
32771 -file-exec-and-symbols /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
32777 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-file} Command
32778 @findex -file-exec-file
32780 @subsubheading Synopsis
32783 -file-exec-file @var{file}
32786 Specify the executable file to be debugged. Unlike
32787 @samp{-file-exec-and-symbols}, the symbol table is @emph{not} read
32788 from this file. If used without argument, @value{GDBN} clears the information
32789 about the executable file. No output is produced, except a completion
32792 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32794 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{exec-file}.
32796 @subsubheading Example
32800 -file-exec-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
32807 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-sections} Command
32808 @findex -file-list-exec-sections
32810 @subsubheading Synopsis
32813 -file-list-exec-sections
32816 List the sections of the current executable file.
32818 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32820 The @value{GDBN} command @samp{info file} shows, among the rest, the same
32821 information as this command. @code{gdbtk} has a corresponding command
32822 @samp{gdb_load_info}.
32824 @subsubheading Example
32829 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-file} Command
32830 @findex -file-list-exec-source-file
32832 @subsubheading Synopsis
32835 -file-list-exec-source-file
32838 List the line number, the current source file, and the absolute path
32839 to the current source file for the current executable. The macro
32840 information field has a value of @samp{1} or @samp{0} depending on
32841 whether or not the file includes preprocessor macro information.
32843 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32845 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{info source}
32847 @subsubheading Example
32851 123-file-list-exec-source-file
32852 123^done,line="1",file="foo.c",fullname="/home/bar/foo.c,macro-info="1"
32857 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-files} Command
32858 @findex -file-list-exec-source-files
32860 @subsubheading Synopsis
32863 -file-list-exec-source-files
32866 List the source files for the current executable.
32868 It will always output both the filename and fullname (absolute file
32869 name) of a source file.
32871 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32873 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{info sources}.
32874 @code{gdbtk} has an analogous command @samp{gdb_listfiles}.
32876 @subsubheading Example
32879 -file-list-exec-source-files
32881 @{file=foo.c,fullname=/home/foo.c@},
32882 @{file=/home/bar.c,fullname=/home/bar.c@},
32883 @{file=gdb_could_not_find_fullpath.c@}]
32887 @subheading The @code{-file-list-shared-libraries} Command
32888 @findex -file-list-shared-libraries
32890 @subsubheading Synopsis
32893 -file-list-shared-libraries [ @var{regexp} ]
32896 List the shared libraries in the program.
32897 With a regular expression @var{regexp}, only those libraries whose
32898 names match @var{regexp} are listed.
32900 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32902 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info shared}. The fields
32903 have a similar meaning to the @code{=library-loaded} notification.
32904 The @code{ranges} field specifies the multiple segments belonging to this
32905 library. Each range has the following fields:
32909 The address defining the inclusive lower bound of the segment.
32911 The address defining the exclusive upper bound of the segment.
32914 @subsubheading Example
32917 -file-list-exec-source-files
32918 ^done,shared-libraries=[
32919 @{id="/lib/libfoo.so",target-name="/lib/libfoo.so",host-name="/lib/libfoo.so",symbols-loaded="1",thread-group="i1",ranges=[@{from="0x72815989",to="0x728162c0"@}]@},
32920 @{id="/lib/libbar.so",target-name="/lib/libbar.so",host-name="/lib/libbar.so",symbols-loaded="1",thread-group="i1",ranges=[@{from="0x76ee48c0",to="0x76ee9160"@}]@}]
32926 @subheading The @code{-file-list-symbol-files} Command
32927 @findex -file-list-symbol-files
32929 @subsubheading Synopsis
32932 -file-list-symbol-files
32937 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32939 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info file} (part of it).
32941 @subsubheading Example
32946 @subheading The @code{-file-symbol-file} Command
32947 @findex -file-symbol-file
32949 @subsubheading Synopsis
32952 -file-symbol-file @var{file}
32955 Read symbol table info from the specified @var{file} argument. When
32956 used without arguments, clears @value{GDBN}'s symbol table info. No output is
32957 produced, except for a completion notification.
32959 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
32961 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{symbol-file}.
32963 @subsubheading Example
32967 -file-symbol-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
32973 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32974 @node GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands
32975 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Memory Overlay Commands
32977 The memory overlay commands are not implemented.
32979 @c @subheading -overlay-auto
32981 @c @subheading -overlay-list-mapping-state
32983 @c @subheading -overlay-list-overlays
32985 @c @subheading -overlay-map
32987 @c @subheading -overlay-off
32989 @c @subheading -overlay-on
32991 @c @subheading -overlay-unmap
32993 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
32994 @node GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands
32995 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Signal Handling Commands
32997 Signal handling commands are not implemented.
32999 @c @subheading -signal-handle
33001 @c @subheading -signal-list-handle-actions
33003 @c @subheading -signal-list-signal-types
33007 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
33008 @node GDB/MI Target Manipulation
33009 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Target Manipulation Commands
33012 @subheading The @code{-target-attach} Command
33013 @findex -target-attach
33015 @subsubheading Synopsis
33018 -target-attach @var{pid} | @var{gid} | @var{file}
33021 Attach to a process @var{pid} or a file @var{file} outside of
33022 @value{GDBN}, or a thread group @var{gid}. If attaching to a thread
33023 group, the id previously returned by
33024 @samp{-list-thread-groups --available} must be used.
33026 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33028 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{attach}.
33030 @subsubheading Example
33034 =thread-created,id="1"
33035 *stopped,thread-id="1",frame=@{addr="0xb7f7e410",func="bar",args=[]@}
33041 @subheading The @code{-target-compare-sections} Command
33042 @findex -target-compare-sections
33044 @subsubheading Synopsis
33047 -target-compare-sections [ @var{section} ]
33050 Compare data of section @var{section} on target to the exec file.
33051 Without the argument, all sections are compared.
33053 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33055 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{compare-sections}.
33057 @subsubheading Example
33062 @subheading The @code{-target-detach} Command
33063 @findex -target-detach
33065 @subsubheading Synopsis
33068 -target-detach [ @var{pid} | @var{gid} ]
33071 Detach from the remote target which normally resumes its execution.
33072 If either @var{pid} or @var{gid} is specified, detaches from either
33073 the specified process, or specified thread group. There's no output.
33075 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33077 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{detach}.
33079 @subsubheading Example
33089 @subheading The @code{-target-disconnect} Command
33090 @findex -target-disconnect
33092 @subsubheading Synopsis
33098 Disconnect from the remote target. There's no output and the target is
33099 generally not resumed.
33101 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33103 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disconnect}.
33105 @subsubheading Example
33115 @subheading The @code{-target-download} Command
33116 @findex -target-download
33118 @subsubheading Synopsis
33124 Loads the executable onto the remote target.
33125 It prints out an update message every half second, which includes the fields:
33129 The name of the section.
33131 The size of what has been sent so far for that section.
33133 The size of the section.
33135 The total size of what was sent so far (the current and the previous sections).
33137 The size of the overall executable to download.
33141 Each message is sent as status record (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, ,
33142 @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax}).
33144 In addition, it prints the name and size of the sections, as they are
33145 downloaded. These messages include the following fields:
33149 The name of the section.
33151 The size of the section.
33153 The size of the overall executable to download.
33157 At the end, a summary is printed.
33159 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33161 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{load}.
33163 @subsubheading Example
33165 Note: each status message appears on a single line. Here the messages
33166 have been broken down so that they can fit onto a page.
33171 +download,@{section=".text",section-size="6668",total-size="9880"@}
33172 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="512",section-size="6668",
33173 total-sent="512",total-size="9880"@}
33174 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1024",section-size="6668",
33175 total-sent="1024",total-size="9880"@}
33176 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1536",section-size="6668",
33177 total-sent="1536",total-size="9880"@}
33178 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2048",section-size="6668",
33179 total-sent="2048",total-size="9880"@}
33180 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2560",section-size="6668",
33181 total-sent="2560",total-size="9880"@}
33182 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3072",section-size="6668",
33183 total-sent="3072",total-size="9880"@}
33184 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3584",section-size="6668",
33185 total-sent="3584",total-size="9880"@}
33186 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4096",section-size="6668",
33187 total-sent="4096",total-size="9880"@}
33188 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4608",section-size="6668",
33189 total-sent="4608",total-size="9880"@}
33190 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5120",section-size="6668",
33191 total-sent="5120",total-size="9880"@}
33192 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5632",section-size="6668",
33193 total-sent="5632",total-size="9880"@}
33194 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6144",section-size="6668",
33195 total-sent="6144",total-size="9880"@}
33196 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6656",section-size="6668",
33197 total-sent="6656",total-size="9880"@}
33198 +download,@{section=".init",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
33199 +download,@{section=".fini",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
33200 +download,@{section=".data",section-size="3156",total-size="9880"@}
33201 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="512",section-size="3156",
33202 total-sent="7236",total-size="9880"@}
33203 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1024",section-size="3156",
33204 total-sent="7748",total-size="9880"@}
33205 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1536",section-size="3156",
33206 total-sent="8260",total-size="9880"@}
33207 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2048",section-size="3156",
33208 total-sent="8772",total-size="9880"@}
33209 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2560",section-size="3156",
33210 total-sent="9284",total-size="9880"@}
33211 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="3072",section-size="3156",
33212 total-sent="9796",total-size="9880"@}
33213 ^done,address="0x10004",load-size="9880",transfer-rate="6586",
33220 @subheading The @code{-target-exec-status} Command
33221 @findex -target-exec-status
33223 @subsubheading Synopsis
33226 -target-exec-status
33229 Provide information on the state of the target (whether it is running or
33230 not, for instance).
33232 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33234 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
33236 @subsubheading Example
33240 @subheading The @code{-target-list-available-targets} Command
33241 @findex -target-list-available-targets
33243 @subsubheading Synopsis
33246 -target-list-available-targets
33249 List the possible targets to connect to.
33251 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33253 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{help target}.
33255 @subsubheading Example
33259 @subheading The @code{-target-list-current-targets} Command
33260 @findex -target-list-current-targets
33262 @subsubheading Synopsis
33265 -target-list-current-targets
33268 Describe the current target.
33270 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33272 The corresponding information is printed by @samp{info file} (among
33275 @subsubheading Example
33279 @subheading The @code{-target-list-parameters} Command
33280 @findex -target-list-parameters
33282 @subsubheading Synopsis
33285 -target-list-parameters
33291 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33295 @subsubheading Example
33298 @subheading The @code{-target-flash-erase} Command
33299 @findex -target-flash-erase
33301 @subsubheading Synopsis
33304 -target-flash-erase
33307 Erases all known flash memory regions on the target.
33309 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{flash-erase}.
33311 The output is a list of flash regions that have been erased, with starting
33312 addresses and memory region sizes.
33316 -target-flash-erase
33317 ^done,erased-regions=@{address="0x0",size="0x40000"@}
33321 @subheading The @code{-target-select} Command
33322 @findex -target-select
33324 @subsubheading Synopsis
33327 -target-select @var{type} @var{parameters @dots{}}
33330 Connect @value{GDBN} to the remote target. This command takes two args:
33334 The type of target, for instance @samp{remote}, etc.
33335 @item @var{parameters}
33336 Device names, host names and the like. @xref{Target Commands, ,
33337 Commands for Managing Targets}, for more details.
33340 The output is a connection notification, followed by the address at
33341 which the target program is, in the following form:
33344 ^connected,addr="@var{address}",func="@var{function name}",
33345 args=[@var{arg list}]
33348 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33350 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{target}.
33352 @subsubheading Example
33356 -target-select remote /dev/ttya
33357 ^connected,addr="0xfe00a300",func="??",args=[]
33361 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
33362 @node GDB/MI File Transfer Commands
33363 @section @sc{gdb/mi} File Transfer Commands
33366 @subheading The @code{-target-file-put} Command
33367 @findex -target-file-put
33369 @subsubheading Synopsis
33372 -target-file-put @var{hostfile} @var{targetfile}
33375 Copy file @var{hostfile} from the host system (the machine running
33376 @value{GDBN}) to @var{targetfile} on the target system.
33378 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33380 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote put}.
33382 @subsubheading Example
33386 -target-file-put localfile remotefile
33392 @subheading The @code{-target-file-get} Command
33393 @findex -target-file-get
33395 @subsubheading Synopsis
33398 -target-file-get @var{targetfile} @var{hostfile}
33401 Copy file @var{targetfile} from the target system to @var{hostfile}
33402 on the host system.
33404 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33406 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote get}.
33408 @subsubheading Example
33412 -target-file-get remotefile localfile
33418 @subheading The @code{-target-file-delete} Command
33419 @findex -target-file-delete
33421 @subsubheading Synopsis
33424 -target-file-delete @var{targetfile}
33427 Delete @var{targetfile} from the target system.
33429 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33431 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{remote delete}.
33433 @subsubheading Example
33437 -target-file-delete remotefile
33443 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
33444 @node GDB/MI Ada Exceptions Commands
33445 @section Ada Exceptions @sc{gdb/mi} Commands
33447 @subheading The @code{-info-ada-exceptions} Command
33448 @findex -info-ada-exceptions
33450 @subsubheading Synopsis
33453 -info-ada-exceptions [ @var{regexp}]
33456 List all Ada exceptions defined within the program being debugged.
33457 With a regular expression @var{regexp}, only those exceptions whose
33458 names match @var{regexp} are listed.
33460 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33462 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info exceptions}.
33464 @subsubheading Result
33466 The result is a table of Ada exceptions. The following columns are
33467 defined for each exception:
33471 The name of the exception.
33474 The address of the exception.
33478 @subsubheading Example
33481 -info-ada-exceptions aint
33482 ^done,ada-exceptions=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="2",
33483 hdr=[@{width="1",alignment="-1",col_name="name",colhdr="Name"@},
33484 @{width="1",alignment="-1",col_name="address",colhdr="Address"@}],
33485 body=[@{name="constraint_error",address="0x0000000000613da0"@},
33486 @{name="const.aint_global_e",address="0x0000000000613b00"@}]@}
33489 @subheading Catching Ada Exceptions
33491 The commands describing how to ask @value{GDBN} to stop when a program
33492 raises an exception are described at @ref{Ada Exception GDB/MI
33493 Catchpoint Commands}.
33496 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
33497 @node GDB/MI Support Commands
33498 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Support Commands
33500 Since new commands and features get regularly added to @sc{gdb/mi},
33501 some commands are available to help front-ends query the debugger
33502 about support for these capabilities. Similarly, it is also possible
33503 to query @value{GDBN} about target support of certain features.
33505 @subheading The @code{-info-gdb-mi-command} Command
33506 @cindex @code{-info-gdb-mi-command}
33507 @findex -info-gdb-mi-command
33509 @subsubheading Synopsis
33512 -info-gdb-mi-command @var{cmd_name}
33515 Query support for the @sc{gdb/mi} command named @var{cmd_name}.
33517 Note that the dash (@code{-}) starting all @sc{gdb/mi} commands
33518 is technically not part of the command name (@pxref{GDB/MI Input
33519 Syntax}), and thus should be omitted in @var{cmd_name}. However,
33520 for ease of use, this command also accepts the form with the leading
33523 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33525 There is no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
33527 @subsubheading Result
33529 The result is a tuple. There is currently only one field:
33533 This field is equal to @code{"true"} if the @sc{gdb/mi} command exists,
33534 @code{"false"} otherwise.
33538 @subsubheading Example
33540 Here is an example where the @sc{gdb/mi} command does not exist:
33543 -info-gdb-mi-command unsupported-command
33544 ^done,command=@{exists="false"@}
33548 And here is an example where the @sc{gdb/mi} command is known
33552 -info-gdb-mi-command symbol-list-lines
33553 ^done,command=@{exists="true"@}
33556 @subheading The @code{-list-features} Command
33557 @findex -list-features
33558 @cindex supported @sc{gdb/mi} features, list
33560 Returns a list of particular features of the MI protocol that
33561 this version of gdb implements. A feature can be a command,
33562 or a new field in an output of some command, or even an
33563 important bugfix. While a frontend can sometimes detect presence
33564 of a feature at runtime, it is easier to perform detection at debugger
33567 The command returns a list of strings, with each string naming an
33568 available feature. Each returned string is just a name, it does not
33569 have any internal structure. The list of possible feature names
33575 (gdb) -list-features
33576 ^done,result=["feature1","feature2"]
33579 The current list of features is:
33582 @item frozen-varobjs
33583 Indicates support for the @code{-var-set-frozen} command, as well
33584 as possible presense of the @code{frozen} field in the output
33585 of @code{-varobj-create}.
33586 @item pending-breakpoints
33587 Indicates support for the @option{-f} option to the @code{-break-insert}
33590 Indicates Python scripting support, Python-based
33591 pretty-printing commands, and possible presence of the
33592 @samp{display_hint} field in the output of @code{-var-list-children}
33594 Indicates support for the @code{-thread-info} command.
33595 @item data-read-memory-bytes
33596 Indicates support for the @code{-data-read-memory-bytes} and the
33597 @code{-data-write-memory-bytes} commands.
33598 @item breakpoint-notifications
33599 Indicates that changes to breakpoints and breakpoints created via the
33600 CLI will be announced via async records.
33601 @item ada-task-info
33602 Indicates support for the @code{-ada-task-info} command.
33603 @item language-option
33604 Indicates that all @sc{gdb/mi} commands accept the @option{--language}
33605 option (@pxref{Context management}).
33606 @item info-gdb-mi-command
33607 Indicates support for the @code{-info-gdb-mi-command} command.
33608 @item undefined-command-error-code
33609 Indicates support for the "undefined-command" error code in error result
33610 records, produced when trying to execute an undefined @sc{gdb/mi} command
33611 (@pxref{GDB/MI Result Records}).
33612 @item exec-run-start-option
33613 Indicates that the @code{-exec-run} command supports the @option{--start}
33614 option (@pxref{GDB/MI Program Execution}).
33615 @item data-disassemble-a-option
33616 Indicates that the @code{-data-disassemble} command supports the @option{-a}
33617 option (@pxref{GDB/MI Data Manipulation}).
33620 @subheading The @code{-list-target-features} Command
33621 @findex -list-target-features
33623 Returns a list of particular features that are supported by the
33624 target. Those features affect the permitted MI commands, but
33625 unlike the features reported by the @code{-list-features} command, the
33626 features depend on which target GDB is using at the moment. Whenever
33627 a target can change, due to commands such as @code{-target-select},
33628 @code{-target-attach} or @code{-exec-run}, the list of target features
33629 may change, and the frontend should obtain it again.
33633 (gdb) -list-target-features
33634 ^done,result=["async"]
33637 The current list of features is:
33641 Indicates that the target is capable of asynchronous command
33642 execution, which means that @value{GDBN} will accept further commands
33643 while the target is running.
33646 Indicates that the target is capable of reverse execution.
33647 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
33651 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
33652 @node GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands
33653 @section Miscellaneous @sc{gdb/mi} Commands
33655 @c @subheading -gdb-complete
33657 @subheading The @code{-gdb-exit} Command
33660 @subsubheading Synopsis
33666 Exit @value{GDBN} immediately.
33668 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33670 Approximately corresponds to @samp{quit}.
33672 @subsubheading Example
33682 @subheading The @code{-exec-abort} Command
33683 @findex -exec-abort
33685 @subsubheading Synopsis
33691 Kill the inferior running program.
33693 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33695 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{kill}.
33697 @subsubheading Example
33702 @subheading The @code{-gdb-set} Command
33705 @subsubheading Synopsis
33711 Set an internal @value{GDBN} variable.
33712 @c IS THIS A DOLLAR VARIABLE? OR SOMETHING LIKE ANNOTATE ?????
33714 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33716 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set}.
33718 @subsubheading Example
33728 @subheading The @code{-gdb-show} Command
33731 @subsubheading Synopsis
33737 Show the current value of a @value{GDBN} variable.
33739 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33741 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show}.
33743 @subsubheading Example
33752 @c @subheading -gdb-source
33755 @subheading The @code{-gdb-version} Command
33756 @findex -gdb-version
33758 @subsubheading Synopsis
33764 Show version information for @value{GDBN}. Used mostly in testing.
33766 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33768 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{show version}. @value{GDBN} by
33769 default shows this information when you start an interactive session.
33771 @subsubheading Example
33773 @c This example modifies the actual output from GDB to avoid overfull
33779 ~Copyright 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
33780 ~GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License, and
33781 ~you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it under
33782 ~ certain conditions.
33783 ~Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
33784 ~There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty" for
33786 ~This GDB was configured as
33787 "--host=sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1 --target=ppc-eabi".
33792 @subheading The @code{-list-thread-groups} Command
33793 @findex -list-thread-groups
33795 @subheading Synopsis
33798 -list-thread-groups [ --available ] [ --recurse 1 ] [ @var{group} ... ]
33801 Lists thread groups (@pxref{Thread groups}). When a single thread
33802 group is passed as the argument, lists the children of that group.
33803 When several thread group are passed, lists information about those
33804 thread groups. Without any parameters, lists information about all
33805 top-level thread groups.
33807 Normally, thread groups that are being debugged are reported.
33808 With the @samp{--available} option, @value{GDBN} reports thread groups
33809 available on the target.
33811 The output of this command may have either a @samp{threads} result or
33812 a @samp{groups} result. The @samp{thread} result has a list of tuples
33813 as value, with each tuple describing a thread (@pxref{GDB/MI Thread
33814 Information}). The @samp{groups} result has a list of tuples as value,
33815 each tuple describing a thread group. If top-level groups are
33816 requested (that is, no parameter is passed), or when several groups
33817 are passed, the output always has a @samp{groups} result. The format
33818 of the @samp{group} result is described below.
33820 To reduce the number of roundtrips it's possible to list thread groups
33821 together with their children, by passing the @samp{--recurse} option
33822 and the recursion depth. Presently, only recursion depth of 1 is
33823 permitted. If this option is present, then every reported thread group
33824 will also include its children, either as @samp{group} or
33825 @samp{threads} field.
33827 In general, any combination of option and parameters is permitted, with
33828 the following caveats:
33832 When a single thread group is passed, the output will typically
33833 be the @samp{threads} result. Because threads may not contain
33834 anything, the @samp{recurse} option will be ignored.
33837 When the @samp{--available} option is passed, limited information may
33838 be available. In particular, the list of threads of a process might
33839 be inaccessible. Further, specifying specific thread groups might
33840 not give any performance advantage over listing all thread groups.
33841 The frontend should assume that @samp{-list-thread-groups --available}
33842 is always an expensive operation and cache the results.
33846 The @samp{groups} result is a list of tuples, where each tuple may
33847 have the following fields:
33851 Identifier of the thread group. This field is always present.
33852 The identifier is an opaque string; frontends should not try to
33853 convert it to an integer, even though it might look like one.
33856 The type of the thread group. At present, only @samp{process} is a
33860 The target-specific process identifier. This field is only present
33861 for thread groups of type @samp{process} and only if the process exists.
33864 The exit code of this group's last exited thread, formatted in octal.
33865 This field is only present for thread groups of type @samp{process} and
33866 only if the process is not running.
33869 The number of children this thread group has. This field may be
33870 absent for an available thread group.
33873 This field has a list of tuples as value, each tuple describing a
33874 thread. It may be present if the @samp{--recurse} option is
33875 specified, and it's actually possible to obtain the threads.
33878 This field is a list of integers, each identifying a core that one
33879 thread of the group is running on. This field may be absent if
33880 such information is not available.
33883 The name of the executable file that corresponds to this thread group.
33884 The field is only present for thread groups of type @samp{process},
33885 and only if there is a corresponding executable file.
33889 @subheading Example
33893 -list-thread-groups
33894 ^done,groups=[@{id="17",type="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2"@}]
33895 -list-thread-groups 17
33896 ^done,threads=[@{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90 (LWP 21257)",
33897 frame=@{level="0",addr="0xffffe410",func="__kernel_vsyscall",args=[]@},state="running"@},
33898 @{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e156b0 (LWP 21254)",
33899 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0804891f",func="foo",args=[@{name="i",value="10"@}],
33900 file="/tmp/a.c",fullname="/tmp/a.c",line="158",arch="i386:x86_64"@},state="running"@}]]
33901 -list-thread-groups --available
33902 ^done,groups=[@{id="17",type="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2",cores=[1,2]@}]
33903 -list-thread-groups --available --recurse 1
33904 ^done,groups=[@{id="17", types="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2",cores=[1,2],
33905 threads=[@{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[1]@},
33906 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[2]@}]@},..]
33907 -list-thread-groups --available --recurse 1 17 18
33908 ^done,groups=[@{id="17", types="process",pid="yyy",num_children="2",cores=[1,2],
33909 threads=[@{id="1",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[1]@},
33910 @{id="2",target-id="Thread 0xb7e14b90",cores=[2]@}]@},...]
33913 @subheading The @code{-info-os} Command
33916 @subsubheading Synopsis
33919 -info-os [ @var{type} ]
33922 If no argument is supplied, the command returns a table of available
33923 operating-system-specific information types. If one of these types is
33924 supplied as an argument @var{type}, then the command returns a table
33925 of data of that type.
33927 The types of information available depend on the target operating
33930 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
33932 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info os}.
33934 @subsubheading Example
33936 When run on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, the output will look something
33942 ^done,OSDataTable=@{nr_rows="10",nr_cols="3",
33943 hdr=[@{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col0",colhdr="Type"@},
33944 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col1",colhdr="Description"@},
33945 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col2",colhdr="Title"@}],
33946 body=[item=@{col0="cpus",col1="Listing of all cpus/cores on the system",
33948 item=@{col0="files",col1="Listing of all file descriptors",
33949 col2="File descriptors"@},
33950 item=@{col0="modules",col1="Listing of all loaded kernel modules",
33951 col2="Kernel modules"@},
33952 item=@{col0="msg",col1="Listing of all message queues",
33953 col2="Message queues"@},
33954 item=@{col0="processes",col1="Listing of all processes",
33955 col2="Processes"@},
33956 item=@{col0="procgroups",col1="Listing of all process groups",
33957 col2="Process groups"@},
33958 item=@{col0="semaphores",col1="Listing of all semaphores",
33959 col2="Semaphores"@},
33960 item=@{col0="shm",col1="Listing of all shared-memory regions",
33961 col2="Shared-memory regions"@},
33962 item=@{col0="sockets",col1="Listing of all internet-domain sockets",
33964 item=@{col0="threads",col1="Listing of all threads",
33968 ^done,OSDataTable=@{nr_rows="190",nr_cols="4",
33969 hdr=[@{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col0",colhdr="pid"@},
33970 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col1",colhdr="user"@},
33971 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col2",colhdr="command"@},
33972 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="col3",colhdr="cores"@}],
33973 body=[item=@{col0="1",col1="root",col2="/sbin/init",col3="0"@},
33974 item=@{col0="2",col1="root",col2="[kthreadd]",col3="1"@},
33975 item=@{col0="3",col1="root",col2="[ksoftirqd/0]",col3="0"@},
33977 item=@{col0="26446",col1="stan",col2="bash",col3="0"@},
33978 item=@{col0="28152",col1="stan",col2="bash",col3="1"@}]@}
33982 (Note that the MI output here includes a @code{"Title"} column that
33983 does not appear in command-line @code{info os}; this column is useful
33984 for MI clients that want to enumerate the types of data, such as in a
33985 popup menu, but is needless clutter on the command line, and
33986 @code{info os} omits it.)
33988 @subheading The @code{-add-inferior} Command
33989 @findex -add-inferior
33991 @subheading Synopsis
33997 Creates a new inferior (@pxref{Inferiors and Programs}). The created
33998 inferior is not associated with any executable. Such association may
33999 be established with the @samp{-file-exec-and-symbols} command
34000 (@pxref{GDB/MI File Commands}). The command response has a single
34001 field, @samp{inferior}, whose value is the identifier of the
34002 thread group corresponding to the new inferior.
34004 @subheading Example
34009 ^done,inferior="i3"
34012 @subheading The @code{-interpreter-exec} Command
34013 @findex -interpreter-exec
34015 @subheading Synopsis
34018 -interpreter-exec @var{interpreter} @var{command}
34020 @anchor{-interpreter-exec}
34022 Execute the specified @var{command} in the given @var{interpreter}.
34024 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
34026 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interpreter-exec}.
34028 @subheading Example
34032 -interpreter-exec console "break main"
34033 &"During symbol reading, couldn't parse type; debugger out of date?.\n"
34034 &"During symbol reading, bad structure-type format.\n"
34035 ~"Breakpoint 1 at 0x8074fc6: file ../../src/gdb/main.c, line 743.\n"
34040 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-set} Command
34041 @findex -inferior-tty-set
34043 @subheading Synopsis
34046 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
34049 Set terminal for future runs of the program being debugged.
34051 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
34053 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set inferior-tty} /dev/pts/1.
34055 @subheading Example
34059 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
34064 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-show} Command
34065 @findex -inferior-tty-show
34067 @subheading Synopsis
34073 Show terminal for future runs of program being debugged.
34075 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
34077 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show inferior-tty}.
34079 @subheading Example
34083 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
34087 ^done,inferior_tty_terminal="/dev/pts/1"
34091 @subheading The @code{-enable-timings} Command
34092 @findex -enable-timings
34094 @subheading Synopsis
34097 -enable-timings [yes | no]
34100 Toggle the printing of the wallclock, user and system times for an MI
34101 command as a field in its output. This command is to help frontend
34102 developers optimize the performance of their code. No argument is
34103 equivalent to @samp{yes}.
34105 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
34109 @subheading Example
34117 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
34118 addr="0x080484ed",func="main",file="myprog.c",
34119 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="73",thread-groups=["i1"],
34121 time=@{wallclock="0.05185",user="0.00800",system="0.00000"@}
34129 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",disp="keep",bkptno="1",thread-id="0",
34130 frame=@{addr="0x080484ed",func="main",args=[@{name="argc",value="1"@},
34131 @{name="argv",value="0xbfb60364"@}],file="myprog.c",
34132 fullname="/home/nickrob/myprog.c",line="73",arch="i386:x86_64"@}
34137 @chapter @value{GDBN} Annotations
34139 This chapter describes annotations in @value{GDBN}. Annotations were
34140 designed to interface @value{GDBN} to graphical user interfaces or other
34141 similar programs which want to interact with @value{GDBN} at a
34142 relatively high level.
34144 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseded by @sc{gdb/mi}
34148 This is Edition @value{EDITION}, @value{DATE}.
34152 * Annotations Overview:: What annotations are; the general syntax.
34153 * Server Prefix:: Issuing a command without affecting user state.
34154 * Prompting:: Annotations marking @value{GDBN}'s need for input.
34155 * Errors:: Annotations for error messages.
34156 * Invalidation:: Some annotations describe things now invalid.
34157 * Annotations for Running::
34158 Whether the program is running, how it stopped, etc.
34159 * Source Annotations:: Annotations describing source code.
34162 @node Annotations Overview
34163 @section What is an Annotation?
34164 @cindex annotations
34166 Annotations start with a newline character, two @samp{control-z}
34167 characters, and the name of the annotation. If there is no additional
34168 information associated with this annotation, the name of the annotation
34169 is followed immediately by a newline. If there is additional
34170 information, the name of the annotation is followed by a space, the
34171 additional information, and a newline. The additional information
34172 cannot contain newline characters.
34174 Any output not beginning with a newline and two @samp{control-z}
34175 characters denotes literal output from @value{GDBN}. Currently there is
34176 no need for @value{GDBN} to output a newline followed by two
34177 @samp{control-z} characters, but if there was such a need, the
34178 annotations could be extended with an @samp{escape} annotation which
34179 means those three characters as output.
34181 The annotation @var{level}, which is specified using the
34182 @option{--annotate} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}), controls
34183 how much information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt,
34184 values of expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0
34185 is for no annotations, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a
34186 subprocess of @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable
34187 for programs that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 annotations have
34188 been made obsolete (@pxref{Limitations, , Limitations of the Annotation
34189 Interface, annotate, GDB's Obsolete Annotations}).
34192 @kindex set annotate
34193 @item set annotate @var{level}
34194 The @value{GDBN} command @code{set annotate} sets the level of
34195 annotations to the specified @var{level}.
34197 @item show annotate
34198 @kindex show annotate
34199 Show the current annotation level.
34202 This chapter describes level 3 annotations.
34204 A simple example of starting up @value{GDBN} with annotations is:
34207 $ @kbd{gdb --annotate=3}
34209 Copyright 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
34210 GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License,
34211 and you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it
34212 under certain conditions.
34213 Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
34214 There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty"
34216 This GDB was configured as "i386-pc-linux-gnu"
34227 Here @samp{quit} is input to @value{GDBN}; the rest is output from
34228 @value{GDBN}. The three lines beginning @samp{^Z^Z} (where @samp{^Z}
34229 denotes a @samp{control-z} character) are annotations; the rest is
34230 output from @value{GDBN}.
34232 @node Server Prefix
34233 @section The Server Prefix
34234 @cindex server prefix
34236 If you prefix a command with @samp{server } then it will not affect
34237 the command history, nor will it affect @value{GDBN}'s notion of which
34238 command to repeat if @key{RET} is pressed on a line by itself. This
34239 means that commands can be run behind a user's back by a front-end in
34240 a transparent manner.
34242 The @code{server } prefix does not affect the recording of values into
34243 the value history; to print a value without recording it into the
34244 value history, use the @code{output} command instead of the
34245 @code{print} command.
34247 Using this prefix also disables confirmation requests
34248 (@pxref{confirmation requests}).
34251 @section Annotation for @value{GDBN} Input
34253 @cindex annotations for prompts
34254 When @value{GDBN} prompts for input, it annotates this fact so it is possible
34255 to know when to send output, when the output from a given command is
34258 Different kinds of input each have a different @dfn{input type}. Each
34259 input type has three annotations: a @code{pre-} annotation, which
34260 denotes the beginning of any prompt which is being output, a plain
34261 annotation, which denotes the end of the prompt, and then a @code{post-}
34262 annotation which denotes the end of any echo which may (or may not) be
34263 associated with the input. For example, the @code{prompt} input type
34264 features the following annotations:
34272 The input types are
34275 @findex pre-prompt annotation
34276 @findex prompt annotation
34277 @findex post-prompt annotation
34279 When @value{GDBN} is prompting for a command (the main @value{GDBN} prompt).
34281 @findex pre-commands annotation
34282 @findex commands annotation
34283 @findex post-commands annotation
34285 When @value{GDBN} prompts for a set of commands, like in the @code{commands}
34286 command. The annotations are repeated for each command which is input.
34288 @findex pre-overload-choice annotation
34289 @findex overload-choice annotation
34290 @findex post-overload-choice annotation
34291 @item overload-choice
34292 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to select between various overloaded functions.
34294 @findex pre-query annotation
34295 @findex query annotation
34296 @findex post-query annotation
34298 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to confirm a potentially dangerous operation.
34300 @findex pre-prompt-for-continue annotation
34301 @findex prompt-for-continue annotation
34302 @findex post-prompt-for-continue annotation
34303 @item prompt-for-continue
34304 When @value{GDBN} is asking the user to press return to continue. Note: Don't
34305 expect this to work well; instead use @code{set height 0} to disable
34306 prompting. This is because the counting of lines is buggy in the
34307 presence of annotations.
34312 @cindex annotations for errors, warnings and interrupts
34314 @findex quit annotation
34319 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an interrupt.
34321 @findex error annotation
34326 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an error.
34328 Quit and error annotations indicate that any annotations which @value{GDBN} was
34329 in the middle of may end abruptly. For example, if a
34330 @code{value-history-begin} annotation is followed by a @code{error}, one
34331 cannot expect to receive the matching @code{value-history-end}. One
34332 cannot expect not to receive it either, however; an error annotation
34333 does not necessarily mean that @value{GDBN} is immediately returning all the way
34336 @findex error-begin annotation
34337 A quit or error annotation may be preceded by
34343 Any output between that and the quit or error annotation is the error
34346 Warning messages are not yet annotated.
34347 @c If we want to change that, need to fix warning(), type_error(),
34348 @c range_error(), and possibly other places.
34351 @section Invalidation Notices
34353 @cindex annotations for invalidation messages
34354 The following annotations say that certain pieces of state may have
34358 @findex frames-invalid annotation
34359 @item ^Z^Zframes-invalid
34361 The frames (for example, output from the @code{backtrace} command) may
34364 @findex breakpoints-invalid annotation
34365 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoints-invalid
34367 The breakpoints may have changed. For example, the user just added or
34368 deleted a breakpoint.
34371 @node Annotations for Running
34372 @section Running the Program
34373 @cindex annotations for running programs
34375 @findex starting annotation
34376 @findex stopping annotation
34377 When the program starts executing due to a @value{GDBN} command such as
34378 @code{step} or @code{continue},
34384 is output. When the program stops,
34390 is output. Before the @code{stopped} annotation, a variety of
34391 annotations describe how the program stopped.
34394 @findex exited annotation
34395 @item ^Z^Zexited @var{exit-status}
34396 The program exited, and @var{exit-status} is the exit status (zero for
34397 successful exit, otherwise nonzero).
34399 @findex signalled annotation
34400 @findex signal-name annotation
34401 @findex signal-name-end annotation
34402 @findex signal-string annotation
34403 @findex signal-string-end annotation
34404 @item ^Z^Zsignalled
34405 The program exited with a signal. After the @code{^Z^Zsignalled}, the
34406 annotation continues:
34412 ^Z^Zsignal-name-end
34416 ^Z^Zsignal-string-end
34421 where @var{name} is the name of the signal, such as @code{SIGILL} or
34422 @code{SIGSEGV}, and @var{string} is the explanation of the signal, such
34423 as @code{Illegal Instruction} or @code{Segmentation fault}. The arguments
34424 @var{intro-text}, @var{middle-text}, and @var{end-text} are for the
34425 user's benefit and have no particular format.
34427 @findex signal annotation
34429 The syntax of this annotation is just like @code{signalled}, but @value{GDBN} is
34430 just saying that the program received the signal, not that it was
34431 terminated with it.
34433 @findex breakpoint annotation
34434 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoint @var{number}
34435 The program hit breakpoint number @var{number}.
34437 @findex watchpoint annotation
34438 @item ^Z^Zwatchpoint @var{number}
34439 The program hit watchpoint number @var{number}.
34442 @node Source Annotations
34443 @section Displaying Source
34444 @cindex annotations for source display
34446 @findex source annotation
34447 The following annotation is used instead of displaying source code:
34450 ^Z^Zsource @var{filename}:@var{line}:@var{character}:@var{middle}:@var{addr}
34453 where @var{filename} is an absolute file name indicating which source
34454 file, @var{line} is the line number within that file (where 1 is the
34455 first line in the file), @var{character} is the character position
34456 within the file (where 0 is the first character in the file) (for most
34457 debug formats this will necessarily point to the beginning of a line),
34458 @var{middle} is @samp{middle} if @var{addr} is in the middle of the
34459 line, or @samp{beg} if @var{addr} is at the beginning of the line, and
34460 @var{addr} is the address in the target program associated with the
34461 source which is being displayed. The @var{addr} is in the form @samp{0x}
34462 followed by one or more lowercase hex digits (note that this does not
34463 depend on the language).
34465 @node JIT Interface
34466 @chapter JIT Compilation Interface
34467 @cindex just-in-time compilation
34468 @cindex JIT compilation interface
34470 This chapter documents @value{GDBN}'s @dfn{just-in-time} (JIT) compilation
34471 interface. A JIT compiler is a program or library that generates native
34472 executable code at runtime and executes it, usually in order to achieve good
34473 performance while maintaining platform independence.
34475 Programs that use JIT compilation are normally difficult to debug because
34476 portions of their code are generated at runtime, instead of being loaded from
34477 object files, which is where @value{GDBN} normally finds the program's symbols
34478 and debug information. In order to debug programs that use JIT compilation,
34479 @value{GDBN} has an interface that allows the program to register in-memory
34480 symbol files with @value{GDBN} at runtime.
34482 If you are using @value{GDBN} to debug a program that uses this interface, then
34483 it should work transparently so long as you have not stripped the binary. If
34484 you are developing a JIT compiler, then the interface is documented in the rest
34485 of this chapter. At this time, the only known client of this interface is the
34488 Broadly speaking, the JIT interface mirrors the dynamic loader interface. The
34489 JIT compiler communicates with @value{GDBN} by writing data into a global
34490 variable and calling a fuction at a well-known symbol. When @value{GDBN}
34491 attaches, it reads a linked list of symbol files from the global variable to
34492 find existing code, and puts a breakpoint in the function so that it can find
34493 out about additional code.
34496 * Declarations:: Relevant C struct declarations
34497 * Registering Code:: Steps to register code
34498 * Unregistering Code:: Steps to unregister code
34499 * Custom Debug Info:: Emit debug information in a custom format
34503 @section JIT Declarations
34505 These are the relevant struct declarations that a C program should include to
34506 implement the interface:
34516 struct jit_code_entry
34518 struct jit_code_entry *next_entry;
34519 struct jit_code_entry *prev_entry;
34520 const char *symfile_addr;
34521 uint64_t symfile_size;
34524 struct jit_descriptor
34527 /* This type should be jit_actions_t, but we use uint32_t
34528 to be explicit about the bitwidth. */
34529 uint32_t action_flag;
34530 struct jit_code_entry *relevant_entry;
34531 struct jit_code_entry *first_entry;
34534 /* GDB puts a breakpoint in this function. */
34535 void __attribute__((noinline)) __jit_debug_register_code() @{ @};
34537 /* Make sure to specify the version statically, because the
34538 debugger may check the version before we can set it. */
34539 struct jit_descriptor __jit_debug_descriptor = @{ 1, 0, 0, 0 @};
34542 If the JIT is multi-threaded, then it is important that the JIT synchronize any
34543 modifications to this global data properly, which can easily be done by putting
34544 a global mutex around modifications to these structures.
34546 @node Registering Code
34547 @section Registering Code
34549 To register code with @value{GDBN}, the JIT should follow this protocol:
34553 Generate an object file in memory with symbols and other desired debug
34554 information. The file must include the virtual addresses of the sections.
34557 Create a code entry for the file, which gives the start and size of the symbol
34561 Add it to the linked list in the JIT descriptor.
34564 Point the relevant_entry field of the descriptor at the entry.
34567 Set @code{action_flag} to @code{JIT_REGISTER} and call
34568 @code{__jit_debug_register_code}.
34571 When @value{GDBN} is attached and the breakpoint fires, @value{GDBN} uses the
34572 @code{relevant_entry} pointer so it doesn't have to walk the list looking for
34573 new code. However, the linked list must still be maintained in order to allow
34574 @value{GDBN} to attach to a running process and still find the symbol files.
34576 @node Unregistering Code
34577 @section Unregistering Code
34579 If code is freed, then the JIT should use the following protocol:
34583 Remove the code entry corresponding to the code from the linked list.
34586 Point the @code{relevant_entry} field of the descriptor at the code entry.
34589 Set @code{action_flag} to @code{JIT_UNREGISTER} and call
34590 @code{__jit_debug_register_code}.
34593 If the JIT frees or recompiles code without unregistering it, then @value{GDBN}
34594 and the JIT will leak the memory used for the associated symbol files.
34596 @node Custom Debug Info
34597 @section Custom Debug Info
34598 @cindex custom JIT debug info
34599 @cindex JIT debug info reader
34601 Generating debug information in platform-native file formats (like ELF
34602 or COFF) may be an overkill for JIT compilers; especially if all the
34603 debug info is used for is displaying a meaningful backtrace. The
34604 issue can be resolved by having the JIT writers decide on a debug info
34605 format and also provide a reader that parses the debug info generated
34606 by the JIT compiler. This section gives a brief overview on writing
34607 such a parser. More specific details can be found in the source file
34608 @file{gdb/jit-reader.in}, which is also installed as a header at
34609 @file{@var{includedir}/gdb/jit-reader.h} for easy inclusion.
34611 The reader is implemented as a shared object (so this functionality is
34612 not available on platforms which don't allow loading shared objects at
34613 runtime). Two @value{GDBN} commands, @code{jit-reader-load} and
34614 @code{jit-reader-unload} are provided, to be used to load and unload
34615 the readers from a preconfigured directory. Once loaded, the shared
34616 object is used the parse the debug information emitted by the JIT
34620 * Using JIT Debug Info Readers:: How to use supplied readers correctly
34621 * Writing JIT Debug Info Readers:: Creating a debug-info reader
34624 @node Using JIT Debug Info Readers
34625 @subsection Using JIT Debug Info Readers
34626 @kindex jit-reader-load
34627 @kindex jit-reader-unload
34629 Readers can be loaded and unloaded using the @code{jit-reader-load}
34630 and @code{jit-reader-unload} commands.
34633 @item jit-reader-load @var{reader}
34634 Load the JIT reader named @var{reader}, which is a shared
34635 object specified as either an absolute or a relative file name. In
34636 the latter case, @value{GDBN} will try to load the reader from a
34637 pre-configured directory, usually @file{@var{libdir}/gdb/} on a UNIX
34638 system (here @var{libdir} is the system library directory, often
34639 @file{/usr/local/lib}).
34641 Only one reader can be active at a time; trying to load a second
34642 reader when one is already loaded will result in @value{GDBN}
34643 reporting an error. A new JIT reader can be loaded by first unloading
34644 the current one using @code{jit-reader-unload} and then invoking
34645 @code{jit-reader-load}.
34647 @item jit-reader-unload
34648 Unload the currently loaded JIT reader.
34652 @node Writing JIT Debug Info Readers
34653 @subsection Writing JIT Debug Info Readers
34654 @cindex writing JIT debug info readers
34656 As mentioned, a reader is essentially a shared object conforming to a
34657 certain ABI. This ABI is described in @file{jit-reader.h}.
34659 @file{jit-reader.h} defines the structures, macros and functions
34660 required to write a reader. It is installed (along with
34661 @value{GDBN}), in @file{@var{includedir}/gdb} where @var{includedir} is
34662 the system include directory.
34664 Readers need to be released under a GPL compatible license. A reader
34665 can be declared as released under such a license by placing the macro
34666 @code{GDB_DECLARE_GPL_COMPATIBLE_READER} in a source file.
34668 The entry point for readers is the symbol @code{gdb_init_reader},
34669 which is expected to be a function with the prototype
34671 @findex gdb_init_reader
34673 extern struct gdb_reader_funcs *gdb_init_reader (void);
34676 @cindex @code{struct gdb_reader_funcs}
34678 @code{struct gdb_reader_funcs} contains a set of pointers to callback
34679 functions. These functions are executed to read the debug info
34680 generated by the JIT compiler (@code{read}), to unwind stack frames
34681 (@code{unwind}) and to create canonical frame IDs
34682 (@code{get_Frame_id}). It also has a callback that is called when the
34683 reader is being unloaded (@code{destroy}). The struct looks like this
34686 struct gdb_reader_funcs
34688 /* Must be set to GDB_READER_INTERFACE_VERSION. */
34689 int reader_version;
34691 /* For use by the reader. */
34694 gdb_read_debug_info *read;
34695 gdb_unwind_frame *unwind;
34696 gdb_get_frame_id *get_frame_id;
34697 gdb_destroy_reader *destroy;
34701 @cindex @code{struct gdb_symbol_callbacks}
34702 @cindex @code{struct gdb_unwind_callbacks}
34704 The callbacks are provided with another set of callbacks by
34705 @value{GDBN} to do their job. For @code{read}, these callbacks are
34706 passed in a @code{struct gdb_symbol_callbacks} and for @code{unwind}
34707 and @code{get_frame_id}, in a @code{struct gdb_unwind_callbacks}.
34708 @code{struct gdb_symbol_callbacks} has callbacks to create new object
34709 files and new symbol tables inside those object files. @code{struct
34710 gdb_unwind_callbacks} has callbacks to read registers off the current
34711 frame and to write out the values of the registers in the previous
34712 frame. Both have a callback (@code{target_read}) to read bytes off the
34713 target's address space.
34715 @node In-Process Agent
34716 @chapter In-Process Agent
34717 @cindex debugging agent
34718 The traditional debugging model is conceptually low-speed, but works fine,
34719 because most bugs can be reproduced in debugging-mode execution. However,
34720 as multi-core or many-core processors are becoming mainstream, and
34721 multi-threaded programs become more and more popular, there should be more
34722 and more bugs that only manifest themselves at normal-mode execution, for
34723 example, thread races, because debugger's interference with the program's
34724 timing may conceal the bugs. On the other hand, in some applications,
34725 it is not feasible for the debugger to interrupt the program's execution
34726 long enough for the developer to learn anything helpful about its behavior.
34727 If the program's correctness depends on its real-time behavior, delays
34728 introduced by a debugger might cause the program to fail, even when the
34729 code itself is correct. It is useful to be able to observe the program's
34730 behavior without interrupting it.
34732 Therefore, traditional debugging model is too intrusive to reproduce
34733 some bugs. In order to reduce the interference with the program, we can
34734 reduce the number of operations performed by debugger. The
34735 @dfn{In-Process Agent}, a shared library, is running within the same
34736 process with inferior, and is able to perform some debugging operations
34737 itself. As a result, debugger is only involved when necessary, and
34738 performance of debugging can be improved accordingly. Note that
34739 interference with program can be reduced but can't be removed completely,
34740 because the in-process agent will still stop or slow down the program.
34742 The in-process agent can interpret and execute Agent Expressions
34743 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}) during performing debugging operations. The
34744 agent expressions can be used for different purposes, such as collecting
34745 data in tracepoints, and condition evaluation in breakpoints.
34747 @anchor{Control Agent}
34748 You can control whether the in-process agent is used as an aid for
34749 debugging with the following commands:
34752 @kindex set agent on
34754 Causes the in-process agent to perform some operations on behalf of the
34755 debugger. Just which operations requested by the user will be done
34756 by the in-process agent depends on the its capabilities. For example,
34757 if you request to evaluate breakpoint conditions in the in-process agent,
34758 and the in-process agent has such capability as well, then breakpoint
34759 conditions will be evaluated in the in-process agent.
34761 @kindex set agent off
34762 @item set agent off
34763 Disables execution of debugging operations by the in-process agent. All
34764 of the operations will be performed by @value{GDBN}.
34768 Display the current setting of execution of debugging operations by
34769 the in-process agent.
34773 * In-Process Agent Protocol::
34776 @node In-Process Agent Protocol
34777 @section In-Process Agent Protocol
34778 @cindex in-process agent protocol
34780 The in-process agent is able to communicate with both @value{GDBN} and
34781 GDBserver (@pxref{In-Process Agent}). This section documents the protocol
34782 used for communications between @value{GDBN} or GDBserver and the IPA.
34783 In general, @value{GDBN} or GDBserver sends commands
34784 (@pxref{IPA Protocol Commands}) and data to in-process agent, and then
34785 in-process agent replies back with the return result of the command, or
34786 some other information. The data sent to in-process agent is composed
34787 of primitive data types, such as 4-byte or 8-byte type, and composite
34788 types, which are called objects (@pxref{IPA Protocol Objects}).
34791 * IPA Protocol Objects::
34792 * IPA Protocol Commands::
34795 @node IPA Protocol Objects
34796 @subsection IPA Protocol Objects
34797 @cindex ipa protocol objects
34799 The commands sent to and results received from agent may contain some
34800 complex data types called @dfn{objects}.
34802 The in-process agent is running on the same machine with @value{GDBN}
34803 or GDBserver, so it doesn't have to handle as much differences between
34804 two ends as remote protocol (@pxref{Remote Protocol}) tries to handle.
34805 However, there are still some differences of two ends in two processes:
34809 word size. On some 64-bit machines, @value{GDBN} or GDBserver can be
34810 compiled as a 64-bit executable, while in-process agent is a 32-bit one.
34812 ABI. Some machines may have multiple types of ABI, @value{GDBN} or
34813 GDBserver is compiled with one, and in-process agent is compiled with
34817 Here are the IPA Protocol Objects:
34821 agent expression object. It represents an agent expression
34822 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}).
34823 @anchor{agent expression object}
34825 tracepoint action object. It represents a tracepoint action
34826 (@pxref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint Action Lists}) to collect registers,
34827 memory, static trace data and to evaluate expression.
34828 @anchor{tracepoint action object}
34830 tracepoint object. It represents a tracepoint (@pxref{Tracepoints}).
34831 @anchor{tracepoint object}
34835 The following table describes important attributes of each IPA protocol
34838 @multitable @columnfractions .30 .20 .50
34839 @headitem Name @tab Size @tab Description
34840 @item @emph{agent expression object} @tab @tab
34841 @item length @tab 4 @tab length of bytes code
34842 @item byte code @tab @var{length} @tab contents of byte code
34843 @item @emph{tracepoint action for collecting memory} @tab @tab
34844 @item 'M' @tab 1 @tab type of tracepoint action
34845 @item addr @tab 8 @tab if @var{basereg} is @samp{-1}, @var{addr} is the
34846 address of the lowest byte to collect, otherwise @var{addr} is the offset
34847 of @var{basereg} for memory collecting.
34848 @item len @tab 8 @tab length of memory for collecting
34849 @item basereg @tab 4 @tab the register number containing the starting
34850 memory address for collecting.
34851 @item @emph{tracepoint action for collecting registers} @tab @tab
34852 @item 'R' @tab 1 @tab type of tracepoint action
34853 @item @emph{tracepoint action for collecting static trace data} @tab @tab
34854 @item 'L' @tab 1 @tab type of tracepoint action
34855 @item @emph{tracepoint action for expression evaluation} @tab @tab
34856 @item 'X' @tab 1 @tab type of tracepoint action
34857 @item agent expression @tab length of @tab @ref{agent expression object}
34858 @item @emph{tracepoint object} @tab @tab
34859 @item number @tab 4 @tab number of tracepoint
34860 @item address @tab 8 @tab address of tracepoint inserted on
34861 @item type @tab 4 @tab type of tracepoint
34862 @item enabled @tab 1 @tab enable or disable of tracepoint
34863 @item step_count @tab 8 @tab step
34864 @item pass_count @tab 8 @tab pass
34865 @item numactions @tab 4 @tab number of tracepoint actions
34866 @item hit count @tab 8 @tab hit count
34867 @item trace frame usage @tab 8 @tab trace frame usage
34868 @item compiled_cond @tab 8 @tab compiled condition
34869 @item orig_size @tab 8 @tab orig size
34870 @item condition @tab 4 if condition is NULL otherwise length of
34871 @ref{agent expression object}
34872 @tab zero if condition is NULL, otherwise is
34873 @ref{agent expression object}
34874 @item actions @tab variable
34875 @tab numactions number of @ref{tracepoint action object}
34878 @node IPA Protocol Commands
34879 @subsection IPA Protocol Commands
34880 @cindex ipa protocol commands
34882 The spaces in each command are delimiters to ease reading this commands
34883 specification. They don't exist in real commands.
34887 @item FastTrace:@var{tracepoint_object} @var{gdb_jump_pad_head}
34888 Installs a new fast tracepoint described by @var{tracepoint_object}
34889 (@pxref{tracepoint object}). The @var{gdb_jump_pad_head}, 8-byte long, is the
34890 head of @dfn{jumppad}, which is used to jump to data collection routine
34895 @item OK @var{target_address} @var{gdb_jump_pad_head} @var{fjump_size} @var{fjump}
34896 @var{target_address} is address of tracepoint in the inferior.
34897 The @var{gdb_jump_pad_head} is updated head of jumppad. Both of
34898 @var{target_address} and @var{gdb_jump_pad_head} are 8-byte long.
34899 The @var{fjump} contains a sequence of instructions jump to jumppad entry.
34900 The @var{fjump_size}, 4-byte long, is the size of @var{fjump}.
34907 Closes the in-process agent. This command is sent when @value{GDBN} or GDBserver
34908 is about to kill inferiors.
34916 @item probe_marker_at:@var{address}
34917 Asks in-process agent to probe the marker at @var{address}.
34924 @item unprobe_marker_at:@var{address}
34925 Asks in-process agent to unprobe the marker at @var{address}.
34929 @chapter Reporting Bugs in @value{GDBN}
34930 @cindex bugs in @value{GDBN}
34931 @cindex reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
34933 Your bug reports play an essential role in making @value{GDBN} reliable.
34935 Reporting a bug may help you by bringing a solution to your problem, or it
34936 may not. But in any case the principal function of a bug report is to help
34937 the entire community by making the next version of @value{GDBN} work better. Bug
34938 reports are your contribution to the maintenance of @value{GDBN}.
34940 In order for a bug report to serve its purpose, you must include the
34941 information that enables us to fix the bug.
34944 * Bug Criteria:: Have you found a bug?
34945 * Bug Reporting:: How to report bugs
34949 @section Have You Found a Bug?
34950 @cindex bug criteria
34952 If you are not sure whether you have found a bug, here are some guidelines:
34955 @cindex fatal signal
34956 @cindex debugger crash
34957 @cindex crash of debugger
34959 If the debugger gets a fatal signal, for any input whatever, that is a
34960 @value{GDBN} bug. Reliable debuggers never crash.
34962 @cindex error on valid input
34964 If @value{GDBN} produces an error message for valid input, that is a
34965 bug. (Note that if you're cross debugging, the problem may also be
34966 somewhere in the connection to the target.)
34968 @cindex invalid input
34970 If @value{GDBN} does not produce an error message for invalid input,
34971 that is a bug. However, you should note that your idea of
34972 ``invalid input'' might be our idea of ``an extension'' or ``support
34973 for traditional practice''.
34976 If you are an experienced user of debugging tools, your suggestions
34977 for improvement of @value{GDBN} are welcome in any case.
34980 @node Bug Reporting
34981 @section How to Report Bugs
34982 @cindex bug reports
34983 @cindex @value{GDBN} bugs, reporting
34985 A number of companies and individuals offer support for @sc{gnu} products.
34986 If you obtained @value{GDBN} from a support organization, we recommend you
34987 contact that organization first.
34989 You can find contact information for many support companies and
34990 individuals in the file @file{etc/SERVICE} in the @sc{gnu} Emacs
34992 @c should add a web page ref...
34995 @ifset BUGURL_DEFAULT
34996 In any event, we also recommend that you submit bug reports for
34997 @value{GDBN}. The preferred method is to submit them directly using
34998 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/, @value{GDBN}'s Bugs web
34999 page}. Alternatively, the @email{bug-gdb@@gnu.org, e-mail gateway} can
35002 @strong{Do not send bug reports to @samp{info-gdb}, or to
35003 @samp{help-gdb}, or to any newsgroups.} Most users of @value{GDBN} do
35004 not want to receive bug reports. Those that do have arranged to receive
35007 The mailing list @samp{bug-gdb} has a newsgroup @samp{gnu.gdb.bug} which
35008 serves as a repeater. The mailing list and the newsgroup carry exactly
35009 the same messages. Often people think of posting bug reports to the
35010 newsgroup instead of mailing them. This appears to work, but it has one
35011 problem which can be crucial: a newsgroup posting often lacks a mail
35012 path back to the sender. Thus, if we need to ask for more information,
35013 we may be unable to reach you. For this reason, it is better to send
35014 bug reports to the mailing list.
35016 @ifclear BUGURL_DEFAULT
35017 In any event, we also recommend that you submit bug reports for
35018 @value{GDBN} to @value{BUGURL}.
35022 The fundamental principle of reporting bugs usefully is this:
35023 @strong{report all the facts}. If you are not sure whether to state a
35024 fact or leave it out, state it!
35026 Often people omit facts because they think they know what causes the
35027 problem and assume that some details do not matter. Thus, you might
35028 assume that the name of the variable you use in an example does not matter.
35029 Well, probably it does not, but one cannot be sure. Perhaps the bug is a
35030 stray memory reference which happens to fetch from the location where that
35031 name is stored in memory; perhaps, if the name were different, the contents
35032 of that location would fool the debugger into doing the right thing despite
35033 the bug. Play it safe and give a specific, complete example. That is the
35034 easiest thing for you to do, and the most helpful.
35036 Keep in mind that the purpose of a bug report is to enable us to fix the
35037 bug. It may be that the bug has been reported previously, but neither
35038 you nor we can know that unless your bug report is complete and
35041 Sometimes people give a few sketchy facts and ask, ``Does this ring a
35042 bell?'' Those bug reports are useless, and we urge everyone to
35043 @emph{refuse to respond to them} except to chide the sender to report
35046 To enable us to fix the bug, you should include all these things:
35050 The version of @value{GDBN}. @value{GDBN} announces it if you start
35051 with no arguments; you can also print it at any time using @code{show
35054 Without this, we will not know whether there is any point in looking for
35055 the bug in the current version of @value{GDBN}.
35058 The type of machine you are using, and the operating system name and
35062 The details of the @value{GDBN} build-time configuration.
35063 @value{GDBN} shows these details if you invoke it with the
35064 @option{--configuration} command-line option, or if you type
35065 @code{show configuration} at @value{GDBN}'s prompt.
35068 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile @value{GDBN}---e.g.@:
35069 ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1''.
35072 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile the program you are
35073 debugging---e.g.@: ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1'', or ``HP92453-01 A.10.32.03 HP
35074 C Compiler''. For @value{NGCC}, you can say @kbd{@value{GCC} --version}
35075 to get this information; for other compilers, see the documentation for
35079 The command arguments you gave the compiler to compile your example and
35080 observe the bug. For example, did you use @samp{-O}? To guarantee
35081 you will not omit something important, list them all. A copy of the
35082 Makefile (or the output from make) is sufficient.
35084 If we were to try to guess the arguments, we would probably guess wrong
35085 and then we might not encounter the bug.
35088 A complete input script, and all necessary source files, that will
35092 A description of what behavior you observe that you believe is
35093 incorrect. For example, ``It gets a fatal signal.''
35095 Of course, if the bug is that @value{GDBN} gets a fatal signal, then we
35096 will certainly notice it. But if the bug is incorrect output, we might
35097 not notice unless it is glaringly wrong. You might as well not give us
35098 a chance to make a mistake.
35100 Even if the problem you experience is a fatal signal, you should still
35101 say so explicitly. Suppose something strange is going on, such as, your
35102 copy of @value{GDBN} is out of synch, or you have encountered a bug in
35103 the C library on your system. (This has happened!) Your copy might
35104 crash and ours would not. If you told us to expect a crash, then when
35105 ours fails to crash, we would know that the bug was not happening for
35106 us. If you had not told us to expect a crash, then we would not be able
35107 to draw any conclusion from our observations.
35110 @cindex recording a session script
35111 To collect all this information, you can use a session recording program
35112 such as @command{script}, which is available on many Unix systems.
35113 Just run your @value{GDBN} session inside @command{script} and then
35114 include the @file{typescript} file with your bug report.
35116 Another way to record a @value{GDBN} session is to run @value{GDBN}
35117 inside Emacs and then save the entire buffer to a file.
35120 If you wish to suggest changes to the @value{GDBN} source, send us context
35121 diffs. If you even discuss something in the @value{GDBN} source, refer to
35122 it by context, not by line number.
35124 The line numbers in our development sources will not match those in your
35125 sources. Your line numbers would convey no useful information to us.
35129 Here are some things that are not necessary:
35133 A description of the envelope of the bug.
35135 Often people who encounter a bug spend a lot of time investigating
35136 which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which
35137 changes will not affect it.
35139 This is often time consuming and not very useful, because the way we
35140 will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger
35141 with breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples.
35142 We recommend that you save your time for something else.
35144 Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report @emph{instead}
35145 of the original one, that is a convenience for us. Errors in the
35146 output will be easier to spot, running under the debugger will take
35147 less time, and so on.
35149 However, simplification is not vital; if you do not want to do this,
35150 report the bug anyway and send us the entire test case you used.
35153 A patch for the bug.
35155 A patch for the bug does help us if it is a good one. But do not omit
35156 the necessary information, such as the test case, on the assumption that
35157 a patch is all we need. We might see problems with your patch and decide
35158 to fix the problem another way, or we might not understand it at all.
35160 Sometimes with a program as complicated as @value{GDBN} it is very hard to
35161 construct an example that will make the program follow a certain path
35162 through the code. If you do not send us the example, we will not be able
35163 to construct one, so we will not be able to verify that the bug is fixed.
35165 And if we cannot understand what bug you are trying to fix, or why your
35166 patch should be an improvement, we will not install it. A test case will
35167 help us to understand.
35170 A guess about what the bug is or what it depends on.
35172 Such guesses are usually wrong. Even we cannot guess right about such
35173 things without first using the debugger to find the facts.
35176 @c The readline documentation is distributed with the readline code
35177 @c and consists of the two following files:
35180 @c Use -I with makeinfo to point to the appropriate directory,
35181 @c environment var TEXINPUTS with TeX.
35182 @ifclear SYSTEM_READLINE
35183 @include rluser.texi
35184 @include hsuser.texi
35188 @appendix In Memoriam
35190 The @value{GDBN} project mourns the loss of the following long-time
35195 Fred was a long-standing contributor to @value{GDBN} (1991-2006), and
35196 to Free Software in general. Outside of @value{GDBN}, he was known in
35197 the Amiga world for his series of Fish Disks, and the GeekGadget project.
35199 @item Michael Snyder
35200 Michael was one of the Global Maintainers of the @value{GDBN} project,
35201 with contributions recorded as early as 1996, until 2011. In addition
35202 to his day to day participation, he was a large driving force behind
35203 adding Reverse Debugging to @value{GDBN}.
35206 Beyond their technical contributions to the project, they were also
35207 enjoyable members of the Free Software Community. We will miss them.
35209 @node Formatting Documentation
35210 @appendix Formatting Documentation
35212 @cindex @value{GDBN} reference card
35213 @cindex reference card
35214 The @value{GDBN} 4 release includes an already-formatted reference card, ready
35215 for printing with PostScript or Ghostscript, in the @file{gdb}
35216 subdirectory of the main source directory@footnote{In
35217 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/refcard.ps} of the version @value{GDBVN}
35218 release.}. If you can use PostScript or Ghostscript with your printer,
35219 you can print the reference card immediately with @file{refcard.ps}.
35221 The release also includes the source for the reference card. You
35222 can format it, using @TeX{}, by typing:
35228 The @value{GDBN} reference card is designed to print in @dfn{landscape}
35229 mode on US ``letter'' size paper;
35230 that is, on a sheet 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches
35231 high. You will need to specify this form of printing as an option to
35232 your @sc{dvi} output program.
35234 @cindex documentation
35236 All the documentation for @value{GDBN} comes as part of the machine-readable
35237 distribution. The documentation is written in Texinfo format, which is
35238 a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both
35239 on-line information and a printed manual. You can use one of the Info
35240 formatting commands to create the on-line version of the documentation
35241 and @TeX{} (or @code{texi2roff}) to typeset the printed version.
35243 @value{GDBN} includes an already formatted copy of the on-line Info
35244 version of this manual in the @file{gdb} subdirectory. The main Info
35245 file is @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/gdb.info}, and it refers to
35246 subordinate files matching @samp{gdb.info*} in the same directory. If
35247 necessary, you can print out these files, or read them with any editor;
35248 but they are easier to read using the @code{info} subsystem in @sc{gnu}
35249 Emacs or the standalone @code{info} program, available as part of the
35250 @sc{gnu} Texinfo distribution.
35252 If you want to format these Info files yourself, you need one of the
35253 Info formatting programs, such as @code{texinfo-format-buffer} or
35256 If you have @code{makeinfo} installed, and are in the top level
35257 @value{GDBN} source directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, in the case of
35258 version @value{GDBVN}), you can make the Info file by typing:
35265 If you want to typeset and print copies of this manual, you need @TeX{},
35266 a program to print its @sc{dvi} output files, and @file{texinfo.tex}, the
35267 Texinfo definitions file.
35269 @TeX{} is a typesetting program; it does not print files directly, but
35270 produces output files called @sc{dvi} files. To print a typeset
35271 document, you need a program to print @sc{dvi} files. If your system
35272 has @TeX{} installed, chances are it has such a program. The precise
35273 command to use depends on your system; @kbd{lpr -d} is common; another
35274 (for PostScript devices) is @kbd{dvips}. The @sc{dvi} print command may
35275 require a file name without any extension or a @samp{.dvi} extension.
35277 @TeX{} also requires a macro definitions file called
35278 @file{texinfo.tex}. This file tells @TeX{} how to typeset a document
35279 written in Texinfo format. On its own, @TeX{} cannot either read or
35280 typeset a Texinfo file. @file{texinfo.tex} is distributed with GDB
35281 and is located in the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}/texinfo}
35284 If you have @TeX{} and a @sc{dvi} printer program installed, you can
35285 typeset and print this manual. First switch to the @file{gdb}
35286 subdirectory of the main source directory (for example, to
35287 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb}) and type:
35293 Then give @file{gdb.dvi} to your @sc{dvi} printing program.
35295 @node Installing GDB
35296 @appendix Installing @value{GDBN}
35297 @cindex installation
35300 * Requirements:: Requirements for building @value{GDBN}
35301 * Running Configure:: Invoking the @value{GDBN} @file{configure} script
35302 * Separate Objdir:: Compiling @value{GDBN} in another directory
35303 * Config Names:: Specifying names for hosts and targets
35304 * Configure Options:: Summary of options for configure
35305 * System-wide configuration:: Having a system-wide init file
35309 @section Requirements for Building @value{GDBN}
35310 @cindex building @value{GDBN}, requirements for
35312 Building @value{GDBN} requires various tools and packages to be available.
35313 Other packages will be used only if they are found.
35315 @heading Tools/Packages Necessary for Building @value{GDBN}
35317 @item C@t{++}11 compiler
35318 @value{GDBN} is written in C@t{++}11. It should be buildable with any
35319 recent C@t{++}11 compiler, e.g.@: GCC.
35322 @value{GDBN}'s build system relies on features only found in the GNU
35323 make program. Other variants of @code{make} will not work.
35326 @heading Tools/Packages Optional for Building @value{GDBN}
35330 @value{GDBN} can use the Expat XML parsing library. This library may be
35331 included with your operating system distribution; if it is not, you
35332 can get the latest version from @url{http://expat.sourceforge.net}.
35333 The @file{configure} script will search for this library in several
35334 standard locations; if it is installed in an unusual path, you can
35335 use the @option{--with-libexpat-prefix} option to specify its location.
35341 Remote protocol memory maps (@pxref{Memory Map Format})
35343 Target descriptions (@pxref{Target Descriptions})
35345 Remote shared library lists (@xref{Library List Format},
35346 or alternatively @pxref{Library List Format for SVR4 Targets})
35348 MS-Windows shared libraries (@pxref{Shared Libraries})
35350 Traceframe info (@pxref{Traceframe Info Format})
35352 Branch trace (@pxref{Branch Trace Format},
35353 @pxref{Branch Trace Configuration Format})
35357 @value{GDBN} can be scripted using GNU Guile. @xref{Guile}. By
35358 default, @value{GDBN} will be compiled if the Guile libraries are
35359 installed and are found by @file{configure}. You can use the
35360 @code{--with-guile} option to request Guile, and pass either the Guile
35361 version number or the file name of the relevant @code{pkg-config}
35362 program to choose a particular version of Guile.
35365 @value{GDBN}'s features related to character sets (@pxref{Character
35366 Sets}) require a functioning @code{iconv} implementation. If you are
35367 on a GNU system, then this is provided by the GNU C Library. Some
35368 other systems also provide a working @code{iconv}.
35370 If @value{GDBN} is using the @code{iconv} program which is installed
35371 in a non-standard place, you will need to tell @value{GDBN} where to
35372 find it. This is done with @option{--with-iconv-bin} which specifies
35373 the directory that contains the @code{iconv} program. This program is
35374 run in order to make a list of the available character sets.
35376 On systems without @code{iconv}, you can install GNU Libiconv. If
35377 Libiconv is installed in a standard place, @value{GDBN} will
35378 automatically use it if it is needed. If you have previously
35379 installed Libiconv in a non-standard place, you can use the
35380 @option{--with-libiconv-prefix} option to @file{configure}.
35382 @value{GDBN}'s top-level @file{configure} and @file{Makefile} will
35383 arrange to build Libiconv if a directory named @file{libiconv} appears
35384 in the top-most source directory. If Libiconv is built this way, and
35385 if the operating system does not provide a suitable @code{iconv}
35386 implementation, then the just-built library will automatically be used
35387 by @value{GDBN}. One easy way to set this up is to download GNU
35388 Libiconv, unpack it inside the top-level directory of the @value{GDBN}
35389 source tree, and then rename the directory holding the Libiconv source
35390 code to @samp{libiconv}.
35393 @value{GDBN} can support debugging sections that are compressed with
35394 the LZMA library. @xref{MiniDebugInfo}. If this library is not
35395 included with your operating system, you can find it in the xz package
35396 at @url{http://tukaani.org/xz/}. If the LZMA library is available in
35397 the usual place, then the @file{configure} script will use it
35398 automatically. If it is installed in an unusual path, you can use the
35399 @option{--with-lzma-prefix} option to specify its location.
35403 @value{GDBN} can use the GNU MPFR multiple-precision floating-point
35404 library. This library may be included with your operating system
35405 distribution; if it is not, you can get the latest version from
35406 @url{http://www.mpfr.org}. The @file{configure} script will search
35407 for this library in several standard locations; if it is installed
35408 in an unusual path, you can use the @option{--with-libmpfr-prefix}
35409 option to specify its location.
35411 GNU MPFR is used to emulate target floating-point arithmetic during
35412 expression evaluation when the target uses different floating-point
35413 formats than the host. If GNU MPFR it is not available, @value{GDBN}
35414 will fall back to using host floating-point arithmetic.
35417 @value{GDBN} can be scripted using Python language. @xref{Python}.
35418 By default, @value{GDBN} will be compiled if the Python libraries are
35419 installed and are found by @file{configure}. You can use the
35420 @code{--with-python} option to request Python, and pass either the
35421 file name of the relevant @code{python} executable, or the name of the
35422 directory in which Python is installed, to choose a particular
35423 installation of Python.
35426 @cindex compressed debug sections
35427 @value{GDBN} will use the @samp{zlib} library, if available, to read
35428 compressed debug sections. Some linkers, such as GNU gold, are capable
35429 of producing binaries with compressed debug sections. If @value{GDBN}
35430 is compiled with @samp{zlib}, it will be able to read the debug
35431 information in such binaries.
35433 The @samp{zlib} library is likely included with your operating system
35434 distribution; if it is not, you can get the latest version from
35435 @url{http://zlib.net}.
35438 @node Running Configure
35439 @section Invoking the @value{GDBN} @file{configure} Script
35440 @cindex configuring @value{GDBN}
35441 @value{GDBN} comes with a @file{configure} script that automates the process
35442 of preparing @value{GDBN} for installation; you can then use @code{make} to
35443 build the @code{gdb} program.
35445 @c irrelevant in info file; it's as current as the code it lives with.
35446 @footnote{If you have a more recent version of @value{GDBN} than @value{GDBVN},
35447 look at the @file{README} file in the sources; we may have improved the
35448 installation procedures since publishing this manual.}
35451 The @value{GDBN} distribution includes all the source code you need for
35452 @value{GDBN} in a single directory, whose name is usually composed by
35453 appending the version number to @samp{gdb}.
35455 For example, the @value{GDBN} version @value{GDBVN} distribution is in the
35456 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory. That directory contains:
35459 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure @r{(and supporting files)}
35460 script for configuring @value{GDBN} and all its supporting libraries
35462 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb
35463 the source specific to @value{GDBN} itself
35465 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/bfd
35466 source for the Binary File Descriptor library
35468 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/include
35469 @sc{gnu} include files
35471 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/libiberty
35472 source for the @samp{-liberty} free software library
35474 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/opcodes
35475 source for the library of opcode tables and disassemblers
35477 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/readline
35478 source for the @sc{gnu} command-line interface
35481 There may be other subdirectories as well.
35483 The simplest way to configure and build @value{GDBN} is to run @file{configure}
35484 from the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory, which in
35485 this example is the @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory.
35487 First switch to the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory
35488 if you are not already in it; then run @file{configure}. Pass the
35489 identifier for the platform on which @value{GDBN} will run as an
35495 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
35500 Running @samp{configure} and then running @code{make} builds the
35501 included supporting libraries, then @code{gdb} itself. The configured
35502 source files, and the binaries, are left in the corresponding source
35506 @file{configure} is a Bourne-shell (@code{/bin/sh}) script; if your
35507 system does not recognize this automatically when you run a different
35508 shell, you may need to run @code{sh} on it explicitly:
35514 You should run the @file{configure} script from the top directory in the
35515 source tree, the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory. If you run
35516 @file{configure} from one of the subdirectories, you will configure only
35517 that subdirectory. That is usually not what you want. In particular,
35518 if you run the first @file{configure} from the @file{gdb} subdirectory
35519 of the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory, you will omit the
35520 configuration of @file{bfd}, @file{readline}, and other sibling
35521 directories of the @file{gdb} subdirectory. This leads to build errors
35522 about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
35524 You can install @code{@value{GDBN}} anywhere. The best way to do this
35525 is to pass the @code{--prefix} option to @code{configure}, and then
35526 install it with @code{make install}.
35528 @node Separate Objdir
35529 @section Compiling @value{GDBN} in Another Directory
35531 If you want to run @value{GDBN} versions for several host or target machines,
35532 you need a different @code{gdb} compiled for each combination of
35533 host and target. @file{configure} is designed to make this easy by
35534 allowing you to generate each configuration in a separate subdirectory,
35535 rather than in the source directory. If your @code{make} program
35536 handles the @samp{VPATH} feature (@sc{gnu} @code{make} does), running
35537 @code{make} in each of these directories builds the @code{gdb}
35538 program specified there.
35540 To build @code{gdb} in a separate directory, run @file{configure}
35541 with the @samp{--srcdir} option to specify where to find the source.
35542 (You also need to specify a path to find @file{configure}
35543 itself from your working directory. If the path to @file{configure}
35544 would be the same as the argument to @samp{--srcdir}, you can leave out
35545 the @samp{--srcdir} option; it is assumed.)
35547 For example, with version @value{GDBVN}, you can build @value{GDBN} in a
35548 separate directory for a Sun 4 like this:
35552 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
35555 ../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure
35560 When @file{configure} builds a configuration using a remote source
35561 directory, it creates a tree for the binaries with the same structure
35562 (and using the same names) as the tree under the source directory. In
35563 the example, you'd find the Sun 4 library @file{libiberty.a} in the
35564 directory @file{gdb-sun4/libiberty}, and @value{GDBN} itself in
35565 @file{gdb-sun4/gdb}.
35567 Make sure that your path to the @file{configure} script has just one
35568 instance of @file{gdb} in it. If your path to @file{configure} looks
35569 like @file{../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/configure}, you are configuring only
35570 one subdirectory of @value{GDBN}, not the whole package. This leads to
35571 build errors about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
35573 One popular reason to build several @value{GDBN} configurations in separate
35574 directories is to configure @value{GDBN} for cross-compiling (where
35575 @value{GDBN} runs on one machine---the @dfn{host}---while debugging
35576 programs that run on another machine---the @dfn{target}).
35577 You specify a cross-debugging target by
35578 giving the @samp{--target=@var{target}} option to @file{configure}.
35580 When you run @code{make} to build a program or library, you must run
35581 it in a configured directory---whatever directory you were in when you
35582 called @file{configure} (or one of its subdirectories).
35584 The @code{Makefile} that @file{configure} generates in each source
35585 directory also runs recursively. If you type @code{make} in a source
35586 directory such as @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} (or in a separate configured
35587 directory configured with @samp{--srcdir=@var{dirname}/gdb-@value{GDBVN}}), you
35588 will build all the required libraries, and then build GDB.
35590 When you have multiple hosts or targets configured in separate
35591 directories, you can run @code{make} on them in parallel (for example,
35592 if they are NFS-mounted on each of the hosts); they will not interfere
35596 @section Specifying Names for Hosts and Targets
35598 The specifications used for hosts and targets in the @file{configure}
35599 script are based on a three-part naming scheme, but some short predefined
35600 aliases are also supported. The full naming scheme encodes three pieces
35601 of information in the following pattern:
35604 @var{architecture}-@var{vendor}-@var{os}
35607 For example, you can use the alias @code{sun4} as a @var{host} argument,
35608 or as the value for @var{target} in a @code{--target=@var{target}}
35609 option. The equivalent full name is @samp{sparc-sun-sunos4}.
35611 The @file{configure} script accompanying @value{GDBN} does not provide
35612 any query facility to list all supported host and target names or
35613 aliases. @file{configure} calls the Bourne shell script
35614 @code{config.sub} to map abbreviations to full names; you can read the
35615 script, if you wish, or you can use it to test your guesses on
35616 abbreviations---for example:
35619 % sh config.sub i386-linux
35621 % sh config.sub alpha-linux
35622 alpha-unknown-linux-gnu
35623 % sh config.sub hp9k700
35625 % sh config.sub sun4
35626 sparc-sun-sunos4.1.1
35627 % sh config.sub sun3
35628 m68k-sun-sunos4.1.1
35629 % sh config.sub i986v
35630 Invalid configuration `i986v': machine `i986v' not recognized
35634 @code{config.sub} is also distributed in the @value{GDBN} source
35635 directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, for version @value{GDBVN}).
35637 @node Configure Options
35638 @section @file{configure} Options
35640 Here is a summary of the @file{configure} options and arguments that
35641 are most often useful for building @value{GDBN}. @file{configure}
35642 also has several other options not listed here. @inforef{Running
35643 configure scripts,,autoconf.info}, for a full
35644 explanation of @file{configure}.
35647 configure @r{[}--help@r{]}
35648 @r{[}--prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
35649 @r{[}--exec-prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
35650 @r{[}--srcdir=@var{dirname}@r{]}
35651 @r{[}--target=@var{target}@r{]}
35655 You may introduce options with a single @samp{-} rather than
35656 @samp{--} if you prefer; but you may abbreviate option names if you use
35661 Display a quick summary of how to invoke @file{configure}.
35663 @item --prefix=@var{dir}
35664 Configure the source to install programs and files under directory
35667 @item --exec-prefix=@var{dir}
35668 Configure the source to install programs under directory
35671 @c avoid splitting the warning from the explanation:
35673 @item --srcdir=@var{dirname}
35674 Use this option to make configurations in directories separate from the
35675 @value{GDBN} source directories. Among other things, you can use this to
35676 build (or maintain) several configurations simultaneously, in separate
35677 directories. @file{configure} writes configuration-specific files in
35678 the current directory, but arranges for them to use the source in the
35679 directory @var{dirname}. @file{configure} creates directories under
35680 the working directory in parallel to the source directories below
35683 @item --target=@var{target}
35684 Configure @value{GDBN} for cross-debugging programs running on the specified
35685 @var{target}. Without this option, @value{GDBN} is configured to debug
35686 programs that run on the same machine (@var{host}) as @value{GDBN} itself.
35688 There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available
35689 targets. Also see the @code{--enable-targets} option, below.
35692 There are many other options that are specific to @value{GDBN}. This
35693 lists just the most common ones; there are some very specialized
35694 options not described here.
35697 @item --enable-targets=@r{[}@var{target}@r{]}@dots{}
35698 @itemx --enable-targets=all
35699 Configure @value{GDBN} for cross-debugging programs running on the
35700 specified list of targets. The special value @samp{all} configures
35701 @value{GDBN} for debugging programs running on any target it supports.
35703 @item --with-gdb-datadir=@var{path}
35704 Set the @value{GDBN}-specific data directory. @value{GDBN} will look
35705 here for certain supporting files or scripts. This defaults to the
35706 @file{gdb} subdirectory of @samp{datadi} (which can be set using
35709 @item --with-relocated-sources=@var{dir}
35710 Sets up the default source path substitution rule so that directory
35711 names recorded in debug information will be automatically adjusted for
35712 any directory under @var{dir}. @var{dir} should be a subdirectory of
35713 @value{GDBN}'s configured prefix, the one mentioned in the
35714 @code{--prefix} or @code{--exec-prefix} options to configure. This
35715 option is useful if GDB is supposed to be moved to a different place
35718 @item --enable-64-bit-bfd
35719 Enable 64-bit support in BFD on 32-bit hosts.
35721 @item --disable-gdbmi
35722 Build @value{GDBN} without the GDB/MI machine interface
35726 Build @value{GDBN} with the text-mode full-screen user interface
35727 (TUI). Requires a curses library (ncurses and cursesX are also
35730 @item --with-curses
35731 Use the curses library instead of the termcap library, for text-mode
35732 terminal operations.
35734 @item --with-libunwind-ia64
35735 Use the libunwind library for unwinding function call stack on ia64
35736 target platforms. See http://www.nongnu.org/libunwind/index.html for
35739 @item --with-system-readline
35740 Use the readline library installed on the host, rather than the
35741 library supplied as part of @value{GDBN}.
35743 @item --with-system-zlib
35744 Use the zlib library installed on the host, rather than the library
35745 supplied as part of @value{GDBN}.
35748 Build @value{GDBN} with Expat, a library for XML parsing. (Done by
35749 default if libexpat is installed and found at configure time.) This
35750 library is used to read XML files supplied with @value{GDBN}. If it
35751 is unavailable, some features, such as remote protocol memory maps,
35752 target descriptions, and shared library lists, that are based on XML
35753 files, will not be available in @value{GDBN}. If your host does not
35754 have libexpat installed, you can get the latest version from
35755 `http://expat.sourceforge.net'.
35757 @item --with-libiconv-prefix@r{[}=@var{dir}@r{]}
35759 Build @value{GDBN} with GNU libiconv, a character set encoding
35760 conversion library. This is not done by default, as on GNU systems
35761 the @code{iconv} that is built in to the C library is sufficient. If
35762 your host does not have a working @code{iconv}, you can get the latest
35763 version of GNU iconv from `https://www.gnu.org/software/libiconv/'.
35765 @value{GDBN}'s build system also supports building GNU libiconv as
35766 part of the overall build. @xref{Requirements}.
35769 Build @value{GDBN} with LZMA, a compression library. (Done by default
35770 if liblzma is installed and found at configure time.) LZMA is used by
35771 @value{GDBN}'s "mini debuginfo" feature, which is only useful on
35772 platforms using the ELF object file format. If your host does not
35773 have liblzma installed, you can get the latest version from
35774 `https://tukaani.org/xz/'.
35777 Build @value{GDBN} with GNU MPFR, a library for multiple-precision
35778 floating-point computation with correct rounding. (Done by default if
35779 GNU MPFR is installed and found at configure time.) This library is
35780 used to emulate target floating-point arithmetic during expression
35781 evaluation when the target uses different floating-point formats than
35782 the host. If GNU MPFR is not available, @value{GDBN} will fall back
35783 to using host floating-point arithmetic. If your host does not have
35784 GNU MPFR installed, you can get the latest version from
35785 `http://www.mpfr.org'.
35787 @item --with-python@r{[}=@var{python}@r{]}
35788 Build @value{GDBN} with Python scripting support. (Done by default if
35789 libpython is present and found at configure time.) Python makes
35790 @value{GDBN} scripting much more powerful than the restricted CLI
35791 scripting language. If your host does not have Python installed, you
35792 can find it on `http://www.python.org/download/'. The oldest version
35793 of Python supported by GDB is 2.4. The optional argument @var{python}
35794 is used to find the Python headers and libraries. It can be either
35795 the name of a Python executable, or the name of the directory in which
35796 Python is installed.
35798 @item --with-guile[=GUILE]'
35799 Build @value{GDBN} with GNU Guile scripting support. (Done by default
35800 if libguile is present and found at configure time.) If your host
35801 does not have Guile installed, you can find it at
35802 `https://www.gnu.org/software/guile/'. The optional argument GUILE
35803 can be a version number, which will cause @code{configure} to try to
35804 use that version of Guile; or the file name of a @code{pkg-config}
35805 executable, which will be queried to find the information needed to
35806 compile and link against Guile.
35808 @item --without-included-regex
35809 Don't use the regex library included with @value{GDBN} (as part of the
35810 libiberty library). This is the default on hosts with version 2 of
35813 @item --with-sysroot=@var{dir}
35814 Use @var{dir} as the default system root directory for libraries whose
35815 file names begin with @file{/lib}' or @file{/usr/lib'}. (The value of
35816 @var{dir} can be modified at run time by using the @command{set
35817 sysroot} command.) If @var{dir} is under the @value{GDBN} configured
35818 prefix (set with @code{--prefix} or @code{--exec-prefix options}, the
35819 default system root will be automatically adjusted if and when
35820 @value{GDBN} is moved to a different location.
35822 @item --with-system-gdbinit=@var{file}
35823 Configure @value{GDBN} to automatically load a system-wide init file.
35824 @var{file} should be an absolute file name. If @var{file} is in a
35825 directory under the configured prefix, and @value{GDBN} is moved to
35826 another location after being built, the location of the system-wide
35827 init file will be adjusted accordingly.
35829 @item --enable-build-warnings
35830 When building the @value{GDBN} sources, ask the compiler to warn about
35831 any code which looks even vaguely suspicious. It passes many
35832 different warning flags, depending on the exact version of the
35833 compiler you are using.
35835 @item --enable-werror
35836 Treat compiler warnings as werrors. It adds the @code{-Werror} flag
35837 to the compiler, which will fail the compilation if the compiler
35838 outputs any warning messages.
35840 @item --enable-ubsan
35841 Enable the GCC undefined behavior sanitizer. This is disabled by
35842 default, but passing @code{--enable-ubsan=yes} or
35843 @code{--enable-ubsan=auto} to @code{configure} will enable it. The
35844 undefined behavior sanitizer checks for C@t{++} undefined behavior.
35845 It has a performance cost, so if you are looking at @value{GDBN}'s
35846 performance, you should disable it. The undefined behavior sanitizer
35847 was first introduced in GCC 4.9.
35850 @node System-wide configuration
35851 @section System-wide configuration and settings
35852 @cindex system-wide init file
35854 @value{GDBN} can be configured to have a system-wide init file;
35855 this file will be read and executed at startup (@pxref{Startup, , What
35856 @value{GDBN} does during startup}).
35858 Here is the corresponding configure option:
35861 @item --with-system-gdbinit=@var{file}
35862 Specify that the default location of the system-wide init file is
35866 If @value{GDBN} has been configured with the option @option{--prefix=$prefix},
35867 it may be subject to relocation. Two possible cases:
35871 If the default location of this init file contains @file{$prefix},
35872 it will be subject to relocation. Suppose that the configure options
35873 are @option{--prefix=$prefix --with-system-gdbinit=$prefix/etc/gdbinit};
35874 if @value{GDBN} is moved from @file{$prefix} to @file{$install}, the system
35875 init file is looked for as @file{$install/etc/gdbinit} instead of
35876 @file{$prefix/etc/gdbinit}.
35879 By contrast, if the default location does not contain the prefix,
35880 it will not be relocated. E.g.@: if @value{GDBN} has been configured with
35881 @option{--prefix=/usr/local --with-system-gdbinit=/usr/share/gdb/gdbinit},
35882 then @value{GDBN} will always look for @file{/usr/share/gdb/gdbinit},
35883 wherever @value{GDBN} is installed.
35886 If the configured location of the system-wide init file (as given by the
35887 @option{--with-system-gdbinit} option at configure time) is in the
35888 data-directory (as specified by @option{--with-gdb-datadir} at configure
35889 time) or in one of its subdirectories, then @value{GDBN} will look for the
35890 system-wide init file in the directory specified by the
35891 @option{--data-directory} command-line option.
35892 Note that the system-wide init file is only read once, during @value{GDBN}
35893 initialization. If the data-directory is changed after @value{GDBN} has
35894 started with the @code{set data-directory} command, the file will not be
35898 * System-wide Configuration Scripts:: Installed System-wide Configuration Scripts
35901 @node System-wide Configuration Scripts
35902 @subsection Installed System-wide Configuration Scripts
35903 @cindex system-wide configuration scripts
35905 The @file{system-gdbinit} directory, located inside the data-directory
35906 (as specified by @option{--with-gdb-datadir} at configure time) contains
35907 a number of scripts which can be used as system-wide init files. To
35908 automatically source those scripts at startup, @value{GDBN} should be
35909 configured with @option{--with-system-gdbinit}. Otherwise, any user
35910 should be able to source them by hand as needed.
35912 The following scripts are currently available:
35915 @item @file{elinos.py}
35917 @cindex ELinOS system-wide configuration script
35918 This script is useful when debugging a program on an ELinOS target.
35919 It takes advantage of the environment variables defined in a standard
35920 ELinOS environment in order to determine the location of the system
35921 shared libraries, and then sets the @samp{solib-absolute-prefix}
35922 and @samp{solib-search-path} variables appropriately.
35924 @item @file{wrs-linux.py}
35925 @pindex wrs-linux.py
35926 @cindex Wind River Linux system-wide configuration script
35927 This script is useful when debugging a program on a target running
35928 Wind River Linux. It expects the @env{ENV_PREFIX} to be set to
35929 the host-side sysroot used by the target system.
35933 @node Maintenance Commands
35934 @appendix Maintenance Commands
35935 @cindex maintenance commands
35936 @cindex internal commands
35938 In addition to commands intended for @value{GDBN} users, @value{GDBN}
35939 includes a number of commands intended for @value{GDBN} developers,
35940 that are not documented elsewhere in this manual. These commands are
35941 provided here for reference. (For commands that turn on debugging
35942 messages, see @ref{Debugging Output}.)
35945 @kindex maint agent
35946 @kindex maint agent-eval
35947 @item maint agent @r{[}-at @var{location}@r{,}@r{]} @var{expression}
35948 @itemx maint agent-eval @r{[}-at @var{location}@r{,}@r{]} @var{expression}
35949 Translate the given @var{expression} into remote agent bytecodes.
35950 This command is useful for debugging the Agent Expression mechanism
35951 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}). The @samp{agent} version produces an
35952 expression useful for data collection, such as by tracepoints, while
35953 @samp{maint agent-eval} produces an expression that evaluates directly
35954 to a result. For instance, a collection expression for @code{globa +
35955 globb} will include bytecodes to record four bytes of memory at each
35956 of the addresses of @code{globa} and @code{globb}, while discarding
35957 the result of the addition, while an evaluation expression will do the
35958 addition and return the sum.
35959 If @code{-at} is given, generate remote agent bytecode for @var{location}.
35960 If not, generate remote agent bytecode for current frame PC address.
35962 @kindex maint agent-printf
35963 @item maint agent-printf @var{format},@var{expr},...
35964 Translate the given format string and list of argument expressions
35965 into remote agent bytecodes and display them as a disassembled list.
35966 This command is useful for debugging the agent version of dynamic
35967 printf (@pxref{Dynamic Printf}).
35969 @kindex maint info breakpoints
35970 @item @anchor{maint info breakpoints}maint info breakpoints
35971 Using the same format as @samp{info breakpoints}, display both the
35972 breakpoints you've set explicitly, and those @value{GDBN} is using for
35973 internal purposes. Internal breakpoints are shown with negative
35974 breakpoint numbers. The type column identifies what kind of breakpoint
35979 Normal, explicitly set breakpoint.
35982 Normal, explicitly set watchpoint.
35985 Internal breakpoint, used to handle correctly stepping through
35986 @code{longjmp} calls.
35988 @item longjmp resume
35989 Internal breakpoint at the target of a @code{longjmp}.
35992 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{until} command.
35995 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{finish} command.
35998 Shared library events.
36002 @kindex maint info btrace
36003 @item maint info btrace
36004 Pint information about raw branch tracing data.
36006 @kindex maint btrace packet-history
36007 @item maint btrace packet-history
36008 Print the raw branch trace packets that are used to compute the
36009 execution history for the @samp{record btrace} command. Both the
36010 information and the format in which it is printed depend on the btrace
36015 For the BTS recording format, print a list of blocks of sequential
36016 code. For each block, the following information is printed:
36020 Newer blocks have higher numbers. The oldest block has number zero.
36021 @item Lowest @samp{PC}
36022 @item Highest @samp{PC}
36026 For the Intel Processor Trace recording format, print a list of
36027 Intel Processor Trace packets. For each packet, the following
36028 information is printed:
36031 @item Packet number
36032 Newer packets have higher numbers. The oldest packet has number zero.
36034 The packet's offset in the trace stream.
36035 @item Packet opcode and payload
36039 @kindex maint btrace clear-packet-history
36040 @item maint btrace clear-packet-history
36041 Discards the cached packet history printed by the @samp{maint btrace
36042 packet-history} command. The history will be computed again when
36045 @kindex maint btrace clear
36046 @item maint btrace clear
36047 Discard the branch trace data. The data will be fetched anew and the
36048 branch trace will be recomputed when needed.
36050 This implicitly truncates the branch trace to a single branch trace
36051 buffer. When updating branch trace incrementally, the branch trace
36052 available to @value{GDBN} may be bigger than a single branch trace
36055 @kindex maint set btrace pt skip-pad
36056 @item maint set btrace pt skip-pad
36057 @kindex maint show btrace pt skip-pad
36058 @item maint show btrace pt skip-pad
36059 Control whether @value{GDBN} will skip PAD packets when computing the
36062 @kindex set displaced-stepping
36063 @kindex show displaced-stepping
36064 @cindex displaced stepping support
36065 @cindex out-of-line single-stepping
36066 @item set displaced-stepping
36067 @itemx show displaced-stepping
36068 Control whether or not @value{GDBN} will do @dfn{displaced stepping}
36069 if the target supports it. Displaced stepping is a way to single-step
36070 over breakpoints without removing them from the inferior, by executing
36071 an out-of-line copy of the instruction that was originally at the
36072 breakpoint location. It is also known as out-of-line single-stepping.
36075 @item set displaced-stepping on
36076 If the target architecture supports it, @value{GDBN} will use
36077 displaced stepping to step over breakpoints.
36079 @item set displaced-stepping off
36080 @value{GDBN} will not use displaced stepping to step over breakpoints,
36081 even if such is supported by the target architecture.
36083 @cindex non-stop mode, and @samp{set displaced-stepping}
36084 @item set displaced-stepping auto
36085 This is the default mode. @value{GDBN} will use displaced stepping
36086 only if non-stop mode is active (@pxref{Non-Stop Mode}) and the target
36087 architecture supports displaced stepping.
36090 @kindex maint check-psymtabs
36091 @item maint check-psymtabs
36092 Check the consistency of currently expanded psymtabs versus symtabs.
36093 Use this to check, for example, whether a symbol is in one but not the other.
36095 @kindex maint check-symtabs
36096 @item maint check-symtabs
36097 Check the consistency of currently expanded symtabs.
36099 @kindex maint expand-symtabs
36100 @item maint expand-symtabs [@var{regexp}]
36101 Expand symbol tables.
36102 If @var{regexp} is specified, only expand symbol tables for file
36103 names matching @var{regexp}.
36105 @kindex maint set catch-demangler-crashes
36106 @kindex maint show catch-demangler-crashes
36107 @cindex demangler crashes
36108 @item maint set catch-demangler-crashes [on|off]
36109 @itemx maint show catch-demangler-crashes
36110 Control whether @value{GDBN} should attempt to catch crashes in the
36111 symbol name demangler. The default is to attempt to catch crashes.
36112 If enabled, the first time a crash is caught, a core file is created,
36113 the offending symbol is displayed and the user is presented with the
36114 option to terminate the current session.
36116 @kindex maint cplus first_component
36117 @item maint cplus first_component @var{name}
36118 Print the first C@t{++} class/namespace component of @var{name}.
36120 @kindex maint cplus namespace
36121 @item maint cplus namespace
36122 Print the list of possible C@t{++} namespaces.
36124 @kindex maint deprecate
36125 @kindex maint undeprecate
36126 @cindex deprecated commands
36127 @item maint deprecate @var{command} @r{[}@var{replacement}@r{]}
36128 @itemx maint undeprecate @var{command}
36129 Deprecate or undeprecate the named @var{command}. Deprecated commands
36130 cause @value{GDBN} to issue a warning when you use them. The optional
36131 argument @var{replacement} says which newer command should be used in
36132 favor of the deprecated one; if it is given, @value{GDBN} will mention
36133 the replacement as part of the warning.
36135 @kindex maint dump-me
36136 @item maint dump-me
36137 @cindex @code{SIGQUIT} signal, dump core of @value{GDBN}
36138 Cause a fatal signal in the debugger and force it to dump its core.
36139 This is supported only on systems which support aborting a program
36140 with the @code{SIGQUIT} signal.
36142 @kindex maint internal-error
36143 @kindex maint internal-warning
36144 @kindex maint demangler-warning
36145 @cindex demangler crashes
36146 @item maint internal-error @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
36147 @itemx maint internal-warning @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
36148 @itemx maint demangler-warning @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
36150 Cause @value{GDBN} to call the internal function @code{internal_error},
36151 @code{internal_warning} or @code{demangler_warning} and hence behave
36152 as though an internal problem has been detected. In addition to
36153 reporting the internal problem, these functions give the user the
36154 opportunity to either quit @value{GDBN} or (for @code{internal_error}
36155 and @code{internal_warning}) create a core file of the current
36156 @value{GDBN} session.
36158 These commands take an optional parameter @var{message-text} that is
36159 used as the text of the error or warning message.
36161 Here's an example of using @code{internal-error}:
36164 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint internal-error testing, 1, 2}
36165 @dots{}/maint.c:121: internal-error: testing, 1, 2
36166 A problem internal to GDB has been detected. Further
36167 debugging may prove unreliable.
36168 Quit this debugging session? (y or n) @kbd{n}
36169 Create a core file? (y or n) @kbd{n}
36173 @cindex @value{GDBN} internal error
36174 @cindex internal errors, control of @value{GDBN} behavior
36175 @cindex demangler crashes
36177 @kindex maint set internal-error
36178 @kindex maint show internal-error
36179 @kindex maint set internal-warning
36180 @kindex maint show internal-warning
36181 @kindex maint set demangler-warning
36182 @kindex maint show demangler-warning
36183 @item maint set internal-error @var{action} [ask|yes|no]
36184 @itemx maint show internal-error @var{action}
36185 @itemx maint set internal-warning @var{action} [ask|yes|no]
36186 @itemx maint show internal-warning @var{action}
36187 @itemx maint set demangler-warning @var{action} [ask|yes|no]
36188 @itemx maint show demangler-warning @var{action}
36189 When @value{GDBN} reports an internal problem (error or warning) it
36190 gives the user the opportunity to both quit @value{GDBN} and create a
36191 core file of the current @value{GDBN} session. These commands let you
36192 override the default behaviour for each particular @var{action},
36193 described in the table below.
36197 You can specify that @value{GDBN} should always (yes) or never (no)
36198 quit. The default is to ask the user what to do.
36201 You can specify that @value{GDBN} should always (yes) or never (no)
36202 create a core file. The default is to ask the user what to do. Note
36203 that there is no @code{corefile} option for @code{demangler-warning}:
36204 demangler warnings always create a core file and this cannot be
36208 @kindex maint packet
36209 @item maint packet @var{text}
36210 If @value{GDBN} is talking to an inferior via the serial protocol,
36211 then this command sends the string @var{text} to the inferior, and
36212 displays the response packet. @value{GDBN} supplies the initial
36213 @samp{$} character, the terminating @samp{#} character, and the
36216 @kindex maint print architecture
36217 @item maint print architecture @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
36218 Print the entire architecture configuration. The optional argument
36219 @var{file} names the file where the output goes.
36221 @kindex maint print c-tdesc @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
36222 @item maint print c-tdesc
36223 Print the target description (@pxref{Target Descriptions}) as
36224 a C source file. By default, the target description is for the current
36225 target, but if the optional argument @var{file} is provided, that file
36226 is used to produce the description. The @var{file} should be an XML
36227 document, of the form described in @ref{Target Description Format}.
36228 The created source file is built into @value{GDBN} when @value{GDBN} is
36229 built again. This command is used by developers after they add or
36230 modify XML target descriptions.
36232 @kindex maint check xml-descriptions
36233 @item maint check xml-descriptions @var{dir}
36234 Check that the target descriptions dynamically created by @value{GDBN}
36235 equal the descriptions created from XML files found in @var{dir}.
36237 @anchor{maint check libthread-db}
36238 @kindex maint check libthread-db
36239 @item maint check libthread-db
36240 Run integrity checks on the current inferior's thread debugging
36241 library. This exercises all @code{libthread_db} functionality used by
36242 @value{GDBN} on GNU/Linux systems, and by extension also exercises the
36243 @code{proc_service} functions provided by @value{GDBN} that
36244 @code{libthread_db} uses. Note that parts of the test may be skipped
36245 on some platforms when debugging core files.
36247 @kindex maint print dummy-frames
36248 @item maint print dummy-frames
36249 Prints the contents of @value{GDBN}'s internal dummy-frame stack.
36252 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{b add}
36254 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{print add(2,3)}
36255 Breakpoint 2, add (a=2, b=3) at @dots{}
36257 The program being debugged stopped while in a function called from GDB.
36259 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print dummy-frames}
36260 0xa8206d8: id=@{stack=0xbfffe734,code=0xbfffe73f,!special@}, ptid=process 9353
36264 Takes an optional file parameter.
36266 @kindex maint print registers
36267 @kindex maint print raw-registers
36268 @kindex maint print cooked-registers
36269 @kindex maint print register-groups
36270 @kindex maint print remote-registers
36271 @item maint print registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
36272 @itemx maint print raw-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
36273 @itemx maint print cooked-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
36274 @itemx maint print register-groups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
36275 @itemx maint print remote-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
36276 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register data structures.
36278 The command @code{maint print raw-registers} includes the contents of
36279 the raw register cache; the command @code{maint print
36280 cooked-registers} includes the (cooked) value of all registers,
36281 including registers which aren't available on the target nor visible
36282 to user; the command @code{maint print register-groups} includes the
36283 groups that each register is a member of; and the command @code{maint
36284 print remote-registers} includes the remote target's register numbers
36285 and offsets in the `G' packets.
36287 These commands take an optional parameter, a file name to which to
36288 write the information.
36290 @kindex maint print reggroups
36291 @item maint print reggroups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
36292 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register group data structures. The
36293 optional argument @var{file} tells to what file to write the
36296 The register groups info looks like this:
36299 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print reggroups}
36312 This command forces @value{GDBN} to flush its internal register cache.
36314 @kindex maint print objfiles
36315 @cindex info for known object files
36316 @item maint print objfiles @r{[}@var{regexp}@r{]}
36317 Print a dump of all known object files.
36318 If @var{regexp} is specified, only print object files whose names
36319 match @var{regexp}. For each object file, this command prints its name,
36320 address in memory, and all of its psymtabs and symtabs.
36322 @kindex maint print user-registers
36323 @cindex user registers
36324 @item maint print user-registers
36325 List all currently available @dfn{user registers}. User registers
36326 typically provide alternate names for actual hardware registers. They
36327 include the four ``standard'' registers @code{$fp}, @code{$pc},
36328 @code{$sp}, and @code{$ps}. @xref{standard registers}. User
36329 registers can be used in expressions in the same way as the canonical
36330 register names, but only the latter are listed by the @code{info
36331 registers} and @code{maint print registers} commands.
36333 @kindex maint print section-scripts
36334 @cindex info for known .debug_gdb_scripts-loaded scripts
36335 @item maint print section-scripts [@var{regexp}]
36336 Print a dump of scripts specified in the @code{.debug_gdb_section} section.
36337 If @var{regexp} is specified, only print scripts loaded by object files
36338 matching @var{regexp}.
36339 For each script, this command prints its name as specified in the objfile,
36340 and the full path if known.
36341 @xref{dotdebug_gdb_scripts section}.
36343 @kindex maint print statistics
36344 @cindex bcache statistics
36345 @item maint print statistics
36346 This command prints, for each object file in the program, various data
36347 about that object file followed by the byte cache (@dfn{bcache})
36348 statistics for the object file. The objfile data includes the number
36349 of minimal, partial, full, and stabs symbols, the number of types
36350 defined by the objfile, the number of as yet unexpanded psym tables,
36351 the number of line tables and string tables, and the amount of memory
36352 used by the various tables. The bcache statistics include the counts,
36353 sizes, and counts of duplicates of all and unique objects, max,
36354 average, and median entry size, total memory used and its overhead and
36355 savings, and various measures of the hash table size and chain
36358 @kindex maint print target-stack
36359 @cindex target stack description
36360 @item maint print target-stack
36361 A @dfn{target} is an interface between the debugger and a particular
36362 kind of file or process. Targets can be stacked in @dfn{strata},
36363 so that more than one target can potentially respond to a request.
36364 In particular, memory accesses will walk down the stack of targets
36365 until they find a target that is interested in handling that particular
36368 This command prints a short description of each layer that was pushed on
36369 the @dfn{target stack}, starting from the top layer down to the bottom one.
36371 @kindex maint print type
36372 @cindex type chain of a data type
36373 @item maint print type @var{expr}
36374 Print the type chain for a type specified by @var{expr}. The argument
36375 can be either a type name or a symbol. If it is a symbol, the type of
36376 that symbol is described. The type chain produced by this command is
36377 a recursive definition of the data type as stored in @value{GDBN}'s
36378 data structures, including its flags and contained types.
36380 @kindex maint selftest
36382 @item maint selftest @r{[}@var{filter}@r{]}
36383 Run any self tests that were compiled in to @value{GDBN}. This will
36384 print a message showing how many tests were run, and how many failed.
36385 If a @var{filter} is passed, only the tests with @var{filter} in their
36388 @kindex "maint info selftests"
36390 @item maint info selftests
36391 List the selftests compiled in to @value{GDBN}.
36393 @kindex maint set dwarf always-disassemble
36394 @kindex maint show dwarf always-disassemble
36395 @item maint set dwarf always-disassemble
36396 @item maint show dwarf always-disassemble
36397 Control the behavior of @code{info address} when using DWARF debugging
36400 The default is @code{off}, which means that @value{GDBN} should try to
36401 describe a variable's location in an easily readable format. When
36402 @code{on}, @value{GDBN} will instead display the DWARF location
36403 expression in an assembly-like format. Note that some locations are
36404 too complex for @value{GDBN} to describe simply; in this case you will
36405 always see the disassembly form.
36407 Here is an example of the resulting disassembly:
36410 (gdb) info addr argc
36411 Symbol "argc" is a complex DWARF expression:
36415 For more information on these expressions, see
36416 @uref{http://www.dwarfstd.org/, the DWARF standard}.
36418 @kindex maint set dwarf max-cache-age
36419 @kindex maint show dwarf max-cache-age
36420 @item maint set dwarf max-cache-age
36421 @itemx maint show dwarf max-cache-age
36422 Control the DWARF compilation unit cache.
36424 @cindex DWARF compilation units cache
36425 In object files with inter-compilation-unit references, such as those
36426 produced by the GCC option @samp{-feliminate-dwarf2-dups}, the DWARF
36427 reader needs to frequently refer to previously read compilation units.
36428 This setting controls how long a compilation unit will remain in the
36429 cache if it is not referenced. A higher limit means that cached
36430 compilation units will be stored in memory longer, and more total
36431 memory will be used. Setting it to zero disables caching, which will
36432 slow down @value{GDBN} startup, but reduce memory consumption.
36434 @kindex maint set dwarf unwinders
36435 @kindex maint show dwarf unwinders
36436 @item maint set dwarf unwinders
36437 @itemx maint show dwarf unwinders
36438 Control use of the DWARF frame unwinders.
36440 @cindex DWARF frame unwinders
36441 Many targets that support DWARF debugging use @value{GDBN}'s DWARF
36442 frame unwinders to build the backtrace. Many of these targets will
36443 also have a second mechanism for building the backtrace for use in
36444 cases where DWARF information is not available, this second mechanism
36445 is often an analysis of a function's prologue.
36447 In order to extend testing coverage of the second level stack
36448 unwinding mechanisms it is helpful to be able to disable the DWARF
36449 stack unwinders, this can be done with this switch.
36451 In normal use of @value{GDBN} disabling the DWARF unwinders is not
36452 advisable, there are cases that are better handled through DWARF than
36453 prologue analysis, and the debug experience is likely to be better
36454 with the DWARF frame unwinders enabled.
36456 If DWARF frame unwinders are not supported for a particular target
36457 architecture, then enabling this flag does not cause them to be used.
36458 @kindex maint set profile
36459 @kindex maint show profile
36460 @cindex profiling GDB
36461 @item maint set profile
36462 @itemx maint show profile
36463 Control profiling of @value{GDBN}.
36465 Profiling will be disabled until you use the @samp{maint set profile}
36466 command to enable it. When you enable profiling, the system will begin
36467 collecting timing and execution count data; when you disable profiling or
36468 exit @value{GDBN}, the results will be written to a log file. Remember that
36469 if you use profiling, @value{GDBN} will overwrite the profiling log file
36470 (often called @file{gmon.out}). If you have a record of important profiling
36471 data in a @file{gmon.out} file, be sure to move it to a safe location.
36473 Configuring with @samp{--enable-profiling} arranges for @value{GDBN} to be
36474 compiled with the @samp{-pg} compiler option.
36476 @kindex maint set show-debug-regs
36477 @kindex maint show show-debug-regs
36478 @cindex hardware debug registers
36479 @item maint set show-debug-regs
36480 @itemx maint show show-debug-regs
36481 Control whether to show variables that mirror the hardware debug
36482 registers. Use @code{on} to enable, @code{off} to disable. If
36483 enabled, the debug registers values are shown when @value{GDBN} inserts or
36484 removes a hardware breakpoint or watchpoint, and when the inferior
36485 triggers a hardware-assisted breakpoint or watchpoint.
36487 @kindex maint set show-all-tib
36488 @kindex maint show show-all-tib
36489 @item maint set show-all-tib
36490 @itemx maint show show-all-tib
36491 Control whether to show all non zero areas within a 1k block starting
36492 at thread local base, when using the @samp{info w32 thread-information-block}
36495 @kindex maint set target-async
36496 @kindex maint show target-async
36497 @item maint set target-async
36498 @itemx maint show target-async
36499 This controls whether @value{GDBN} targets operate in synchronous or
36500 asynchronous mode (@pxref{Background Execution}). Normally the
36501 default is asynchronous, if it is available; but this can be changed
36502 to more easily debug problems occurring only in synchronous mode.
36504 @kindex maint set target-non-stop @var{mode} [on|off|auto]
36505 @kindex maint show target-non-stop
36506 @item maint set target-non-stop
36507 @itemx maint show target-non-stop
36509 This controls whether @value{GDBN} targets always operate in non-stop
36510 mode even if @code{set non-stop} is @code{off} (@pxref{Non-Stop
36511 Mode}). The default is @code{auto}, meaning non-stop mode is enabled
36512 if supported by the target.
36515 @item maint set target-non-stop auto
36516 This is the default mode. @value{GDBN} controls the target in
36517 non-stop mode if the target supports it.
36519 @item maint set target-non-stop on
36520 @value{GDBN} controls the target in non-stop mode even if the target
36521 does not indicate support.
36523 @item maint set target-non-stop off
36524 @value{GDBN} does not control the target in non-stop mode even if the
36525 target supports it.
36528 @kindex maint set per-command
36529 @kindex maint show per-command
36530 @item maint set per-command
36531 @itemx maint show per-command
36532 @cindex resources used by commands
36534 @value{GDBN} can display the resources used by each command.
36535 This is useful in debugging performance problems.
36538 @item maint set per-command space [on|off]
36539 @itemx maint show per-command space
36540 Enable or disable the printing of the memory used by GDB for each command.
36541 If enabled, @value{GDBN} will display how much memory each command
36542 took, following the command's own output.
36543 This can also be requested by invoking @value{GDBN} with the
36544 @option{--statistics} command-line switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
36546 @item maint set per-command time [on|off]
36547 @itemx maint show per-command time
36548 Enable or disable the printing of the execution time of @value{GDBN}
36550 If enabled, @value{GDBN} will display how much time it
36551 took to execute each command, following the command's own output.
36552 Both CPU time and wallclock time are printed.
36553 Printing both is useful when trying to determine whether the cost is
36554 CPU or, e.g., disk/network latency.
36555 Note that the CPU time printed is for @value{GDBN} only, it does not include
36556 the execution time of the inferior because there's no mechanism currently
36557 to compute how much time was spent by @value{GDBN} and how much time was
36558 spent by the program been debugged.
36559 This can also be requested by invoking @value{GDBN} with the
36560 @option{--statistics} command-line switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
36562 @item maint set per-command symtab [on|off]
36563 @itemx maint show per-command symtab
36564 Enable or disable the printing of basic symbol table statistics
36566 If enabled, @value{GDBN} will display the following information:
36570 number of symbol tables
36572 number of primary symbol tables
36574 number of blocks in the blockvector
36578 @kindex maint set check-libthread-db
36579 @kindex maint show check-libthread-db
36580 @item maint set check-libthread-db [on|off]
36581 @itemx maint show check-libthread-db
36582 Control whether @value{GDBN} should run integrity checks on inferior
36583 specific thread debugging libraries as they are loaded. The default
36584 is not to perform such checks. If any check fails @value{GDBN} will
36585 unload the library and continue searching for a suitable candidate as
36586 described in @ref{set libthread-db-search-path}. For more information
36587 about the tests, see @ref{maint check libthread-db}.
36589 @kindex maint space
36590 @cindex memory used by commands
36591 @item maint space @var{value}
36592 An alias for @code{maint set per-command space}.
36593 A non-zero value enables it, zero disables it.
36596 @cindex time of command execution
36597 @item maint time @var{value}
36598 An alias for @code{maint set per-command time}.
36599 A non-zero value enables it, zero disables it.
36601 @kindex maint translate-address
36602 @item maint translate-address @r{[}@var{section}@r{]} @var{addr}
36603 Find the symbol stored at the location specified by the address
36604 @var{addr} and an optional section name @var{section}. If found,
36605 @value{GDBN} prints the name of the closest symbol and an offset from
36606 the symbol's location to the specified address. This is similar to
36607 the @code{info address} command (@pxref{Symbols}), except that this
36608 command also allows to find symbols in other sections.
36610 If section was not specified, the section in which the symbol was found
36611 is also printed. For dynamically linked executables, the name of
36612 executable or shared library containing the symbol is printed as well.
36616 The following command is useful for non-interactive invocations of
36617 @value{GDBN}, such as in the test suite.
36620 @item set watchdog @var{nsec}
36621 @kindex set watchdog
36622 @cindex watchdog timer
36623 @cindex timeout for commands
36624 Set the maximum number of seconds @value{GDBN} will wait for the
36625 target operation to finish. If this time expires, @value{GDBN}
36626 reports and error and the command is aborted.
36628 @item show watchdog
36629 Show the current setting of the target wait timeout.
36632 @node Remote Protocol
36633 @appendix @value{GDBN} Remote Serial Protocol
36638 * Stop Reply Packets::
36639 * General Query Packets::
36640 * Architecture-Specific Protocol Details::
36641 * Tracepoint Packets::
36642 * Host I/O Packets::
36644 * Notification Packets::
36645 * Remote Non-Stop::
36646 * Packet Acknowledgment::
36648 * File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension::
36649 * Library List Format::
36650 * Library List Format for SVR4 Targets::
36651 * Memory Map Format::
36652 * Thread List Format::
36653 * Traceframe Info Format::
36654 * Branch Trace Format::
36655 * Branch Trace Configuration Format::
36661 There may be occasions when you need to know something about the
36662 protocol---for example, if there is only one serial port to your target
36663 machine, you might want your program to do something special if it
36664 recognizes a packet meant for @value{GDBN}.
36666 In the examples below, @samp{->} and @samp{<-} are used to indicate
36667 transmitted and received data, respectively.
36669 @cindex protocol, @value{GDBN} remote serial
36670 @cindex serial protocol, @value{GDBN} remote
36671 @cindex remote serial protocol
36672 All @value{GDBN} commands and responses (other than acknowledgments
36673 and notifications, see @ref{Notification Packets}) are sent as a
36674 @var{packet}. A @var{packet} is introduced with the character
36675 @samp{$}, the actual @var{packet-data}, and the terminating character
36676 @samp{#} followed by a two-digit @var{checksum}:
36679 @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
36683 @cindex checksum, for @value{GDBN} remote
36685 The two-digit @var{checksum} is computed as the modulo 256 sum of all
36686 characters between the leading @samp{$} and the trailing @samp{#} (an
36687 eight bit unsigned checksum).
36689 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0 the protocol
36690 specification also included an optional two-digit @var{sequence-id}:
36693 @code{$}@var{sequence-id}@code{:}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
36696 @cindex sequence-id, for @value{GDBN} remote
36698 That @var{sequence-id} was appended to the acknowledgment. @value{GDBN}
36699 has never output @var{sequence-id}s. Stubs that handle packets added
36700 since @value{GDBN} 5.0 must not accept @var{sequence-id}.
36702 When either the host or the target machine receives a packet, the first
36703 response expected is an acknowledgment: either @samp{+} (to indicate
36704 the package was received correctly) or @samp{-} (to request
36708 -> @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
36713 The @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments can be disabled
36714 once a connection is established.
36715 @xref{Packet Acknowledgment}, for details.
36717 The host (@value{GDBN}) sends @var{command}s, and the target (the
36718 debugging stub incorporated in your program) sends a @var{response}. In
36719 the case of step and continue @var{command}s, the response is only sent
36720 when the operation has completed, and the target has again stopped all
36721 threads in all attached processes. This is the default all-stop mode
36722 behavior, but the remote protocol also supports @value{GDBN}'s non-stop
36723 execution mode; see @ref{Remote Non-Stop}, for details.
36725 @var{packet-data} consists of a sequence of characters with the
36726 exception of @samp{#} and @samp{$} (see @samp{X} packet for additional
36729 @cindex remote protocol, field separator
36730 Fields within the packet should be separated using @samp{,} @samp{;} or
36731 @samp{:}. Except where otherwise noted all numbers are represented in
36732 @sc{hex} with leading zeros suppressed.
36734 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0, the character
36735 @samp{:} could not appear as the third character in a packet (as it
36736 would potentially conflict with the @var{sequence-id}).
36738 @cindex remote protocol, binary data
36739 @anchor{Binary Data}
36740 Binary data in most packets is encoded either as two hexadecimal
36741 digits per byte of binary data. This allowed the traditional remote
36742 protocol to work over connections which were only seven-bit clean.
36743 Some packets designed more recently assume an eight-bit clean
36744 connection, and use a more efficient encoding to send and receive
36747 The binary data representation uses @code{7d} (@sc{ascii} @samp{@}})
36748 as an escape character. Any escaped byte is transmitted as the escape
36749 character followed by the original character XORed with @code{0x20}.
36750 For example, the byte @code{0x7d} would be transmitted as the two
36751 bytes @code{0x7d 0x5d}. The bytes @code{0x23} (@sc{ascii} @samp{#}),
36752 @code{0x24} (@sc{ascii} @samp{$}), and @code{0x7d} (@sc{ascii}
36753 @samp{@}}) must always be escaped. Responses sent by the stub
36754 must also escape @code{0x2a} (@sc{ascii} @samp{*}), so that it
36755 is not interpreted as the start of a run-length encoded sequence
36758 Response @var{data} can be run-length encoded to save space.
36759 Run-length encoding replaces runs of identical characters with one
36760 instance of the repeated character, followed by a @samp{*} and a
36761 repeat count. The repeat count is itself sent encoded, to avoid
36762 binary characters in @var{data}: a value of @var{n} is sent as
36763 @code{@var{n}+29}. For a repeat count greater or equal to 3, this
36764 produces a printable @sc{ascii} character, e.g.@: a space (@sc{ascii}
36765 code 32) for a repeat count of 3. (This is because run-length
36766 encoding starts to win for counts 3 or more.) Thus, for example,
36767 @samp{0* } is a run-length encoding of ``0000'': the space character
36768 after @samp{*} means repeat the leading @code{0} @w{@code{32 - 29 =
36771 The printable characters @samp{#} and @samp{$} or with a numeric value
36772 greater than 126 must not be used. Runs of six repeats (@samp{#}) or
36773 seven repeats (@samp{$}) can be expanded using a repeat count of only
36774 five (@samp{"}). For example, @samp{00000000} can be encoded as
36777 The error response returned for some packets includes a two character
36778 error number. That number is not well defined.
36780 @cindex empty response, for unsupported packets
36781 For any @var{command} not supported by the stub, an empty response
36782 (@samp{$#00}) should be returned. That way it is possible to extend the
36783 protocol. A newer @value{GDBN} can tell if a packet is supported based
36786 At a minimum, a stub is required to support the @samp{g} and @samp{G}
36787 commands for register access, and the @samp{m} and @samp{M} commands
36788 for memory access. Stubs that only control single-threaded targets
36789 can implement run control with the @samp{c} (continue), and @samp{s}
36790 (step) commands. Stubs that support multi-threading targets should
36791 support the @samp{vCont} command. All other commands are optional.
36796 The following table provides a complete list of all currently defined
36797 @var{command}s and their corresponding response @var{data}.
36798 @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension}, for details about the File
36799 I/O extension of the remote protocol.
36801 Each packet's description has a template showing the packet's overall
36802 syntax, followed by an explanation of the packet's meaning. We
36803 include spaces in some of the templates for clarity; these are not
36804 part of the packet's syntax. No @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to
36805 separate its components. For example, a template like @samp{foo
36806 @var{bar} @var{baz}} describes a packet beginning with the three ASCII
36807 bytes @samp{foo}, followed by a @var{bar}, followed directly by a
36808 @var{baz}. @value{GDBN} does not transmit a space character between the
36809 @samp{foo} and the @var{bar}, or between the @var{bar} and the
36812 @cindex @var{thread-id}, in remote protocol
36813 @anchor{thread-id syntax}
36814 Several packets and replies include a @var{thread-id} field to identify
36815 a thread. Normally these are positive numbers with a target-specific
36816 interpretation, formatted as big-endian hex strings. A @var{thread-id}
36817 can also be a literal @samp{-1} to indicate all threads, or @samp{0} to
36820 In addition, the remote protocol supports a multiprocess feature in
36821 which the @var{thread-id} syntax is extended to optionally include both
36822 process and thread ID fields, as @samp{p@var{pid}.@var{tid}}.
36823 The @var{pid} (process) and @var{tid} (thread) components each have the
36824 format described above: a positive number with target-specific
36825 interpretation formatted as a big-endian hex string, literal @samp{-1}
36826 to indicate all processes or threads (respectively), or @samp{0} to
36827 indicate an arbitrary process or thread. Specifying just a process, as
36828 @samp{p@var{pid}}, is equivalent to @samp{p@var{pid}.-1}. It is an
36829 error to specify all processes but a specific thread, such as
36830 @samp{p-1.@var{tid}}. Note that the @samp{p} prefix is @emph{not} used
36831 for those packets and replies explicitly documented to include a process
36832 ID, rather than a @var{thread-id}.
36834 The multiprocess @var{thread-id} syntax extensions are only used if both
36835 @value{GDBN} and the stub report support for the @samp{multiprocess}
36836 feature using @samp{qSupported}. @xref{multiprocess extensions}, for
36839 Note that all packet forms beginning with an upper- or lower-case
36840 letter, other than those described here, are reserved for future use.
36842 Here are the packet descriptions.
36847 @cindex @samp{!} packet
36848 @anchor{extended mode}
36849 Enable extended mode. In extended mode, the remote server is made
36850 persistent. The @samp{R} packet is used to restart the program being
36856 The remote target both supports and has enabled extended mode.
36860 @cindex @samp{?} packet
36862 Indicate the reason the target halted. The reply is the same as for
36863 step and continue. This packet has a special interpretation when the
36864 target is in non-stop mode; see @ref{Remote Non-Stop}.
36867 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
36869 @item A @var{arglen},@var{argnum},@var{arg},@dots{}
36870 @cindex @samp{A} packet
36871 Initialized @code{argv[]} array passed into program. @var{arglen}
36872 specifies the number of bytes in the hex encoded byte stream
36873 @var{arg}. See @code{gdbserver} for more details.
36878 The arguments were set.
36884 @cindex @samp{b} packet
36885 (Don't use this packet; its behavior is not well-defined.)
36886 Change the serial line speed to @var{baud}.
36888 JTC: @emph{When does the transport layer state change? When it's
36889 received, or after the ACK is transmitted. In either case, there are
36890 problems if the command or the acknowledgment packet is dropped.}
36892 Stan: @emph{If people really wanted to add something like this, and get
36893 it working for the first time, they ought to modify ser-unix.c to send
36894 some kind of out-of-band message to a specially-setup stub and have the
36895 switch happen "in between" packets, so that from remote protocol's point
36896 of view, nothing actually happened.}
36898 @item B @var{addr},@var{mode}
36899 @cindex @samp{B} packet
36900 Set (@var{mode} is @samp{S}) or clear (@var{mode} is @samp{C}) a
36901 breakpoint at @var{addr}.
36903 Don't use this packet. Use the @samp{Z} and @samp{z} packets instead
36904 (@pxref{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}).
36906 @cindex @samp{bc} packet
36909 Backward continue. Execute the target system in reverse. No parameter.
36910 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
36913 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
36915 @cindex @samp{bs} packet
36918 Backward single step. Execute one instruction in reverse. No parameter.
36919 @xref{Reverse Execution}, for more information.
36922 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
36924 @item c @r{[}@var{addr}@r{]}
36925 @cindex @samp{c} packet
36926 Continue at @var{addr}, which is the address to resume. If @var{addr}
36927 is omitted, resume at current address.
36929 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
36933 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
36935 @item C @var{sig}@r{[};@var{addr}@r{]}
36936 @cindex @samp{C} packet
36937 Continue with signal @var{sig} (hex signal number). If
36938 @samp{;@var{addr}} is omitted, resume at same address.
36940 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
36944 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
36947 @cindex @samp{d} packet
36950 Don't use this packet; instead, define a general set packet
36951 (@pxref{General Query Packets}).
36955 @cindex @samp{D} packet
36956 The first form of the packet is used to detach @value{GDBN} from the
36957 remote system. It is sent to the remote target
36958 before @value{GDBN} disconnects via the @code{detach} command.
36960 The second form, including a process ID, is used when multiprocess
36961 protocol extensions are enabled (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}), to
36962 detach only a specific process. The @var{pid} is specified as a
36963 big-endian hex string.
36973 @item F @var{RC},@var{EE},@var{CF};@var{XX}
36974 @cindex @samp{F} packet
36975 A reply from @value{GDBN} to an @samp{F} packet sent by the target.
36976 This is part of the File-I/O protocol extension. @xref{File-I/O
36977 Remote Protocol Extension}, for the specification.
36980 @anchor{read registers packet}
36981 @cindex @samp{g} packet
36982 Read general registers.
36986 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
36987 Each byte of register data is described by two hex digits. The bytes
36988 with the register are transmitted in target byte order. The size of
36989 each register and their position within the @samp{g} packet are
36990 determined by the @value{GDBN} internal gdbarch functions
36991 @code{DEPRECATED_REGISTER_RAW_SIZE} and @code{gdbarch_register_name}.
36993 When reading registers from a trace frame (@pxref{Analyze Collected
36994 Data,,Using the Collected Data}), the stub may also return a string of
36995 literal @samp{x}'s in place of the register data digits, to indicate
36996 that the corresponding register has not been collected, thus its value
36997 is unavailable. For example, for an architecture with 4 registers of
36998 4 bytes each, the following reply indicates to @value{GDBN} that
36999 registers 0 and 2 have not been collected, while registers 1 and 3
37000 have been collected, and both have zero value:
37004 <- @code{xxxxxxxx00000000xxxxxxxx00000000}
37011 @item G @var{XX@dots{}}
37012 @cindex @samp{G} packet
37013 Write general registers. @xref{read registers packet}, for a
37014 description of the @var{XX@dots{}} data.
37024 @item H @var{op} @var{thread-id}
37025 @cindex @samp{H} packet
37026 Set thread for subsequent operations (@samp{m}, @samp{M}, @samp{g},
37027 @samp{G}, et.al.). Depending on the operation to be performed, @var{op}
37028 should be @samp{c} for step and continue operations (note that this
37029 is deprecated, supporting the @samp{vCont} command is a better
37030 option), and @samp{g} for other operations. The thread designator
37031 @var{thread-id} has the format and interpretation described in
37032 @ref{thread-id syntax}.
37043 @c 'H': How restrictive (or permissive) is the thread model. If a
37044 @c thread is selected and stopped, are other threads allowed
37045 @c to continue to execute? As I mentioned above, I think the
37046 @c semantics of each command when a thread is selected must be
37047 @c described. For example:
37049 @c 'g': If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
37050 @c selected, returns the register block from that thread;
37051 @c otherwise returns current registers.
37053 @c 'G' If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
37054 @c selected, sets the registers of the register block of
37055 @c that thread; otherwise sets current registers.
37057 @item i @r{[}@var{addr}@r{[},@var{nnn}@r{]]}
37058 @anchor{cycle step packet}
37059 @cindex @samp{i} packet
37060 Step the remote target by a single clock cycle. If @samp{,@var{nnn}} is
37061 present, cycle step @var{nnn} cycles. If @var{addr} is present, cycle
37062 step starting at that address.
37065 @cindex @samp{I} packet
37066 Signal, then cycle step. @xref{step with signal packet}. @xref{cycle
37070 @cindex @samp{k} packet
37073 The exact effect of this packet is not specified.
37075 For a bare-metal target, it may power cycle or reset the target
37076 system. For that reason, the @samp{k} packet has no reply.
37078 For a single-process target, it may kill that process if possible.
37080 A multiple-process target may choose to kill just one process, or all
37081 that are under @value{GDBN}'s control. For more precise control, use
37082 the vKill packet (@pxref{vKill packet}).
37084 If the target system immediately closes the connection in response to
37085 @samp{k}, @value{GDBN} does not consider the lack of packet
37086 acknowledgment to be an error, and assumes the kill was successful.
37088 If connected using @kbd{target extended-remote}, and the target does
37089 not close the connection in response to a kill request, @value{GDBN}
37090 probes the target state as if a new connection was opened
37091 (@pxref{? packet}).
37093 @item m @var{addr},@var{length}
37094 @cindex @samp{m} packet
37095 Read @var{length} addressable memory units starting at address @var{addr}
37096 (@pxref{addressable memory unit}). Note that @var{addr} may not be aligned to
37097 any particular boundary.
37099 The stub need not use any particular size or alignment when gathering
37100 data from memory for the response; even if @var{addr} is word-aligned
37101 and @var{length} is a multiple of the word size, the stub is free to
37102 use byte accesses, or not. For this reason, this packet may not be
37103 suitable for accessing memory-mapped I/O devices.
37104 @cindex alignment of remote memory accesses
37105 @cindex size of remote memory accesses
37106 @cindex memory, alignment and size of remote accesses
37110 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
37111 Memory contents; each byte is transmitted as a two-digit hexadecimal number.
37112 The reply may contain fewer addressable memory units than requested if the
37113 server was able to read only part of the region of memory.
37118 @item M @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
37119 @cindex @samp{M} packet
37120 Write @var{length} addressable memory units starting at address @var{addr}
37121 (@pxref{addressable memory unit}). The data is given by @var{XX@dots{}}; each
37122 byte is transmitted as a two-digit hexadecimal number.
37129 for an error (this includes the case where only part of the data was
37134 @cindex @samp{p} packet
37135 Read the value of register @var{n}; @var{n} is in hex.
37136 @xref{read registers packet}, for a description of how the returned
37137 register value is encoded.
37141 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
37142 the register's value
37146 Indicating an unrecognized @var{query}.
37149 @item P @var{n@dots{}}=@var{r@dots{}}
37150 @anchor{write register packet}
37151 @cindex @samp{P} packet
37152 Write register @var{n@dots{}} with value @var{r@dots{}}. The register
37153 number @var{n} is in hexadecimal, and @var{r@dots{}} contains two hex
37154 digits for each byte in the register (target byte order).
37164 @item q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
37165 @itemx Q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
37166 @cindex @samp{q} packet
37167 @cindex @samp{Q} packet
37168 General query (@samp{q}) and set (@samp{Q}). These packets are
37169 described fully in @ref{General Query Packets}.
37172 @cindex @samp{r} packet
37173 Reset the entire system.
37175 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{R} packet instead.
37178 @cindex @samp{R} packet
37179 Restart the program being debugged. The @var{XX}, while needed, is ignored.
37180 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
37182 The @samp{R} packet has no reply.
37184 @item s @r{[}@var{addr}@r{]}
37185 @cindex @samp{s} packet
37186 Single step, resuming at @var{addr}. If
37187 @var{addr} is omitted, resume at same address.
37189 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
37193 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
37195 @item S @var{sig}@r{[};@var{addr}@r{]}
37196 @anchor{step with signal packet}
37197 @cindex @samp{S} packet
37198 Step with signal. This is analogous to the @samp{C} packet, but
37199 requests a single-step, rather than a normal resumption of execution.
37201 This packet is deprecated for multi-threading support. @xref{vCont
37205 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
37207 @item t @var{addr}:@var{PP},@var{MM}
37208 @cindex @samp{t} packet
37209 Search backwards starting at address @var{addr} for a match with pattern
37210 @var{PP} and mask @var{MM}, both of which are are 4 byte long.
37211 There must be at least 3 digits in @var{addr}.
37213 @item T @var{thread-id}
37214 @cindex @samp{T} packet
37215 Find out if the thread @var{thread-id} is alive. @xref{thread-id syntax}.
37220 thread is still alive
37226 Packets starting with @samp{v} are identified by a multi-letter name,
37227 up to the first @samp{;} or @samp{?} (or the end of the packet).
37229 @item vAttach;@var{pid}
37230 @cindex @samp{vAttach} packet
37231 Attach to a new process with the specified process ID @var{pid}.
37232 The process ID is a
37233 hexadecimal integer identifying the process. In all-stop mode, all
37234 threads in the attached process are stopped; in non-stop mode, it may be
37235 attached without being stopped if that is supported by the target.
37237 @c In non-stop mode, on a successful vAttach, the stub should set the
37238 @c current thread to a thread of the newly-attached process. After
37239 @c attaching, GDB queries for the attached process's thread ID with qC.
37240 @c Also note that, from a user perspective, whether or not the
37241 @c target is stopped on attach in non-stop mode depends on whether you
37242 @c use the foreground or background version of the attach command, not
37243 @c on what vAttach does; GDB does the right thing with respect to either
37244 @c stopping or restarting threads.
37246 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
37252 @item @r{Any stop packet}
37253 for success in all-stop mode (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
37255 for success in non-stop mode (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop})
37258 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@r{[}:@var{thread-id}@r{]]}@dots{}
37259 @cindex @samp{vCont} packet
37260 @anchor{vCont packet}
37261 Resume the inferior, specifying different actions for each thread.
37263 For each inferior thread, the leftmost action with a matching
37264 @var{thread-id} is applied. Threads that don't match any action
37265 remain in their current state. Thread IDs are specified using the
37266 syntax described in @ref{thread-id syntax}. If multiprocess
37267 extensions (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}) are supported, actions
37268 can be specified to match all threads in a process by using the
37269 @samp{p@var{pid}.-1} form of the @var{thread-id}. An action with no
37270 @var{thread-id} matches all threads. Specifying no actions is an
37273 Currently supported actions are:
37279 Continue with signal @var{sig}. The signal @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
37283 Step with signal @var{sig}. The signal @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
37286 @item r @var{start},@var{end}
37287 Step once, and then keep stepping as long as the thread stops at
37288 addresses between @var{start} (inclusive) and @var{end} (exclusive).
37289 The remote stub reports a stop reply when either the thread goes out
37290 of the range or is stopped due to an unrelated reason, such as hitting
37291 a breakpoint. @xref{range stepping}.
37293 If the range is empty (@var{start} == @var{end}), then the action
37294 becomes equivalent to the @samp{s} action. In other words,
37295 single-step once, and report the stop (even if the stepped instruction
37296 jumps to @var{start}).
37298 (A stop reply may be sent at any point even if the PC is still within
37299 the stepping range; for example, it is valid to implement this packet
37300 in a degenerate way as a single instruction step operation.)
37304 The optional argument @var{addr} normally associated with the
37305 @samp{c}, @samp{C}, @samp{s}, and @samp{S} packets is
37306 not supported in @samp{vCont}.
37308 The @samp{t} action is only relevant in non-stop mode
37309 (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop}) and may be ignored by the stub otherwise.
37310 A stop reply should be generated for any affected thread not already stopped.
37311 When a thread is stopped by means of a @samp{t} action,
37312 the corresponding stop reply should indicate that the thread has stopped with
37313 signal @samp{0}, regardless of whether the target uses some other signal
37314 as an implementation detail.
37316 The server must ignore @samp{c}, @samp{C}, @samp{s}, @samp{S}, and
37317 @samp{r} actions for threads that are already running. Conversely,
37318 the server must ignore @samp{t} actions for threads that are already
37321 @emph{Note:} In non-stop mode, a thread is considered running until
37322 @value{GDBN} acknowleges an asynchronous stop notification for it with
37323 the @samp{vStopped} packet (@pxref{Remote Non-Stop}).
37325 The stub must support @samp{vCont} if it reports support for
37326 multiprocess extensions (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}).
37329 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
37332 @cindex @samp{vCont?} packet
37333 Request a list of actions supported by the @samp{vCont} packet.
37337 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@dots{}@r{]}
37338 The @samp{vCont} packet is supported. Each @var{action} is a supported
37339 command in the @samp{vCont} packet.
37341 The @samp{vCont} packet is not supported.
37344 @anchor{vCtrlC packet}
37346 @cindex @samp{vCtrlC} packet
37347 Interrupt remote target as if a control-C was pressed on the remote
37348 terminal. This is the equivalent to reacting to the @code{^C}
37349 (@samp{\003}, the control-C character) character in all-stop mode
37350 while the target is running, except this works in non-stop mode.
37351 @xref{interrupting remote targets}, for more info on the all-stop
37362 @item vFile:@var{operation}:@var{parameter}@dots{}
37363 @cindex @samp{vFile} packet
37364 Perform a file operation on the target system. For details,
37365 see @ref{Host I/O Packets}.
37367 @item vFlashErase:@var{addr},@var{length}
37368 @cindex @samp{vFlashErase} packet
37369 Direct the stub to erase @var{length} bytes of flash starting at
37370 @var{addr}. The region may enclose any number of flash blocks, but
37371 its start and end must fall on block boundaries, as indicated by the
37372 flash block size appearing in the memory map (@pxref{Memory Map
37373 Format}). @value{GDBN} groups flash memory programming operations
37374 together, and sends a @samp{vFlashDone} request after each group; the
37375 stub is allowed to delay erase operation until the @samp{vFlashDone}
37376 packet is received.
37386 @item vFlashWrite:@var{addr}:@var{XX@dots{}}
37387 @cindex @samp{vFlashWrite} packet
37388 Direct the stub to write data to flash address @var{addr}. The data
37389 is passed in binary form using the same encoding as for the @samp{X}
37390 packet (@pxref{Binary Data}). The memory ranges specified by
37391 @samp{vFlashWrite} packets preceding a @samp{vFlashDone} packet must
37392 not overlap, and must appear in order of increasing addresses
37393 (although @samp{vFlashErase} packets for higher addresses may already
37394 have been received; the ordering is guaranteed only between
37395 @samp{vFlashWrite} packets). If a packet writes to an address that was
37396 neither erased by a preceding @samp{vFlashErase} packet nor by some other
37397 target-specific method, the results are unpredictable.
37405 for vFlashWrite addressing non-flash memory
37411 @cindex @samp{vFlashDone} packet
37412 Indicate to the stub that flash programming operation is finished.
37413 The stub is permitted to delay or batch the effects of a group of
37414 @samp{vFlashErase} and @samp{vFlashWrite} packets until a
37415 @samp{vFlashDone} packet is received. The contents of the affected
37416 regions of flash memory are unpredictable until the @samp{vFlashDone}
37417 request is completed.
37419 @item vKill;@var{pid}
37420 @cindex @samp{vKill} packet
37421 @anchor{vKill packet}
37422 Kill the process with the specified process ID @var{pid}, which is a
37423 hexadecimal integer identifying the process. This packet is used in
37424 preference to @samp{k} when multiprocess protocol extensions are
37425 supported; see @ref{multiprocess extensions}.
37435 @item vMustReplyEmpty
37436 @cindex @samp{vMustReplyEmpty} packet
37437 The correct reply to an unknown @samp{v} packet is to return the empty
37438 string, however, some older versions of @command{gdbserver} would
37439 incorrectly return @samp{OK} for unknown @samp{v} packets.
37441 The @samp{vMustReplyEmpty} is used as a feature test to check how
37442 @command{gdbserver} handles unknown packets, it is important that this
37443 packet be handled in the same way as other unknown @samp{v} packets.
37444 If this packet is handled differently to other unknown @samp{v}
37445 packets then it is possile that @value{GDBN} may run into problems in
37446 other areas, specifically around use of @samp{vFile:setfs:}.
37448 @item vRun;@var{filename}@r{[};@var{argument}@r{]}@dots{}
37449 @cindex @samp{vRun} packet
37450 Run the program @var{filename}, passing it each @var{argument} on its
37451 command line. The file and arguments are hex-encoded strings. If
37452 @var{filename} is an empty string, the stub may use a default program
37453 (e.g.@: the last program run). The program is created in the stopped
37456 @c FIXME: What about non-stop mode?
37458 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
37464 @item @r{Any stop packet}
37465 for success (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets})
37469 @cindex @samp{vStopped} packet
37470 @xref{Notification Packets}.
37472 @item X @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
37474 @cindex @samp{X} packet
37475 Write data to memory, where the data is transmitted in binary.
37476 Memory is specified by its address @var{addr} and number of addressable memory
37477 units @var{length} (@pxref{addressable memory unit});
37478 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is binary data (@pxref{Binary Data}).
37488 @item z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{kind}
37489 @itemx Z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{kind}
37490 @anchor{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}
37491 @cindex @samp{z} packet
37492 @cindex @samp{Z} packets
37493 Insert (@samp{Z}) or remove (@samp{z}) a @var{type} breakpoint or
37494 watchpoint starting at address @var{address} of kind @var{kind}.
37496 Each breakpoint and watchpoint packet @var{type} is documented
37499 @emph{Implementation notes: A remote target shall return an empty string
37500 for an unrecognized breakpoint or watchpoint packet @var{type}. A
37501 remote target shall support either both or neither of a given
37502 @samp{Z@var{type}@dots{}} and @samp{z@var{type}@dots{}} packet pair. To
37503 avoid potential problems with duplicate packets, the operations should
37504 be implemented in an idempotent way.}
37506 @item z0,@var{addr},@var{kind}
37507 @itemx Z0,@var{addr},@var{kind}@r{[};@var{cond_list}@dots{}@r{]}@r{[};cmds:@var{persist},@var{cmd_list}@dots{}@r{]}
37508 @cindex @samp{z0} packet
37509 @cindex @samp{Z0} packet
37510 Insert (@samp{Z0}) or remove (@samp{z0}) a software breakpoint at address
37511 @var{addr} of type @var{kind}.
37513 A software breakpoint is implemented by replacing the instruction at
37514 @var{addr} with a software breakpoint or trap instruction. The
37515 @var{kind} is target-specific and typically indicates the size of the
37516 breakpoint in bytes that should be inserted. E.g., the @sc{arm} and
37517 @sc{mips} can insert either a 2 or 4 byte breakpoint. Some
37518 architectures have additional meanings for @var{kind}
37519 (@pxref{Architecture-Specific Protocol Details}); if no
37520 architecture-specific value is being used, it should be @samp{0}.
37521 @var{kind} is hex-encoded. @var{cond_list} is an optional list of
37522 conditional expressions in bytecode form that should be evaluated on
37523 the target's side. These are the conditions that should be taken into
37524 consideration when deciding if the breakpoint trigger should be
37525 reported back to @value{GDBN}.
37527 See also the @samp{swbreak} stop reason (@pxref{swbreak stop reason})
37528 for how to best report a software breakpoint event to @value{GDBN}.
37530 The @var{cond_list} parameter is comprised of a series of expressions,
37531 concatenated without separators. Each expression has the following form:
37535 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
37536 @var{len} is the length of the bytecode expression and @var{expr} is the
37537 actual conditional expression in bytecode form.
37541 The optional @var{cmd_list} parameter introduces commands that may be
37542 run on the target, rather than being reported back to @value{GDBN}.
37543 The parameter starts with a numeric flag @var{persist}; if the flag is
37544 nonzero, then the breakpoint may remain active and the commands
37545 continue to be run even when @value{GDBN} disconnects from the target.
37546 Following this flag is a series of expressions concatenated with no
37547 separators. Each expression has the following form:
37551 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
37552 @var{len} is the length of the bytecode expression and @var{expr} is the
37553 actual commands expression in bytecode form.
37557 @emph{Implementation note: It is possible for a target to copy or move
37558 code that contains software breakpoints (e.g., when implementing
37559 overlays). The behavior of this packet, in the presence of such a
37560 target, is not defined.}
37572 @item z1,@var{addr},@var{kind}
37573 @itemx Z1,@var{addr},@var{kind}@r{[};@var{cond_list}@dots{}@r{]}@r{[};cmds:@var{persist},@var{cmd_list}@dots{}@r{]}
37574 @cindex @samp{z1} packet
37575 @cindex @samp{Z1} packet
37576 Insert (@samp{Z1}) or remove (@samp{z1}) a hardware breakpoint at
37577 address @var{addr}.
37579 A hardware breakpoint is implemented using a mechanism that is not
37580 dependent on being able to modify the target's memory. The
37581 @var{kind}, @var{cond_list}, and @var{cmd_list} arguments have the
37582 same meaning as in @samp{Z0} packets.
37584 @emph{Implementation note: A hardware breakpoint is not affected by code
37597 @item z2,@var{addr},@var{kind}
37598 @itemx Z2,@var{addr},@var{kind}
37599 @cindex @samp{z2} packet
37600 @cindex @samp{Z2} packet
37601 Insert (@samp{Z2}) or remove (@samp{z2}) a write watchpoint at @var{addr}.
37602 The number of bytes to watch is specified by @var{kind}.
37614 @item z3,@var{addr},@var{kind}
37615 @itemx Z3,@var{addr},@var{kind}
37616 @cindex @samp{z3} packet
37617 @cindex @samp{Z3} packet
37618 Insert (@samp{Z3}) or remove (@samp{z3}) a read watchpoint at @var{addr}.
37619 The number of bytes to watch is specified by @var{kind}.
37631 @item z4,@var{addr},@var{kind}
37632 @itemx Z4,@var{addr},@var{kind}
37633 @cindex @samp{z4} packet
37634 @cindex @samp{Z4} packet
37635 Insert (@samp{Z4}) or remove (@samp{z4}) an access watchpoint at @var{addr}.
37636 The number of bytes to watch is specified by @var{kind}.
37650 @node Stop Reply Packets
37651 @section Stop Reply Packets
37652 @cindex stop reply packets
37654 The @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}, @samp{s}, @samp{vCont},
37655 @samp{vAttach}, @samp{vRun}, @samp{vStopped}, and @samp{?} packets can
37656 receive any of the below as a reply. Except for @samp{?}
37657 and @samp{vStopped}, that reply is only returned
37658 when the target halts. In the below the exact meaning of @dfn{signal
37659 number} is defined by the header @file{include/gdb/signals.h} in the
37660 @value{GDBN} source code.
37662 In non-stop mode, the server will simply reply @samp{OK} to commands
37663 such as @samp{vCont}; any stop will be the subject of a future
37664 notification. @xref{Remote Non-Stop}.
37666 As in the description of request packets, we include spaces in the
37667 reply templates for clarity; these are not part of the reply packet's
37668 syntax. No @value{GDBN} stop reply packet uses spaces to separate its
37674 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexadecimal
37675 number). This is equivalent to a @samp{T} response with no
37676 @var{n}:@var{r} pairs.
37678 @item T @var{AA} @var{n1}:@var{r1};@var{n2}:@var{r2};@dots{}
37679 @cindex @samp{T} packet reply
37680 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexadecimal
37681 number). This is equivalent to an @samp{S} response, except that the
37682 @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pairs can carry values of important registers
37683 and other information directly in the stop reply packet, reducing
37684 round-trip latency. Single-step and breakpoint traps are reported
37685 this way. Each @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pair is interpreted as follows:
37689 If @var{n} is a hexadecimal number, it is a register number, and the
37690 corresponding @var{r} gives that register's value. The data @var{r} is a
37691 series of bytes in target byte order, with each byte given by a
37692 two-digit hex number.
37695 If @var{n} is @samp{thread}, then @var{r} is the @var{thread-id} of
37696 the stopped thread, as specified in @ref{thread-id syntax}.
37699 If @var{n} is @samp{core}, then @var{r} is the hexadecimal number of
37700 the core on which the stop event was detected.
37703 If @var{n} is a recognized @dfn{stop reason}, it describes a more
37704 specific event that stopped the target. The currently defined stop
37705 reasons are listed below. The @var{aa} should be @samp{05}, the trap
37706 signal. At most one stop reason should be present.
37709 Otherwise, @value{GDBN} should ignore this @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pair
37710 and go on to the next; this allows us to extend the protocol in the
37714 The currently defined stop reasons are:
37720 The packet indicates a watchpoint hit, and @var{r} is the data address, in
37723 @item syscall_entry
37724 @itemx syscall_return
37725 The packet indicates a syscall entry or return, and @var{r} is the
37726 syscall number, in hex.
37728 @cindex shared library events, remote reply
37730 The packet indicates that the loaded libraries have changed.
37731 @value{GDBN} should use @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} to fetch a new
37732 list of loaded libraries. The @var{r} part is ignored.
37734 @cindex replay log events, remote reply
37736 The packet indicates that the target cannot continue replaying
37737 logged execution events, because it has reached the end (or the
37738 beginning when executing backward) of the log. The value of @var{r}
37739 will be either @samp{begin} or @samp{end}. @xref{Reverse Execution},
37740 for more information.
37743 @anchor{swbreak stop reason}
37744 The packet indicates a software breakpoint instruction was executed,
37745 irrespective of whether it was @value{GDBN} that planted the
37746 breakpoint or the breakpoint is hardcoded in the program. The @var{r}
37747 part must be left empty.
37749 On some architectures, such as x86, at the architecture level, when a
37750 breakpoint instruction executes the program counter points at the
37751 breakpoint address plus an offset. On such targets, the stub is
37752 responsible for adjusting the PC to point back at the breakpoint
37755 This packet should not be sent by default; older @value{GDBN} versions
37756 did not support it. @value{GDBN} requests it, by supplying an
37757 appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature (@pxref{qSupported}). The
37758 remote stub must also supply the appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature
37759 indicating support.
37761 This packet is required for correct non-stop mode operation.
37764 The packet indicates the target stopped for a hardware breakpoint.
37765 The @var{r} part must be left empty.
37767 The same remarks about @samp{qSupported} and non-stop mode above
37770 @cindex fork events, remote reply
37772 The packet indicates that @code{fork} was called, and @var{r}
37773 is the thread ID of the new child process. Refer to
37774 @ref{thread-id syntax} for the format of the @var{thread-id}
37775 field. This packet is only applicable to targets that support
37778 This packet should not be sent by default; older @value{GDBN} versions
37779 did not support it. @value{GDBN} requests it, by supplying an
37780 appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature (@pxref{qSupported}). The
37781 remote stub must also supply the appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature
37782 indicating support.
37784 @cindex vfork events, remote reply
37786 The packet indicates that @code{vfork} was called, and @var{r}
37787 is the thread ID of the new child process. Refer to
37788 @ref{thread-id syntax} for the format of the @var{thread-id}
37789 field. This packet is only applicable to targets that support
37792 This packet should not be sent by default; older @value{GDBN} versions
37793 did not support it. @value{GDBN} requests it, by supplying an
37794 appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature (@pxref{qSupported}). The
37795 remote stub must also supply the appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature
37796 indicating support.
37798 @cindex vforkdone events, remote reply
37800 The packet indicates that a child process created by a vfork
37801 has either called @code{exec} or terminated, so that the
37802 address spaces of the parent and child process are no longer
37803 shared. The @var{r} part is ignored. This packet is only
37804 applicable to targets that support vforkdone events.
37806 This packet should not be sent by default; older @value{GDBN} versions
37807 did not support it. @value{GDBN} requests it, by supplying an
37808 appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature (@pxref{qSupported}). The
37809 remote stub must also supply the appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature
37810 indicating support.
37812 @cindex exec events, remote reply
37814 The packet indicates that @code{execve} was called, and @var{r}
37815 is the absolute pathname of the file that was executed, in hex.
37816 This packet is only applicable to targets that support exec events.
37818 This packet should not be sent by default; older @value{GDBN} versions
37819 did not support it. @value{GDBN} requests it, by supplying an
37820 appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature (@pxref{qSupported}). The
37821 remote stub must also supply the appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature
37822 indicating support.
37824 @cindex thread create event, remote reply
37825 @anchor{thread create event}
37827 The packet indicates that the thread was just created. The new thread
37828 is stopped until @value{GDBN} sets it running with a resumption packet
37829 (@pxref{vCont packet}). This packet should not be sent by default;
37830 @value{GDBN} requests it with the @ref{QThreadEvents} packet. See
37831 also the @samp{w} (@pxref{thread exit event}) remote reply below. The
37832 @var{r} part is ignored.
37837 @itemx W @var{AA} ; process:@var{pid}
37838 The process exited, and @var{AA} is the exit status. This is only
37839 applicable to certain targets.
37841 The second form of the response, including the process ID of the
37842 exited process, can be used only when @value{GDBN} has reported
37843 support for multiprocess protocol extensions; see @ref{multiprocess
37844 extensions}. Both @var{AA} and @var{pid} are formatted as big-endian
37848 @itemx X @var{AA} ; process:@var{pid}
37849 The process terminated with signal @var{AA}.
37851 The second form of the response, including the process ID of the
37852 terminated process, can be used only when @value{GDBN} has reported
37853 support for multiprocess protocol extensions; see @ref{multiprocess
37854 extensions}. Both @var{AA} and @var{pid} are formatted as big-endian
37857 @anchor{thread exit event}
37858 @cindex thread exit event, remote reply
37859 @item w @var{AA} ; @var{tid}
37861 The thread exited, and @var{AA} is the exit status. This response
37862 should not be sent by default; @value{GDBN} requests it with the
37863 @ref{QThreadEvents} packet. See also @ref{thread create event} above.
37864 @var{AA} is formatted as a big-endian hex string.
37867 There are no resumed threads left in the target. In other words, even
37868 though the process is alive, the last resumed thread has exited. For
37869 example, say the target process has two threads: thread 1 and thread
37870 2. The client leaves thread 1 stopped, and resumes thread 2, which
37871 subsequently exits. At this point, even though the process is still
37872 alive, and thus no @samp{W} stop reply is sent, no thread is actually
37873 executing either. The @samp{N} stop reply thus informs the client
37874 that it can stop waiting for stop replies. This packet should not be
37875 sent by default; older @value{GDBN} versions did not support it.
37876 @value{GDBN} requests it, by supplying an appropriate
37877 @samp{qSupported} feature (@pxref{qSupported}). The remote stub must
37878 also supply the appropriate @samp{qSupported} feature indicating
37881 @item O @var{XX}@dots{}
37882 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data, to be
37883 written as the program's console output. This can happen at any time
37884 while the program is running and the debugger should continue to wait
37885 for @samp{W}, @samp{T}, etc. This reply is not permitted in non-stop mode.
37887 @item F @var{call-id},@var{parameter}@dots{}
37888 @var{call-id} is the identifier which says which host system call should
37889 be called. This is just the name of the function. Translation into the
37890 correct system call is only applicable as it's defined in @value{GDBN}.
37891 @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension}, for a list of implemented
37894 @samp{@var{parameter}@dots{}} is a list of parameters as defined for
37895 this very system call.
37897 The target replies with this packet when it expects @value{GDBN} to
37898 call a host system call on behalf of the target. @value{GDBN} replies
37899 with an appropriate @samp{F} packet and keeps up waiting for the next
37900 reply packet from the target. The latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}
37901 or @samp{s} action is expected to be continued. @xref{File-I/O Remote
37902 Protocol Extension}, for more details.
37906 @node General Query Packets
37907 @section General Query Packets
37908 @cindex remote query requests
37910 Packets starting with @samp{q} are @dfn{general query packets};
37911 packets starting with @samp{Q} are @dfn{general set packets}. General
37912 query and set packets are a semi-unified form for retrieving and
37913 sending information to and from the stub.
37915 The initial letter of a query or set packet is followed by a name
37916 indicating what sort of thing the packet applies to. For example,
37917 @value{GDBN} may use a @samp{qSymbol} packet to exchange symbol
37918 definitions with the stub. These packet names follow some
37923 The name must not contain commas, colons or semicolons.
37925 Most @value{GDBN} query and set packets have a leading upper case
37928 The names of custom vendor packets should use a company prefix, in
37929 lower case, followed by a period. For example, packets designed at
37930 the Acme Corporation might begin with @samp{qacme.foo} (for querying
37931 foos) or @samp{Qacme.bar} (for setting bars).
37934 The name of a query or set packet should be separated from any
37935 parameters by a @samp{:}; the parameters themselves should be
37936 separated by @samp{,} or @samp{;}. Stubs must be careful to match the
37937 full packet name, and check for a separator or the end of the packet,
37938 in case two packet names share a common prefix. New packets should not begin
37939 with @samp{qC}, @samp{qP}, or @samp{qL}@footnote{The @samp{qP} and @samp{qL}
37940 packets predate these conventions, and have arguments without any terminator
37941 for the packet name; we suspect they are in widespread use in places that
37942 are difficult to upgrade. The @samp{qC} packet has no arguments, but some
37943 existing stubs (e.g.@: RedBoot) are known to not check for the end of the
37946 Like the descriptions of the other packets, each description here
37947 has a template showing the packet's overall syntax, followed by an
37948 explanation of the packet's meaning. We include spaces in some of the
37949 templates for clarity; these are not part of the packet's syntax. No
37950 @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to separate its components.
37952 Here are the currently defined query and set packets:
37958 Turn on or off the agent as a helper to perform some debugging operations
37959 delegated from @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Control Agent}).
37961 @item QAllow:@var{op}:@var{val}@dots{}
37962 @cindex @samp{QAllow} packet
37963 Specify which operations @value{GDBN} expects to request of the
37964 target, as a semicolon-separated list of operation name and value
37965 pairs. Possible values for @var{op} include @samp{WriteReg},
37966 @samp{WriteMem}, @samp{InsertBreak}, @samp{InsertTrace},
37967 @samp{InsertFastTrace}, and @samp{Stop}. @var{val} is either 0,
37968 indicating that @value{GDBN} will not request the operation, or 1,
37969 indicating that it may. (The target can then use this to set up its
37970 own internals optimally, for instance if the debugger never expects to
37971 insert breakpoints, it may not need to install its own trap handler.)
37974 @cindex current thread, remote request
37975 @cindex @samp{qC} packet
37976 Return the current thread ID.
37980 @item QC @var{thread-id}
37981 Where @var{thread-id} is a thread ID as documented in
37982 @ref{thread-id syntax}.
37983 @item @r{(anything else)}
37984 Any other reply implies the old thread ID.
37987 @item qCRC:@var{addr},@var{length}
37988 @cindex CRC of memory block, remote request
37989 @cindex @samp{qCRC} packet
37990 @anchor{qCRC packet}
37991 Compute the CRC checksum of a block of memory using CRC-32 defined in
37992 IEEE 802.3. The CRC is computed byte at a time, taking the most
37993 significant bit of each byte first. The initial pattern code
37994 @code{0xffffffff} is used to ensure leading zeros affect the CRC.
37996 @emph{Note:} This is the same CRC used in validating separate debug
37997 files (@pxref{Separate Debug Files, , Debugging Information in Separate
37998 Files}). However the algorithm is slightly different. When validating
37999 separate debug files, the CRC is computed taking the @emph{least}
38000 significant bit of each byte first, and the final result is inverted to
38001 detect trailing zeros.
38006 An error (such as memory fault)
38007 @item C @var{crc32}
38008 The specified memory region's checksum is @var{crc32}.
38011 @item QDisableRandomization:@var{value}
38012 @cindex disable address space randomization, remote request
38013 @cindex @samp{QDisableRandomization} packet
38014 Some target operating systems will randomize the virtual address space
38015 of the inferior process as a security feature, but provide a feature
38016 to disable such randomization, e.g.@: to allow for a more deterministic
38017 debugging experience. On such systems, this packet with a @var{value}
38018 of 1 directs the target to disable address space randomization for
38019 processes subsequently started via @samp{vRun} packets, while a packet
38020 with a @var{value} of 0 tells the target to enable address space
38023 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended mode}).
38028 The request succeeded.
38031 An error occurred. The error number @var{nn} is given as hex digits.
38034 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QDisableRandomization} is not supported
38038 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
38039 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
38040 This should only be done on targets that actually support disabling
38041 address space randomization.
38043 @item QStartupWithShell:@var{value}
38044 @cindex startup with shell, remote request
38045 @cindex @samp{QStartupWithShell} packet
38046 On UNIX-like targets, it is possible to start the inferior using a
38047 shell program. This is the default behavior on both @value{GDBN} and
38048 @command{gdbserver} (@pxref{set startup-with-shell}). This packet is
38049 used to inform @command{gdbserver} whether it should start the
38050 inferior using a shell or not.
38052 If @var{value} is @samp{0}, @command{gdbserver} will not use a shell
38053 to start the inferior. If @var{value} is @samp{1},
38054 @command{gdbserver} will use a shell to start the inferior. All other
38055 values are considered an error.
38057 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended
38063 The request succeeded.
38066 An error occurred. The error number @var{nn} is given as hex digits.
38069 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
38070 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
38071 (@pxref{qSupported}). This should only be done on targets that
38072 actually support starting the inferior using a shell.
38074 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set startup-with-shell}
38075 command; @pxref{set startup-with-shell}.
38077 @item QEnvironmentHexEncoded:@var{hex-value}
38078 @anchor{QEnvironmentHexEncoded}
38079 @cindex set environment variable, remote request
38080 @cindex @samp{QEnvironmentHexEncoded} packet
38081 On UNIX-like targets, it is possible to set environment variables that
38082 will be passed to the inferior during the startup process. This
38083 packet is used to inform @command{gdbserver} of an environment
38084 variable that has been defined by the user on @value{GDBN} (@pxref{set
38087 The packet is composed by @var{hex-value}, an hex encoded
38088 representation of the @var{name=value} format representing an
38089 environment variable. The name of the environment variable is
38090 represented by @var{name}, and the value to be assigned to the
38091 environment variable is represented by @var{value}. If the variable
38092 has no value (i.e., the value is @code{null}), then @var{value} will
38095 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended
38101 The request succeeded.
38104 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
38105 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
38106 (@pxref{qSupported}). This should only be done on targets that
38107 actually support passing environment variables to the starting
38110 This packet is related to the @code{set environment} command;
38111 @pxref{set environment}.
38113 @item QEnvironmentUnset:@var{hex-value}
38114 @anchor{QEnvironmentUnset}
38115 @cindex unset environment variable, remote request
38116 @cindex @samp{QEnvironmentUnset} packet
38117 On UNIX-like targets, it is possible to unset environment variables
38118 before starting the inferior in the remote target. This packet is
38119 used to inform @command{gdbserver} of an environment variable that has
38120 been unset by the user on @value{GDBN} (@pxref{unset environment}).
38122 The packet is composed by @var{hex-value}, an hex encoded
38123 representation of the name of the environment variable to be unset.
38125 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended
38131 The request succeeded.
38134 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
38135 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
38136 (@pxref{qSupported}). This should only be done on targets that
38137 actually support passing environment variables to the starting
38140 This packet is related to the @code{unset environment} command;
38141 @pxref{unset environment}.
38143 @item QEnvironmentReset
38144 @anchor{QEnvironmentReset}
38145 @cindex reset environment, remote request
38146 @cindex @samp{QEnvironmentReset} packet
38147 On UNIX-like targets, this packet is used to reset the state of
38148 environment variables in the remote target before starting the
38149 inferior. In this context, reset means unsetting all environment
38150 variables that were previously set by the user (i.e., were not
38151 initially present in the environment). It is sent to
38152 @command{gdbserver} before the @samp{QEnvironmentHexEncoded}
38153 (@pxref{QEnvironmentHexEncoded}) and the @samp{QEnvironmentUnset}
38154 (@pxref{QEnvironmentUnset}) packets.
38156 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended
38162 The request succeeded.
38165 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
38166 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
38167 (@pxref{qSupported}). This should only be done on targets that
38168 actually support passing environment variables to the starting
38171 @item QSetWorkingDir:@r{[}@var{directory}@r{]}
38172 @anchor{QSetWorkingDir packet}
38173 @cindex set working directory, remote request
38174 @cindex @samp{QSetWorkingDir} packet
38175 This packet is used to inform the remote server of the intended
38176 current working directory for programs that are going to be executed.
38178 The packet is composed by @var{directory}, an hex encoded
38179 representation of the directory that the remote inferior will use as
38180 its current working directory. If @var{directory} is an empty string,
38181 the remote server should reset the inferior's current working
38182 directory to its original, empty value.
38184 This packet is only available in extended mode (@pxref{extended
38190 The request succeeded.
38194 @itemx qsThreadInfo
38195 @cindex list active threads, remote request
38196 @cindex @samp{qfThreadInfo} packet
38197 @cindex @samp{qsThreadInfo} packet
38198 Obtain a list of all active thread IDs from the target (OS). Since there
38199 may be too many active threads to fit into one reply packet, this query
38200 works iteratively: it may require more than one query/reply sequence to
38201 obtain the entire list of threads. The first query of the sequence will
38202 be the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query; subsequent queries in the
38203 sequence will be the @samp{qsThreadInfo} query.
38205 NOTE: This packet replaces the @samp{qL} query (see below).
38209 @item m @var{thread-id}
38211 @item m @var{thread-id},@var{thread-id}@dots{}
38212 a comma-separated list of thread IDs
38214 (lower case letter @samp{L}) denotes end of list.
38217 In response to each query, the target will reply with a list of one or
38218 more thread IDs, separated by commas.
38219 @value{GDBN} will respond to each reply with a request for more thread
38220 ids (using the @samp{qs} form of the query), until the target responds
38221 with @samp{l} (lower-case ell, for @dfn{last}).
38222 Refer to @ref{thread-id syntax}, for the format of the @var{thread-id}
38225 @emph{Note: @value{GDBN} will send the @code{qfThreadInfo} query during the
38226 initial connection with the remote target, and the very first thread ID
38227 mentioned in the reply will be stopped by @value{GDBN} in a subsequent
38228 message. Therefore, the stub should ensure that the first thread ID in
38229 the @code{qfThreadInfo} reply is suitable for being stopped by @value{GDBN}.}
38231 @item qGetTLSAddr:@var{thread-id},@var{offset},@var{lm}
38232 @cindex get thread-local storage address, remote request
38233 @cindex @samp{qGetTLSAddr} packet
38234 Fetch the address associated with thread local storage specified
38235 by @var{thread-id}, @var{offset}, and @var{lm}.
38237 @var{thread-id} is the thread ID associated with the
38238 thread for which to fetch the TLS address. @xref{thread-id syntax}.
38240 @var{offset} is the (big endian, hex encoded) offset associated with the
38241 thread local variable. (This offset is obtained from the debug
38242 information associated with the variable.)
38244 @var{lm} is the (big endian, hex encoded) OS/ABI-specific encoding of the
38245 load module associated with the thread local storage. For example,
38246 a @sc{gnu}/Linux system will pass the link map address of the shared
38247 object associated with the thread local storage under consideration.
38248 Other operating environments may choose to represent the load module
38249 differently, so the precise meaning of this parameter will vary.
38253 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
38254 Hex encoded (big endian) bytes representing the address of the thread
38255 local storage requested.
38258 An error occurred. The error number @var{nn} is given as hex digits.
38261 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qGetTLSAddr} is not supported by the stub.
38264 @item qGetTIBAddr:@var{thread-id}
38265 @cindex get thread information block address
38266 @cindex @samp{qGetTIBAddr} packet
38267 Fetch address of the Windows OS specific Thread Information Block.
38269 @var{thread-id} is the thread ID associated with the thread.
38273 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
38274 Hex encoded (big endian) bytes representing the linear address of the
38275 thread information block.
38278 An error occured. This means that either the thread was not found, or the
38279 address could not be retrieved.
38282 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qGetTIBAddr} is not supported by the stub.
38285 @item qL @var{startflag} @var{threadcount} @var{nextthread}
38286 Obtain thread information from RTOS. Where: @var{startflag} (one hex
38287 digit) is one to indicate the first query and zero to indicate a
38288 subsequent query; @var{threadcount} (two hex digits) is the maximum
38289 number of threads the response packet can contain; and @var{nextthread}
38290 (eight hex digits), for subsequent queries (@var{startflag} is zero), is
38291 returned in the response as @var{argthread}.
38293 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query instead (see above).
38297 @item qM @var{count} @var{done} @var{argthread} @var{thread}@dots{}
38298 Where: @var{count} (two hex digits) is the number of threads being
38299 returned; @var{done} (one hex digit) is zero to indicate more threads
38300 and one indicates no further threads; @var{argthreadid} (eight hex
38301 digits) is @var{nextthread} from the request packet; @var{thread}@dots{}
38302 is a sequence of thread IDs, @var{threadid} (eight hex
38303 digits), from the target. See @code{remote.c:parse_threadlist_response()}.
38307 @cindex section offsets, remote request
38308 @cindex @samp{qOffsets} packet
38309 Get section offsets that the target used when relocating the downloaded
38314 @item Text=@var{xxx};Data=@var{yyy}@r{[};Bss=@var{zzz}@r{]}
38315 Relocate the @code{Text} section by @var{xxx} from its original address.
38316 Relocate the @code{Data} section by @var{yyy} from its original address.
38317 If the object file format provides segment information (e.g.@: @sc{elf}
38318 @samp{PT_LOAD} program headers), @value{GDBN} will relocate entire
38319 segments by the supplied offsets.
38321 @emph{Note: while a @code{Bss} offset may be included in the response,
38322 @value{GDBN} ignores this and instead applies the @code{Data} offset
38323 to the @code{Bss} section.}
38325 @item TextSeg=@var{xxx}@r{[};DataSeg=@var{yyy}@r{]}
38326 Relocate the first segment of the object file, which conventionally
38327 contains program code, to a starting address of @var{xxx}. If
38328 @samp{DataSeg} is specified, relocate the second segment, which
38329 conventionally contains modifiable data, to a starting address of
38330 @var{yyy}. @value{GDBN} will report an error if the object file
38331 does not contain segment information, or does not contain at least
38332 as many segments as mentioned in the reply. Extra segments are
38333 kept at fixed offsets relative to the last relocated segment.
38336 @item qP @var{mode} @var{thread-id}
38337 @cindex thread information, remote request
38338 @cindex @samp{qP} packet
38339 Returns information on @var{thread-id}. Where: @var{mode} is a hex
38340 encoded 32 bit mode; @var{thread-id} is a thread ID
38341 (@pxref{thread-id syntax}).
38343 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{qThreadExtraInfo} query instead
38346 Reply: see @code{remote.c:remote_unpack_thread_info_response()}.
38350 @cindex non-stop mode, remote request
38351 @cindex @samp{QNonStop} packet
38353 Enter non-stop (@samp{QNonStop:1}) or all-stop (@samp{QNonStop:0}) mode.
38354 @xref{Remote Non-Stop}, for more information.
38359 The request succeeded.
38362 An error occurred. The error number @var{nn} is given as hex digits.
38365 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QNonStop} is not supported by
38369 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
38370 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
38371 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set non-stop} command;
38372 @pxref{Non-Stop Mode}.
38374 @item QCatchSyscalls:1 @r{[};@var{sysno}@r{]}@dots{}
38375 @itemx QCatchSyscalls:0
38376 @cindex catch syscalls from inferior, remote request
38377 @cindex @samp{QCatchSyscalls} packet
38378 @anchor{QCatchSyscalls}
38379 Enable (@samp{QCatchSyscalls:1}) or disable (@samp{QCatchSyscalls:0})
38380 catching syscalls from the inferior process.
38382 For @samp{QCatchSyscalls:1}, each listed syscall @var{sysno} (encoded
38383 in hex) should be reported to @value{GDBN}. If no syscall @var{sysno}
38384 is listed, every system call should be reported.
38386 Note that if a syscall not in the list is reported, @value{GDBN} will
38387 still filter the event according to its own list from all corresponding
38388 @code{catch syscall} commands. However, it is more efficient to only
38389 report the requested syscalls.
38391 Multiple @samp{QCatchSyscalls:1} packets do not combine; any earlier
38392 @samp{QCatchSyscalls:1} list is completely replaced by the new list.
38394 If the inferior process execs, the state of @samp{QCatchSyscalls} is
38395 kept for the new process too. On targets where exec may affect syscall
38396 numbers, for example with exec between 32 and 64-bit processes, the
38397 client should send a new packet with the new syscall list.
38402 The request succeeded.
38405 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
38408 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QCatchSyscalls} is not supported by
38412 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set remote catch-syscalls}
38413 command (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remote catch-syscalls}).
38414 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
38415 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
38417 @item QPassSignals: @var{signal} @r{[};@var{signal}@r{]}@dots{}
38418 @cindex pass signals to inferior, remote request
38419 @cindex @samp{QPassSignals} packet
38420 @anchor{QPassSignals}
38421 Each listed @var{signal} should be passed directly to the inferior process.
38422 Signals are numbered identically to continue packets and stop replies
38423 (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}). Each @var{signal} list item should be
38424 strictly greater than the previous item. These signals do not need to stop
38425 the inferior, or be reported to @value{GDBN}. All other signals should be
38426 reported to @value{GDBN}. Multiple @samp{QPassSignals} packets do not
38427 combine; any earlier @samp{QPassSignals} list is completely replaced by the
38428 new list. This packet improves performance when using @samp{handle
38429 @var{signal} nostop noprint pass}.
38434 The request succeeded.
38437 An error occurred. The error number @var{nn} is given as hex digits.
38440 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QPassSignals} is not supported by
38444 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set remote pass-signals}
38445 command (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remote pass-signals}).
38446 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
38447 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
38449 @item QProgramSignals: @var{signal} @r{[};@var{signal}@r{]}@dots{}
38450 @cindex signals the inferior may see, remote request
38451 @cindex @samp{QProgramSignals} packet
38452 @anchor{QProgramSignals}
38453 Each listed @var{signal} may be delivered to the inferior process.
38454 Others should be silently discarded.
38456 In some cases, the remote stub may need to decide whether to deliver a
38457 signal to the program or not without @value{GDBN} involvement. One
38458 example of that is while detaching --- the program's threads may have
38459 stopped for signals that haven't yet had a chance of being reported to
38460 @value{GDBN}, and so the remote stub can use the signal list specified
38461 by this packet to know whether to deliver or ignore those pending
38464 This does not influence whether to deliver a signal as requested by a
38465 resumption packet (@pxref{vCont packet}).
38467 Signals are numbered identically to continue packets and stop replies
38468 (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}). Each @var{signal} list item should be
38469 strictly greater than the previous item. Multiple
38470 @samp{QProgramSignals} packets do not combine; any earlier
38471 @samp{QProgramSignals} list is completely replaced by the new list.
38476 The request succeeded.
38479 An error occurred. The error number @var{nn} is given as hex digits.
38482 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QProgramSignals} is not supported
38486 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set remote program-signals}
38487 command (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remote program-signals}).
38488 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
38489 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
38491 @anchor{QThreadEvents}
38492 @item QThreadEvents:1
38493 @itemx QThreadEvents:0
38494 @cindex thread create/exit events, remote request
38495 @cindex @samp{QThreadEvents} packet
38497 Enable (@samp{QThreadEvents:1}) or disable (@samp{QThreadEvents:0})
38498 reporting of thread create and exit events. @xref{thread create
38499 event}, for the reply specifications. For example, this is used in
38500 non-stop mode when @value{GDBN} stops a set of threads and
38501 synchronously waits for the their corresponding stop replies. Without
38502 exit events, if one of the threads exits, @value{GDBN} would hang
38503 forever not knowing that it should no longer expect a stop for that
38504 same thread. @value{GDBN} does not enable this feature unless the
38505 stub reports that it supports it by including @samp{QThreadEvents+} in
38506 its @samp{qSupported} reply.
38511 The request succeeded.
38514 An error occurred. The error number @var{nn} is given as hex digits.
38517 An empty reply indicates that @samp{QThreadEvents} is not supported by
38521 Use of this packet is controlled by the @code{set remote thread-events}
38522 command (@pxref{Remote Configuration, set remote thread-events}).
38524 @item qRcmd,@var{command}
38525 @cindex execute remote command, remote request
38526 @cindex @samp{qRcmd} packet
38527 @var{command} (hex encoded) is passed to the local interpreter for
38528 execution. Invalid commands should be reported using the output
38529 string. Before the final result packet, the target may also respond
38530 with a number of intermediate @samp{O@var{output}} console output
38531 packets. @emph{Implementors should note that providing access to a
38532 stubs's interpreter may have security implications}.
38537 A command response with no output.
38539 A command response with the hex encoded output string @var{OUTPUT}.
38541 Indicate a badly formed request.
38543 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qRcmd} is not recognized.
38546 (Note that the @code{qRcmd} packet's name is separated from the
38547 command by a @samp{,}, not a @samp{:}, contrary to the naming
38548 conventions above. Please don't use this packet as a model for new
38551 @item qSearch:memory:@var{address};@var{length};@var{search-pattern}
38552 @cindex searching memory, in remote debugging
38554 @cindex @samp{qSearch:memory} packet
38556 @cindex @samp{qSearch memory} packet
38557 @anchor{qSearch memory}
38558 Search @var{length} bytes at @var{address} for @var{search-pattern}.
38559 Both @var{address} and @var{length} are encoded in hex;
38560 @var{search-pattern} is a sequence of bytes, also hex encoded.
38565 The pattern was not found.
38567 The pattern was found at @var{address}.
38569 A badly formed request or an error was encountered while searching memory.
38571 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qSearch:memory} is not recognized.
38574 @item QStartNoAckMode
38575 @cindex @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet
38576 @anchor{QStartNoAckMode}
38577 Request that the remote stub disable the normal @samp{+}/@samp{-}
38578 protocol acknowledgments (@pxref{Packet Acknowledgment}).
38583 The stub has switched to no-acknowledgment mode.
38584 @value{GDBN} acknowledges this reponse,
38585 but neither the stub nor @value{GDBN} shall send or expect further
38586 @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments in the current connection.
38588 An empty reply indicates that the stub does not support no-acknowledgment mode.
38591 @item qSupported @r{[}:@var{gdbfeature} @r{[};@var{gdbfeature}@r{]}@dots{} @r{]}
38592 @cindex supported packets, remote query
38593 @cindex features of the remote protocol
38594 @cindex @samp{qSupported} packet
38595 @anchor{qSupported}
38596 Tell the remote stub about features supported by @value{GDBN}, and
38597 query the stub for features it supports. This packet allows
38598 @value{GDBN} and the remote stub to take advantage of each others'
38599 features. @samp{qSupported} also consolidates multiple feature probes
38600 at startup, to improve @value{GDBN} performance---a single larger
38601 packet performs better than multiple smaller probe packets on
38602 high-latency links. Some features may enable behavior which must not
38603 be on by default, e.g.@: because it would confuse older clients or
38604 stubs. Other features may describe packets which could be
38605 automatically probed for, but are not. These features must be
38606 reported before @value{GDBN} will use them. This ``default
38607 unsupported'' behavior is not appropriate for all packets, but it
38608 helps to keep the initial connection time under control with new
38609 versions of @value{GDBN} which support increasing numbers of packets.
38613 @item @var{stubfeature} @r{[};@var{stubfeature}@r{]}@dots{}
38614 The stub supports or does not support each returned @var{stubfeature},
38615 depending on the form of each @var{stubfeature} (see below for the
38618 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qSupported} is not recognized,
38619 or that no features needed to be reported to @value{GDBN}.
38622 The allowed forms for each feature (either a @var{gdbfeature} in the
38623 @samp{qSupported} packet, or a @var{stubfeature} in the response)
38627 @item @var{name}=@var{value}
38628 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is supported, and associated
38629 with the specified @var{value}. The format of @var{value} depends
38630 on the feature, but it must not include a semicolon.
38632 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is supported, and does not
38633 need an associated value.
38635 The remote protocol feature @var{name} is not supported.
38637 The remote protocol feature @var{name} may be supported, and
38638 @value{GDBN} should auto-detect support in some other way when it is
38639 needed. This form will not be used for @var{gdbfeature} notifications,
38640 but may be used for @var{stubfeature} responses.
38643 Whenever the stub receives a @samp{qSupported} request, the
38644 supplied set of @value{GDBN} features should override any previous
38645 request. This allows @value{GDBN} to put the stub in a known
38646 state, even if the stub had previously been communicating with
38647 a different version of @value{GDBN}.
38649 The following values of @var{gdbfeature} (for the packet sent by @value{GDBN})
38654 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports multiprocess
38655 extensions to the remote protocol. @value{GDBN} does not use such
38656 extensions unless the stub also reports that it supports them by
38657 including @samp{multiprocess+} in its @samp{qSupported} reply.
38658 @xref{multiprocess extensions}, for details.
38661 This feature indicates that @value{GDBN} supports the XML target
38662 description. If the stub sees @samp{xmlRegisters=} with target
38663 specific strings separated by a comma, it will report register
38667 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports the
38668 @samp{qRelocInsn} packet (@pxref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate
38669 instruction reply packet}).
38672 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports the swbreak stop
38673 reason in stop replies. @xref{swbreak stop reason}, for details.
38676 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports the hwbreak stop
38677 reason in stop replies. @xref{swbreak stop reason}, for details.
38680 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports fork event
38681 extensions to the remote protocol. @value{GDBN} does not use such
38682 extensions unless the stub also reports that it supports them by
38683 including @samp{fork-events+} in its @samp{qSupported} reply.
38686 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports vfork event
38687 extensions to the remote protocol. @value{GDBN} does not use such
38688 extensions unless the stub also reports that it supports them by
38689 including @samp{vfork-events+} in its @samp{qSupported} reply.
38692 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} supports exec event
38693 extensions to the remote protocol. @value{GDBN} does not use such
38694 extensions unless the stub also reports that it supports them by
38695 including @samp{exec-events+} in its @samp{qSupported} reply.
38697 @item vContSupported
38698 This feature indicates whether @value{GDBN} wants to know the
38699 supported actions in the reply to @samp{vCont?} packet.
38702 Stubs should ignore any unknown values for
38703 @var{gdbfeature}. Any @value{GDBN} which sends a @samp{qSupported}
38704 packet supports receiving packets of unlimited length (earlier
38705 versions of @value{GDBN} may reject overly long responses). Additional values
38706 for @var{gdbfeature} may be defined in the future to let the stub take
38707 advantage of new features in @value{GDBN}, e.g.@: incompatible
38708 improvements in the remote protocol---the @samp{multiprocess} feature is
38709 an example of such a feature. The stub's reply should be independent
38710 of the @var{gdbfeature} entries sent by @value{GDBN}; first @value{GDBN}
38711 describes all the features it supports, and then the stub replies with
38712 all the features it supports.
38714 Similarly, @value{GDBN} will silently ignore unrecognized stub feature
38715 responses, as long as each response uses one of the standard forms.
38717 Some features are flags. A stub which supports a flag feature
38718 should respond with a @samp{+} form response. Other features
38719 require values, and the stub should respond with an @samp{=}
38722 Each feature has a default value, which @value{GDBN} will use if
38723 @samp{qSupported} is not available or if the feature is not mentioned
38724 in the @samp{qSupported} response. The default values are fixed; a
38725 stub is free to omit any feature responses that match the defaults.
38727 Not all features can be probed, but for those which can, the probing
38728 mechanism is useful: in some cases, a stub's internal
38729 architecture may not allow the protocol layer to know some information
38730 about the underlying target in advance. This is especially common in
38731 stubs which may be configured for multiple targets.
38733 These are the currently defined stub features and their properties:
38735 @multitable @columnfractions 0.35 0.2 0.12 0.2
38736 @c NOTE: The first row should be @headitem, but we do not yet require
38737 @c a new enough version of Texinfo (4.7) to use @headitem.
38739 @tab Value Required
38743 @item @samp{PacketSize}
38748 @item @samp{qXfer:auxv:read}
38753 @item @samp{qXfer:btrace:read}
38758 @item @samp{qXfer:btrace-conf:read}
38763 @item @samp{qXfer:exec-file:read}
38768 @item @samp{qXfer:features:read}
38773 @item @samp{qXfer:libraries:read}
38778 @item @samp{qXfer:libraries-svr4:read}
38783 @item @samp{augmented-libraries-svr4-read}
38788 @item @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read}
38793 @item @samp{qXfer:sdata:read}
38798 @item @samp{qXfer:spu:read}
38803 @item @samp{qXfer:spu:write}
38808 @item @samp{qXfer:siginfo:read}
38813 @item @samp{qXfer:siginfo:write}
38818 @item @samp{qXfer:threads:read}
38823 @item @samp{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
38828 @item @samp{qXfer:uib:read}
38833 @item @samp{qXfer:fdpic:read}
38838 @item @samp{Qbtrace:off}
38843 @item @samp{Qbtrace:bts}
38848 @item @samp{Qbtrace:pt}
38853 @item @samp{Qbtrace-conf:bts:size}
38858 @item @samp{Qbtrace-conf:pt:size}
38863 @item @samp{QNonStop}
38868 @item @samp{QCatchSyscalls}
38873 @item @samp{QPassSignals}
38878 @item @samp{QStartNoAckMode}
38883 @item @samp{multiprocess}
38888 @item @samp{ConditionalBreakpoints}
38893 @item @samp{ConditionalTracepoints}
38898 @item @samp{ReverseContinue}
38903 @item @samp{ReverseStep}
38908 @item @samp{TracepointSource}
38913 @item @samp{QAgent}
38918 @item @samp{QAllow}
38923 @item @samp{QDisableRandomization}
38928 @item @samp{EnableDisableTracepoints}
38933 @item @samp{QTBuffer:size}
38938 @item @samp{tracenz}
38943 @item @samp{BreakpointCommands}
38948 @item @samp{swbreak}
38953 @item @samp{hwbreak}
38958 @item @samp{fork-events}
38963 @item @samp{vfork-events}
38968 @item @samp{exec-events}
38973 @item @samp{QThreadEvents}
38978 @item @samp{no-resumed}
38985 These are the currently defined stub features, in more detail:
38988 @cindex packet size, remote protocol
38989 @item PacketSize=@var{bytes}
38990 The remote stub can accept packets up to at least @var{bytes} in
38991 length. @value{GDBN} will send packets up to this size for bulk
38992 transfers, and will never send larger packets. This is a limit on the
38993 data characters in the packet, including the frame and checksum.
38994 There is no trailing NUL byte in a remote protocol packet; if the stub
38995 stores packets in a NUL-terminated format, it should allow an extra
38996 byte in its buffer for the NUL. If this stub feature is not supported,
38997 @value{GDBN} guesses based on the size of the @samp{g} packet response.
38999 @item qXfer:auxv:read
39000 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:auxv:read} packet
39001 (@pxref{qXfer auxiliary vector read}).
39003 @item qXfer:btrace:read
39004 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:btrace:read}
39005 packet (@pxref{qXfer btrace read}).
39007 @item qXfer:btrace-conf:read
39008 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:btrace-conf:read}
39009 packet (@pxref{qXfer btrace-conf read}).
39011 @item qXfer:exec-file:read
39012 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:exec-file:read} packet
39013 (@pxref{qXfer executable filename read}).
39015 @item qXfer:features:read
39016 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:features:read} packet
39017 (@pxref{qXfer target description read}).
39019 @item qXfer:libraries:read
39020 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} packet
39021 (@pxref{qXfer library list read}).
39023 @item qXfer:libraries-svr4:read
39024 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:libraries-svr4:read} packet
39025 (@pxref{qXfer svr4 library list read}).
39027 @item augmented-libraries-svr4-read
39028 The remote stub understands the augmented form of the
39029 @samp{qXfer:libraries-svr4:read} packet
39030 (@pxref{qXfer svr4 library list read}).
39032 @item qXfer:memory-map:read
39033 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read} packet
39034 (@pxref{qXfer memory map read}).
39036 @item qXfer:sdata:read
39037 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:sdata:read} packet
39038 (@pxref{qXfer sdata read}).
39040 @item qXfer:spu:read
39041 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:spu:read} packet
39042 (@pxref{qXfer spu read}).
39044 @item qXfer:spu:write
39045 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:spu:write} packet
39046 (@pxref{qXfer spu write}).
39048 @item qXfer:siginfo:read
39049 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:siginfo:read} packet
39050 (@pxref{qXfer siginfo read}).
39052 @item qXfer:siginfo:write
39053 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:siginfo:write} packet
39054 (@pxref{qXfer siginfo write}).
39056 @item qXfer:threads:read
39057 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:threads:read} packet
39058 (@pxref{qXfer threads read}).
39060 @item qXfer:traceframe-info:read
39061 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
39062 packet (@pxref{qXfer traceframe info read}).
39064 @item qXfer:uib:read
39065 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:uib:read}
39066 packet (@pxref{qXfer unwind info block}).
39068 @item qXfer:fdpic:read
39069 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:fdpic:read}
39070 packet (@pxref{qXfer fdpic loadmap read}).
39073 The remote stub understands the @samp{QNonStop} packet
39074 (@pxref{QNonStop}).
39076 @item QCatchSyscalls
39077 The remote stub understands the @samp{QCatchSyscalls} packet
39078 (@pxref{QCatchSyscalls}).
39081 The remote stub understands the @samp{QPassSignals} packet
39082 (@pxref{QPassSignals}).
39084 @item QStartNoAckMode
39085 The remote stub understands the @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet and
39086 prefers to operate in no-acknowledgment mode. @xref{Packet Acknowledgment}.
39089 @anchor{multiprocess extensions}
39090 @cindex multiprocess extensions, in remote protocol
39091 The remote stub understands the multiprocess extensions to the remote
39092 protocol syntax. The multiprocess extensions affect the syntax of
39093 thread IDs in both packets and replies (@pxref{thread-id syntax}), and
39094 add process IDs to the @samp{D} packet and @samp{W} and @samp{X}
39095 replies. Note that reporting this feature indicates support for the
39096 syntactic extensions only, not that the stub necessarily supports
39097 debugging of more than one process at a time. The stub must not use
39098 multiprocess extensions in packet replies unless @value{GDBN} has also
39099 indicated it supports them in its @samp{qSupported} request.
39101 @item qXfer:osdata:read
39102 The remote stub understands the @samp{qXfer:osdata:read} packet
39103 ((@pxref{qXfer osdata read}).
39105 @item ConditionalBreakpoints
39106 The target accepts and implements evaluation of conditional expressions
39107 defined for breakpoints. The target will only report breakpoint triggers
39108 when such conditions are true (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break Conditions}).
39110 @item ConditionalTracepoints
39111 The remote stub accepts and implements conditional expressions defined
39112 for tracepoints (@pxref{Tracepoint Conditions}).
39114 @item ReverseContinue
39115 The remote stub accepts and implements the reverse continue packet
39119 The remote stub accepts and implements the reverse step packet
39122 @item TracepointSource
39123 The remote stub understands the @samp{QTDPsrc} packet that supplies
39124 the source form of tracepoint definitions.
39127 The remote stub understands the @samp{QAgent} packet.
39130 The remote stub understands the @samp{QAllow} packet.
39132 @item QDisableRandomization
39133 The remote stub understands the @samp{QDisableRandomization} packet.
39135 @item StaticTracepoint
39136 @cindex static tracepoints, in remote protocol
39137 The remote stub supports static tracepoints.
39139 @item InstallInTrace
39140 @anchor{install tracepoint in tracing}
39141 The remote stub supports installing tracepoint in tracing.
39143 @item EnableDisableTracepoints
39144 The remote stub supports the @samp{QTEnable} (@pxref{QTEnable}) and
39145 @samp{QTDisable} (@pxref{QTDisable}) packets that allow tracepoints
39146 to be enabled and disabled while a trace experiment is running.
39148 @item QTBuffer:size
39149 The remote stub supports the @samp{QTBuffer:size} (@pxref{QTBuffer-size})
39150 packet that allows to change the size of the trace buffer.
39153 @cindex string tracing, in remote protocol
39154 The remote stub supports the @samp{tracenz} bytecode for collecting strings.
39155 See @ref{Bytecode Descriptions} for details about the bytecode.
39157 @item BreakpointCommands
39158 @cindex breakpoint commands, in remote protocol
39159 The remote stub supports running a breakpoint's command list itself,
39160 rather than reporting the hit to @value{GDBN}.
39163 The remote stub understands the @samp{Qbtrace:off} packet.
39166 The remote stub understands the @samp{Qbtrace:bts} packet.
39169 The remote stub understands the @samp{Qbtrace:pt} packet.
39171 @item Qbtrace-conf:bts:size
39172 The remote stub understands the @samp{Qbtrace-conf:bts:size} packet.
39174 @item Qbtrace-conf:pt:size
39175 The remote stub understands the @samp{Qbtrace-conf:pt:size} packet.
39178 The remote stub reports the @samp{swbreak} stop reason for memory
39182 The remote stub reports the @samp{hwbreak} stop reason for hardware
39186 The remote stub reports the @samp{fork} stop reason for fork events.
39189 The remote stub reports the @samp{vfork} stop reason for vfork events
39190 and vforkdone events.
39193 The remote stub reports the @samp{exec} stop reason for exec events.
39195 @item vContSupported
39196 The remote stub reports the supported actions in the reply to
39197 @samp{vCont?} packet.
39199 @item QThreadEvents
39200 The remote stub understands the @samp{QThreadEvents} packet.
39203 The remote stub reports the @samp{N} stop reply.
39208 @cindex symbol lookup, remote request
39209 @cindex @samp{qSymbol} packet
39210 Notify the target that @value{GDBN} is prepared to serve symbol lookup
39211 requests. Accept requests from the target for the values of symbols.
39216 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
39217 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
39218 The target requests the value of symbol @var{sym_name} (hex encoded).
39219 @value{GDBN} may provide the value by using the
39220 @samp{qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}} message, described
39224 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}
39225 Set the value of @var{sym_name} to @var{sym_value}.
39227 @var{sym_name} (hex encoded) is the name of a symbol whose value the
39228 target has previously requested.
39230 @var{sym_value} (hex) is the value for symbol @var{sym_name}. If
39231 @value{GDBN} cannot supply a value for @var{sym_name}, then this field
39237 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
39238 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
39239 The target requests the value of a new symbol @var{sym_name} (hex
39240 encoded). @value{GDBN} will continue to supply the values of symbols
39241 (if available), until the target ceases to request them.
39246 @itemx QTDisconnected
39253 @itemx qTMinFTPILen
39255 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
39257 @item qThreadExtraInfo,@var{thread-id}
39258 @cindex thread attributes info, remote request
39259 @cindex @samp{qThreadExtraInfo} packet
39260 Obtain from the target OS a printable string description of thread
39261 attributes for the thread @var{thread-id}; see @ref{thread-id syntax},
39262 for the forms of @var{thread-id}. This
39263 string may contain anything that the target OS thinks is interesting
39264 for @value{GDBN} to tell the user about the thread. The string is
39265 displayed in @value{GDBN}'s @code{info threads} display. Some
39266 examples of possible thread extra info strings are @samp{Runnable}, or
39267 @samp{Blocked on Mutex}.
39271 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
39272 Where @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is a hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data,
39273 comprising the printable string containing the extra information about
39274 the thread's attributes.
39277 (Note that the @code{qThreadExtraInfo} packet's name is separated from
39278 the command by a @samp{,}, not a @samp{:}, contrary to the naming
39279 conventions above. Please don't use this packet as a model for new
39298 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
39300 @item qXfer:@var{object}:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
39301 @cindex read special object, remote request
39302 @cindex @samp{qXfer} packet
39303 @anchor{qXfer read}
39304 Read uninterpreted bytes from the target's special data area
39305 identified by the keyword @var{object}. Request @var{length} bytes
39306 starting at @var{offset} bytes into the data. The content and
39307 encoding of @var{annex} is specific to @var{object}; it can supply
39308 additional details about what data to access.
39313 Data @var{data} (@pxref{Binary Data}) has been read from the
39314 target. There may be more data at a higher address (although
39315 it is permitted to return @samp{m} even for the last valid
39316 block of data, as long as at least one byte of data was read).
39317 It is possible for @var{data} to have fewer bytes than the @var{length} in the
39321 Data @var{data} (@pxref{Binary Data}) has been read from the target.
39322 There is no more data to be read. It is possible for @var{data} to
39323 have fewer bytes than the @var{length} in the request.
39326 The @var{offset} in the request is at the end of the data.
39327 There is no more data to be read.
39330 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
39333 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered reading the data.
39334 The @var{nn} part is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
39337 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} string was not recognized by
39338 the stub, or that the object does not support reading.
39341 Here are the specific requests of this form defined so far. All the
39342 @samp{qXfer:@var{object}:read:@dots{}} requests use the same reply
39343 formats, listed above.
39346 @item qXfer:auxv:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
39347 @anchor{qXfer auxiliary vector read}
39348 Access the target's @dfn{auxiliary vector}. @xref{OS Information,
39349 auxiliary vector}. Note @var{annex} must be empty.
39351 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39352 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39354 @item qXfer:btrace:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
39355 @anchor{qXfer btrace read}
39357 Return a description of the current branch trace.
39358 @xref{Branch Trace Format}. The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer}
39359 packet may have one of the following values:
39363 Returns all available branch trace.
39366 Returns all available branch trace if the branch trace changed since
39367 the last read request.
39370 Returns the new branch trace since the last read request. Adds a new
39371 block to the end of the trace that begins at zero and ends at the source
39372 location of the first branch in the trace buffer. This extra block is
39373 used to stitch traces together.
39375 If the trace buffer overflowed, returns an error indicating the overflow.
39378 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it
39379 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39381 @item qXfer:btrace-conf:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
39382 @anchor{qXfer btrace-conf read}
39384 Return a description of the current branch trace configuration.
39385 @xref{Branch Trace Configuration Format}.
39387 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it
39388 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39390 @item qXfer:exec-file:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
39391 @anchor{qXfer executable filename read}
39392 Return the full absolute name of the file that was executed to create
39393 a process running on the remote system. The annex specifies the
39394 numeric process ID of the process to query, encoded as a hexadecimal
39395 number. If the annex part is empty the remote stub should return the
39396 filename corresponding to the currently executing process.
39398 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39399 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39401 @item qXfer:features:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
39402 @anchor{qXfer target description read}
39403 Access the @dfn{target description}. @xref{Target Descriptions}. The
39404 annex specifies which XML document to access. The main description is
39405 always loaded from the @samp{target.xml} annex.
39407 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39408 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39410 @item qXfer:libraries:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
39411 @anchor{qXfer library list read}
39412 Access the target's list of loaded libraries. @xref{Library List Format}.
39413 The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
39414 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
39416 Targets which maintain a list of libraries in the program's memory do
39417 not need to implement this packet; it is designed for platforms where
39418 the operating system manages the list of loaded libraries.
39420 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39421 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39423 @item qXfer:libraries-svr4:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
39424 @anchor{qXfer svr4 library list read}
39425 Access the target's list of loaded libraries when the target is an SVR4
39426 platform. @xref{Library List Format for SVR4 Targets}. The annex part
39427 of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty unless the remote
39428 stub indicated it supports the augmented form of this packet
39429 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
39430 (@pxref{qXfer read}, @ref{qSupported}).
39432 This packet is optional for better performance on SVR4 targets.
39433 @value{GDBN} uses memory read packets to read the SVR4 library list otherwise.
39435 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39436 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39438 If the remote stub indicates it supports the augmented form of this
39439 packet then the annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet may
39440 contain a semicolon-separated list of @samp{@var{name}=@var{value}}
39441 arguments. The currently supported arguments are:
39444 @item start=@var{address}
39445 A hexadecimal number specifying the address of the @samp{struct
39446 link_map} to start reading the library list from. If unset or zero
39447 then the first @samp{struct link_map} in the library list will be
39448 chosen as the starting point.
39450 @item prev=@var{address}
39451 A hexadecimal number specifying the address of the @samp{struct
39452 link_map} immediately preceding the @samp{struct link_map}
39453 specified by the @samp{start} argument. If unset or zero then
39454 the remote stub will expect that no @samp{struct link_map}
39455 exists prior to the starting point.
39459 Arguments that are not understood by the remote stub will be silently
39462 @item qXfer:memory-map:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
39463 @anchor{qXfer memory map read}
39464 Access the target's @dfn{memory-map}. @xref{Memory Map Format}. The
39465 annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
39466 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
39468 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39469 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39471 @item qXfer:sdata:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
39472 @anchor{qXfer sdata read}
39474 Read contents of the extra collected static tracepoint marker
39475 information. The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must
39476 be empty (@pxref{qXfer read}). @xref{Tracepoint Actions,,Tracepoint
39479 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39480 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
39481 (@pxref{qSupported}).
39483 @item qXfer:siginfo:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
39484 @anchor{qXfer siginfo read}
39485 Read contents of the extra signal information on the target
39486 system. The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be
39487 empty (@pxref{qXfer read}).
39489 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39490 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
39491 (@pxref{qSupported}).
39493 @item qXfer:spu:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
39494 @anchor{qXfer spu read}
39495 Read contents of an @code{spufs} file on the target system. The
39496 annex specifies which file to read; it must be of the form
39497 @file{@var{id}/@var{name}}, where @var{id} specifies an SPU context ID
39498 in the target process, and @var{name} identifes the @code{spufs} file
39499 in that context to be accessed.
39501 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39502 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
39503 (@pxref{qSupported}).
39505 @item qXfer:threads:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
39506 @anchor{qXfer threads read}
39507 Access the list of threads on target. @xref{Thread List Format}. The
39508 annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty
39509 (@pxref{qXfer read}).
39511 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39512 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39514 @item qXfer:traceframe-info:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
39515 @anchor{qXfer traceframe info read}
39517 Return a description of the current traceframe's contents.
39518 @xref{Traceframe Info Format}. The annex part of the generic
39519 @samp{qXfer} packet must be empty (@pxref{qXfer read}).
39521 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39522 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39524 @item qXfer:uib:read:@var{pc}:@var{offset},@var{length}
39525 @anchor{qXfer unwind info block}
39527 Return the unwind information block for @var{pc}. This packet is used
39528 on OpenVMS/ia64 to ask the kernel unwind information.
39530 This packet is not probed by default.
39532 @item qXfer:fdpic:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
39533 @anchor{qXfer fdpic loadmap read}
39534 Read contents of @code{loadmap}s on the target system. The
39535 annex, either @samp{exec} or @samp{interp}, specifies which @code{loadmap},
39536 executable @code{loadmap} or interpreter @code{loadmap} to read.
39538 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39539 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39541 @item qXfer:osdata:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
39542 @anchor{qXfer osdata read}
39543 Access the target's @dfn{operating system information}.
39544 @xref{Operating System Information}.
39548 @item qXfer:@var{object}:write:@var{annex}:@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
39549 @cindex write data into object, remote request
39550 @anchor{qXfer write}
39551 Write uninterpreted bytes into the target's special data area
39552 identified by the keyword @var{object}, starting at @var{offset} bytes
39553 into the data. The binary-encoded data (@pxref{Binary Data}) to be
39554 written is given by @var{data}@dots{}. The content and encoding of @var{annex}
39555 is specific to @var{object}; it can supply additional details about what data
39561 @var{nn} (hex encoded) is the number of bytes written.
39562 This may be fewer bytes than supplied in the request.
39565 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
39568 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered writing the data.
39569 The @var{nn} part is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
39572 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} string was not
39573 recognized by the stub, or that the object does not support writing.
39576 Here are the specific requests of this form defined so far. All the
39577 @samp{qXfer:@var{object}:write:@dots{}} requests use the same reply
39578 formats, listed above.
39581 @item qXfer:siginfo:write::@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
39582 @anchor{qXfer siginfo write}
39583 Write @var{data} to the extra signal information on the target system.
39584 The annex part of the generic @samp{qXfer} packet must be
39585 empty (@pxref{qXfer write}).
39587 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39588 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response
39589 (@pxref{qSupported}).
39591 @item qXfer:spu:write:@var{annex}:@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
39592 @anchor{qXfer spu write}
39593 Write @var{data} to an @code{spufs} file on the target system. The
39594 annex specifies which file to write; it must be of the form
39595 @file{@var{id}/@var{name}}, where @var{id} specifies an SPU context ID
39596 in the target process, and @var{name} identifes the @code{spufs} file
39597 in that context to be accessed.
39599 This packet is not probed by default; the remote stub must request it,
39600 by supplying an appropriate @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
39603 @item qXfer:@var{object}:@var{operation}:@dots{}
39604 Requests of this form may be added in the future. When a stub does
39605 not recognize the @var{object} keyword, or its support for
39606 @var{object} does not recognize the @var{operation} keyword, the stub
39607 must respond with an empty packet.
39609 @item qAttached:@var{pid}
39610 @cindex query attached, remote request
39611 @cindex @samp{qAttached} packet
39612 Return an indication of whether the remote server attached to an
39613 existing process or created a new process. When the multiprocess
39614 protocol extensions are supported (@pxref{multiprocess extensions}),
39615 @var{pid} is an integer in hexadecimal format identifying the target
39616 process. Otherwise, @value{GDBN} will omit the @var{pid} field and
39617 the query packet will be simplified as @samp{qAttached}.
39619 This query is used, for example, to know whether the remote process
39620 should be detached or killed when a @value{GDBN} session is ended with
39621 the @code{quit} command.
39626 The remote server attached to an existing process.
39628 The remote server created a new process.
39630 A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
39634 Enable branch tracing for the current thread using Branch Trace Store.
39639 Branch tracing has been enabled.
39641 A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
39645 Enable branch tracing for the current thread using Intel Processor Trace.
39650 Branch tracing has been enabled.
39652 A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
39656 Disable branch tracing for the current thread.
39661 Branch tracing has been disabled.
39663 A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
39666 @item Qbtrace-conf:bts:size=@var{value}
39667 Set the requested ring buffer size for new threads that use the
39668 btrace recording method in bts format.
39673 The ring buffer size has been set.
39675 A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
39678 @item Qbtrace-conf:pt:size=@var{value}
39679 Set the requested ring buffer size for new threads that use the
39680 btrace recording method in pt format.
39685 The ring buffer size has been set.
39687 A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
39692 @node Architecture-Specific Protocol Details
39693 @section Architecture-Specific Protocol Details
39695 This section describes how the remote protocol is applied to specific
39696 target architectures. Also see @ref{Standard Target Features}, for
39697 details of XML target descriptions for each architecture.
39700 * ARM-Specific Protocol Details::
39701 * MIPS-Specific Protocol Details::
39704 @node ARM-Specific Protocol Details
39705 @subsection @acronym{ARM}-specific Protocol Details
39708 * ARM Breakpoint Kinds::
39711 @node ARM Breakpoint Kinds
39712 @subsubsection @acronym{ARM} Breakpoint Kinds
39713 @cindex breakpoint kinds, @acronym{ARM}
39715 These breakpoint kinds are defined for the @samp{Z0} and @samp{Z1} packets.
39720 16-bit Thumb mode breakpoint.
39723 32-bit Thumb mode (Thumb-2) breakpoint.
39726 32-bit @acronym{ARM} mode breakpoint.
39730 @node MIPS-Specific Protocol Details
39731 @subsection @acronym{MIPS}-specific Protocol Details
39734 * MIPS Register packet Format::
39735 * MIPS Breakpoint Kinds::
39738 @node MIPS Register packet Format
39739 @subsubsection @acronym{MIPS} Register Packet Format
39740 @cindex register packet format, @acronym{MIPS}
39742 The following @code{g}/@code{G} packets have previously been defined.
39743 In the below, some thirty-two bit registers are transferred as
39744 sixty-four bits. Those registers should be zero/sign extended (which?)
39745 to fill the space allocated. Register bytes are transferred in target
39746 byte order. The two nibbles within a register byte are transferred
39747 most-significant -- least-significant.
39752 All registers are transferred as thirty-two bit quantities in the order:
39753 32 general-purpose; sr; lo; hi; bad; cause; pc; 32 floating-point
39754 registers; fsr; fir; fp.
39757 All registers are transferred as sixty-four bit quantities (including
39758 thirty-two bit registers such as @code{sr}). The ordering is the same
39763 @node MIPS Breakpoint Kinds
39764 @subsubsection @acronym{MIPS} Breakpoint Kinds
39765 @cindex breakpoint kinds, @acronym{MIPS}
39767 These breakpoint kinds are defined for the @samp{Z0} and @samp{Z1} packets.
39772 16-bit @acronym{MIPS16} mode breakpoint.
39775 16-bit @acronym{microMIPS} mode breakpoint.
39778 32-bit standard @acronym{MIPS} mode breakpoint.
39781 32-bit @acronym{microMIPS} mode breakpoint.
39785 @node Tracepoint Packets
39786 @section Tracepoint Packets
39787 @cindex tracepoint packets
39788 @cindex packets, tracepoint
39790 Here we describe the packets @value{GDBN} uses to implement
39791 tracepoints (@pxref{Tracepoints}).
39795 @item QTDP:@var{n}:@var{addr}:@var{ena}:@var{step}:@var{pass}[:F@var{flen}][:X@var{len},@var{bytes}]@r{[}-@r{]}
39796 @cindex @samp{QTDP} packet
39797 Create a new tracepoint, number @var{n}, at @var{addr}. If @var{ena}
39798 is @samp{E}, then the tracepoint is enabled; if it is @samp{D}, then
39799 the tracepoint is disabled. The @var{step} gives the tracepoint's step
39800 count, and @var{pass} gives its pass count. If an @samp{F} is present,
39801 then the tracepoint is to be a fast tracepoint, and the @var{flen} is
39802 the number of bytes that the target should copy elsewhere to make room
39803 for the tracepoint. If an @samp{X} is present, it introduces a
39804 tracepoint condition, which consists of a hexadecimal length, followed
39805 by a comma and hex-encoded bytes, in a manner similar to action
39806 encodings as described below. If the trailing @samp{-} is present,
39807 further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow to specify this tracepoint's
39813 The packet was understood and carried out.
39815 @xref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate instruction reply packet}.
39817 The packet was not recognized.
39820 @item QTDP:-@var{n}:@var{addr}:@r{[}S@r{]}@var{action}@dots{}@r{[}-@r{]}
39821 Define actions to be taken when a tracepoint is hit. The @var{n} and
39822 @var{addr} must be the same as in the initial @samp{QTDP} packet for
39823 this tracepoint. This packet may only be sent immediately after
39824 another @samp{QTDP} packet that ended with a @samp{-}. If the
39825 trailing @samp{-} is present, further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow,
39826 specifying more actions for this tracepoint.
39828 In the series of action packets for a given tracepoint, at most one
39829 can have an @samp{S} before its first @var{action}. If such a packet
39830 is sent, it and the following packets define ``while-stepping''
39831 actions. Any prior packets define ordinary actions --- that is, those
39832 taken when the tracepoint is first hit. If no action packet has an
39833 @samp{S}, then all the packets in the series specify ordinary
39834 tracepoint actions.
39836 The @samp{@var{action}@dots{}} portion of the packet is a series of
39837 actions, concatenated without separators. Each action has one of the
39843 Collect the registers whose bits are set in @var{mask},
39844 a hexadecimal number whose @var{i}'th bit is set if register number
39845 @var{i} should be collected. (The least significant bit is numbered
39846 zero.) Note that @var{mask} may be any number of digits long; it may
39847 not fit in a 32-bit word.
39849 @item M @var{basereg},@var{offset},@var{len}
39850 Collect @var{len} bytes of memory starting at the address in register
39851 number @var{basereg}, plus @var{offset}. If @var{basereg} is
39852 @samp{-1}, then the range has a fixed address: @var{offset} is the
39853 address of the lowest byte to collect. The @var{basereg},
39854 @var{offset}, and @var{len} parameters are all unsigned hexadecimal
39855 values (the @samp{-1} value for @var{basereg} is a special case).
39857 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
39858 Evaluate @var{expr}, whose length is @var{len}, and collect memory as
39859 it directs. The agent expression @var{expr} is as described in
39860 @ref{Agent Expressions}. Each byte of the expression is encoded as a
39861 two-digit hex number in the packet; @var{len} is the number of bytes
39862 in the expression (and thus one-half the number of hex digits in the
39867 Any number of actions may be packed together in a single @samp{QTDP}
39868 packet, as long as the packet does not exceed the maximum packet
39869 length (400 bytes, for many stubs). There may be only one @samp{R}
39870 action per tracepoint, and it must precede any @samp{M} or @samp{X}
39871 actions. Any registers referred to by @samp{M} and @samp{X} actions
39872 must be collected by a preceding @samp{R} action. (The
39873 ``while-stepping'' actions are treated as if they were attached to a
39874 separate tracepoint, as far as these restrictions are concerned.)
39879 The packet was understood and carried out.
39881 @xref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate instruction reply packet}.
39883 The packet was not recognized.
39886 @item QTDPsrc:@var{n}:@var{addr}:@var{type}:@var{start}:@var{slen}:@var{bytes}
39887 @cindex @samp{QTDPsrc} packet
39888 Specify a source string of tracepoint @var{n} at address @var{addr}.
39889 This is useful to get accurate reproduction of the tracepoints
39890 originally downloaded at the beginning of the trace run. The @var{type}
39891 is the name of the tracepoint part, such as @samp{cond} for the
39892 tracepoint's conditional expression (see below for a list of types), while
39893 @var{bytes} is the string, encoded in hexadecimal.
39895 @var{start} is the offset of the @var{bytes} within the overall source
39896 string, while @var{slen} is the total length of the source string.
39897 This is intended for handling source strings that are longer than will
39898 fit in a single packet.
39899 @c Add detailed example when this info is moved into a dedicated
39900 @c tracepoint descriptions section.
39902 The available string types are @samp{at} for the location,
39903 @samp{cond} for the conditional, and @samp{cmd} for an action command.
39904 @value{GDBN} sends a separate packet for each command in the action
39905 list, in the same order in which the commands are stored in the list.
39907 The target does not need to do anything with source strings except
39908 report them back as part of the replies to the @samp{qTfP}/@samp{qTsP}
39911 Although this packet is optional, and @value{GDBN} will only send it
39912 if the target replies with @samp{TracepointSource} @xref{General
39913 Query Packets}, it makes both disconnected tracing and trace files
39914 much easier to use. Otherwise the user must be careful that the
39915 tracepoints in effect while looking at trace frames are identical to
39916 the ones in effect during the trace run; even a small discrepancy
39917 could cause @samp{tdump} not to work, or a particular trace frame not
39920 @item QTDV:@var{n}:@var{value}:@var{builtin}:@var{name}
39921 @cindex define trace state variable, remote request
39922 @cindex @samp{QTDV} packet
39923 Create a new trace state variable, number @var{n}, with an initial
39924 value of @var{value}, which is a 64-bit signed integer. Both @var{n}
39925 and @var{value} are encoded as hexadecimal values. @value{GDBN} has
39926 the option of not using this packet for initial values of zero; the
39927 target should simply create the trace state variables as they are
39928 mentioned in expressions. The value @var{builtin} should be 1 (one)
39929 if the trace state variable is builtin and 0 (zero) if it is not builtin.
39930 @value{GDBN} only sets @var{builtin} to 1 if a previous @samp{qTfV} or
39931 @samp{qTsV} packet had it set. The contents of @var{name} is the
39932 hex-encoded name (without the leading @samp{$}) of the trace state
39935 @item QTFrame:@var{n}
39936 @cindex @samp{QTFrame} packet
39937 Select the @var{n}'th tracepoint frame from the buffer, and use the
39938 register and memory contents recorded there to answer subsequent
39939 request packets from @value{GDBN}.
39941 A successful reply from the stub indicates that the stub has found the
39942 requested frame. The response is a series of parts, concatenated
39943 without separators, describing the frame we selected. Each part has
39944 one of the following forms:
39948 The selected frame is number @var{n} in the trace frame buffer;
39949 @var{f} is a hexadecimal number. If @var{f} is @samp{-1}, then there
39950 was no frame matching the criteria in the request packet.
39953 The selected trace frame records a hit of tracepoint number @var{t};
39954 @var{t} is a hexadecimal number.
39958 @item QTFrame:pc:@var{addr}
39959 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
39960 currently selected frame whose PC is @var{addr};
39961 @var{addr} is a hexadecimal number.
39963 @item QTFrame:tdp:@var{t}
39964 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
39965 currently selected frame that is a hit of tracepoint @var{t}; @var{t}
39966 is a hexadecimal number.
39968 @item QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}
39969 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
39970 currently selected frame whose PC is between @var{start} (inclusive)
39971 and @var{end} (inclusive); @var{start} and @var{end} are hexadecimal
39974 @item QTFrame:outside:@var{start}:@var{end}
39975 Like @samp{QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}}, but select the first
39976 frame @emph{outside} the given range of addresses (exclusive).
39979 @cindex @samp{qTMinFTPILen} packet
39980 This packet requests the minimum length of instruction at which a fast
39981 tracepoint (@pxref{Set Tracepoints}) may be placed. For instance, on
39982 the 32-bit x86 architecture, it is possible to use a 4-byte jump, but
39983 it depends on the target system being able to create trampolines in
39984 the first 64K of memory, which might or might not be possible for that
39985 system. So the reply to this packet will be 4 if it is able to
39992 The minimum instruction length is currently unknown.
39994 The minimum instruction length is @var{length}, where @var{length}
39995 is a hexadecimal number greater or equal to 1. A reply
39996 of 1 means that a fast tracepoint may be placed on any instruction
39997 regardless of size.
39999 An error has occurred.
40001 An empty reply indicates that the request is not supported by the stub.
40005 @cindex @samp{QTStart} packet
40006 Begin the tracepoint experiment. Begin collecting data from
40007 tracepoint hits in the trace frame buffer. This packet supports the
40008 @samp{qRelocInsn} reply (@pxref{Tracepoint Packets,,Relocate
40009 instruction reply packet}).
40012 @cindex @samp{QTStop} packet
40013 End the tracepoint experiment. Stop collecting trace frames.
40015 @item QTEnable:@var{n}:@var{addr}
40017 @cindex @samp{QTEnable} packet
40018 Enable tracepoint @var{n} at address @var{addr} in a started tracepoint
40019 experiment. If the tracepoint was previously disabled, then collection
40020 of data from it will resume.
40022 @item QTDisable:@var{n}:@var{addr}
40024 @cindex @samp{QTDisable} packet
40025 Disable tracepoint @var{n} at address @var{addr} in a started tracepoint
40026 experiment. No more data will be collected from the tracepoint unless
40027 @samp{QTEnable:@var{n}:@var{addr}} is subsequently issued.
40030 @cindex @samp{QTinit} packet
40031 Clear the table of tracepoints, and empty the trace frame buffer.
40033 @item QTro:@var{start1},@var{end1}:@var{start2},@var{end2}:@dots{}
40034 @cindex @samp{QTro} packet
40035 Establish the given ranges of memory as ``transparent''. The stub
40036 will answer requests for these ranges from memory's current contents,
40037 if they were not collected as part of the tracepoint hit.
40039 @value{GDBN} uses this to mark read-only regions of memory, like those
40040 containing program code. Since these areas never change, they should
40041 still have the same contents they did when the tracepoint was hit, so
40042 there's no reason for the stub to refuse to provide their contents.
40044 @item QTDisconnected:@var{value}
40045 @cindex @samp{QTDisconnected} packet
40046 Set the choice to what to do with the tracing run when @value{GDBN}
40047 disconnects from the target. A @var{value} of 1 directs the target to
40048 continue the tracing run, while 0 tells the target to stop tracing if
40049 @value{GDBN} is no longer in the picture.
40052 @cindex @samp{qTStatus} packet
40053 Ask the stub if there is a trace experiment running right now.
40055 The reply has the form:
40059 @item T@var{running}@r{[};@var{field}@r{]}@dots{}
40060 @var{running} is a single digit @code{1} if the trace is presently
40061 running, or @code{0} if not. It is followed by semicolon-separated
40062 optional fields that an agent may use to report additional status.
40066 If the trace is not running, the agent may report any of several
40067 explanations as one of the optional fields:
40072 No trace has been run yet.
40074 @item tstop[:@var{text}]:0
40075 The trace was stopped by a user-originated stop command. The optional
40076 @var{text} field is a user-supplied string supplied as part of the
40077 stop command (for instance, an explanation of why the trace was
40078 stopped manually). It is hex-encoded.
40081 The trace stopped because the trace buffer filled up.
40083 @item tdisconnected:0
40084 The trace stopped because @value{GDBN} disconnected from the target.
40086 @item tpasscount:@var{tpnum}
40087 The trace stopped because tracepoint @var{tpnum} exceeded its pass count.
40089 @item terror:@var{text}:@var{tpnum}
40090 The trace stopped because tracepoint @var{tpnum} had an error. The
40091 string @var{text} is available to describe the nature of the error
40092 (for instance, a divide by zero in the condition expression); it
40096 The trace stopped for some other reason.
40100 Additional optional fields supply statistical and other information.
40101 Although not required, they are extremely useful for users monitoring
40102 the progress of a trace run. If a trace has stopped, and these
40103 numbers are reported, they must reflect the state of the just-stopped
40108 @item tframes:@var{n}
40109 The number of trace frames in the buffer.
40111 @item tcreated:@var{n}
40112 The total number of trace frames created during the run. This may
40113 be larger than the trace frame count, if the buffer is circular.
40115 @item tsize:@var{n}
40116 The total size of the trace buffer, in bytes.
40118 @item tfree:@var{n}
40119 The number of bytes still unused in the buffer.
40121 @item circular:@var{n}
40122 The value of the circular trace buffer flag. @code{1} means that the
40123 trace buffer is circular and old trace frames will be discarded if
40124 necessary to make room, @code{0} means that the trace buffer is linear
40127 @item disconn:@var{n}
40128 The value of the disconnected tracing flag. @code{1} means that
40129 tracing will continue after @value{GDBN} disconnects, @code{0} means
40130 that the trace run will stop.
40134 @item qTP:@var{tp}:@var{addr}
40135 @cindex tracepoint status, remote request
40136 @cindex @samp{qTP} packet
40137 Ask the stub for the current state of tracepoint number @var{tp} at
40138 address @var{addr}.
40142 @item V@var{hits}:@var{usage}
40143 The tracepoint has been hit @var{hits} times so far during the trace
40144 run, and accounts for @var{usage} in the trace buffer. Note that
40145 @code{while-stepping} steps are not counted as separate hits, but the
40146 steps' space consumption is added into the usage number.
40150 @item qTV:@var{var}
40151 @cindex trace state variable value, remote request
40152 @cindex @samp{qTV} packet
40153 Ask the stub for the value of the trace state variable number @var{var}.
40158 The value of the variable is @var{value}. This will be the current
40159 value of the variable if the user is examining a running target, or a
40160 saved value if the variable was collected in the trace frame that the
40161 user is looking at. Note that multiple requests may result in
40162 different reply values, such as when requesting values while the
40163 program is running.
40166 The value of the variable is unknown. This would occur, for example,
40167 if the user is examining a trace frame in which the requested variable
40172 @cindex @samp{qTfP} packet
40174 @cindex @samp{qTsP} packet
40175 These packets request data about tracepoints that are being used by
40176 the target. @value{GDBN} sends @code{qTfP} to get the first piece
40177 of data, and multiple @code{qTsP} to get additional pieces. Replies
40178 to these packets generally take the form of the @code{QTDP} packets
40179 that define tracepoints. (FIXME add detailed syntax)
40182 @cindex @samp{qTfV} packet
40184 @cindex @samp{qTsV} packet
40185 These packets request data about trace state variables that are on the
40186 target. @value{GDBN} sends @code{qTfV} to get the first vari of data,
40187 and multiple @code{qTsV} to get additional variables. Replies to
40188 these packets follow the syntax of the @code{QTDV} packets that define
40189 trace state variables.
40195 @cindex @samp{qTfSTM} packet
40196 @cindex @samp{qTsSTM} packet
40197 These packets request data about static tracepoint markers that exist
40198 in the target program. @value{GDBN} sends @code{qTfSTM} to get the
40199 first piece of data, and multiple @code{qTsSTM} to get additional
40200 pieces. Replies to these packets take the following form:
40204 @item m @var{address}:@var{id}:@var{extra}
40206 @item m @var{address}:@var{id}:@var{extra},@var{address}:@var{id}:@var{extra}@dots{}
40207 a comma-separated list of markers
40209 (lower case letter @samp{L}) denotes end of list.
40211 An error occurred. The error number @var{nn} is given as hex digits.
40213 An empty reply indicates that the request is not supported by the
40217 The @var{address} is encoded in hex;
40218 @var{id} and @var{extra} are strings encoded in hex.
40220 In response to each query, the target will reply with a list of one or
40221 more markers, separated by commas. @value{GDBN} will respond to each
40222 reply with a request for more markers (using the @samp{qs} form of the
40223 query), until the target responds with @samp{l} (lower-case ell, for
40226 @item qTSTMat:@var{address}
40228 @cindex @samp{qTSTMat} packet
40229 This packets requests data about static tracepoint markers in the
40230 target program at @var{address}. Replies to this packet follow the
40231 syntax of the @samp{qTfSTM} and @code{qTsSTM} packets that list static
40232 tracepoint markers.
40234 @item QTSave:@var{filename}
40235 @cindex @samp{QTSave} packet
40236 This packet directs the target to save trace data to the file name
40237 @var{filename} in the target's filesystem. The @var{filename} is encoded
40238 as a hex string; the interpretation of the file name (relative vs
40239 absolute, wild cards, etc) is up to the target.
40241 @item qTBuffer:@var{offset},@var{len}
40242 @cindex @samp{qTBuffer} packet
40243 Return up to @var{len} bytes of the current contents of trace buffer,
40244 starting at @var{offset}. The trace buffer is treated as if it were
40245 a contiguous collection of traceframes, as per the trace file format.
40246 The reply consists as many hex-encoded bytes as the target can deliver
40247 in a packet; it is not an error to return fewer than were asked for.
40248 A reply consisting of just @code{l} indicates that no bytes are
40251 @item QTBuffer:circular:@var{value}
40252 This packet directs the target to use a circular trace buffer if
40253 @var{value} is 1, or a linear buffer if the value is 0.
40255 @item QTBuffer:size:@var{size}
40256 @anchor{QTBuffer-size}
40257 @cindex @samp{QTBuffer size} packet
40258 This packet directs the target to make the trace buffer be of size
40259 @var{size} if possible. A value of @code{-1} tells the target to
40260 use whatever size it prefers.
40262 @item QTNotes:@r{[}@var{type}:@var{text}@r{]}@r{[};@var{type}:@var{text}@r{]}@dots{}
40263 @cindex @samp{QTNotes} packet
40264 This packet adds optional textual notes to the trace run. Allowable
40265 types include @code{user}, @code{notes}, and @code{tstop}, the
40266 @var{text} fields are arbitrary strings, hex-encoded.
40270 @subsection Relocate instruction reply packet
40271 When installing fast tracepoints in memory, the target may need to
40272 relocate the instruction currently at the tracepoint address to a
40273 different address in memory. For most instructions, a simple copy is
40274 enough, but, for example, call instructions that implicitly push the
40275 return address on the stack, and relative branches or other
40276 PC-relative instructions require offset adjustment, so that the effect
40277 of executing the instruction at a different address is the same as if
40278 it had executed in the original location.
40280 In response to several of the tracepoint packets, the target may also
40281 respond with a number of intermediate @samp{qRelocInsn} request
40282 packets before the final result packet, to have @value{GDBN} handle
40283 this relocation operation. If a packet supports this mechanism, its
40284 documentation will explicitly say so. See for example the above
40285 descriptions for the @samp{QTStart} and @samp{QTDP} packets. The
40286 format of the request is:
40289 @item qRelocInsn:@var{from};@var{to}
40291 This requests @value{GDBN} to copy instruction at address @var{from}
40292 to address @var{to}, possibly adjusted so that executing the
40293 instruction at @var{to} has the same effect as executing it at
40294 @var{from}. @value{GDBN} writes the adjusted instruction to target
40295 memory starting at @var{to}.
40300 @item qRelocInsn:@var{adjusted_size}
40301 Informs the stub the relocation is complete. The @var{adjusted_size} is
40302 the length in bytes of resulting relocated instruction sequence.
40304 A badly formed request was detected, or an error was encountered while
40305 relocating the instruction.
40308 @node Host I/O Packets
40309 @section Host I/O Packets
40310 @cindex Host I/O, remote protocol
40311 @cindex file transfer, remote protocol
40313 The @dfn{Host I/O} packets allow @value{GDBN} to perform I/O
40314 operations on the far side of a remote link. For example, Host I/O is
40315 used to upload and download files to a remote target with its own
40316 filesystem. Host I/O uses the same constant values and data structure
40317 layout as the target-initiated File-I/O protocol. However, the
40318 Host I/O packets are structured differently. The target-initiated
40319 protocol relies on target memory to store parameters and buffers.
40320 Host I/O requests are initiated by @value{GDBN}, and the
40321 target's memory is not involved. @xref{File-I/O Remote Protocol
40322 Extension}, for more details on the target-initiated protocol.
40324 The Host I/O request packets all encode a single operation along with
40325 its arguments. They have this format:
40329 @item vFile:@var{operation}: @var{parameter}@dots{}
40330 @var{operation} is the name of the particular request; the target
40331 should compare the entire packet name up to the second colon when checking
40332 for a supported operation. The format of @var{parameter} depends on
40333 the operation. Numbers are always passed in hexadecimal. Negative
40334 numbers have an explicit minus sign (i.e.@: two's complement is not
40335 used). Strings (e.g.@: filenames) are encoded as a series of
40336 hexadecimal bytes. The last argument to a system call may be a
40337 buffer of escaped binary data (@pxref{Binary Data}).
40341 The valid responses to Host I/O packets are:
40345 @item F @var{result} [, @var{errno}] [; @var{attachment}]
40346 @var{result} is the integer value returned by this operation, usually
40347 non-negative for success and -1 for errors. If an error has occured,
40348 @var{errno} will be included in the result specifying a
40349 value defined by the File-I/O protocol (@pxref{Errno Values}). For
40350 operations which return data, @var{attachment} supplies the data as a
40351 binary buffer. Binary buffers in response packets are escaped in the
40352 normal way (@pxref{Binary Data}). See the individual packet
40353 documentation for the interpretation of @var{result} and
40357 An empty response indicates that this operation is not recognized.
40361 These are the supported Host I/O operations:
40364 @item vFile:open: @var{filename}, @var{flags}, @var{mode}
40365 Open a file at @var{filename} and return a file descriptor for it, or
40366 return -1 if an error occurs. The @var{filename} is a string,
40367 @var{flags} is an integer indicating a mask of open flags
40368 (@pxref{Open Flags}), and @var{mode} is an integer indicating a mask
40369 of mode bits to use if the file is created (@pxref{mode_t Values}).
40370 @xref{open}, for details of the open flags and mode values.
40372 @item vFile:close: @var{fd}
40373 Close the open file corresponding to @var{fd} and return 0, or
40374 -1 if an error occurs.
40376 @item vFile:pread: @var{fd}, @var{count}, @var{offset}
40377 Read data from the open file corresponding to @var{fd}. Up to
40378 @var{count} bytes will be read from the file, starting at @var{offset}
40379 relative to the start of the file. The target may read fewer bytes;
40380 common reasons include packet size limits and an end-of-file
40381 condition. The number of bytes read is returned. Zero should only be
40382 returned for a successful read at the end of the file, or if
40383 @var{count} was zero.
40385 The data read should be returned as a binary attachment on success.
40386 If zero bytes were read, the response should include an empty binary
40387 attachment (i.e.@: a trailing semicolon). The return value is the
40388 number of target bytes read; the binary attachment may be longer if
40389 some characters were escaped.
40391 @item vFile:pwrite: @var{fd}, @var{offset}, @var{data}
40392 Write @var{data} (a binary buffer) to the open file corresponding
40393 to @var{fd}. Start the write at @var{offset} from the start of the
40394 file. Unlike many @code{write} system calls, there is no
40395 separate @var{count} argument; the length of @var{data} in the
40396 packet is used. @samp{vFile:write} returns the number of bytes written,
40397 which may be shorter than the length of @var{data}, or -1 if an
40400 @item vFile:fstat: @var{fd}
40401 Get information about the open file corresponding to @var{fd}.
40402 On success the information is returned as a binary attachment
40403 and the return value is the size of this attachment in bytes.
40404 If an error occurs the return value is -1. The format of the
40405 returned binary attachment is as described in @ref{struct stat}.
40407 @item vFile:unlink: @var{filename}
40408 Delete the file at @var{filename} on the target. Return 0,
40409 or -1 if an error occurs. The @var{filename} is a string.
40411 @item vFile:readlink: @var{filename}
40412 Read value of symbolic link @var{filename} on the target. Return
40413 the number of bytes read, or -1 if an error occurs.
40415 The data read should be returned as a binary attachment on success.
40416 If zero bytes were read, the response should include an empty binary
40417 attachment (i.e.@: a trailing semicolon). The return value is the
40418 number of target bytes read; the binary attachment may be longer if
40419 some characters were escaped.
40421 @item vFile:setfs: @var{pid}
40422 Select the filesystem on which @code{vFile} operations with
40423 @var{filename} arguments will operate. This is required for
40424 @value{GDBN} to be able to access files on remote targets where
40425 the remote stub does not share a common filesystem with the
40428 If @var{pid} is nonzero, select the filesystem as seen by process
40429 @var{pid}. If @var{pid} is zero, select the filesystem as seen by
40430 the remote stub. Return 0 on success, or -1 if an error occurs.
40431 If @code{vFile:setfs:} indicates success, the selected filesystem
40432 remains selected until the next successful @code{vFile:setfs:}
40438 @section Interrupts
40439 @cindex interrupts (remote protocol)
40440 @anchor{interrupting remote targets}
40442 In all-stop mode, when a program on the remote target is running,
40443 @value{GDBN} may attempt to interrupt it by sending a @samp{Ctrl-C},
40444 @code{BREAK} or a @code{BREAK} followed by @code{g}, control of which
40445 is specified via @value{GDBN}'s @samp{interrupt-sequence}.
40447 The precise meaning of @code{BREAK} is defined by the transport
40448 mechanism and may, in fact, be undefined. @value{GDBN} does not
40449 currently define a @code{BREAK} mechanism for any of the network
40450 interfaces except for TCP, in which case @value{GDBN} sends the
40451 @code{telnet} BREAK sequence.
40453 @samp{Ctrl-C}, on the other hand, is defined and implemented for all
40454 transport mechanisms. It is represented by sending the single byte
40455 @code{0x03} without any of the usual packet overhead described in
40456 the Overview section (@pxref{Overview}). When a @code{0x03} byte is
40457 transmitted as part of a packet, it is considered to be packet data
40458 and does @emph{not} represent an interrupt. E.g., an @samp{X} packet
40459 (@pxref{X packet}), used for binary downloads, may include an unescaped
40460 @code{0x03} as part of its packet.
40462 @code{BREAK} followed by @code{g} is also known as Magic SysRq g.
40463 When Linux kernel receives this sequence from serial port,
40464 it stops execution and connects to gdb.
40466 In non-stop mode, because packet resumptions are asynchronous
40467 (@pxref{vCont packet}), @value{GDBN} is always free to send a remote
40468 command to the remote stub, even when the target is running. For that
40469 reason, @value{GDBN} instead sends a regular packet (@pxref{vCtrlC
40470 packet}) with the usual packet framing instead of the single byte
40473 Stubs are not required to recognize these interrupt mechanisms and the
40474 precise meaning associated with receipt of the interrupt is
40475 implementation defined. If the target supports debugging of multiple
40476 threads and/or processes, it should attempt to interrupt all
40477 currently-executing threads and processes.
40478 If the stub is successful at interrupting the
40479 running program, it should send one of the stop
40480 reply packets (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}) to @value{GDBN} as a result
40481 of successfully stopping the program in all-stop mode, and a stop reply
40482 for each stopped thread in non-stop mode.
40483 Interrupts received while the
40484 program is stopped are queued and the program will be interrupted when
40485 it is resumed next time.
40487 @node Notification Packets
40488 @section Notification Packets
40489 @cindex notification packets
40490 @cindex packets, notification
40492 The @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol includes @dfn{notifications},
40493 packets that require no acknowledgment. Both the GDB and the stub
40494 may send notifications (although the only notifications defined at
40495 present are sent by the stub). Notifications carry information
40496 without incurring the round-trip latency of an acknowledgment, and so
40497 are useful for low-impact communications where occasional packet loss
40500 A notification packet has the form @samp{% @var{data} #
40501 @var{checksum}}, where @var{data} is the content of the notification,
40502 and @var{checksum} is a checksum of @var{data}, computed and formatted
40503 as for ordinary @value{GDBN} packets. A notification's @var{data}
40504 never contains @samp{$}, @samp{%} or @samp{#} characters. Upon
40505 receiving a notification, the recipient sends no @samp{+} or @samp{-}
40506 to acknowledge the notification's receipt or to report its corruption.
40508 Every notification's @var{data} begins with a name, which contains no
40509 colon characters, followed by a colon character.
40511 Recipients should silently ignore corrupted notifications and
40512 notifications they do not understand. Recipients should restart
40513 timeout periods on receipt of a well-formed notification, whether or
40514 not they understand it.
40516 Senders should only send the notifications described here when this
40517 protocol description specifies that they are permitted. In the
40518 future, we may extend the protocol to permit existing notifications in
40519 new contexts; this rule helps older senders avoid confusing newer
40522 (Older versions of @value{GDBN} ignore bytes received until they see
40523 the @samp{$} byte that begins an ordinary packet, so new stubs may
40524 transmit notifications without fear of confusing older clients. There
40525 are no notifications defined for @value{GDBN} to send at the moment, but we
40526 assume that most older stubs would ignore them, as well.)
40528 Each notification is comprised of three parts:
40530 @item @var{name}:@var{event}
40531 The notification packet is sent by the side that initiates the
40532 exchange (currently, only the stub does that), with @var{event}
40533 carrying the specific information about the notification, and
40534 @var{name} specifying the name of the notification.
40536 The acknowledge sent by the other side, usually @value{GDBN}, to
40537 acknowledge the exchange and request the event.
40540 The purpose of an asynchronous notification mechanism is to report to
40541 @value{GDBN} that something interesting happened in the remote stub.
40543 The remote stub may send notification @var{name}:@var{event}
40544 at any time, but @value{GDBN} acknowledges the notification when
40545 appropriate. The notification event is pending before @value{GDBN}
40546 acknowledges. Only one notification at a time may be pending; if
40547 additional events occur before @value{GDBN} has acknowledged the
40548 previous notification, they must be queued by the stub for later
40549 synchronous transmission in response to @var{ack} packets from
40550 @value{GDBN}. Because the notification mechanism is unreliable,
40551 the stub is permitted to resend a notification if it believes
40552 @value{GDBN} may not have received it.
40554 Specifically, notifications may appear when @value{GDBN} is not
40555 otherwise reading input from the stub, or when @value{GDBN} is
40556 expecting to read a normal synchronous response or a
40557 @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgment to a packet it has sent.
40558 Notification packets are distinct from any other communication from
40559 the stub so there is no ambiguity.
40561 After receiving a notification, @value{GDBN} shall acknowledge it by
40562 sending a @var{ack} packet as a regular, synchronous request to the
40563 stub. Such acknowledgment is not required to happen immediately, as
40564 @value{GDBN} is permitted to send other, unrelated packets to the
40565 stub first, which the stub should process normally.
40567 Upon receiving a @var{ack} packet, if the stub has other queued
40568 events to report to @value{GDBN}, it shall respond by sending a
40569 normal @var{event}. @value{GDBN} shall then send another @var{ack}
40570 packet to solicit further responses; again, it is permitted to send
40571 other, unrelated packets as well which the stub should process
40574 If the stub receives a @var{ack} packet and there are no additional
40575 @var{event} to report, the stub shall return an @samp{OK} response.
40576 At this point, @value{GDBN} has finished processing a notification
40577 and the stub has completed sending any queued events. @value{GDBN}
40578 won't accept any new notifications until the final @samp{OK} is
40579 received . If further notification events occur, the stub shall send
40580 a new notification, @value{GDBN} shall accept the notification, and
40581 the process shall be repeated.
40583 The process of asynchronous notification can be illustrated by the
40586 <- @code{%Stop:T0505:98e7ffbf;04:4ce6ffbf;08:b1b6e54c;thread:p7526.7526;core:0;}
40589 <- @code{T0505:68f37db7;04:40f37db7;08:63850408;thread:p7526.7528;core:0;}
40591 <- @code{T0505:68e3fdb6;04:40e3fdb6;08:63850408;thread:p7526.7529;core:0;}
40596 The following notifications are defined:
40597 @multitable @columnfractions 0.12 0.12 0.38 0.38
40606 @tab @var{reply}. The @var{reply} has the form of a stop reply, as
40607 described in @ref{Stop Reply Packets}. Refer to @ref{Remote Non-Stop},
40608 for information on how these notifications are acknowledged by
40610 @tab Report an asynchronous stop event in non-stop mode.
40614 @node Remote Non-Stop
40615 @section Remote Protocol Support for Non-Stop Mode
40617 @value{GDBN}'s remote protocol supports non-stop debugging of
40618 multi-threaded programs, as described in @ref{Non-Stop Mode}. If the stub
40619 supports non-stop mode, it should report that to @value{GDBN} by including
40620 @samp{QNonStop+} in its @samp{qSupported} response (@pxref{qSupported}).
40622 @value{GDBN} typically sends a @samp{QNonStop} packet only when
40623 establishing a new connection with the stub. Entering non-stop mode
40624 does not alter the state of any currently-running threads, but targets
40625 must stop all threads in any already-attached processes when entering
40626 all-stop mode. @value{GDBN} uses the @samp{?} packet as necessary to
40627 probe the target state after a mode change.
40629 In non-stop mode, when an attached process encounters an event that
40630 would otherwise be reported with a stop reply, it uses the
40631 asynchronous notification mechanism (@pxref{Notification Packets}) to
40632 inform @value{GDBN}. In contrast to all-stop mode, where all threads
40633 in all processes are stopped when a stop reply is sent, in non-stop
40634 mode only the thread reporting the stop event is stopped. That is,
40635 when reporting a @samp{S} or @samp{T} response to indicate completion
40636 of a step operation, hitting a breakpoint, or a fault, only the
40637 affected thread is stopped; any other still-running threads continue
40638 to run. When reporting a @samp{W} or @samp{X} response, all running
40639 threads belonging to other attached processes continue to run.
40641 In non-stop mode, the target shall respond to the @samp{?} packet as
40642 follows. First, any incomplete stop reply notification/@samp{vStopped}
40643 sequence in progress is abandoned. The target must begin a new
40644 sequence reporting stop events for all stopped threads, whether or not
40645 it has previously reported those events to @value{GDBN}. The first
40646 stop reply is sent as a synchronous reply to the @samp{?} packet, and
40647 subsequent stop replies are sent as responses to @samp{vStopped} packets
40648 using the mechanism described above. The target must not send
40649 asynchronous stop reply notifications until the sequence is complete.
40650 If all threads are running when the target receives the @samp{?} packet,
40651 or if the target is not attached to any process, it shall respond
40654 If the stub supports non-stop mode, it should also support the
40655 @samp{swbreak} stop reason if software breakpoints are supported, and
40656 the @samp{hwbreak} stop reason if hardware breakpoints are supported
40657 (@pxref{swbreak stop reason}). This is because given the asynchronous
40658 nature of non-stop mode, between the time a thread hits a breakpoint
40659 and the time the event is finally processed by @value{GDBN}, the
40660 breakpoint may have already been removed from the target. Due to
40661 this, @value{GDBN} needs to be able to tell whether a trap stop was
40662 caused by a delayed breakpoint event, which should be ignored, as
40663 opposed to a random trap signal, which should be reported to the user.
40664 Note the @samp{swbreak} feature implies that the target is responsible
40665 for adjusting the PC when a software breakpoint triggers, if
40666 necessary, such as on the x86 architecture.
40668 @node Packet Acknowledgment
40669 @section Packet Acknowledgment
40671 @cindex acknowledgment, for @value{GDBN} remote
40672 @cindex packet acknowledgment, for @value{GDBN} remote
40673 By default, when either the host or the target machine receives a packet,
40674 the first response expected is an acknowledgment: either @samp{+} (to indicate
40675 the package was received correctly) or @samp{-} (to request retransmission).
40676 This mechanism allows the @value{GDBN} remote protocol to operate over
40677 unreliable transport mechanisms, such as a serial line.
40679 In cases where the transport mechanism is itself reliable (such as a pipe or
40680 TCP connection), the @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments are redundant.
40681 It may be desirable to disable them in that case to reduce communication
40682 overhead, or for other reasons. This can be accomplished by means of the
40683 @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet; @pxref{QStartNoAckMode}.
40685 When in no-acknowledgment mode, neither the stub nor @value{GDBN} shall send or
40686 expect @samp{+}/@samp{-} protocol acknowledgments. The packet
40687 and response format still includes the normal checksum, as described in
40688 @ref{Overview}, but the checksum may be ignored by the receiver.
40690 If the stub supports @samp{QStartNoAckMode} and prefers to operate in
40691 no-acknowledgment mode, it should report that to @value{GDBN}
40692 by including @samp{QStartNoAckMode+} in its response to @samp{qSupported};
40693 @pxref{qSupported}.
40694 If @value{GDBN} also supports @samp{QStartNoAckMode} and it has not been
40695 disabled via the @code{set remote noack-packet off} command
40696 (@pxref{Remote Configuration}),
40697 @value{GDBN} may then send a @samp{QStartNoAckMode} packet to the stub.
40698 Only then may the stub actually turn off packet acknowledgments.
40699 @value{GDBN} sends a final @samp{+} acknowledgment of the stub's @samp{OK}
40700 response, which can be safely ignored by the stub.
40702 Note that @code{set remote noack-packet} command only affects negotiation
40703 between @value{GDBN} and the stub when subsequent connections are made;
40704 it does not affect the protocol acknowledgment state for any current
40706 Since @samp{+}/@samp{-} acknowledgments are enabled by default when a
40707 new connection is established,
40708 there is also no protocol request to re-enable the acknowledgments
40709 for the current connection, once disabled.
40714 Example sequence of a target being re-started. Notice how the restart
40715 does not get any direct output:
40720 @emph{target restarts}
40723 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
40727 Example sequence of a target being stepped by a single instruction:
40730 -> @code{G1445@dots{}}
40735 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
40739 <- @code{1455@dots{}}
40743 @node File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension
40744 @section File-I/O Remote Protocol Extension
40745 @cindex File-I/O remote protocol extension
40748 * File-I/O Overview::
40749 * Protocol Basics::
40750 * The F Request Packet::
40751 * The F Reply Packet::
40752 * The Ctrl-C Message::
40754 * List of Supported Calls::
40755 * Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes::
40757 * File-I/O Examples::
40760 @node File-I/O Overview
40761 @subsection File-I/O Overview
40762 @cindex file-i/o overview
40764 The @dfn{File I/O remote protocol extension} (short: File-I/O) allows the
40765 target to use the host's file system and console I/O to perform various
40766 system calls. System calls on the target system are translated into a
40767 remote protocol packet to the host system, which then performs the needed
40768 actions and returns a response packet to the target system.
40769 This simulates file system operations even on targets that lack file systems.
40771 The protocol is defined to be independent of both the host and target systems.
40772 It uses its own internal representation of datatypes and values. Both
40773 @value{GDBN} and the target's @value{GDBN} stub are responsible for
40774 translating the system-dependent value representations into the internal
40775 protocol representations when data is transmitted.
40777 The communication is synchronous. A system call is possible only when
40778 @value{GDBN} is waiting for a response from the @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}
40779 or @samp{s} packets. While @value{GDBN} handles the request for a system call,
40780 the target is stopped to allow deterministic access to the target's
40781 memory. Therefore File-I/O is not interruptible by target signals. On
40782 the other hand, it is possible to interrupt File-I/O by a user interrupt
40783 (@samp{Ctrl-C}) within @value{GDBN}.
40785 The target's request to perform a host system call does not finish
40786 the latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} action. That means,
40787 after finishing the system call, the target returns to continuing the
40788 previous activity (continue, step). No additional continue or step
40789 request from @value{GDBN} is required.
40792 (@value{GDBP}) continue
40793 <- target requests 'system call X'
40794 target is stopped, @value{GDBN} executes system call
40795 -> @value{GDBN} returns result
40796 ... target continues, @value{GDBN} returns to wait for the target
40797 <- target hits breakpoint and sends a Txx packet
40800 The protocol only supports I/O on the console and to regular files on
40801 the host file system. Character or block special devices, pipes,
40802 named pipes, sockets or any other communication method on the host
40803 system are not supported by this protocol.
40805 File I/O is not supported in non-stop mode.
40807 @node Protocol Basics
40808 @subsection Protocol Basics
40809 @cindex protocol basics, file-i/o
40811 The File-I/O protocol uses the @code{F} packet as the request as well
40812 as reply packet. Since a File-I/O system call can only occur when
40813 @value{GDBN} is waiting for a response from the continuing or stepping target,
40814 the File-I/O request is a reply that @value{GDBN} has to expect as a result
40815 of a previous @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} packet.
40816 This @code{F} packet contains all information needed to allow @value{GDBN}
40817 to call the appropriate host system call:
40821 A unique identifier for the requested system call.
40824 All parameters to the system call. Pointers are given as addresses
40825 in the target memory address space. Pointers to strings are given as
40826 pointer/length pair. Numerical values are given as they are.
40827 Numerical control flags are given in a protocol-specific representation.
40831 At this point, @value{GDBN} has to perform the following actions.
40835 If the parameters include pointer values to data needed as input to a
40836 system call, @value{GDBN} requests this data from the target with a
40837 standard @code{m} packet request. This additional communication has to be
40838 expected by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{m}
40842 @value{GDBN} translates all value from protocol representation to host
40843 representation as needed. Datatypes are coerced into the host types.
40846 @value{GDBN} calls the system call.
40849 It then coerces datatypes back to protocol representation.
40852 If the system call is expected to return data in buffer space specified
40853 by pointer parameters to the call, the data is transmitted to the
40854 target using a @code{M} or @code{X} packet. This packet has to be expected
40855 by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{M} or @code{X}
40860 Eventually @value{GDBN} replies with another @code{F} packet which contains all
40861 necessary information for the target to continue. This at least contains
40868 @code{errno}, if has been changed by the system call.
40875 After having done the needed type and value coercion, the target continues
40876 the latest continue or step action.
40878 @node The F Request Packet
40879 @subsection The @code{F} Request Packet
40880 @cindex file-i/o request packet
40881 @cindex @code{F} request packet
40883 The @code{F} request packet has the following format:
40886 @item F@var{call-id},@var{parameter@dots{}}
40888 @var{call-id} is the identifier to indicate the host system call to be called.
40889 This is just the name of the function.
40891 @var{parameter@dots{}} are the parameters to the system call.
40892 Parameters are hexadecimal integer values, either the actual values in case
40893 of scalar datatypes, pointers to target buffer space in case of compound
40894 datatypes and unspecified memory areas, or pointer/length pairs in case
40895 of string parameters. These are appended to the @var{call-id} as a
40896 comma-delimited list. All values are transmitted in ASCII
40897 string representation, pointer/length pairs separated by a slash.
40903 @node The F Reply Packet
40904 @subsection The @code{F} Reply Packet
40905 @cindex file-i/o reply packet
40906 @cindex @code{F} reply packet
40908 The @code{F} reply packet has the following format:
40912 @item F@var{retcode},@var{errno},@var{Ctrl-C flag};@var{call-specific attachment}
40914 @var{retcode} is the return code of the system call as hexadecimal value.
40916 @var{errno} is the @code{errno} set by the call, in protocol-specific
40918 This parameter can be omitted if the call was successful.
40920 @var{Ctrl-C flag} is only sent if the user requested a break. In this
40921 case, @var{errno} must be sent as well, even if the call was successful.
40922 The @var{Ctrl-C flag} itself consists of the character @samp{C}:
40929 or, if the call was interrupted before the host call has been performed:
40936 assuming 4 is the protocol-specific representation of @code{EINTR}.
40941 @node The Ctrl-C Message
40942 @subsection The @samp{Ctrl-C} Message
40943 @cindex ctrl-c message, in file-i/o protocol
40945 If the @samp{Ctrl-C} flag is set in the @value{GDBN}
40946 reply packet (@pxref{The F Reply Packet}),
40947 the target should behave as if it had
40948 gotten a break message. The meaning for the target is ``system call
40949 interrupted by @code{SIGINT}''. Consequentially, the target should actually stop
40950 (as with a break message) and return to @value{GDBN} with a @code{T02}
40953 It's important for the target to know in which
40954 state the system call was interrupted. There are two possible cases:
40958 The system call hasn't been performed on the host yet.
40961 The system call on the host has been finished.
40965 These two states can be distinguished by the target by the value of the
40966 returned @code{errno}. If it's the protocol representation of @code{EINTR}, the system
40967 call hasn't been performed. This is equivalent to the @code{EINTR} handling
40968 on POSIX systems. In any other case, the target may presume that the
40969 system call has been finished --- successfully or not --- and should behave
40970 as if the break message arrived right after the system call.
40972 @value{GDBN} must behave reliably. If the system call has not been called
40973 yet, @value{GDBN} may send the @code{F} reply immediately, setting @code{EINTR} as
40974 @code{errno} in the packet. If the system call on the host has been finished
40975 before the user requests a break, the full action must be finished by
40976 @value{GDBN}. This requires sending @code{M} or @code{X} packets as necessary.
40977 The @code{F} packet may only be sent when either nothing has happened
40978 or the full action has been completed.
40981 @subsection Console I/O
40982 @cindex console i/o as part of file-i/o
40984 By default and if not explicitly closed by the target system, the file
40985 descriptors 0, 1 and 2 are connected to the @value{GDBN} console. Output
40986 on the @value{GDBN} console is handled as any other file output operation
40987 (@code{write(1, @dots{})} or @code{write(2, @dots{})}). Console input is handled
40988 by @value{GDBN} so that after the target read request from file descriptor
40989 0 all following typing is buffered until either one of the following
40994 The user types @kbd{Ctrl-c}. The behaviour is as explained above, and the
40996 system call is treated as finished.
40999 The user presses @key{RET}. This is treated as end of input with a trailing
41003 The user types @kbd{Ctrl-d}. This is treated as end of input. No trailing
41004 character (neither newline nor @samp{Ctrl-D}) is appended to the input.
41008 If the user has typed more characters than fit in the buffer given to
41009 the @code{read} call, the trailing characters are buffered in @value{GDBN} until
41010 either another @code{read(0, @dots{})} is requested by the target, or debugging
41011 is stopped at the user's request.
41014 @node List of Supported Calls
41015 @subsection List of Supported Calls
41016 @cindex list of supported file-i/o calls
41033 @unnumberedsubsubsec open
41034 @cindex open, file-i/o system call
41039 int open(const char *pathname, int flags);
41040 int open(const char *pathname, int flags, mode_t mode);
41044 @samp{Fopen,@var{pathptr}/@var{len},@var{flags},@var{mode}}
41047 @var{flags} is the bitwise @code{OR} of the following values:
41051 If the file does not exist it will be created. The host
41052 rules apply as far as file ownership and time stamps
41056 When used with @code{O_CREAT}, if the file already exists it is
41057 an error and open() fails.
41060 If the file already exists and the open mode allows
41061 writing (@code{O_RDWR} or @code{O_WRONLY} is given) it will be
41062 truncated to zero length.
41065 The file is opened in append mode.
41068 The file is opened for reading only.
41071 The file is opened for writing only.
41074 The file is opened for reading and writing.
41078 Other bits are silently ignored.
41082 @var{mode} is the bitwise @code{OR} of the following values:
41086 User has read permission.
41089 User has write permission.
41092 Group has read permission.
41095 Group has write permission.
41098 Others have read permission.
41101 Others have write permission.
41105 Other bits are silently ignored.
41108 @item Return value:
41109 @code{open} returns the new file descriptor or -1 if an error
41116 @var{pathname} already exists and @code{O_CREAT} and @code{O_EXCL} were used.
41119 @var{pathname} refers to a directory.
41122 The requested access is not allowed.
41125 @var{pathname} was too long.
41128 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist.
41131 @var{pathname} refers to a device, pipe, named pipe or socket.
41134 @var{pathname} refers to a file on a read-only filesystem and
41135 write access was requested.
41138 @var{pathname} is an invalid pointer value.
41141 No space on device to create the file.
41144 The process already has the maximum number of files open.
41147 The limit on the total number of files open on the system
41151 The call was interrupted by the user.
41157 @unnumberedsubsubsec close
41158 @cindex close, file-i/o system call
41167 @samp{Fclose,@var{fd}}
41169 @item Return value:
41170 @code{close} returns zero on success, or -1 if an error occurred.
41176 @var{fd} isn't a valid open file descriptor.
41179 The call was interrupted by the user.
41185 @unnumberedsubsubsec read
41186 @cindex read, file-i/o system call
41191 int read(int fd, void *buf, unsigned int count);
41195 @samp{Fread,@var{fd},@var{bufptr},@var{count}}
41197 @item Return value:
41198 On success, the number of bytes read is returned.
41199 Zero indicates end of file. If count is zero, read
41200 returns zero as well. On error, -1 is returned.
41206 @var{fd} is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
41210 @var{bufptr} is an invalid pointer value.
41213 The call was interrupted by the user.
41219 @unnumberedsubsubsec write
41220 @cindex write, file-i/o system call
41225 int write(int fd, const void *buf, unsigned int count);
41229 @samp{Fwrite,@var{fd},@var{bufptr},@var{count}}
41231 @item Return value:
41232 On success, the number of bytes written are returned.
41233 Zero indicates nothing was written. On error, -1
41240 @var{fd} is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
41244 @var{bufptr} is an invalid pointer value.
41247 An attempt was made to write a file that exceeds the
41248 host-specific maximum file size allowed.
41251 No space on device to write the data.
41254 The call was interrupted by the user.
41260 @unnumberedsubsubsec lseek
41261 @cindex lseek, file-i/o system call
41266 long lseek (int fd, long offset, int flag);
41270 @samp{Flseek,@var{fd},@var{offset},@var{flag}}
41272 @var{flag} is one of:
41276 The offset is set to @var{offset} bytes.
41279 The offset is set to its current location plus @var{offset}
41283 The offset is set to the size of the file plus @var{offset}
41287 @item Return value:
41288 On success, the resulting unsigned offset in bytes from
41289 the beginning of the file is returned. Otherwise, a
41290 value of -1 is returned.
41296 @var{fd} is not a valid open file descriptor.
41299 @var{fd} is associated with the @value{GDBN} console.
41302 @var{flag} is not a proper value.
41305 The call was interrupted by the user.
41311 @unnumberedsubsubsec rename
41312 @cindex rename, file-i/o system call
41317 int rename(const char *oldpath, const char *newpath);
41321 @samp{Frename,@var{oldpathptr}/@var{len},@var{newpathptr}/@var{len}}
41323 @item Return value:
41324 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
41330 @var{newpath} is an existing directory, but @var{oldpath} is not a
41334 @var{newpath} is a non-empty directory.
41337 @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} is a directory that is in use by some
41341 An attempt was made to make a directory a subdirectory
41345 A component used as a directory in @var{oldpath} or new
41346 path is not a directory. Or @var{oldpath} is a directory
41347 and @var{newpath} exists but is not a directory.
41350 @var{oldpathptr} or @var{newpathptr} are invalid pointer values.
41353 No access to the file or the path of the file.
41357 @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} was too long.
41360 A directory component in @var{oldpath} or @var{newpath} does not exist.
41363 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
41366 The device containing the file has no room for the new
41370 The call was interrupted by the user.
41376 @unnumberedsubsubsec unlink
41377 @cindex unlink, file-i/o system call
41382 int unlink(const char *pathname);
41386 @samp{Funlink,@var{pathnameptr}/@var{len}}
41388 @item Return value:
41389 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
41395 No access to the file or the path of the file.
41398 The system does not allow unlinking of directories.
41401 The file @var{pathname} cannot be unlinked because it's
41402 being used by another process.
41405 @var{pathnameptr} is an invalid pointer value.
41408 @var{pathname} was too long.
41411 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist.
41414 A component of the path is not a directory.
41417 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
41420 The call was interrupted by the user.
41426 @unnumberedsubsubsec stat/fstat
41427 @cindex fstat, file-i/o system call
41428 @cindex stat, file-i/o system call
41433 int stat(const char *pathname, struct stat *buf);
41434 int fstat(int fd, struct stat *buf);
41438 @samp{Fstat,@var{pathnameptr}/@var{len},@var{bufptr}}@*
41439 @samp{Ffstat,@var{fd},@var{bufptr}}
41441 @item Return value:
41442 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
41448 @var{fd} is not a valid open file.
41451 A directory component in @var{pathname} does not exist or the
41452 path is an empty string.
41455 A component of the path is not a directory.
41458 @var{pathnameptr} is an invalid pointer value.
41461 No access to the file or the path of the file.
41464 @var{pathname} was too long.
41467 The call was interrupted by the user.
41473 @unnumberedsubsubsec gettimeofday
41474 @cindex gettimeofday, file-i/o system call
41479 int gettimeofday(struct timeval *tv, void *tz);
41483 @samp{Fgettimeofday,@var{tvptr},@var{tzptr}}
41485 @item Return value:
41486 On success, 0 is returned, -1 otherwise.
41492 @var{tz} is a non-NULL pointer.
41495 @var{tvptr} and/or @var{tzptr} is an invalid pointer value.
41501 @unnumberedsubsubsec isatty
41502 @cindex isatty, file-i/o system call
41507 int isatty(int fd);
41511 @samp{Fisatty,@var{fd}}
41513 @item Return value:
41514 Returns 1 if @var{fd} refers to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise.
41520 The call was interrupted by the user.
41525 Note that the @code{isatty} call is treated as a special case: it returns
41526 1 to the target if the file descriptor is attached
41527 to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise. Implementing through system calls
41528 would require implementing @code{ioctl} and would be more complex than
41533 @unnumberedsubsubsec system
41534 @cindex system, file-i/o system call
41539 int system(const char *command);
41543 @samp{Fsystem,@var{commandptr}/@var{len}}
41545 @item Return value:
41546 If @var{len} is zero, the return value indicates whether a shell is
41547 available. A zero return value indicates a shell is not available.
41548 For non-zero @var{len}, the value returned is -1 on error and the
41549 return status of the command otherwise. Only the exit status of the
41550 command is returned, which is extracted from the host's @code{system}
41551 return value by calling @code{WEXITSTATUS(retval)}. In case
41552 @file{/bin/sh} could not be executed, 127 is returned.
41558 The call was interrupted by the user.
41563 @value{GDBN} takes over the full task of calling the necessary host calls
41564 to perform the @code{system} call. The return value of @code{system} on
41565 the host is simplified before it's returned
41566 to the target. Any termination signal information from the child process
41567 is discarded, and the return value consists
41568 entirely of the exit status of the called command.
41570 Due to security concerns, the @code{system} call is by default refused
41571 by @value{GDBN}. The user has to allow this call explicitly with the
41572 @code{set remote system-call-allowed 1} command.
41575 @item set remote system-call-allowed
41576 @kindex set remote system-call-allowed
41577 Control whether to allow the @code{system} calls in the File I/O
41578 protocol for the remote target. The default is zero (disabled).
41580 @item show remote system-call-allowed
41581 @kindex show remote system-call-allowed
41582 Show whether the @code{system} calls are allowed in the File I/O
41586 @node Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes
41587 @subsection Protocol-specific Representation of Datatypes
41588 @cindex protocol-specific representation of datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
41591 * Integral Datatypes::
41593 * Memory Transfer::
41598 @node Integral Datatypes
41599 @unnumberedsubsubsec Integral Datatypes
41600 @cindex integral datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
41602 The integral datatypes used in the system calls are @code{int},
41603 @code{unsigned int}, @code{long}, @code{unsigned long},
41604 @code{mode_t}, and @code{time_t}.
41606 @code{int}, @code{unsigned int}, @code{mode_t} and @code{time_t} are
41607 implemented as 32 bit values in this protocol.
41609 @code{long} and @code{unsigned long} are implemented as 64 bit types.
41611 @xref{Limits}, for corresponding MIN and MAX values (similar to those
41612 in @file{limits.h}) to allow range checking on host and target.
41614 @code{time_t} datatypes are defined as seconds since the Epoch.
41616 All integral datatypes transferred as part of a memory read or write of a
41617 structured datatype e.g.@: a @code{struct stat} have to be given in big endian
41620 @node Pointer Values
41621 @unnumberedsubsubsec Pointer Values
41622 @cindex pointer values, in file-i/o protocol
41624 Pointers to target data are transmitted as they are. An exception
41625 is made for pointers to buffers for which the length isn't
41626 transmitted as part of the function call, namely strings. Strings
41627 are transmitted as a pointer/length pair, both as hex values, e.g.@:
41634 which is a pointer to data of length 18 bytes at position 0x1aaf.
41635 The length is defined as the full string length in bytes, including
41636 the trailing null byte. For example, the string @code{"hello world"}
41637 at address 0x123456 is transmitted as
41643 @node Memory Transfer
41644 @unnumberedsubsubsec Memory Transfer
41645 @cindex memory transfer, in file-i/o protocol
41647 Structured data which is transferred using a memory read or write (for
41648 example, a @code{struct stat}) is expected to be in a protocol-specific format
41649 with all scalar multibyte datatypes being big endian. Translation to
41650 this representation needs to be done both by the target before the @code{F}
41651 packet is sent, and by @value{GDBN} before
41652 it transfers memory to the target. Transferred pointers to structured
41653 data should point to the already-coerced data at any time.
41657 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct stat
41658 @cindex struct stat, in file-i/o protocol
41660 The buffer of type @code{struct stat} used by the target and @value{GDBN}
41661 is defined as follows:
41665 unsigned int st_dev; /* device */
41666 unsigned int st_ino; /* inode */
41667 mode_t st_mode; /* protection */
41668 unsigned int st_nlink; /* number of hard links */
41669 unsigned int st_uid; /* user ID of owner */
41670 unsigned int st_gid; /* group ID of owner */
41671 unsigned int st_rdev; /* device type (if inode device) */
41672 unsigned long st_size; /* total size, in bytes */
41673 unsigned long st_blksize; /* blocksize for filesystem I/O */
41674 unsigned long st_blocks; /* number of blocks allocated */
41675 time_t st_atime; /* time of last access */
41676 time_t st_mtime; /* time of last modification */
41677 time_t st_ctime; /* time of last change */
41681 The integral datatypes conform to the definitions given in the
41682 appropriate section (see @ref{Integral Datatypes}, for details) so this
41683 structure is of size 64 bytes.
41685 The values of several fields have a restricted meaning and/or
41691 A value of 0 represents a file, 1 the console.
41694 No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
41697 Valid mode bits are described in @ref{Constants}. Any other
41698 bits have currently no meaning for the target.
41703 No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
41708 These values have a host and file system dependent
41709 accuracy. Especially on Windows hosts, the file system may not
41710 support exact timing values.
41713 The target gets a @code{struct stat} of the above representation and is
41714 responsible for coercing it to the target representation before
41717 Note that due to size differences between the host, target, and protocol
41718 representations of @code{struct stat} members, these members could eventually
41719 get truncated on the target.
41721 @node struct timeval
41722 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct timeval
41723 @cindex struct timeval, in file-i/o protocol
41725 The buffer of type @code{struct timeval} used by the File-I/O protocol
41726 is defined as follows:
41730 time_t tv_sec; /* second */
41731 long tv_usec; /* microsecond */
41735 The integral datatypes conform to the definitions given in the
41736 appropriate section (see @ref{Integral Datatypes}, for details) so this
41737 structure is of size 8 bytes.
41740 @subsection Constants
41741 @cindex constants, in file-i/o protocol
41743 The following values are used for the constants inside of the
41744 protocol. @value{GDBN} and target are responsible for translating these
41745 values before and after the call as needed.
41756 @unnumberedsubsubsec Open Flags
41757 @cindex open flags, in file-i/o protocol
41759 All values are given in hexadecimal representation.
41771 @node mode_t Values
41772 @unnumberedsubsubsec mode_t Values
41773 @cindex mode_t values, in file-i/o protocol
41775 All values are given in octal representation.
41792 @unnumberedsubsubsec Errno Values
41793 @cindex errno values, in file-i/o protocol
41795 All values are given in decimal representation.
41820 @code{EUNKNOWN} is used as a fallback error value if a host system returns
41821 any error value not in the list of supported error numbers.
41824 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lseek Flags
41825 @cindex lseek flags, in file-i/o protocol
41834 @unnumberedsubsubsec Limits
41835 @cindex limits, in file-i/o protocol
41837 All values are given in decimal representation.
41840 INT_MIN -2147483648
41842 UINT_MAX 4294967295
41843 LONG_MIN -9223372036854775808
41844 LONG_MAX 9223372036854775807
41845 ULONG_MAX 18446744073709551615
41848 @node File-I/O Examples
41849 @subsection File-I/O Examples
41850 @cindex file-i/o examples
41852 Example sequence of a write call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
41853 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be written:
41856 <- @code{Fwrite,3,1234,6}
41857 @emph{request memory read from target}
41860 @emph{return "6 bytes written"}
41864 Example sequence of a read call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
41865 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be read:
41868 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
41869 @emph{request memory write to target}
41870 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
41871 @emph{return "6 bytes read"}
41875 Example sequence of a read call, call fails on the host due to invalid
41876 file descriptor (@code{EBADF}):
41879 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
41883 Example sequence of a read call, user presses @kbd{Ctrl-c} before syscall on
41887 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
41892 Example sequence of a read call, user presses @kbd{Ctrl-c} after syscall on
41896 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
41897 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
41901 @node Library List Format
41902 @section Library List Format
41903 @cindex library list format, remote protocol
41905 On some platforms, a dynamic loader (e.g.@: @file{ld.so}) runs in the
41906 same process as your application to manage libraries. In this case,
41907 @value{GDBN} can use the loader's symbol table and normal memory
41908 operations to maintain a list of shared libraries. On other
41909 platforms, the operating system manages loaded libraries.
41910 @value{GDBN} can not retrieve the list of currently loaded libraries
41911 through memory operations, so it uses the @samp{qXfer:libraries:read}
41912 packet (@pxref{qXfer library list read}) instead. The remote stub
41913 queries the target's operating system and reports which libraries
41916 The @samp{qXfer:libraries:read} packet returns an XML document which
41917 lists loaded libraries and their offsets. Each library has an
41918 associated name and one or more segment or section base addresses,
41919 which report where the library was loaded in memory.
41921 For the common case of libraries that are fully linked binaries, the
41922 library should have a list of segments. If the target supports
41923 dynamic linking of a relocatable object file, its library XML element
41924 should instead include a list of allocated sections. The segment or
41925 section bases are start addresses, not relocation offsets; they do not
41926 depend on the library's link-time base addresses.
41928 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
41929 library lists. @xref{Expat}.
41931 A simple memory map, with one loaded library relocated by a single
41932 offset, looks like this:
41936 <library name="/lib/libc.so.6">
41937 <segment address="0x10000000"/>
41942 Another simple memory map, with one loaded library with three
41943 allocated sections (.text, .data, .bss), looks like this:
41947 <library name="sharedlib.o">
41948 <section address="0x10000000"/>
41949 <section address="0x20000000"/>
41950 <section address="0x30000000"/>
41955 The format of a library list is described by this DTD:
41958 <!-- library-list: Root element with versioning -->
41959 <!ELEMENT library-list (library)*>
41960 <!ATTLIST library-list version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
41961 <!ELEMENT library (segment*, section*)>
41962 <!ATTLIST library name CDATA #REQUIRED>
41963 <!ELEMENT segment EMPTY>
41964 <!ATTLIST segment address CDATA #REQUIRED>
41965 <!ELEMENT section EMPTY>
41966 <!ATTLIST section address CDATA #REQUIRED>
41969 In addition, segments and section descriptors cannot be mixed within a
41970 single library element, and you must supply at least one segment or
41971 section for each library.
41973 @node Library List Format for SVR4 Targets
41974 @section Library List Format for SVR4 Targets
41975 @cindex library list format, remote protocol
41977 On SVR4 platforms @value{GDBN} can use the symbol table of a dynamic loader
41978 (e.g.@: @file{ld.so}) and normal memory operations to maintain a list of
41979 shared libraries. Still a special library list provided by this packet is
41980 more efficient for the @value{GDBN} remote protocol.
41982 The @samp{qXfer:libraries-svr4:read} packet returns an XML document which lists
41983 loaded libraries and their SVR4 linker parameters. For each library on SVR4
41984 target, the following parameters are reported:
41988 @code{name}, the absolute file name from the @code{l_name} field of
41989 @code{struct link_map}.
41991 @code{lm} with address of @code{struct link_map} used for TLS
41992 (Thread Local Storage) access.
41994 @code{l_addr}, the displacement as read from the field @code{l_addr} of
41995 @code{struct link_map}. For prelinked libraries this is not an absolute
41996 memory address. It is a displacement of absolute memory address against
41997 address the file was prelinked to during the library load.
41999 @code{l_ld}, which is memory address of the @code{PT_DYNAMIC} segment
42002 Additionally the single @code{main-lm} attribute specifies address of
42003 @code{struct link_map} used for the main executable. This parameter is used
42004 for TLS access and its presence is optional.
42006 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
42007 SVR4 library lists. @xref{Expat}.
42009 A simple memory map, with two loaded libraries (which do not use prelink),
42013 <library-list-svr4 version="1.0" main-lm="0xe4f8f8">
42014 <library name="/lib/ld-linux.so.2" lm="0xe4f51c" l_addr="0xe2d000"
42016 <library name="/lib/libc.so.6" lm="0xe4fbe8" l_addr="0x154000"
42018 </library-list-svr>
42021 The format of an SVR4 library list is described by this DTD:
42024 <!-- library-list-svr4: Root element with versioning -->
42025 <!ELEMENT library-list-svr4 (library)*>
42026 <!ATTLIST library-list-svr4 version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
42027 <!ATTLIST library-list-svr4 main-lm CDATA #IMPLIED>
42028 <!ELEMENT library EMPTY>
42029 <!ATTLIST library name CDATA #REQUIRED>
42030 <!ATTLIST library lm CDATA #REQUIRED>
42031 <!ATTLIST library l_addr CDATA #REQUIRED>
42032 <!ATTLIST library l_ld CDATA #REQUIRED>
42035 @node Memory Map Format
42036 @section Memory Map Format
42037 @cindex memory map format
42039 To be able to write into flash memory, @value{GDBN} needs to obtain a
42040 memory map from the target. This section describes the format of the
42043 The memory map is obtained using the @samp{qXfer:memory-map:read}
42044 (@pxref{qXfer memory map read}) packet and is an XML document that
42045 lists memory regions.
42047 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
42048 memory maps. @xref{Expat}.
42050 The top-level structure of the document is shown below:
42053 <?xml version="1.0"?>
42054 <!DOCTYPE memory-map
42055 PUBLIC "+//IDN gnu.org//DTD GDB Memory Map V1.0//EN"
42056 "http://sourceware.org/gdb/gdb-memory-map.dtd">
42062 Each region can be either:
42067 A region of RAM starting at @var{addr} and extending for @var{length}
42071 <memory type="ram" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
42076 A region of read-only memory:
42079 <memory type="rom" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
42084 A region of flash memory, with erasure blocks @var{blocksize}
42088 <memory type="flash" start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}">
42089 <property name="blocksize">@var{blocksize}</property>
42095 Regions must not overlap. @value{GDBN} assumes that areas of memory not covered
42096 by the memory map are RAM, and uses the ordinary @samp{M} and @samp{X}
42097 packets to write to addresses in such ranges.
42099 The formal DTD for memory map format is given below:
42102 <!-- ................................................... -->
42103 <!-- Memory Map XML DTD ................................ -->
42104 <!-- File: memory-map.dtd .............................. -->
42105 <!-- .................................... .............. -->
42106 <!-- memory-map.dtd -->
42107 <!-- memory-map: Root element with versioning -->
42108 <!ELEMENT memory-map (memory)*>
42109 <!ATTLIST memory-map version CDATA #FIXED "1.0.0">
42110 <!ELEMENT memory (property)*>
42111 <!-- memory: Specifies a memory region,
42112 and its type, or device. -->
42113 <!ATTLIST memory type (ram|rom|flash) #REQUIRED
42114 start CDATA #REQUIRED
42115 length CDATA #REQUIRED>
42116 <!-- property: Generic attribute tag -->
42117 <!ELEMENT property (#PCDATA | property)*>
42118 <!ATTLIST property name (blocksize) #REQUIRED>
42121 @node Thread List Format
42122 @section Thread List Format
42123 @cindex thread list format
42125 To efficiently update the list of threads and their attributes,
42126 @value{GDBN} issues the @samp{qXfer:threads:read} packet
42127 (@pxref{qXfer threads read}) and obtains the XML document with
42128 the following structure:
42131 <?xml version="1.0"?>
42133 <thread id="id" core="0" name="name">
42134 ... description ...
42139 Each @samp{thread} element must have the @samp{id} attribute that
42140 identifies the thread (@pxref{thread-id syntax}). The
42141 @samp{core} attribute, if present, specifies which processor core
42142 the thread was last executing on. The @samp{name} attribute, if
42143 present, specifies the human-readable name of the thread. The content
42144 of the of @samp{thread} element is interpreted as human-readable
42145 auxiliary information. The @samp{handle} attribute, if present,
42146 is a hex encoded representation of the thread handle.
42149 @node Traceframe Info Format
42150 @section Traceframe Info Format
42151 @cindex traceframe info format
42153 To be able to know which objects in the inferior can be examined when
42154 inspecting a tracepoint hit, @value{GDBN} needs to obtain the list of
42155 memory ranges, registers and trace state variables that have been
42156 collected in a traceframe.
42158 This list is obtained using the @samp{qXfer:traceframe-info:read}
42159 (@pxref{qXfer traceframe info read}) packet and is an XML document.
42161 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
42162 traceframe info discovery. @xref{Expat}.
42164 The top-level structure of the document is shown below:
42167 <?xml version="1.0"?>
42168 <!DOCTYPE traceframe-info
42169 PUBLIC "+//IDN gnu.org//DTD GDB Memory Map V1.0//EN"
42170 "http://sourceware.org/gdb/gdb-traceframe-info.dtd">
42176 Each traceframe block can be either:
42181 A region of collected memory starting at @var{addr} and extending for
42182 @var{length} bytes from there:
42185 <memory start="@var{addr}" length="@var{length}"/>
42189 A block indicating trace state variable numbered @var{number} has been
42193 <tvar id="@var{number}"/>
42198 The formal DTD for the traceframe info format is given below:
42201 <!ELEMENT traceframe-info (memory | tvar)* >
42202 <!ATTLIST traceframe-info version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
42204 <!ELEMENT memory EMPTY>
42205 <!ATTLIST memory start CDATA #REQUIRED
42206 length CDATA #REQUIRED>
42208 <!ATTLIST tvar id CDATA #REQUIRED>
42211 @node Branch Trace Format
42212 @section Branch Trace Format
42213 @cindex branch trace format
42215 In order to display the branch trace of an inferior thread,
42216 @value{GDBN} needs to obtain the list of branches. This list is
42217 represented as list of sequential code blocks that are connected via
42218 branches. The code in each block has been executed sequentially.
42220 This list is obtained using the @samp{qXfer:btrace:read}
42221 (@pxref{qXfer btrace read}) packet and is an XML document.
42223 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
42224 traceframe info discovery. @xref{Expat}.
42226 The top-level structure of the document is shown below:
42229 <?xml version="1.0"?>
42231 PUBLIC "+//IDN gnu.org//DTD GDB Branch Trace V1.0//EN"
42232 "http://sourceware.org/gdb/gdb-btrace.dtd">
42241 A block of sequentially executed instructions starting at @var{begin}
42242 and ending at @var{end}:
42245 <block begin="@var{begin}" end="@var{end}"/>
42250 The formal DTD for the branch trace format is given below:
42253 <!ELEMENT btrace (block* | pt) >
42254 <!ATTLIST btrace version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
42256 <!ELEMENT block EMPTY>
42257 <!ATTLIST block begin CDATA #REQUIRED
42258 end CDATA #REQUIRED>
42260 <!ELEMENT pt (pt-config?, raw?)>
42262 <!ELEMENT pt-config (cpu?)>
42264 <!ELEMENT cpu EMPTY>
42265 <!ATTLIST cpu vendor CDATA #REQUIRED
42266 family CDATA #REQUIRED
42267 model CDATA #REQUIRED
42268 stepping CDATA #REQUIRED>
42270 <!ELEMENT raw (#PCDATA)>
42273 @node Branch Trace Configuration Format
42274 @section Branch Trace Configuration Format
42275 @cindex branch trace configuration format
42277 For each inferior thread, @value{GDBN} can obtain the branch trace
42278 configuration using the @samp{qXfer:btrace-conf:read}
42279 (@pxref{qXfer btrace-conf read}) packet.
42281 The configuration describes the branch trace format and configuration
42282 settings for that format. The following information is described:
42286 This thread uses the @dfn{Branch Trace Store} (@acronym{BTS}) format.
42289 The size of the @acronym{BTS} ring buffer in bytes.
42292 This thread uses the @dfn{Intel Processor Trace} (@acronym{Intel
42296 The size of the @acronym{Intel PT} ring buffer in bytes.
42300 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
42301 branch trace configuration discovery. @xref{Expat}.
42303 The formal DTD for the branch trace configuration format is given below:
42306 <!ELEMENT btrace-conf (bts?, pt?)>
42307 <!ATTLIST btrace-conf version CDATA #FIXED "1.0">
42309 <!ELEMENT bts EMPTY>
42310 <!ATTLIST bts size CDATA #IMPLIED>
42312 <!ELEMENT pt EMPTY>
42313 <!ATTLIST pt size CDATA #IMPLIED>
42316 @include agentexpr.texi
42318 @node Target Descriptions
42319 @appendix Target Descriptions
42320 @cindex target descriptions
42322 One of the challenges of using @value{GDBN} to debug embedded systems
42323 is that there are so many minor variants of each processor
42324 architecture in use. It is common practice for vendors to start with
42325 a standard processor core --- ARM, PowerPC, or @acronym{MIPS}, for example ---
42326 and then make changes to adapt it to a particular market niche. Some
42327 architectures have hundreds of variants, available from dozens of
42328 vendors. This leads to a number of problems:
42332 With so many different customized processors, it is difficult for
42333 the @value{GDBN} maintainers to keep up with the changes.
42335 Since individual variants may have short lifetimes or limited
42336 audiences, it may not be worthwhile to carry information about every
42337 variant in the @value{GDBN} source tree.
42339 When @value{GDBN} does support the architecture of the embedded system
42340 at hand, the task of finding the correct architecture name to give the
42341 @command{set architecture} command can be error-prone.
42344 To address these problems, the @value{GDBN} remote protocol allows a
42345 target system to not only identify itself to @value{GDBN}, but to
42346 actually describe its own features. This lets @value{GDBN} support
42347 processor variants it has never seen before --- to the extent that the
42348 descriptions are accurate, and that @value{GDBN} understands them.
42350 @value{GDBN} must be linked with the Expat library to support XML
42351 target descriptions. @xref{Expat}.
42354 * Retrieving Descriptions:: How descriptions are fetched from a target.
42355 * Target Description Format:: The contents of a target description.
42356 * Predefined Target Types:: Standard types available for target
42358 * Enum Target Types:: How to define enum target types.
42359 * Standard Target Features:: Features @value{GDBN} knows about.
42362 @node Retrieving Descriptions
42363 @section Retrieving Descriptions
42365 Target descriptions can be read from the target automatically, or
42366 specified by the user manually. The default behavior is to read the
42367 description from the target. @value{GDBN} retrieves it via the remote
42368 protocol using @samp{qXfer} requests (@pxref{General Query Packets,
42369 qXfer}). The @var{annex} in the @samp{qXfer} packet will be
42370 @samp{target.xml}. The contents of the @samp{target.xml} annex are an
42371 XML document, of the form described in @ref{Target Description
42374 Alternatively, you can specify a file to read for the target description.
42375 If a file is set, the target will not be queried. The commands to
42376 specify a file are:
42379 @cindex set tdesc filename
42380 @item set tdesc filename @var{path}
42381 Read the target description from @var{path}.
42383 @cindex unset tdesc filename
42384 @item unset tdesc filename
42385 Do not read the XML target description from a file. @value{GDBN}
42386 will use the description supplied by the current target.
42388 @cindex show tdesc filename
42389 @item show tdesc filename
42390 Show the filename to read for a target description, if any.
42394 @node Target Description Format
42395 @section Target Description Format
42396 @cindex target descriptions, XML format
42398 A target description annex is an @uref{http://www.w3.org/XML/, XML}
42399 document which complies with the Document Type Definition provided in
42400 the @value{GDBN} sources in @file{gdb/features/gdb-target.dtd}. This
42401 means you can use generally available tools like @command{xmllint} to
42402 check that your feature descriptions are well-formed and valid.
42403 However, to help people unfamiliar with XML write descriptions for
42404 their targets, we also describe the grammar here.
42406 Target descriptions can identify the architecture of the remote target
42407 and (for some architectures) provide information about custom register
42408 sets. They can also identify the OS ABI of the remote target.
42409 @value{GDBN} can use this information to autoconfigure for your
42410 target, or to warn you if you connect to an unsupported target.
42412 Here is a simple target description:
42415 <target version="1.0">
42416 <architecture>i386:x86-64</architecture>
42421 This minimal description only says that the target uses
42422 the x86-64 architecture.
42424 A target description has the following overall form, with [ ] marking
42425 optional elements and @dots{} marking repeatable elements. The elements
42426 are explained further below.
42429 <?xml version="1.0"?>
42430 <!DOCTYPE target SYSTEM "gdb-target.dtd">
42431 <target version="1.0">
42432 @r{[}@var{architecture}@r{]}
42433 @r{[}@var{osabi}@r{]}
42434 @r{[}@var{compatible}@r{]}
42435 @r{[}@var{feature}@dots{}@r{]}
42440 The description is generally insensitive to whitespace and line
42441 breaks, under the usual common-sense rules. The XML version
42442 declaration and document type declaration can generally be omitted
42443 (@value{GDBN} does not require them), but specifying them may be
42444 useful for XML validation tools. The @samp{version} attribute for
42445 @samp{<target>} may also be omitted, but we recommend
42446 including it; if future versions of @value{GDBN} use an incompatible
42447 revision of @file{gdb-target.dtd}, they will detect and report
42448 the version mismatch.
42450 @subsection Inclusion
42451 @cindex target descriptions, inclusion
42454 @cindex <xi:include>
42457 It can sometimes be valuable to split a target description up into
42458 several different annexes, either for organizational purposes, or to
42459 share files between different possible target descriptions. You can
42460 divide a description into multiple files by replacing any element of
42461 the target description with an inclusion directive of the form:
42464 <xi:include href="@var{document}"/>
42468 When @value{GDBN} encounters an element of this form, it will retrieve
42469 the named XML @var{document}, and replace the inclusion directive with
42470 the contents of that document. If the current description was read
42471 using @samp{qXfer}, then so will be the included document;
42472 @var{document} will be interpreted as the name of an annex. If the
42473 current description was read from a file, @value{GDBN} will look for
42474 @var{document} as a file in the same directory where it found the
42475 original description.
42477 @subsection Architecture
42478 @cindex <architecture>
42480 An @samp{<architecture>} element has this form:
42483 <architecture>@var{arch}</architecture>
42486 @var{arch} is one of the architectures from the set accepted by
42487 @code{set architecture} (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
42490 @cindex @code{<osabi>}
42492 This optional field was introduced in @value{GDBN} version 7.0.
42493 Previous versions of @value{GDBN} ignore it.
42495 An @samp{<osabi>} element has this form:
42498 <osabi>@var{abi-name}</osabi>
42501 @var{abi-name} is an OS ABI name from the same selection accepted by
42502 @w{@code{set osabi}} (@pxref{ABI, ,Configuring the Current ABI}).
42504 @subsection Compatible Architecture
42505 @cindex @code{<compatible>}
42507 This optional field was introduced in @value{GDBN} version 7.0.
42508 Previous versions of @value{GDBN} ignore it.
42510 A @samp{<compatible>} element has this form:
42513 <compatible>@var{arch}</compatible>
42516 @var{arch} is one of the architectures from the set accepted by
42517 @code{set architecture} (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
42519 A @samp{<compatible>} element is used to specify that the target
42520 is able to run binaries in some other than the main target architecture
42521 given by the @samp{<architecture>} element. For example, on the
42522 Cell Broadband Engine, the main architecture is @code{powerpc:common}
42523 or @code{powerpc:common64}, but the system is able to run binaries
42524 in the @code{spu} architecture as well. The way to describe this
42525 capability with @samp{<compatible>} is as follows:
42528 <architecture>powerpc:common</architecture>
42529 <compatible>spu</compatible>
42532 @subsection Features
42535 Each @samp{<feature>} describes some logical portion of the target
42536 system. Features are currently used to describe available CPU
42537 registers and the types of their contents. A @samp{<feature>} element
42541 <feature name="@var{name}">
42542 @r{[}@var{type}@dots{}@r{]}
42548 Each feature's name should be unique within the description. The name
42549 of a feature does not matter unless @value{GDBN} has some special
42550 knowledge of the contents of that feature; if it does, the feature
42551 should have its standard name. @xref{Standard Target Features}.
42555 Any register's value is a collection of bits which @value{GDBN} must
42556 interpret. The default interpretation is a two's complement integer,
42557 but other types can be requested by name in the register description.
42558 Some predefined types are provided by @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Predefined
42559 Target Types}), and the description can define additional composite
42562 Each type element must have an @samp{id} attribute, which gives
42563 a unique (within the containing @samp{<feature>}) name to the type.
42564 Types must be defined before they are used.
42567 Some targets offer vector registers, which can be treated as arrays
42568 of scalar elements. These types are written as @samp{<vector>} elements,
42569 specifying the array element type, @var{type}, and the number of elements,
42573 <vector id="@var{id}" type="@var{type}" count="@var{count}"/>
42577 If a register's value is usefully viewed in multiple ways, define it
42578 with a union type containing the useful representations. The
42579 @samp{<union>} element contains one or more @samp{<field>} elements,
42580 each of which has a @var{name} and a @var{type}:
42583 <union id="@var{id}">
42584 <field name="@var{name}" type="@var{type}"/>
42591 If a register's value is composed from several separate values, define
42592 it with either a structure type or a flags type.
42593 A flags type may only contain bitfields.
42594 A structure type may either contain only bitfields or contain no bitfields.
42595 If the value contains only bitfields, its total size in bytes must be
42598 Non-bitfield values have a @var{name} and @var{type}.
42601 <struct id="@var{id}">
42602 <field name="@var{name}" type="@var{type}"/>
42607 Both @var{name} and @var{type} values are required.
42608 No implicit padding is added.
42610 Bitfield values have a @var{name}, @var{start}, @var{end} and @var{type}.
42613 <struct id="@var{id}" size="@var{size}">
42614 <field name="@var{name}" start="@var{start}" end="@var{end}" type="@var{type}"/>
42620 <flags id="@var{id}" size="@var{size}">
42621 <field name="@var{name}" start="@var{start}" end="@var{end}" type="@var{type}"/>
42626 The @var{name} value is required.
42627 Bitfield values may be named with the empty string, @samp{""},
42628 in which case the field is ``filler'' and its value is not printed.
42629 Not all bits need to be specified, so ``filler'' fields are optional.
42631 The @var{start} and @var{end} values are required, and @var{type}
42633 The field's @var{start} must be less than or equal to its @var{end},
42634 and zero represents the least significant bit.
42636 The default value of @var{type} is @code{bool} for single bit fields,
42637 and an unsigned integer otherwise.
42639 Which to choose? Structures or flags?
42641 Registers defined with @samp{flags} have these advantages over
42642 defining them with @samp{struct}:
42646 Arithmetic may be performed on them as if they were integers.
42648 They are printed in a more readable fashion.
42651 Registers defined with @samp{struct} have one advantage over
42652 defining them with @samp{flags}:
42656 One can fetch individual fields like in @samp{C}.
42659 (gdb) print $my_struct_reg.field3
42665 @subsection Registers
42668 Each register is represented as an element with this form:
42671 <reg name="@var{name}"
42672 bitsize="@var{size}"
42673 @r{[}regnum="@var{num}"@r{]}
42674 @r{[}save-restore="@var{save-restore}"@r{]}
42675 @r{[}type="@var{type}"@r{]}
42676 @r{[}group="@var{group}"@r{]}/>
42680 The components are as follows:
42685 The register's name; it must be unique within the target description.
42688 The register's size, in bits.
42691 The register's number. If omitted, a register's number is one greater
42692 than that of the previous register (either in the current feature or in
42693 a preceding feature); the first register in the target description
42694 defaults to zero. This register number is used to read or write
42695 the register; e.g.@: it is used in the remote @code{p} and @code{P}
42696 packets, and registers appear in the @code{g} and @code{G} packets
42697 in order of increasing register number.
42700 Whether the register should be preserved across inferior function
42701 calls; this must be either @code{yes} or @code{no}. The default is
42702 @code{yes}, which is appropriate for most registers except for
42703 some system control registers; this is not related to the target's
42707 The type of the register. It may be a predefined type, a type
42708 defined in the current feature, or one of the special types @code{int}
42709 and @code{float}. @code{int} is an integer type of the correct size
42710 for @var{bitsize}, and @code{float} is a floating point type (in the
42711 architecture's normal floating point format) of the correct size for
42712 @var{bitsize}. The default is @code{int}.
42715 The register group to which this register belongs. It can be one of the
42716 standard register groups @code{general}, @code{float}, @code{vector} or an
42717 arbitrary string. Group names should be limited to alphanumeric characters.
42718 If a group name is made up of multiple words the words may be separated by
42719 hyphens; e.g.@: @code{special-group} or @code{ultra-special-group}. If no
42720 @var{group} is specified, @value{GDBN} will not display the register in
42721 @code{info registers}.
42725 @node Predefined Target Types
42726 @section Predefined Target Types
42727 @cindex target descriptions, predefined types
42729 Type definitions in the self-description can build up composite types
42730 from basic building blocks, but can not define fundamental types. Instead,
42731 standard identifiers are provided by @value{GDBN} for the fundamental
42732 types. The currently supported types are:
42737 Boolean type, occupying a single bit.
42745 Signed integer types holding the specified number of bits.
42753 Unsigned integer types holding the specified number of bits.
42757 Pointers to unspecified code and data. The program counter and
42758 any dedicated return address register may be marked as code
42759 pointers; printing a code pointer converts it into a symbolic
42760 address. The stack pointer and any dedicated address registers
42761 may be marked as data pointers.
42764 Single precision IEEE floating point.
42767 Double precision IEEE floating point.
42770 The 12-byte extended precision format used by ARM FPA registers.
42773 The 10-byte extended precision format used by x87 registers.
42776 32bit @sc{eflags} register used by x86.
42779 32bit @sc{mxcsr} register used by x86.
42783 @node Enum Target Types
42784 @section Enum Target Types
42785 @cindex target descriptions, enum types
42787 Enum target types are useful in @samp{struct} and @samp{flags}
42788 register descriptions. @xref{Target Description Format}.
42790 Enum types have a name, size and a list of name/value pairs.
42793 <enum id="@var{id}" size="@var{size}">
42794 <evalue name="@var{name}" value="@var{value}"/>
42799 Enums must be defined before they are used.
42802 <enum id="levels_type" size="4">
42803 <evalue name="low" value="0"/>
42804 <evalue name="high" value="1"/>
42806 <flags id="flags_type" size="4">
42807 <field name="X" start="0"/>
42808 <field name="LEVEL" start="1" end="1" type="levels_type"/>
42810 <reg name="flags" bitsize="32" type="flags_type"/>
42813 Given that description, a value of 3 for the @samp{flags} register
42814 would be printed as:
42817 (gdb) info register flags
42818 flags 0x3 [ X LEVEL=high ]
42821 @node Standard Target Features
42822 @section Standard Target Features
42823 @cindex target descriptions, standard features
42825 A target description must contain either no registers or all the
42826 target's registers. If the description contains no registers, then
42827 @value{GDBN} will assume a default register layout, selected based on
42828 the architecture. If the description contains any registers, the
42829 default layout will not be used; the standard registers must be
42830 described in the target description, in such a way that @value{GDBN}
42831 can recognize them.
42833 This is accomplished by giving specific names to feature elements
42834 which contain standard registers. @value{GDBN} will look for features
42835 with those names and verify that they contain the expected registers;
42836 if any known feature is missing required registers, or if any required
42837 feature is missing, @value{GDBN} will reject the target
42838 description. You can add additional registers to any of the
42839 standard features --- @value{GDBN} will display them just as if
42840 they were added to an unrecognized feature.
42842 This section lists the known features and their expected contents.
42843 Sample XML documents for these features are included in the
42844 @value{GDBN} source tree, in the directory @file{gdb/features}.
42846 Names recognized by @value{GDBN} should include the name of the
42847 company or organization which selected the name, and the overall
42848 architecture to which the feature applies; so e.g.@: the feature
42849 containing ARM core registers is named @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core}.
42851 The names of registers are not case sensitive for the purpose
42852 of recognizing standard features, but @value{GDBN} will only display
42853 registers using the capitalization used in the description.
42856 * AArch64 Features::
42860 * MicroBlaze Features::
42864 * Nios II Features::
42865 * OpenRISC 1000 Features::
42866 * PowerPC Features::
42867 * S/390 and System z Features::
42873 @node AArch64 Features
42874 @subsection AArch64 Features
42875 @cindex target descriptions, AArch64 features
42877 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.aarch64.core} feature is required for AArch64
42878 targets. It should contain registers @samp{x0} through @samp{x30},
42879 @samp{sp}, @samp{pc}, and @samp{cpsr}.
42881 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.aarch64.fpu} feature is optional. If present,
42882 it should contain registers @samp{v0} through @samp{v31}, @samp{fpsr},
42885 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.aarch64.sve} feature is optional. If present,
42886 it should contain registers @samp{z0} through @samp{z31}, @samp{p0}
42887 through @samp{p15}, @samp{ffr} and @samp{vg}.
42890 @subsection ARC Features
42891 @cindex target descriptions, ARC Features
42893 ARC processors are highly configurable, so even core registers and their number
42894 are not completely predetermined. In addition flags and PC registers which are
42895 important to @value{GDBN} are not ``core'' registers in ARC. It is required
42896 that one of the core registers features is present.
42897 @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arc.aux-minimal} feature is mandatory.
42899 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arc.core.v2} feature is required for ARC EM and ARC HS
42900 targets with a normal register file. It should contain registers @samp{r0}
42901 through @samp{r25}, @samp{gp}, @samp{fp}, @samp{sp}, @samp{r30}, @samp{blink},
42902 @samp{lp_count} and @samp{pcl}. This feature may contain register @samp{ilink}
42903 and any of extension core registers @samp{r32} through @samp{r59/acch}.
42904 @samp{ilink} and extension core registers are not available to read/write, when
42905 debugging GNU/Linux applications, thus @samp{ilink} is made optional.
42907 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arc.core-reduced.v2} feature is required for ARC EM and
42908 ARC HS targets with a reduced register file. It should contain registers
42909 @samp{r0} through @samp{r3}, @samp{r10} through @samp{r15}, @samp{gp},
42910 @samp{fp}, @samp{sp}, @samp{r30}, @samp{blink}, @samp{lp_count} and @samp{pcl}.
42911 This feature may contain register @samp{ilink} and any of extension core
42912 registers @samp{r32} through @samp{r59/acch}.
42914 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arc.core.arcompact} feature is required for ARCompact
42915 targets with a normal register file. It should contain registers @samp{r0}
42916 through @samp{r25}, @samp{gp}, @samp{fp}, @samp{sp}, @samp{r30}, @samp{blink},
42917 @samp{lp_count} and @samp{pcl}. This feature may contain registers
42918 @samp{ilink1}, @samp{ilink2} and any of extension core registers @samp{r32}
42919 through @samp{r59/acch}. @samp{ilink1} and @samp{ilink2} and extension core
42920 registers are not available when debugging GNU/Linux applications. The only
42921 difference with @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arc.core.v2} feature is in the names of
42922 @samp{ilink1} and @samp{ilink2} registers and that @samp{r30} is mandatory in
42923 ARC v2, but @samp{ilink2} is optional on ARCompact.
42925 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arc.aux-minimal} feature is required for all ARC
42926 targets. It should contain registers @samp{pc} and @samp{status32}.
42929 @subsection ARM Features
42930 @cindex target descriptions, ARM features
42932 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core} feature is required for non-M-profile
42934 It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r13}, @samp{sp},
42935 @samp{lr}, @samp{pc}, and @samp{cpsr}.
42937 For M-profile targets (e.g. Cortex-M3), the @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.core}
42938 feature is replaced by @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.m-profile}. It should contain
42939 registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r13}, @samp{sp}, @samp{lr}, @samp{pc},
42942 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.fpa} feature is optional. If present, it
42943 should contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f7} and @samp{fps}.
42945 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.xscale.iwmmxt} feature is optional. If present,
42946 it should contain at least registers @samp{wR0} through @samp{wR15} and
42947 @samp{wCGR0} through @samp{wCGR3}. The @samp{wCID}, @samp{wCon},
42948 @samp{wCSSF}, and @samp{wCASF} registers are optional.
42950 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.vfp} feature is optional. If present, it
42951 should contain at least registers @samp{d0} through @samp{d15}. If
42952 they are present, @samp{d16} through @samp{d31} should also be included.
42953 @value{GDBN} will synthesize the single-precision registers from
42954 halves of the double-precision registers.
42956 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.neon} feature is optional. It does not
42957 need to contain registers; it instructs @value{GDBN} to display the
42958 VFP double-precision registers as vectors and to synthesize the
42959 quad-precision registers from pairs of double-precision registers.
42960 If this feature is present, @samp{org.gnu.gdb.arm.vfp} must also
42961 be present and include 32 double-precision registers.
42963 @node i386 Features
42964 @subsection i386 Features
42965 @cindex target descriptions, i386 features
42967 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.core} feature is required for i386/amd64
42968 targets. It should describe the following registers:
42972 @samp{eax} through @samp{edi} plus @samp{eip} for i386
42974 @samp{rax} through @samp{r15} plus @samp{rip} for amd64
42976 @samp{eflags}, @samp{cs}, @samp{ss}, @samp{ds}, @samp{es},
42977 @samp{fs}, @samp{gs}
42979 @samp{st0} through @samp{st7}
42981 @samp{fctrl}, @samp{fstat}, @samp{ftag}, @samp{fiseg}, @samp{fioff},
42982 @samp{foseg}, @samp{fooff} and @samp{fop}
42985 The register sets may be different, depending on the target.
42987 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.sse} feature is optional. It should
42988 describe registers:
42992 @samp{xmm0} through @samp{xmm7} for i386
42994 @samp{xmm0} through @samp{xmm15} for amd64
42999 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.avx} feature is optional and requires the
43000 @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.sse} feature. It should
43001 describe the upper 128 bits of @sc{ymm} registers:
43005 @samp{ymm0h} through @samp{ymm7h} for i386
43007 @samp{ymm0h} through @samp{ymm15h} for amd64
43010 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.mpx} is an optional feature representing Intel
43011 Memory Protection Extension (MPX). It should describe the following registers:
43015 @samp{bnd0raw} through @samp{bnd3raw} for i386 and amd64.
43017 @samp{bndcfgu} and @samp{bndstatus} for i386 and amd64.
43020 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.linux} feature is optional. It should
43021 describe a single register, @samp{orig_eax}.
43023 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.segments} feature is optional. It should
43024 describe two system registers: @samp{fs_base} and @samp{gs_base}.
43026 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.avx512} feature is optional and requires the
43027 @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.avx} feature. It should
43028 describe additional @sc{xmm} registers:
43032 @samp{xmm16h} through @samp{xmm31h}, only valid for amd64.
43035 It should describe the upper 128 bits of additional @sc{ymm} registers:
43039 @samp{ymm16h} through @samp{ymm31h}, only valid for amd64.
43043 describe the upper 256 bits of @sc{zmm} registers:
43047 @samp{zmm0h} through @samp{zmm7h} for i386.
43049 @samp{zmm0h} through @samp{zmm15h} for amd64.
43053 describe the additional @sc{zmm} registers:
43057 @samp{zmm16h} through @samp{zmm31h}, only valid for amd64.
43060 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.i386.pkeys} feature is optional. It should
43061 describe a single register, @samp{pkru}. It is a 32-bit register
43062 valid for i386 and amd64.
43064 @node MicroBlaze Features
43065 @subsection MicroBlaze Features
43066 @cindex target descriptions, MicroBlaze features
43068 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.microblaze.core} feature is required for MicroBlaze
43069 targets. It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r31},
43070 @samp{rpc}, @samp{rmsr}, @samp{rear}, @samp{resr}, @samp{rfsr}, @samp{rbtr},
43071 @samp{rpvr}, @samp{rpvr1} through @samp{rpvr11}, @samp{redr}, @samp{rpid},
43072 @samp{rzpr}, @samp{rtlbx}, @samp{rtlbsx}, @samp{rtlblo}, and @samp{rtlbhi}.
43074 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.microblaze.stack-protect} feature is optional.
43075 If present, it should contain registers @samp{rshr} and @samp{rslr}
43077 @node MIPS Features
43078 @subsection @acronym{MIPS} Features
43079 @cindex target descriptions, @acronym{MIPS} features
43081 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.cpu} feature is required for @acronym{MIPS} targets.
43082 It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r31}, @samp{lo},
43083 @samp{hi}, and @samp{pc}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending
43086 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.cp0} feature is also required. It should
43087 contain at least the @samp{status}, @samp{badvaddr}, and @samp{cause}
43088 registers. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
43090 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.fpu} feature is currently required, though
43091 it may be optional in a future version of @value{GDBN}. It should
43092 contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f31}, @samp{fcsr}, and
43093 @samp{fir}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
43095 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.dsp} feature is optional. It should
43096 contain registers @samp{hi1} through @samp{hi3}, @samp{lo1} through
43097 @samp{lo3}, and @samp{dspctl}. The @samp{dspctl} register should
43098 be 32-bit and the rest may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
43100 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.mips.linux} feature is optional. It should
43101 contain a single register, @samp{restart}, which is used by the
43102 Linux kernel to control restartable syscalls.
43104 @node M68K Features
43105 @subsection M68K Features
43106 @cindex target descriptions, M68K features
43109 @item @samp{org.gnu.gdb.m68k.core}
43110 @itemx @samp{org.gnu.gdb.coldfire.core}
43111 @itemx @samp{org.gnu.gdb.fido.core}
43112 One of those features must be always present.
43113 The feature that is present determines which flavor of m68k is
43114 used. The feature that is present should contain registers
43115 @samp{d0} through @samp{d7}, @samp{a0} through @samp{a5}, @samp{fp},
43116 @samp{sp}, @samp{ps} and @samp{pc}.
43118 @item @samp{org.gnu.gdb.coldfire.fp}
43119 This feature is optional. If present, it should contain registers
43120 @samp{fp0} through @samp{fp7}, @samp{fpcontrol}, @samp{fpstatus} and
43124 @node NDS32 Features
43125 @subsection NDS32 Features
43126 @cindex target descriptions, NDS32 features
43128 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.nds32.core} feature is required for NDS32
43129 targets. It should contain at least registers @samp{r0} through
43130 @samp{r10}, @samp{r15}, @samp{fp}, @samp{gp}, @samp{lp}, @samp{sp},
43133 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.nds32.fpu} feature is optional. If present,
43134 it should contain 64-bit double-precision floating-point registers
43135 @samp{fd0} through @emph{fdN}, which should be @samp{fd3}, @samp{fd7},
43136 @samp{fd15}, or @samp{fd31} based on the FPU configuration implemented.
43138 @emph{Note:} The first sixteen 64-bit double-precision floating-point
43139 registers are overlapped with the thirty-two 32-bit single-precision
43140 floating-point registers. The 32-bit single-precision registers, if
43141 not being listed explicitly, will be synthesized from halves of the
43142 overlapping 64-bit double-precision registers. Listing 32-bit
43143 single-precision registers explicitly is deprecated, and the
43144 support to it could be totally removed some day.
43146 @node Nios II Features
43147 @subsection Nios II Features
43148 @cindex target descriptions, Nios II features
43150 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.nios2.cpu} feature is required for Nios II
43151 targets. It should contain the 32 core registers (@samp{zero},
43152 @samp{at}, @samp{r2} through @samp{r23}, @samp{et} through @samp{ra}),
43153 @samp{pc}, and the 16 control registers (@samp{status} through
43156 @node OpenRISC 1000 Features
43157 @subsection Openrisc 1000 Features
43158 @cindex target descriptions, OpenRISC 1000 features
43160 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.or1k.group0} feature is required for OpenRISC 1000
43161 targets. It should contain the 32 general purpose registers (@samp{r0}
43162 through @samp{r31}), @samp{ppc}, @samp{npc} and @samp{sr}.
43164 @node PowerPC Features
43165 @subsection PowerPC Features
43166 @cindex target descriptions, PowerPC features
43168 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.core} feature is required for PowerPC
43169 targets. It should contain registers @samp{r0} through @samp{r31},
43170 @samp{pc}, @samp{msr}, @samp{cr}, @samp{lr}, @samp{ctr}, and
43171 @samp{xer}. They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
43173 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.fpu} feature is optional. It should
43174 contain registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f31} and @samp{fpscr}.
43176 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.altivec} feature is optional. It should
43177 contain registers @samp{vr0} through @samp{vr31}, @samp{vscr},
43180 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.vsx} feature is optional. It should
43181 contain registers @samp{vs0h} through @samp{vs31h}. @value{GDBN}
43182 will combine these registers with the floating point registers
43183 (@samp{f0} through @samp{f31}) and the altivec registers (@samp{vr0}
43184 through @samp{vr31}) to present the 128-bit wide registers @samp{vs0}
43185 through @samp{vs63}, the set of vector registers for POWER7.
43187 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.spe} feature is optional. It should
43188 contain registers @samp{ev0h} through @samp{ev31h}, @samp{acc}, and
43189 @samp{spefscr}. SPE targets should provide 32-bit registers in
43190 @samp{org.gnu.gdb.power.core} and provide the upper halves in
43191 @samp{ev0h} through @samp{ev31h}. @value{GDBN} will combine
43192 these to present registers @samp{ev0} through @samp{ev31} to the
43195 @node S/390 and System z Features
43196 @subsection S/390 and System z Features
43197 @cindex target descriptions, S/390 features
43198 @cindex target descriptions, System z features
43200 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.s390.core} feature is required for S/390 and
43201 System z targets. It should contain the PSW and the 16 general
43202 registers. In particular, System z targets should provide the 64-bit
43203 registers @samp{pswm}, @samp{pswa}, and @samp{r0} through @samp{r15}.
43204 S/390 targets should provide the 32-bit versions of these registers.
43205 A System z target that runs in 31-bit addressing mode should provide
43206 32-bit versions of @samp{pswm} and @samp{pswa}, as well as the general
43207 register's upper halves @samp{r0h} through @samp{r15h}, and their
43208 lower halves @samp{r0l} through @samp{r15l}.
43210 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.s390.fpr} feature is required. It should
43211 contain the 64-bit registers @samp{f0} through @samp{f15}, and
43214 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.s390.acr} feature is required. It should
43215 contain the 32-bit registers @samp{acr0} through @samp{acr15}.
43217 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.s390.linux} feature is optional. It should
43218 contain the register @samp{orig_r2}, which is 64-bit wide on System z
43219 targets and 32-bit otherwise. In addition, the feature may contain
43220 the @samp{last_break} register, whose width depends on the addressing
43221 mode, as well as the @samp{system_call} register, which is always
43224 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.s390.tdb} feature is optional. It should
43225 contain the 64-bit registers @samp{tdb0}, @samp{tac}, @samp{tct},
43226 @samp{atia}, and @samp{tr0} through @samp{tr15}.
43228 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.s390.vx} feature is optional. It should contain
43229 64-bit wide registers @samp{v0l} through @samp{v15l}, which will be
43230 combined by @value{GDBN} with the floating point registers @samp{f0}
43231 through @samp{f15} to present the 128-bit wide vector registers
43232 @samp{v0} through @samp{v15}. In addition, this feature should
43233 contain the 128-bit wide vector registers @samp{v16} through
43236 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.s390.gs} feature is optional. It should contain
43237 the 64-bit wide guarded-storage-control registers @samp{gsd},
43238 @samp{gssm}, and @samp{gsepla}.
43240 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.s390.gsbc} feature is optional. It should contain
43241 the 64-bit wide guarded-storage broadcast control registers
43242 @samp{bc_gsd}, @samp{bc_gssm}, and @samp{bc_gsepla}.
43244 @node Sparc Features
43245 @subsection Sparc Features
43246 @cindex target descriptions, sparc32 features
43247 @cindex target descriptions, sparc64 features
43248 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.sparc.cpu} feature is required for sparc32/sparc64
43249 targets. It should describe the following registers:
43253 @samp{g0} through @samp{g7}
43255 @samp{o0} through @samp{o7}
43257 @samp{l0} through @samp{l7}
43259 @samp{i0} through @samp{i7}
43262 They may be 32-bit or 64-bit depending on the target.
43264 Also the @samp{org.gnu.gdb.sparc.fpu} feature is required for sparc32/sparc64
43265 targets. It should describe the following registers:
43269 @samp{f0} through @samp{f31}
43271 @samp{f32} through @samp{f62} for sparc64
43274 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.sparc.cp0} feature is required for sparc32/sparc64
43275 targets. It should describe the following registers:
43279 @samp{y}, @samp{psr}, @samp{wim}, @samp{tbr}, @samp{pc}, @samp{npc},
43280 @samp{fsr}, and @samp{csr} for sparc32
43282 @samp{pc}, @samp{npc}, @samp{state}, @samp{fsr}, @samp{fprs}, and @samp{y}
43286 @node TIC6x Features
43287 @subsection TMS320C6x Features
43288 @cindex target descriptions, TIC6x features
43289 @cindex target descriptions, TMS320C6x features
43290 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.tic6x.core} feature is required for TMS320C6x
43291 targets. It should contain registers @samp{A0} through @samp{A15},
43292 registers @samp{B0} through @samp{B15}, @samp{CSR} and @samp{PC}.
43294 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.tic6x.gp} feature is optional. It should
43295 contain registers @samp{A16} through @samp{A31} and @samp{B16}
43296 through @samp{B31}.
43298 The @samp{org.gnu.gdb.tic6x.c6xp} feature is optional. It should
43299 contain registers @samp{TSR}, @samp{ILC} and @samp{RILC}.
43301 @node Operating System Information
43302 @appendix Operating System Information
43303 @cindex operating system information
43309 Users of @value{GDBN} often wish to obtain information about the state of
43310 the operating system running on the target---for example the list of
43311 processes, or the list of open files. This section describes the
43312 mechanism that makes it possible. This mechanism is similar to the
43313 target features mechanism (@pxref{Target Descriptions}), but focuses
43314 on a different aspect of target.
43316 Operating system information is retrived from the target via the
43317 remote protocol, using @samp{qXfer} requests (@pxref{qXfer osdata
43318 read}). The object name in the request should be @samp{osdata}, and
43319 the @var{annex} identifies the data to be fetched.
43322 @appendixsection Process list
43323 @cindex operating system information, process list
43325 When requesting the process list, the @var{annex} field in the
43326 @samp{qXfer} request should be @samp{processes}. The returned data is
43327 an XML document. The formal syntax of this document is defined in
43328 @file{gdb/features/osdata.dtd}.
43330 An example document is:
43333 <?xml version="1.0"?>
43334 <!DOCTYPE target SYSTEM "osdata.dtd">
43335 <osdata type="processes">
43337 <column name="pid">1</column>
43338 <column name="user">root</column>
43339 <column name="command">/sbin/init</column>
43340 <column name="cores">1,2,3</column>
43345 Each item should include a column whose name is @samp{pid}. The value
43346 of that column should identify the process on the target. The
43347 @samp{user} and @samp{command} columns are optional, and will be
43348 displayed by @value{GDBN}. The @samp{cores} column, if present,
43349 should contain a comma-separated list of cores that this process
43350 is running on. Target may provide additional columns,
43351 which @value{GDBN} currently ignores.
43353 @node Trace File Format
43354 @appendix Trace File Format
43355 @cindex trace file format
43357 The trace file comes in three parts: a header, a textual description
43358 section, and a trace frame section with binary data.
43360 The header has the form @code{\x7fTRACE0\n}. The first byte is
43361 @code{0x7f} so as to indicate that the file contains binary data,
43362 while the @code{0} is a version number that may have different values
43365 The description section consists of multiple lines of @sc{ascii} text
43366 separated by newline characters (@code{0xa}). The lines may include a
43367 variety of optional descriptive or context-setting information, such
43368 as tracepoint definitions or register set size. @value{GDBN} will
43369 ignore any line that it does not recognize. An empty line marks the end
43374 Specifies the size of a register block in bytes. This is equal to the
43375 size of a @code{g} packet payload in the remote protocol. @var{size}
43376 is an ascii decimal number. There should be only one such line in
43377 a single trace file.
43379 @item status @var{status}
43380 Trace status. @var{status} has the same format as a @code{qTStatus}
43381 remote packet reply. There should be only one such line in a single trace
43384 @item tp @var{payload}
43385 Tracepoint definition. The @var{payload} has the same format as
43386 @code{qTfP}/@code{qTsP} remote packet reply payload. A single tracepoint
43387 may take multiple lines of definition, corresponding to the multiple
43390 @item tsv @var{payload}
43391 Trace state variable definition. The @var{payload} has the same format as
43392 @code{qTfV}/@code{qTsV} remote packet reply payload. A single variable
43393 may take multiple lines of definition, corresponding to the multiple
43396 @item tdesc @var{payload}
43397 Target description in XML format. The @var{payload} is a single line of
43398 the XML file. All such lines should be concatenated together to get
43399 the original XML file. This file is in the same format as @code{qXfer}
43400 @code{features} payload, and corresponds to the main @code{target.xml}
43401 file. Includes are not allowed.
43405 The trace frame section consists of a number of consecutive frames.
43406 Each frame begins with a two-byte tracepoint number, followed by a
43407 four-byte size giving the amount of data in the frame. The data in
43408 the frame consists of a number of blocks, each introduced by a
43409 character indicating its type (at least register, memory, and trace
43410 state variable). The data in this section is raw binary, not a
43411 hexadecimal or other encoding; its endianness matches the target's
43414 @c FIXME bi-arch may require endianness/arch info in description section
43417 @item R @var{bytes}
43418 Register block. The number and ordering of bytes matches that of a
43419 @code{g} packet in the remote protocol. Note that these are the
43420 actual bytes, in target order, not a hexadecimal encoding.
43422 @item M @var{address} @var{length} @var{bytes}...
43423 Memory block. This is a contiguous block of memory, at the 8-byte
43424 address @var{address}, with a 2-byte length @var{length}, followed by
43425 @var{length} bytes.
43427 @item V @var{number} @var{value}
43428 Trace state variable block. This records the 8-byte signed value
43429 @var{value} of trace state variable numbered @var{number}.
43433 Future enhancements of the trace file format may include additional types
43436 @node Index Section Format
43437 @appendix @code{.gdb_index} section format
43438 @cindex .gdb_index section format
43439 @cindex index section format
43441 This section documents the index section that is created by @code{save
43442 gdb-index} (@pxref{Index Files}). The index section is
43443 DWARF-specific; some knowledge of DWARF is assumed in this
43446 The mapped index file format is designed to be directly
43447 @code{mmap}able on any architecture. In most cases, a datum is
43448 represented using a little-endian 32-bit integer value, called an
43449 @code{offset_type}. Big endian machines must byte-swap the values
43450 before using them. Exceptions to this rule are noted. The data is
43451 laid out such that alignment is always respected.
43453 A mapped index consists of several areas, laid out in order.
43457 The file header. This is a sequence of values, of @code{offset_type}
43458 unless otherwise noted:
43462 The version number, currently 8. Versions 1, 2 and 3 are obsolete.
43463 Version 4 uses a different hashing function from versions 5 and 6.
43464 Version 6 includes symbols for inlined functions, whereas versions 4
43465 and 5 do not. Version 7 adds attributes to the CU indices in the
43466 symbol table. Version 8 specifies that symbols from DWARF type units
43467 (@samp{DW_TAG_type_unit}) refer to the type unit's symbol table and not the
43468 compilation unit (@samp{DW_TAG_comp_unit}) using the type.
43470 @value{GDBN} will only read version 4, 5, or 6 indices
43471 by specifying @code{set use-deprecated-index-sections on}.
43472 GDB has a workaround for potentially broken version 7 indices so it is
43473 currently not flagged as deprecated.
43476 The offset, from the start of the file, of the CU list.
43479 The offset, from the start of the file, of the types CU list. Note
43480 that this area can be empty, in which case this offset will be equal
43481 to the next offset.
43484 The offset, from the start of the file, of the address area.
43487 The offset, from the start of the file, of the symbol table.
43490 The offset, from the start of the file, of the constant pool.
43494 The CU list. This is a sequence of pairs of 64-bit little-endian
43495 values, sorted by the CU offset. The first element in each pair is
43496 the offset of a CU in the @code{.debug_info} section. The second
43497 element in each pair is the length of that CU. References to a CU
43498 elsewhere in the map are done using a CU index, which is just the
43499 0-based index into this table. Note that if there are type CUs, then
43500 conceptually CUs and type CUs form a single list for the purposes of
43504 The types CU list. This is a sequence of triplets of 64-bit
43505 little-endian values. In a triplet, the first value is the CU offset,
43506 the second value is the type offset in the CU, and the third value is
43507 the type signature. The types CU list is not sorted.
43510 The address area. The address area consists of a sequence of address
43511 entries. Each address entry has three elements:
43515 The low address. This is a 64-bit little-endian value.
43518 The high address. This is a 64-bit little-endian value. Like
43519 @code{DW_AT_high_pc}, the value is one byte beyond the end.
43522 The CU index. This is an @code{offset_type} value.
43526 The symbol table. This is an open-addressed hash table. The size of
43527 the hash table is always a power of 2.
43529 Each slot in the hash table consists of a pair of @code{offset_type}
43530 values. The first value is the offset of the symbol's name in the
43531 constant pool. The second value is the offset of the CU vector in the
43534 If both values are 0, then this slot in the hash table is empty. This
43535 is ok because while 0 is a valid constant pool index, it cannot be a
43536 valid index for both a string and a CU vector.
43538 The hash value for a table entry is computed by applying an
43539 iterative hash function to the symbol's name. Starting with an
43540 initial value of @code{r = 0}, each (unsigned) character @samp{c} in
43541 the string is incorporated into the hash using the formula depending on the
43546 The formula is @code{r = r * 67 + c - 113}.
43548 @item Versions 5 to 7
43549 The formula is @code{r = r * 67 + tolower (c) - 113}.
43552 The terminating @samp{\0} is not incorporated into the hash.
43554 The step size used in the hash table is computed via
43555 @code{((hash * 17) & (size - 1)) | 1}, where @samp{hash} is the hash
43556 value, and @samp{size} is the size of the hash table. The step size
43557 is used to find the next candidate slot when handling a hash
43560 The names of C@t{++} symbols in the hash table are canonicalized. We
43561 don't currently have a simple description of the canonicalization
43562 algorithm; if you intend to create new index sections, you must read
43566 The constant pool. This is simply a bunch of bytes. It is organized
43567 so that alignment is correct: CU vectors are stored first, followed by
43570 A CU vector in the constant pool is a sequence of @code{offset_type}
43571 values. The first value is the number of CU indices in the vector.
43572 Each subsequent value is the index and symbol attributes of a CU in
43573 the CU list. This element in the hash table is used to indicate which
43574 CUs define the symbol and how the symbol is used.
43575 See below for the format of each CU index+attributes entry.
43577 A string in the constant pool is zero-terminated.
43580 Attributes were added to CU index values in @code{.gdb_index} version 7.
43581 If a symbol has multiple uses within a CU then there is one
43582 CU index+attributes value for each use.
43584 The format of each CU index+attributes entry is as follows
43590 This is the index of the CU in the CU list.
43592 These bits are reserved for future purposes and must be zero.
43594 The kind of the symbol in the CU.
43598 This value is reserved and should not be used.
43599 By reserving zero the full @code{offset_type} value is backwards compatible
43600 with previous versions of the index.
43602 The symbol is a type.
43604 The symbol is a variable or an enum value.
43606 The symbol is a function.
43608 Any other kind of symbol.
43610 These values are reserved.
43614 This bit is zero if the value is global and one if it is static.
43616 The determination of whether a symbol is global or static is complicated.
43617 The authorative reference is the file @file{dwarf2read.c} in
43618 @value{GDBN} sources.
43622 This pseudo-code describes the computation of a symbol's kind and
43623 global/static attributes in the index.
43626 is_external = get_attribute (die, DW_AT_external);
43627 language = get_attribute (cu_die, DW_AT_language);
43630 case DW_TAG_typedef:
43631 case DW_TAG_base_type:
43632 case DW_TAG_subrange_type:
43636 case DW_TAG_enumerator:
43638 is_static = language != CPLUS;
43640 case DW_TAG_subprogram:
43642 is_static = ! (is_external || language == ADA);
43644 case DW_TAG_constant:
43646 is_static = ! is_external;
43648 case DW_TAG_variable:
43650 is_static = ! is_external;
43652 case DW_TAG_namespace:
43656 case DW_TAG_class_type:
43657 case DW_TAG_interface_type:
43658 case DW_TAG_structure_type:
43659 case DW_TAG_union_type:
43660 case DW_TAG_enumeration_type:
43662 is_static = language != CPLUS;
43670 @appendix Manual pages
43674 * gdb man:: The GNU Debugger man page
43675 * gdbserver man:: Remote Server for the GNU Debugger man page
43676 * gcore man:: Generate a core file of a running program
43677 * gdbinit man:: gdbinit scripts
43678 * gdb-add-index man:: Add index files to speed up GDB
43684 @c man title gdb The GNU Debugger
43686 @c man begin SYNOPSIS gdb
43687 gdb [@option{-help}] [@option{-nh}] [@option{-nx}] [@option{-q}]
43688 [@option{-batch}] [@option{-cd=}@var{dir}] [@option{-f}]
43689 [@option{-b}@w{ }@var{bps}]
43690 [@option{-tty=}@var{dev}] [@option{-s} @var{symfile}]
43691 [@option{-e}@w{ }@var{prog}] [@option{-se}@w{ }@var{prog}]
43692 [@option{-c}@w{ }@var{core}] [@option{-p}@w{ }@var{procID}]
43693 [@option{-x}@w{ }@var{cmds}] [@option{-d}@w{ }@var{dir}]
43694 [@var{prog}|@var{prog} @var{procID}|@var{prog} @var{core}]
43697 @c man begin DESCRIPTION gdb
43698 The purpose of a debugger such as @value{GDBN} is to allow you to see what is
43699 going on ``inside'' another program while it executes -- or what another
43700 program was doing at the moment it crashed.
43702 @value{GDBN} can do four main kinds of things (plus other things in support of
43703 these) to help you catch bugs in the act:
43707 Start your program, specifying anything that might affect its behavior.
43710 Make your program stop on specified conditions.
43713 Examine what has happened, when your program has stopped.
43716 Change things in your program, so you can experiment with correcting the
43717 effects of one bug and go on to learn about another.
43720 You can use @value{GDBN} to debug programs written in C, C@t{++}, Fortran and
43723 @value{GDBN} is invoked with the shell command @code{gdb}. Once started, it reads
43724 commands from the terminal until you tell it to exit with the @value{GDBN}
43725 command @code{quit}. You can get online help from @value{GDBN} itself
43726 by using the command @code{help}.
43728 You can run @code{gdb} with no arguments or options; but the most
43729 usual way to start @value{GDBN} is with one argument or two, specifying an
43730 executable program as the argument:
43736 You can also start with both an executable program and a core file specified:
43742 You can, instead, specify a process ID as a second argument, if you want
43743 to debug a running process:
43751 would attach @value{GDBN} to process @code{1234} (unless you also have a file
43752 named @file{1234}; @value{GDBN} does check for a core file first).
43753 With option @option{-p} you can omit the @var{program} filename.
43755 Here are some of the most frequently needed @value{GDBN} commands:
43757 @c pod2man highlights the right hand side of the @item lines.
43759 @item break [@var{file}:]@var{function}
43760 Set a breakpoint at @var{function} (in @var{file}).
43762 @item run [@var{arglist}]
43763 Start your program (with @var{arglist}, if specified).
43766 Backtrace: display the program stack.
43768 @item print @var{expr}
43769 Display the value of an expression.
43772 Continue running your program (after stopping, e.g. at a breakpoint).
43775 Execute next program line (after stopping); step @emph{over} any
43776 function calls in the line.
43778 @item edit [@var{file}:]@var{function}
43779 look at the program line where it is presently stopped.
43781 @item list [@var{file}:]@var{function}
43782 type the text of the program in the vicinity of where it is presently stopped.
43785 Execute next program line (after stopping); step @emph{into} any
43786 function calls in the line.
43788 @item help [@var{name}]
43789 Show information about @value{GDBN} command @var{name}, or general information
43790 about using @value{GDBN}.
43793 Exit from @value{GDBN}.
43797 For full details on @value{GDBN},
43798 see @cite{Using GDB: A Guide to the GNU Source-Level Debugger},
43799 by Richard M. Stallman and Roland H. Pesch. The same text is available online
43800 as the @code{gdb} entry in the @code{info} program.
43804 @c man begin OPTIONS gdb
43805 Any arguments other than options specify an executable
43806 file and core file (or process ID); that is, the first argument
43807 encountered with no
43808 associated option flag is equivalent to a @option{-se} option, and the second,
43809 if any, is equivalent to a @option{-c} option if it's the name of a file.
43811 both long and short forms; both are shown here. The long forms are also
43812 recognized if you truncate them, so long as enough of the option is
43813 present to be unambiguous. (If you prefer, you can flag option
43814 arguments with @option{+} rather than @option{-}, though we illustrate the
43815 more usual convention.)
43817 All the options and command line arguments you give are processed
43818 in sequential order. The order makes a difference when the @option{-x}
43824 List all options, with brief explanations.
43826 @item -symbols=@var{file}
43827 @itemx -s @var{file}
43828 Read symbol table from file @var{file}.
43831 Enable writing into executable and core files.
43833 @item -exec=@var{file}
43834 @itemx -e @var{file}
43835 Use file @var{file} as the executable file to execute when
43836 appropriate, and for examining pure data in conjunction with a core
43839 @item -se=@var{file}
43840 Read symbol table from file @var{file} and use it as the executable
43843 @item -core=@var{file}
43844 @itemx -c @var{file}
43845 Use file @var{file} as a core dump to examine.
43847 @item -command=@var{file}
43848 @itemx -x @var{file}
43849 Execute @value{GDBN} commands from file @var{file}.
43851 @item -ex @var{command}
43852 Execute given @value{GDBN} @var{command}.
43854 @item -directory=@var{directory}
43855 @itemx -d @var{directory}
43856 Add @var{directory} to the path to search for source files.
43859 Do not execute commands from @file{~/.gdbinit}.
43863 Do not execute commands from any @file{.gdbinit} initialization files.
43867 ``Quiet''. Do not print the introductory and copyright messages. These
43868 messages are also suppressed in batch mode.
43871 Run in batch mode. Exit with status @code{0} after processing all the command
43872 files specified with @option{-x} (and @file{.gdbinit}, if not inhibited).
43873 Exit with nonzero status if an error occurs in executing the @value{GDBN}
43874 commands in the command files.
43876 Batch mode may be useful for running @value{GDBN} as a filter, for example to
43877 download and run a program on another computer; in order to make this
43878 more useful, the message
43881 Program exited normally.
43885 (which is ordinarily issued whenever a program running under @value{GDBN} control
43886 terminates) is not issued when running in batch mode.
43888 @item -cd=@var{directory}
43889 Run @value{GDBN} using @var{directory} as its working directory,
43890 instead of the current directory.
43894 Emacs sets this option when it runs @value{GDBN} as a subprocess. It tells
43895 @value{GDBN} to output the full file name and line number in a standard,
43896 recognizable fashion each time a stack frame is displayed (which
43897 includes each time the program stops). This recognizable format looks
43898 like two @samp{\032} characters, followed by the file name, line number
43899 and character position separated by colons, and a newline. The
43900 Emacs-to-@value{GDBN} interface program uses the two @samp{\032}
43901 characters as a signal to display the source code for the frame.
43904 Set the line speed (baud rate or bits per second) of any serial
43905 interface used by @value{GDBN} for remote debugging.
43907 @item -tty=@var{device}
43908 Run using @var{device} for your program's standard input and output.
43912 @c man begin SEEALSO gdb
43914 The full documentation for @value{GDBN} is maintained as a Texinfo manual.
43915 If the @code{info} and @code{gdb} programs and @value{GDBN}'s Texinfo
43916 documentation are properly installed at your site, the command
43923 should give you access to the complete manual.
43925 @cite{Using GDB: A Guide to the GNU Source-Level Debugger},
43926 Richard M. Stallman and Roland H. Pesch, July 1991.
43930 @node gdbserver man
43931 @heading gdbserver man
43933 @c man title gdbserver Remote Server for the GNU Debugger
43935 @c man begin SYNOPSIS gdbserver
43936 gdbserver @var{comm} @var{prog} [@var{args}@dots{}]
43938 gdbserver --attach @var{comm} @var{pid}
43940 gdbserver --multi @var{comm}
43944 @c man begin DESCRIPTION gdbserver
43945 @command{gdbserver} is a program that allows you to run @value{GDBN} on a different machine
43946 than the one which is running the program being debugged.
43949 @subheading Usage (server (target) side)
43952 Usage (server (target) side):
43955 First, you need to have a copy of the program you want to debug put onto
43956 the target system. The program can be stripped to save space if needed, as
43957 @command{gdbserver} doesn't care about symbols. All symbol handling is taken care of by
43958 the @value{GDBN} running on the host system.
43960 To use the server, you log on to the target system, and run the @command{gdbserver}
43961 program. You must tell it (a) how to communicate with @value{GDBN}, (b) the name of
43962 your program, and (c) its arguments. The general syntax is:
43965 target> gdbserver @var{comm} @var{program} [@var{args} ...]
43968 For example, using a serial port, you might say:
43972 @c @file would wrap it as F</dev/com1>.
43973 target> gdbserver /dev/com1 emacs foo.txt
43976 target> gdbserver @file{/dev/com1} emacs foo.txt
43980 This tells @command{gdbserver} to debug emacs with an argument of foo.txt, and
43981 to communicate with @value{GDBN} via @file{/dev/com1}. @command{gdbserver} now
43982 waits patiently for the host @value{GDBN} to communicate with it.
43984 To use a TCP connection, you could say:
43987 target> gdbserver host:2345 emacs foo.txt
43990 This says pretty much the same thing as the last example, except that we are
43991 going to communicate with the @code{host} @value{GDBN} via TCP. The @code{host:2345} argument means
43992 that we are expecting to see a TCP connection from @code{host} to local TCP port
43993 2345. (Currently, the @code{host} part is ignored.) You can choose any number you
43994 want for the port number as long as it does not conflict with any existing TCP
43995 ports on the target system. This same port number must be used in the host
43996 @value{GDBN}s @code{target remote} command, which will be described shortly. Note that if
43997 you chose a port number that conflicts with another service, @command{gdbserver} will
43998 print an error message and exit.
44000 @command{gdbserver} can also attach to running programs.
44001 This is accomplished via the @option{--attach} argument. The syntax is:
44004 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} @var{pid}
44007 @var{pid} is the process ID of a currently running process. It isn't
44008 necessary to point @command{gdbserver} at a binary for the running process.
44010 To start @code{gdbserver} without supplying an initial command to run
44011 or process ID to attach, use the @option{--multi} command line option.
44012 In such case you should connect using @kbd{target extended-remote} to start
44013 the program you want to debug.
44016 target> gdbserver --multi @var{comm}
44020 @subheading Usage (host side)
44026 You need an unstripped copy of the target program on your host system, since
44027 @value{GDBN} needs to examine its symbol tables and such. Start up @value{GDBN} as you normally
44028 would, with the target program as the first argument. (You may need to use the
44029 @option{--baud} option if the serial line is running at anything except 9600 baud.)
44030 That is @code{gdb TARGET-PROG}, or @code{gdb --baud BAUD TARGET-PROG}. After that, the only
44031 new command you need to know about is @code{target remote}
44032 (or @code{target extended-remote}). Its argument is either
44033 a device name (usually a serial device, like @file{/dev/ttyb}), or a @code{HOST:PORT}
44034 descriptor. For example:
44038 @c @file would wrap it as F</dev/ttyb>.
44039 (gdb) target remote /dev/ttyb
44042 (gdb) target remote @file{/dev/ttyb}
44047 communicates with the server via serial line @file{/dev/ttyb}, and:
44050 (gdb) target remote the-target:2345
44054 communicates via a TCP connection to port 2345 on host `the-target', where
44055 you previously started up @command{gdbserver} with the same port number. Note that for
44056 TCP connections, you must start up @command{gdbserver} prior to using the `target remote'
44057 command, otherwise you may get an error that looks something like
44058 `Connection refused'.
44060 @command{gdbserver} can also debug multiple inferiors at once,
44063 the @value{GDBN} manual in node @code{Inferiors and Programs}
44064 -- shell command @code{info -f gdb -n 'Inferiors and Programs'}.
44067 @ref{Inferiors and Programs}.
44069 In such case use the @code{extended-remote} @value{GDBN} command variant:
44072 (gdb) target extended-remote the-target:2345
44075 The @command{gdbserver} option @option{--multi} may or may not be used in such
44079 @c man begin OPTIONS gdbserver
44080 There are three different modes for invoking @command{gdbserver}:
44085 Debug a specific program specified by its program name:
44088 gdbserver @var{comm} @var{prog} [@var{args}@dots{}]
44091 The @var{comm} parameter specifies how should the server communicate
44092 with @value{GDBN}; it is either a device name (to use a serial line),
44093 a TCP port number (@code{:1234}), or @code{-} or @code{stdio} to use
44094 stdin/stdout of @code{gdbserver}. Specify the name of the program to
44095 debug in @var{prog}. Any remaining arguments will be passed to the
44096 program verbatim. When the program exits, @value{GDBN} will close the
44097 connection, and @code{gdbserver} will exit.
44100 Debug a specific program by specifying the process ID of a running
44104 gdbserver --attach @var{comm} @var{pid}
44107 The @var{comm} parameter is as described above. Supply the process ID
44108 of a running program in @var{pid}; @value{GDBN} will do everything
44109 else. Like with the previous mode, when the process @var{pid} exits,
44110 @value{GDBN} will close the connection, and @code{gdbserver} will exit.
44113 Multi-process mode -- debug more than one program/process:
44116 gdbserver --multi @var{comm}
44119 In this mode, @value{GDBN} can instruct @command{gdbserver} which
44120 command(s) to run. Unlike the other 2 modes, @value{GDBN} will not
44121 close the connection when a process being debugged exits, so you can
44122 debug several processes in the same session.
44125 In each of the modes you may specify these options:
44130 List all options, with brief explanations.
44133 This option causes @command{gdbserver} to print its version number and exit.
44136 @command{gdbserver} will attach to a running program. The syntax is:
44139 target> gdbserver --attach @var{comm} @var{pid}
44142 @var{pid} is the process ID of a currently running process. It isn't
44143 necessary to point @command{gdbserver} at a binary for the running process.
44146 To start @code{gdbserver} without supplying an initial command to run
44147 or process ID to attach, use this command line option.
44148 Then you can connect using @kbd{target extended-remote} and start
44149 the program you want to debug. The syntax is:
44152 target> gdbserver --multi @var{comm}
44156 Instruct @code{gdbserver} to display extra status information about the debugging
44158 This option is intended for @code{gdbserver} development and for bug reports to
44161 @item --remote-debug
44162 Instruct @code{gdbserver} to display remote protocol debug output.
44163 This option is intended for @code{gdbserver} development and for bug reports to
44166 @item --debug-format=option1@r{[},option2,...@r{]}
44167 Instruct @code{gdbserver} to include extra information in each line
44168 of debugging output.
44169 @xref{Other Command-Line Arguments for gdbserver}.
44172 Specify a wrapper to launch programs
44173 for debugging. The option should be followed by the name of the
44174 wrapper, then any command-line arguments to pass to the wrapper, then
44175 @kbd{--} indicating the end of the wrapper arguments.
44178 By default, @command{gdbserver} keeps the listening TCP port open, so that
44179 additional connections are possible. However, if you start @code{gdbserver}
44180 with the @option{--once} option, it will stop listening for any further
44181 connection attempts after connecting to the first @value{GDBN} session.
44183 @c --disable-packet is not documented for users.
44185 @c --disable-randomization and --no-disable-randomization are superseded by
44186 @c QDisableRandomization.
44191 @c man begin SEEALSO gdbserver
44193 The full documentation for @value{GDBN} is maintained as a Texinfo manual.
44194 If the @code{info} and @code{gdb} programs and @value{GDBN}'s Texinfo
44195 documentation are properly installed at your site, the command
44201 should give you access to the complete manual.
44203 @cite{Using GDB: A Guide to the GNU Source-Level Debugger},
44204 Richard M. Stallman and Roland H. Pesch, July 1991.
44211 @c man title gcore Generate a core file of a running program
44214 @c man begin SYNOPSIS gcore
44215 gcore [-a] [-o @var{prefix}] @var{pid1} [@var{pid2}...@var{pidN}]
44219 @c man begin DESCRIPTION gcore
44220 Generate core dumps of one or more running programs with process IDs
44221 @var{pid1}, @var{pid2}, etc. A core file produced by @command{gcore}
44222 is equivalent to one produced by the kernel when the process crashes
44223 (and when @kbd{ulimit -c} was used to set up an appropriate core dump
44224 limit). However, unlike after a crash, after @command{gcore} finishes
44225 its job the program remains running without any change.
44228 @c man begin OPTIONS gcore
44231 Dump all memory mappings. The actual effect of this option depends on
44232 the Operating System. On @sc{gnu}/Linux, it will disable
44233 @code{use-coredump-filter} (@pxref{set use-coredump-filter}) and
44234 enable @code{dump-excluded-mappings} (@pxref{set
44235 dump-excluded-mappings}).
44237 @item -o @var{prefix}
44238 The optional argument @var{prefix} specifies the prefix to be used
44239 when composing the file names of the core dumps. The file name is
44240 composed as @file{@var{prefix}.@var{pid}}, where @var{pid} is the
44241 process ID of the running program being analyzed by @command{gcore}.
44242 If not specified, @var{prefix} defaults to @var{gcore}.
44246 @c man begin SEEALSO gcore
44248 The full documentation for @value{GDBN} is maintained as a Texinfo manual.
44249 If the @code{info} and @code{gdb} programs and @value{GDBN}'s Texinfo
44250 documentation are properly installed at your site, the command
44257 should give you access to the complete manual.
44259 @cite{Using GDB: A Guide to the GNU Source-Level Debugger},
44260 Richard M. Stallman and Roland H. Pesch, July 1991.
44267 @c man title gdbinit GDB initialization scripts
44270 @c man begin SYNOPSIS gdbinit
44271 @ifset SYSTEM_GDBINIT
44272 @value{SYSTEM_GDBINIT}
44281 @c man begin DESCRIPTION gdbinit
44282 These files contain @value{GDBN} commands to automatically execute during
44283 @value{GDBN} startup. The lines of contents are canned sequences of commands,
44286 the @value{GDBN} manual in node @code{Sequences}
44287 -- shell command @code{info -f gdb -n Sequences}.
44293 Please read more in
44295 the @value{GDBN} manual in node @code{Startup}
44296 -- shell command @code{info -f gdb -n Startup}.
44303 @ifset SYSTEM_GDBINIT
44304 @item @value{SYSTEM_GDBINIT}
44306 @ifclear SYSTEM_GDBINIT
44307 @item (not enabled with @code{--with-system-gdbinit} during compilation)
44309 System-wide initialization file. It is executed unless user specified
44310 @value{GDBN} option @code{-nx} or @code{-n}.
44313 the @value{GDBN} manual in node @code{System-wide configuration}
44314 -- shell command @code{info -f gdb -n 'System-wide configuration'}.
44317 @ref{System-wide configuration}.
44321 User initialization file. It is executed unless user specified
44322 @value{GDBN} options @code{-nx}, @code{-n} or @code{-nh}.
44325 Initialization file for current directory. It may need to be enabled with
44326 @value{GDBN} security command @code{set auto-load local-gdbinit}.
44329 the @value{GDBN} manual in node @code{Init File in the Current Directory}
44330 -- shell command @code{info -f gdb -n 'Init File in the Current Directory'}.
44333 @ref{Init File in the Current Directory}.
44338 @c man begin SEEALSO gdbinit
44340 gdb(1), @code{info -f gdb -n Startup}
44342 The full documentation for @value{GDBN} is maintained as a Texinfo manual.
44343 If the @code{info} and @code{gdb} programs and @value{GDBN}'s Texinfo
44344 documentation are properly installed at your site, the command
44350 should give you access to the complete manual.
44352 @cite{Using GDB: A Guide to the GNU Source-Level Debugger},
44353 Richard M. Stallman and Roland H. Pesch, July 1991.
44357 @node gdb-add-index man
44358 @heading gdb-add-index
44359 @pindex gdb-add-index
44360 @anchor{gdb-add-index}
44362 @c man title gdb-add-index Add index files to speed up GDB
44364 @c man begin SYNOPSIS gdb-add-index
44365 gdb-add-index @var{filename}
44368 @c man begin DESCRIPTION gdb-add-index
44369 When @value{GDBN} finds a symbol file, it scans the symbols in the
44370 file in order to construct an internal symbol table. This lets most
44371 @value{GDBN} operations work quickly--at the cost of a delay early on.
44372 For large programs, this delay can be quite lengthy, so @value{GDBN}
44373 provides a way to build an index, which speeds up startup.
44375 To determine whether a file contains such an index, use the command
44376 @kbd{readelf -S filename}: the index is stored in a section named
44377 @code{.gdb_index}. The index file can only be produced on systems
44378 which use ELF binaries and DWARF debug information (i.e., sections
44379 named @code{.debug_*}).
44381 @command{gdb-add-index} uses @value{GDBN} and @command{objdump} found
44382 in the @env{PATH} environment variable. If you want to use different
44383 versions of these programs, you can specify them through the
44384 @env{GDB} and @env{OBJDUMP} environment variables.
44388 the @value{GDBN} manual in node @code{Index Files}
44389 -- shell command @kbd{info -f gdb -n "Index Files"}.
44396 @c man begin SEEALSO gdb-add-index
44398 The full documentation for @value{GDBN} is maintained as a Texinfo manual.
44399 If the @code{info} and @code{gdb} programs and @value{GDBN}'s Texinfo
44400 documentation are properly installed at your site, the command
44406 should give you access to the complete manual.
44408 @cite{Using GDB: A Guide to the GNU Source-Level Debugger},
44409 Richard M. Stallman and Roland H. Pesch, July 1991.
44415 @node GNU Free Documentation License
44416 @appendix GNU Free Documentation License
44419 @node Concept Index
44420 @unnumbered Concept Index
44424 @node Command and Variable Index
44425 @unnumbered Command, Variable, and Function Index
44430 % I think something like @@colophon should be in texinfo. In the
44432 \long\def\colophon{\hbox to0pt{}\vfill
44433 \centerline{The body of this manual is set in}
44434 \centerline{\fontname\tenrm,}
44435 \centerline{with headings in {\bf\fontname\tenbf}}
44436 \centerline{and examples in {\tt\fontname\tentt}.}
44437 \centerline{{\it\fontname\tenit\/},}
44438 \centerline{{\bf\fontname\tenbf}, and}
44439 \centerline{{\sl\fontname\tensl\/}}
44440 \centerline{are used for emphasis.}\vfill}
44442 % Blame: doc@@cygnus.com, 1991.