1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
2 @c Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998,
3 @c 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
4 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
7 @c makeinfo ignores cmds prev to setfilename, so its arg cannot make use
8 @c of @set vars. However, you can override filename with makeinfo -o.
13 @settitle Debugging with @value{GDBN}
14 @setchapternewpage odd
25 @c readline appendices use @vindex, @findex and @ftable,
26 @c annotate.texi and gdbmi use @findex.
30 @c !!set GDB manual's edition---not the same as GDB version!
31 @c This is updated by GNU Press.
34 @c !!set GDB edit command default editor
37 @c THIS MANUAL REQUIRES TEXINFO 4.0 OR LATER.
39 @c This is a dir.info fragment to support semi-automated addition of
40 @c manuals to an info tree.
41 @dircategory Software development
43 * Gdb: (gdb). The GNU debugger.
47 This file documents the @sc{gnu} debugger @value{GDBN}.
50 This is the @value{EDITION} Edition, of @cite{Debugging with
51 @value{GDBN}: the @sc{gnu} Source-Level Debugger} for @value{GDBN}
52 Version @value{GDBVN}.
54 Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998,@*
55 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005@*
56 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
58 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
59 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
60 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
61 Invariant Sections being ``Free Software'' and ``Free Software Needs
62 Free Documentation'', with the Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
63 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.
65 (a) The Free Software Foundation's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have
66 freedom to copy and modify this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies
67 published by the Free Software Foundation raise funds for GNU
72 @title Debugging with @value{GDBN}
73 @subtitle The @sc{gnu} Source-Level Debugger
75 @subtitle @value{EDITION} Edition, for @value{GDBN} version @value{GDBVN}
76 @author Richard Stallman, Roland Pesch, Stan Shebs, et al.
80 \hfill (Send bugs and comments on @value{GDBN} to bug-gdb\@gnu.org.)\par
81 \hfill {\it Debugging with @value{GDBN}}\par
82 \hfill \TeX{}info \texinfoversion\par
86 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
87 Copyright @copyright{} 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995,
88 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
89 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
91 Published by the Free Software Foundation @*
92 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor,
93 Boston, MA 02110-1301, USA@*
96 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
97 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
98 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
99 Invariant Sections being ``Free Software'' and ``Free Software Needs
100 Free Documentation'', with the Front-Cover Texts being ``A GNU Manual,''
101 and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.
103 (a) The Free Software Foundation's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have
104 freedom to copy and modify this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies
105 published by the Free Software Foundation raise funds for GNU
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} Version
120 Copyright (C) 1988-2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
123 * Summary:: Summary of @value{GDBN}
124 * Sample Session:: A sample @value{GDBN} session
126 * Invocation:: Getting in and out of @value{GDBN}
127 * Commands:: @value{GDBN} commands
128 * Running:: Running programs under @value{GDBN}
129 * Stopping:: Stopping and continuing
130 * Stack:: Examining the stack
131 * Source:: Examining source files
132 * Data:: Examining data
133 * Macros:: Preprocessor Macros
134 * Tracepoints:: Debugging remote targets non-intrusively
135 * Overlays:: Debugging programs that use overlays
137 * Languages:: Using @value{GDBN} with different languages
139 * Symbols:: Examining the symbol table
140 * Altering:: Altering execution
141 * GDB Files:: @value{GDBN} files
142 * Targets:: Specifying a debugging target
143 * Remote Debugging:: Debugging remote programs
144 * Configurations:: Configuration-specific information
145 * Controlling GDB:: Controlling @value{GDBN}
146 * Sequences:: Canned sequences of commands
147 * TUI:: @value{GDBN} Text User Interface
148 * Interpreters:: Command Interpreters
149 * Emacs:: Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs
150 * Annotations:: @value{GDBN}'s annotation interface.
151 * GDB/MI:: @value{GDBN}'s Machine Interface.
153 * GDB Bugs:: Reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
154 * Formatting Documentation:: How to format and print @value{GDBN} documentation
156 * Command Line Editing:: Command Line Editing
157 * Using History Interactively:: Using History Interactively
158 * Installing GDB:: Installing GDB
159 * Maintenance Commands:: Maintenance Commands
160 * Remote Protocol:: GDB Remote Serial Protocol
161 * Agent Expressions:: The GDB Agent Expression Mechanism
162 * Copying:: GNU General Public License says
163 how you can copy and share GDB
164 * GNU Free Documentation License:: The license for this documentation
173 @unnumbered Summary of @value{GDBN}
175 The purpose of a debugger such as @value{GDBN} is to allow you to see what is
176 going on ``inside'' another program while it executes---or what another
177 program was doing at the moment it crashed.
179 @value{GDBN} can do four main kinds of things (plus other things in support of
180 these) to help you catch bugs in the act:
184 Start your program, specifying anything that might affect its behavior.
187 Make your program stop on specified conditions.
190 Examine what has happened, when your program has stopped.
193 Change things in your program, so you can experiment with correcting the
194 effects of one bug and go on to learn about another.
197 You can use @value{GDBN} to debug programs written in C and C@t{++}.
198 For more information, see @ref{Supported languages,,Supported languages}.
199 For more information, see @ref{C,,C and C++}.
202 Support for Modula-2 is partial. For information on Modula-2, see
203 @ref{Modula-2,,Modula-2}.
206 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
207 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
208 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
212 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, although
213 it may be necessary to refer to some variables with a trailing
216 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Objective-C,
217 using either the Apple/NeXT or the GNU Objective-C runtime.
220 * Free Software:: Freely redistributable software
221 * Contributors:: Contributors to GDB
225 @unnumberedsec Free software
227 @value{GDBN} is @dfn{free software}, protected by the @sc{gnu}
228 General Public License
229 (GPL). The GPL gives you the freedom to copy or adapt a licensed
230 program---but every person getting a copy also gets with it the
231 freedom to modify that copy (which means that they must get access to
232 the source code), and the freedom to distribute further copies.
233 Typical software companies use copyrights to limit your freedoms; the
234 Free Software Foundation uses the GPL to preserve these freedoms.
236 Fundamentally, the General Public License is a license which says that
237 you have these freedoms and that you cannot take these freedoms away
240 @unnumberedsec Free Software Needs Free Documentation
242 The biggest deficiency in the free software community today is not in
243 the software---it is the lack of good free documentation that we can
244 include with the free software. Many of our most important
245 programs do not come with free reference manuals and free introductory
246 texts. Documentation is an essential part of any software package;
247 when an important free software package does not come with a free
248 manual and a free tutorial, that is a major gap. We have many such
251 Consider Perl, for instance. The tutorial manuals that people
252 normally use are non-free. How did this come about? Because the
253 authors of those manuals published them with restrictive terms---no
254 copying, no modification, source files not available---which exclude
255 them from the free software world.
257 That wasn't the first time this sort of thing happened, and it was far
258 from the last. Many times we have heard a GNU user eagerly describe a
259 manual that he is writing, his intended contribution to the community,
260 only to learn that he had ruined everything by signing a publication
261 contract to make it non-free.
263 Free documentation, like free software, is a matter of freedom, not
264 price. The problem with the non-free manual is not that publishers
265 charge a price for printed copies---that in itself is fine. (The Free
266 Software Foundation sells printed copies of manuals, too.) The
267 problem is the restrictions on the use of the manual. Free manuals
268 are available in source code form, and give you permission to copy and
269 modify. Non-free manuals do not allow this.
271 The criteria of freedom for a free manual are roughly the same as for
272 free software. Redistribution (including the normal kinds of
273 commercial redistribution) must be permitted, so that the manual can
274 accompany every copy of the program, both on-line and on paper.
276 Permission for modification of the technical content is crucial too.
277 When people modify the software, adding or changing features, if they
278 are conscientious they will change the manual too---so they can
279 provide accurate and clear documentation for the modified program. A
280 manual that leaves you no choice but to write a new manual to document
281 a changed version of the program is not really available to our
284 Some kinds of limits on the way modification is handled are
285 acceptable. For example, requirements to preserve the original
286 author's copyright notice, the distribution terms, or the list of
287 authors, are ok. It is also no problem to require modified versions
288 to include notice that they were modified. Even entire sections that
289 may not be deleted or changed are acceptable, as long as they deal
290 with nontechnical topics (like this one). These kinds of restrictions
291 are acceptable because they don't obstruct the community's normal use
294 However, it must be possible to modify all the @emph{technical}
295 content of the manual, and then distribute the result in all the usual
296 media, through all the usual channels. Otherwise, the restrictions
297 obstruct the use of the manual, it is not free, and we need another
298 manual to replace it.
300 Please spread the word about this issue. Our community continues to
301 lose manuals to proprietary publishing. If we spread the word that
302 free software needs free reference manuals and free tutorials, perhaps
303 the next person who wants to contribute by writing documentation will
304 realize, before it is too late, that only free manuals contribute to
305 the free software community.
307 If you are writing documentation, please insist on publishing it under
308 the GNU Free Documentation License or another free documentation
309 license. Remember that this decision requires your approval---you
310 don't have to let the publisher decide. Some commercial publishers
311 will use a free license if you insist, but they will not propose the
312 option; it is up to you to raise the issue and say firmly that this is
313 what you want. If the publisher you are dealing with refuses, please
314 try other publishers. If you're not sure whether a proposed license
315 is free, write to @email{licensing@@gnu.org}.
317 You can encourage commercial publishers to sell more free, copylefted
318 manuals and tutorials by buying them, and particularly by buying
319 copies from the publishers that paid for their writing or for major
320 improvements. Meanwhile, try to avoid buying non-free documentation
321 at all. Check the distribution terms of a manual before you buy it,
322 and insist that whoever seeks your business must respect your freedom.
323 Check the history of the book, and try to reward the publishers that
324 have paid or pay the authors to work on it.
326 The Free Software Foundation maintains a list of free documentation
327 published by other publishers, at
328 @url{http://www.fsf.org/doc/other-free-books.html}.
331 @unnumberedsec Contributors to @value{GDBN}
333 Richard Stallman was the original author of @value{GDBN}, and of many
334 other @sc{gnu} programs. Many others have contributed to its
335 development. This section attempts to credit major contributors. One
336 of the virtues of free software is that everyone is free to contribute
337 to it; with regret, we cannot actually acknowledge everyone here. The
338 file @file{ChangeLog} in the @value{GDBN} distribution approximates a
339 blow-by-blow account.
341 Changes much prior to version 2.0 are lost in the mists of time.
344 @emph{Plea:} Additions to this section are particularly welcome. If you
345 or your friends (or enemies, to be evenhanded) have been unfairly
346 omitted from this list, we would like to add your names!
349 So that they may not regard their many labors as thankless, we
350 particularly thank those who shepherded @value{GDBN} through major
352 Andrew Cagney (releases 6.3, 6.2, 6.1, 6.0, 5.3, 5.2, 5.1 and 5.0);
353 Jim Blandy (release 4.18);
354 Jason Molenda (release 4.17);
355 Stan Shebs (release 4.14);
356 Fred Fish (releases 4.16, 4.15, 4.13, 4.12, 4.11, 4.10, and 4.9);
357 Stu Grossman and John Gilmore (releases 4.8, 4.7, 4.6, 4.5, and 4.4);
358 John Gilmore (releases 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, 4.0, and 3.9);
359 Jim Kingdon (releases 3.5, 3.4, and 3.3);
360 and Randy Smith (releases 3.2, 3.1, and 3.0).
362 Richard Stallman, assisted at various times by Peter TerMaat, Chris
363 Hanson, and Richard Mlynarik, handled releases through 2.8.
365 Michael Tiemann is the author of most of the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} support
366 in @value{GDBN}, with significant additional contributions from Per
367 Bothner and Daniel Berlin. James Clark wrote the @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
368 demangler. Early work on C@t{++} was by Peter TerMaat (who also did
369 much general update work leading to release 3.0).
371 @value{GDBN} uses the BFD subroutine library to examine multiple
372 object-file formats; BFD was a joint project of David V.
373 Henkel-Wallace, Rich Pixley, Steve Chamberlain, and John Gilmore.
375 David Johnson wrote the original COFF support; Pace Willison did
376 the original support for encapsulated COFF.
378 Brent Benson of Harris Computer Systems contributed DWARF 2 support.
380 Adam de Boor and Bradley Davis contributed the ISI Optimum V support.
381 Per Bothner, Noboyuki Hikichi, and Alessandro Forin contributed MIPS
383 Jean-Daniel Fekete contributed Sun 386i support.
384 Chris Hanson improved the HP9000 support.
385 Noboyuki Hikichi and Tomoyuki Hasei contributed Sony/News OS 3 support.
386 David Johnson contributed Encore Umax support.
387 Jyrki Kuoppala contributed Altos 3068 support.
388 Jeff Law contributed HP PA and SOM support.
389 Keith Packard contributed NS32K support.
390 Doug Rabson contributed Acorn Risc Machine support.
391 Bob Rusk contributed Harris Nighthawk CX-UX support.
392 Chris Smith contributed Convex support (and Fortran debugging).
393 Jonathan Stone contributed Pyramid support.
394 Michael Tiemann contributed SPARC support.
395 Tim Tucker contributed support for the Gould NP1 and Gould Powernode.
396 Pace Willison contributed Intel 386 support.
397 Jay Vosburgh contributed Symmetry support.
398 Marko Mlinar contributed OpenRISC 1000 support.
400 Andreas Schwab contributed M68K @sc{gnu}/Linux support.
402 Rich Schaefer and Peter Schauer helped with support of SunOS shared
405 Jay Fenlason and Roland McGrath ensured that @value{GDBN} and GAS agree
406 about several machine instruction sets.
408 Patrick Duval, Ted Goldstein, Vikram Koka and Glenn Engel helped develop
409 remote debugging. Intel Corporation, Wind River Systems, AMD, and ARM
410 contributed remote debugging modules for the i960, VxWorks, A29K UDI,
411 and RDI targets, respectively.
413 Brian Fox is the author of the readline libraries providing
414 command-line editing and command history.
416 Andrew Beers of SUNY Buffalo wrote the language-switching code, the
417 Modula-2 support, and contributed the Languages chapter of this manual.
419 Fred Fish wrote most of the support for Unix System Vr4.
420 He also enhanced the command-completion support to cover C@t{++} overloaded
423 Hitachi America (now Renesas America), Ltd. sponsored the support for
424 H8/300, H8/500, and Super-H processors.
426 NEC sponsored the support for the v850, Vr4xxx, and Vr5xxx processors.
428 Mitsubishi (now Renesas) sponsored the support for D10V, D30V, and M32R/D
431 Toshiba sponsored the support for the TX39 Mips processor.
433 Matsushita sponsored the support for the MN10200 and MN10300 processors.
435 Fujitsu sponsored the support for SPARClite and FR30 processors.
437 Kung Hsu, Jeff Law, and Rick Sladkey added support for hardware
440 Michael Snyder added support for tracepoints.
442 Stu Grossman wrote gdbserver.
444 Jim Kingdon, Peter Schauer, Ian Taylor, and Stu Grossman made
445 nearly innumerable bug fixes and cleanups throughout @value{GDBN}.
447 The following people at the Hewlett-Packard Company contributed
448 support for the PA-RISC 2.0 architecture, HP-UX 10.20, 10.30, and 11.0
449 (narrow mode), HP's implementation of kernel threads, HP's aC@t{++}
450 compiler, and the Text User Interface (nee Terminal User Interface):
451 Ben Krepp, Richard Title, John Bishop, Susan Macchia, Kathy Mann,
452 Satish Pai, India Paul, Steve Rehrauer, and Elena Zannoni. Kim Haase
453 provided HP-specific information in this manual.
455 DJ Delorie ported @value{GDBN} to MS-DOS, for the DJGPP project.
456 Robert Hoehne made significant contributions to the DJGPP port.
458 Cygnus Solutions has sponsored @value{GDBN} maintenance and much of its
459 development since 1991. Cygnus engineers who have worked on @value{GDBN}
460 fulltime include Mark Alexander, Jim Blandy, Per Bothner, Kevin
461 Buettner, Edith Epstein, Chris Faylor, Fred Fish, Martin Hunt, Jim
462 Ingham, John Gilmore, Stu Grossman, Kung Hsu, Jim Kingdon, John Metzler,
463 Fernando Nasser, Geoffrey Noer, Dawn Perchik, Rich Pixley, Zdenek
464 Radouch, Keith Seitz, Stan Shebs, David Taylor, and Elena Zannoni. In
465 addition, Dave Brolley, Ian Carmichael, Steve Chamberlain, Nick Clifton,
466 JT Conklin, Stan Cox, DJ Delorie, Ulrich Drepper, Frank Eigler, Doug
467 Evans, Sean Fagan, David Henkel-Wallace, Richard Henderson, Jeff
468 Holcomb, Jeff Law, Jim Lemke, Tom Lord, Bob Manson, Michael Meissner,
469 Jason Merrill, Catherine Moore, Drew Moseley, Ken Raeburn, Gavin
470 Romig-Koch, Rob Savoye, Jamie Smith, Mike Stump, Ian Taylor, Angela
471 Thomas, Michael Tiemann, Tom Tromey, Ron Unrau, Jim Wilson, and David
472 Zuhn have made contributions both large and small.
474 Andrew Cagney, Fernando Nasser, and Elena Zannoni, while working for
475 Cygnus Solutions, implemented the original @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
477 Jim Blandy added support for preprocessor macros, while working for Red
480 Andrew Cagney designed @value{GDBN}'s architecture vector. Many
481 people including Andrew Cagney, Stephane Carrez, Randolph Chung, Nick
482 Duffek, Richard Henderson, Mark Kettenis, Grace Sainsbury, Kei
483 Sakamoto, Yoshinori Sato, Michael Snyder, Andreas Schwab, Jason
484 Thorpe, Corinna Vinschen, Ulrich Weigand, and Elena Zannoni, helped
485 with the migration of old architectures to this new framework.
488 @chapter A Sample @value{GDBN} Session
490 You can use this manual at your leisure to read all about @value{GDBN}.
491 However, a handful of commands are enough to get started using the
492 debugger. This chapter illustrates those commands.
495 In this sample session, we emphasize user input like this: @b{input},
496 to make it easier to pick out from the surrounding output.
499 @c FIXME: this example may not be appropriate for some configs, where
500 @c FIXME...primary interest is in remote use.
502 One of the preliminary versions of @sc{gnu} @code{m4} (a generic macro
503 processor) exhibits the following bug: sometimes, when we change its
504 quote strings from the default, the commands used to capture one macro
505 definition within another stop working. In the following short @code{m4}
506 session, we define a macro @code{foo} which expands to @code{0000}; we
507 then use the @code{m4} built-in @code{defn} to define @code{bar} as the
508 same thing. However, when we change the open quote string to
509 @code{<QUOTE>} and the close quote string to @code{<UNQUOTE>}, the same
510 procedure fails to define a new synonym @code{baz}:
519 @b{define(bar,defn(`foo'))}
523 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
525 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
528 m4: End of input: 0: fatal error: EOF in string
532 Let us use @value{GDBN} to try to see what is going on.
535 $ @b{@value{GDBP} m4}
536 @c FIXME: this falsifies the exact text played out, to permit smallbook
537 @c FIXME... format to come out better.
538 @value{GDBN} is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies
539 of it under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see
541 There is absolutely no warranty for @value{GDBN}; type "show warranty"
544 @value{GDBN} @value{GDBVN}, Copyright 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc...
549 @value{GDBN} reads only enough symbol data to know where to find the
550 rest when needed; as a result, the first prompt comes up very quickly.
551 We now tell @value{GDBN} to use a narrower display width than usual, so
552 that examples fit in this manual.
555 (@value{GDBP}) @b{set width 70}
559 We need to see how the @code{m4} built-in @code{changequote} works.
560 Having looked at the source, we know the relevant subroutine is
561 @code{m4_changequote}, so we set a breakpoint there with the @value{GDBN}
562 @code{break} command.
565 (@value{GDBP}) @b{break m4_changequote}
566 Breakpoint 1 at 0x62f4: file builtin.c, line 879.
570 Using the @code{run} command, we start @code{m4} running under @value{GDBN}
571 control; as long as control does not reach the @code{m4_changequote}
572 subroutine, the program runs as usual:
575 (@value{GDBP}) @b{run}
576 Starting program: /work/Editorial/gdb/gnu/m4/m4
584 To trigger the breakpoint, we call @code{changequote}. @value{GDBN}
585 suspends execution of @code{m4}, displaying information about the
586 context where it stops.
589 @b{changequote(<QUOTE>,<UNQUOTE>)}
591 Breakpoint 1, m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
593 879 if (bad_argc(TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[0]),argc,1,3))
597 Now we use the command @code{n} (@code{next}) to advance execution to
598 the next line of the current function.
602 882 set_quotes((argc >= 2) ? TOKEN_DATA_TEXT(argv[1])\
607 @code{set_quotes} looks like a promising subroutine. We can go into it
608 by using the command @code{s} (@code{step}) instead of @code{next}.
609 @code{step} goes to the next line to be executed in @emph{any}
610 subroutine, so it steps into @code{set_quotes}.
614 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
616 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
620 The display that shows the subroutine where @code{m4} is now
621 suspended (and its arguments) is called a stack frame display. It
622 shows a summary of the stack. We can use the @code{backtrace}
623 command (which can also be spelled @code{bt}), to see where we are
624 in the stack as a whole: the @code{backtrace} command displays a
625 stack frame for each active subroutine.
628 (@value{GDBP}) @b{bt}
629 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<QUOTE>", rq=0x34c88 "<UNQUOTE>")
631 #1 0x6344 in m4_changequote (argc=3, argv=0x33c70)
633 #2 0x8174 in expand_macro (sym=0x33320) at macro.c:242
634 #3 0x7a88 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=209696, td=0xf7fffa30)
636 #4 0x79dc in expand_input () at macro.c:40
637 #5 0x2930 in main (argc=0, argv=0xf7fffb20) at m4.c:195
641 We step through a few more lines to see what happens. The first two
642 times, we can use @samp{s}; the next two times we use @code{n} to avoid
643 falling into the @code{xstrdup} subroutine.
647 0x3b5c 532 if (rquote != def_rquote)
649 0x3b80 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? \
650 def_lquote : xstrdup(lq);
652 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
655 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
659 The last line displayed looks a little odd; we can examine the variables
660 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} to see if they are in fact the new left
661 and right quotes we specified. We use the command @code{p}
662 (@code{print}) to see their values.
665 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p lquote}
666 $1 = 0x35d40 "<QUOTE>"
667 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p rquote}
668 $2 = 0x35d50 "<UNQUOTE>"
672 @code{lquote} and @code{rquote} are indeed the new left and right quotes.
673 To look at some context, we can display ten lines of source
674 surrounding the current line with the @code{l} (@code{list}) command.
680 535 lquote = (lq == nil || *lq == '\0') ? def_lquote\
682 536 rquote = (rq == nil || *rq == '\0') ? def_rquote\
685 538 len_lquote = strlen(rquote);
686 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
693 Let us step past the two lines that set @code{len_lquote} and
694 @code{len_rquote}, and then examine the values of those variables.
698 539 len_rquote = strlen(lquote);
701 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote}
703 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote}
708 That certainly looks wrong, assuming @code{len_lquote} and
709 @code{len_rquote} are meant to be the lengths of @code{lquote} and
710 @code{rquote} respectively. We can set them to better values using
711 the @code{p} command, since it can print the value of
712 any expression---and that expression can include subroutine calls and
716 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_lquote=strlen(lquote)}
718 (@value{GDBP}) @b{p len_rquote=strlen(rquote)}
723 Is that enough to fix the problem of using the new quotes with the
724 @code{m4} built-in @code{defn}? We can allow @code{m4} to continue
725 executing with the @code{c} (@code{continue}) command, and then try the
726 example that caused trouble initially:
732 @b{define(baz,defn(<QUOTE>foo<UNQUOTE>))}
739 Success! The new quotes now work just as well as the default ones. The
740 problem seems to have been just the two typos defining the wrong
741 lengths. We allow @code{m4} exit by giving it an EOF as input:
745 Program exited normally.
749 The message @samp{Program exited normally.} is from @value{GDBN}; it
750 indicates @code{m4} has finished executing. We can end our @value{GDBN}
751 session with the @value{GDBN} @code{quit} command.
754 (@value{GDBP}) @b{quit}
758 @chapter Getting In and Out of @value{GDBN}
760 This chapter discusses how to start @value{GDBN}, and how to get out of it.
764 type @samp{@value{GDBP}} to start @value{GDBN}.
766 type @kbd{quit} or @kbd{C-d} to exit.
770 * Invoking GDB:: How to start @value{GDBN}
771 * Quitting GDB:: How to quit @value{GDBN}
772 * Shell Commands:: How to use shell commands inside @value{GDBN}
773 * Logging output:: How to log @value{GDBN}'s output to a file
777 @section Invoking @value{GDBN}
779 Invoke @value{GDBN} by running the program @code{@value{GDBP}}. Once started,
780 @value{GDBN} reads commands from the terminal until you tell it to exit.
782 You can also run @code{@value{GDBP}} with a variety of arguments and options,
783 to specify more of your debugging environment at the outset.
785 The command-line options described here are designed
786 to cover a variety of situations; in some environments, some of these
787 options may effectively be unavailable.
789 The most usual way to start @value{GDBN} is with one argument,
790 specifying an executable program:
793 @value{GDBP} @var{program}
797 You can also start with both an executable program and a core file
801 @value{GDBP} @var{program} @var{core}
804 You can, instead, specify a process ID as a second argument, if you want
805 to debug a running process:
808 @value{GDBP} @var{program} 1234
812 would attach @value{GDBN} to process @code{1234} (unless you also have a file
813 named @file{1234}; @value{GDBN} does check for a core file first).
815 Taking advantage of the second command-line argument requires a fairly
816 complete operating system; when you use @value{GDBN} as a remote
817 debugger attached to a bare board, there may not be any notion of
818 ``process'', and there is often no way to get a core dump. @value{GDBN}
819 will warn you if it is unable to attach or to read core dumps.
821 You can optionally have @code{@value{GDBP}} pass any arguments after the
822 executable file to the inferior using @code{--args}. This option stops
825 gdb --args gcc -O2 -c foo.c
827 This will cause @code{@value{GDBP}} to debug @code{gcc}, and to set
828 @code{gcc}'s command-line arguments (@pxref{Arguments}) to @samp{-O2 -c foo.c}.
830 You can run @code{@value{GDBP}} without printing the front material, which describes
831 @value{GDBN}'s non-warranty, by specifying @code{-silent}:
838 You can further control how @value{GDBN} starts up by using command-line
839 options. @value{GDBN} itself can remind you of the options available.
849 to display all available options and briefly describe their use
850 (@samp{@value{GDBP} -h} is a shorter equivalent).
852 All options and command line arguments you give are processed
853 in sequential order. The order makes a difference when the
854 @samp{-x} option is used.
858 * File Options:: Choosing files
859 * Mode Options:: Choosing modes
860 * Startup:: What @value{GDBN} does during startup
864 @subsection Choosing files
866 When @value{GDBN} starts, it reads any arguments other than options as
867 specifying an executable file and core file (or process ID). This is
868 the same as if the arguments were specified by the @samp{-se} and
869 @samp{-c} (or @samp{-p} options respectively. (@value{GDBN} reads the
870 first argument that does not have an associated option flag as
871 equivalent to the @samp{-se} option followed by that argument; and the
872 second argument that does not have an associated option flag, if any, as
873 equivalent to the @samp{-c}/@samp{-p} option followed by that argument.)
874 If the second argument begins with a decimal digit, @value{GDBN} will
875 first attempt to attach to it as a process, and if that fails, attempt
876 to open it as a corefile. If you have a corefile whose name begins with
877 a digit, you can prevent @value{GDBN} from treating it as a pid by
878 prefixing it with @file{./}, e.g.@: @file{./12345}.
880 If @value{GDBN} has not been configured to included core file support,
881 such as for most embedded targets, then it will complain about a second
882 argument and ignore it.
884 Many options have both long and short forms; both are shown in the
885 following list. @value{GDBN} also recognizes the long forms if you truncate
886 them, so long as enough of the option is present to be unambiguous.
887 (If you prefer, you can flag option arguments with @samp{--} rather
888 than @samp{-}, though we illustrate the more usual convention.)
890 @c NOTE: the @cindex entries here use double dashes ON PURPOSE. This
891 @c way, both those who look for -foo and --foo in the index, will find
895 @item -symbols @var{file}
897 @cindex @code{--symbols}
899 Read symbol table from file @var{file}.
901 @item -exec @var{file}
903 @cindex @code{--exec}
905 Use file @var{file} as the executable file to execute when appropriate,
906 and for examining pure data in conjunction with a core dump.
910 Read symbol table from file @var{file} and use it as the executable
913 @item -core @var{file}
915 @cindex @code{--core}
917 Use file @var{file} as a core dump to examine.
919 @item -c @var{number}
920 @item -pid @var{number}
921 @itemx -p @var{number}
924 Connect to process ID @var{number}, as with the @code{attach} command.
925 If there is no such process, @value{GDBN} will attempt to open a core
926 file named @var{number}.
928 @item -command @var{file}
930 @cindex @code{--command}
932 Execute @value{GDBN} commands from file @var{file}. @xref{Command
933 Files,, Command files}.
935 @item -eval-command @var{command}
936 @itemx -ex @var{command}
937 @cindex @code{--eval-command}
939 Execute a single @value{GDBN} command.
941 This option may be used multiple times to call multiple commands. It may
942 also be interleaved with @samp{-command} as required.
945 @value{GDBP} -ex 'target sim' -ex 'load' \
946 -x setbreakpoints -ex 'run' a.out
949 @item -directory @var{directory}
950 @itemx -d @var{directory}
951 @cindex @code{--directory}
953 Add @var{directory} to the path to search for source and script files.
957 @cindex @code{--readnow}
959 Read each symbol file's entire symbol table immediately, rather than
960 the default, which is to read it incrementally as it is needed.
961 This makes startup slower, but makes future operations faster.
966 @subsection Choosing modes
968 You can run @value{GDBN} in various alternative modes---for example, in
969 batch mode or quiet mode.
976 Do not execute commands found in any initialization files. Normally,
977 @value{GDBN} executes the commands in these files after all the command
978 options and arguments have been processed. @xref{Command Files,,Command
984 @cindex @code{--quiet}
985 @cindex @code{--silent}
987 ``Quiet''. Do not print the introductory and copyright messages. These
988 messages are also suppressed in batch mode.
991 @cindex @code{--batch}
992 Run in batch mode. Exit with status @code{0} after processing all the
993 command files specified with @samp{-x} (and all commands from
994 initialization files, if not inhibited with @samp{-n}). Exit with
995 nonzero status if an error occurs in executing the @value{GDBN} commands
996 in the command files.
998 Batch mode may be useful for running @value{GDBN} as a filter, for
999 example to download and run a program on another computer; in order to
1000 make this more useful, the message
1003 Program exited normally.
1007 (which is ordinarily issued whenever a program running under
1008 @value{GDBN} control terminates) is not issued when running in batch
1012 @cindex @code{--batch-silent}
1013 Run in batch mode exactly like @samp{-batch}, but totally silently. All
1014 @value{GDBN} output to @code{stdout} is prevented (@code{stderr} is
1015 unaffected). This is much quieter than @samp{-silent} and would be useless
1016 for an interactive session.
1018 This is particularly useful when using targets that give @samp{Loading section}
1019 messages, for example.
1021 Note that targets that give their output via @value{GDBN}, as opposed to
1022 writing directly to @code{stdout}, will also be made silent.
1024 @item -return-child-result
1025 @cindex @code{--return-child-result}
1026 The return code from @value{GDBN} will be the return code from the child
1027 process (the process being debugged), with the following exceptions:
1031 @value{GDBN} exits abnormally. E.g., due to an incorrect argument or an
1032 internal error. In this case the exit code is the same as it would have been
1033 without @samp{-return-child-result}.
1035 The user quits with an explicit value. E.g., @samp{quit 1}.
1037 The child process never runs, or is not allowed to terminate, in which case
1038 the exit code will be -1.
1041 This option is useful in conjunction with @samp{-batch} or @samp{-batch-silent},
1042 when @value{GDBN} is being used as a remote program loader or simulator
1047 @cindex @code{--nowindows}
1049 ``No windows''. If @value{GDBN} comes with a graphical user interface
1050 (GUI) built in, then this option tells @value{GDBN} to only use the command-line
1051 interface. If no GUI is available, this option has no effect.
1055 @cindex @code{--windows}
1057 If @value{GDBN} includes a GUI, then this option requires it to be
1060 @item -cd @var{directory}
1062 Run @value{GDBN} using @var{directory} as its working directory,
1063 instead of the current directory.
1067 @cindex @code{--fullname}
1069 @sc{gnu} Emacs sets this option when it runs @value{GDBN} as a
1070 subprocess. It tells @value{GDBN} to output the full file name and line
1071 number in a standard, recognizable fashion each time a stack frame is
1072 displayed (which includes each time your program stops). This
1073 recognizable format looks like two @samp{\032} characters, followed by
1074 the file name, line number and character position separated by colons,
1075 and a newline. The Emacs-to-@value{GDBN} interface program uses the two
1076 @samp{\032} characters as a signal to display the source code for the
1080 @cindex @code{--epoch}
1081 The Epoch Emacs-@value{GDBN} interface sets this option when it runs
1082 @value{GDBN} as a subprocess. It tells @value{GDBN} to modify its print
1083 routines so as to allow Epoch to display values of expressions in a
1086 @item -annotate @var{level}
1087 @cindex @code{--annotate}
1088 This option sets the @dfn{annotation level} inside @value{GDBN}. Its
1089 effect is identical to using @samp{set annotate @var{level}}
1090 (@pxref{Annotations}). The annotation @var{level} controls how much
1091 information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt, values of
1092 expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0 is the
1093 normal, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a subprocess of
1094 @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable for programs
1095 that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 has been deprecated.
1097 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseded by @sc{gdb/mi}
1101 @cindex @code{--args}
1102 Change interpretation of command line so that arguments following the
1103 executable file are passed as command line arguments to the inferior.
1104 This option stops option processing.
1106 @item -baud @var{bps}
1108 @cindex @code{--baud}
1110 Set the line speed (baud rate or bits per second) of any serial
1111 interface used by @value{GDBN} for remote debugging.
1113 @item -l @var{timeout}
1115 Set the timeout (in seconds) of any communication used by @value{GDBN}
1116 for remote debugging.
1118 @item -tty @var{device}
1119 @itemx -t @var{device}
1120 @cindex @code{--tty}
1122 Run using @var{device} for your program's standard input and output.
1123 @c FIXME: kingdon thinks there is more to -tty. Investigate.
1125 @c resolve the situation of these eventually
1127 @cindex @code{--tui}
1128 Activate the @dfn{Text User Interface} when starting. The Text User
1129 Interface manages several text windows on the terminal, showing
1130 source, assembly, registers and @value{GDBN} command outputs
1131 (@pxref{TUI, ,@value{GDBN} Text User Interface}). Alternatively, the
1132 Text User Interface can be enabled by invoking the program
1133 @samp{gdbtui}. Do not use this option if you run @value{GDBN} from
1134 Emacs (@pxref{Emacs, ,Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}).
1137 @c @cindex @code{--xdb}
1138 @c Run in XDB compatibility mode, allowing the use of certain XDB commands.
1139 @c For information, see the file @file{xdb_trans.html}, which is usually
1140 @c installed in the directory @code{/opt/langtools/wdb/doc} on HP-UX
1143 @item -interpreter @var{interp}
1144 @cindex @code{--interpreter}
1145 Use the interpreter @var{interp} for interface with the controlling
1146 program or device. This option is meant to be set by programs which
1147 communicate with @value{GDBN} using it as a back end.
1148 @xref{Interpreters, , Command Interpreters}.
1150 @samp{--interpreter=mi} (or @samp{--interpreter=mi2}) causes
1151 @value{GDBN} to use the @dfn{@sc{gdb/mi} interface} (@pxref{GDB/MI, ,
1152 The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface}) included since @value{GDBN} version 6.0. The
1153 previous @sc{gdb/mi} interface, included in @value{GDBN} version 5.3 and
1154 selected with @samp{--interpreter=mi1}, is deprecated. Earlier
1155 @sc{gdb/mi} interfaces are no longer supported.
1158 @cindex @code{--write}
1159 Open the executable and core files for both reading and writing. This
1160 is equivalent to the @samp{set write on} command inside @value{GDBN}
1164 @cindex @code{--statistics}
1165 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print statistics about time and
1166 memory usage after it completes each command and returns to the prompt.
1169 @cindex @code{--version}
1170 This option causes @value{GDBN} to print its version number and
1171 no-warranty blurb, and exit.
1176 @subsection What @value{GDBN} does during startup
1177 @cindex @value{GDBN} startup
1179 Here's the description of what @value{GDBN} does during session startup:
1183 Sets up the command interpreter as specified by the command line
1184 (@pxref{Mode Options, interpreter}).
1188 Reads the @dfn{init file} (if any) in your home directory@footnote{On
1189 DOS/Windows systems, the home directory is the one pointed to by the
1190 @code{HOME} environment variable.} and executes all the commands in
1194 Processes command line options and operands.
1197 Reads and executes the commands from init file (if any) in the current
1198 working directory. This is only done if the current directory is
1199 different from your home directory. Thus, you can have more than one
1200 init file, one generic in your home directory, and another, specific
1201 to the program you are debugging, in the directory where you invoke
1205 Reads command files specified by the @samp{-x} option. @xref{Command
1206 Files}, for more details about @value{GDBN} command files.
1209 Reads the command history recorded in the @dfn{history file}.
1210 @xref{Command History}, for more details about the command history and the
1211 files where @value{GDBN} records it.
1214 Init files use the same syntax as @dfn{command files} (@pxref{Command
1215 Files}) and are processed by @value{GDBN} in the same way. The init
1216 file in your home directory can set options (such as @samp{set
1217 complaints}) that affect subsequent processing of command line options
1218 and operands. Init files are not executed if you use the @samp{-nx}
1219 option (@pxref{Mode Options, ,Choosing modes}).
1221 @cindex init file name
1222 @cindex @file{.gdbinit}
1223 The @value{GDBN} init files are normally called @file{.gdbinit}.
1224 On some configurations of @value{GDBN}, the init file is known by a
1225 different name (these are typically environments where a specialized
1226 form of @value{GDBN} may need to coexist with other forms, hence a
1227 different name for the specialized version's init file). These are the
1228 environments with special init file names:
1231 @cindex @file{gdb.ini}
1233 The DJGPP port of @value{GDBN} uses the name @file{gdb.ini}, due to
1234 the limitations of file names imposed by DOS filesystems. The Windows
1235 ports of @value{GDBN} use the standard name, but if they find a
1236 @file{gdb.ini} file, they warn you about that and suggest to rename
1237 the file to the standard name.
1239 @cindex @file{.vxgdbinit}
1241 VxWorks (Wind River Systems real-time OS): @file{.vxgdbinit}
1243 @cindex @file{.os68gdbinit}
1245 OS68K (Enea Data Systems real-time OS): @file{.os68gdbinit}
1247 @cindex @file{.esgdbinit}
1249 ES-1800 (Ericsson Telecom AB M68000 emulator): @file{.esgdbinit}
1252 CISCO 68k: @file{.cisco-gdbinit}
1257 @section Quitting @value{GDBN}
1258 @cindex exiting @value{GDBN}
1259 @cindex leaving @value{GDBN}
1262 @kindex quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1263 @kindex q @r{(@code{quit})}
1264 @item quit @r{[}@var{expression}@r{]}
1266 To exit @value{GDBN}, use the @code{quit} command (abbreviated
1267 @code{q}), or type an end-of-file character (usually @kbd{C-d}). If you
1268 do not supply @var{expression}, @value{GDBN} will terminate normally;
1269 otherwise it will terminate using the result of @var{expression} as the
1274 An interrupt (often @kbd{C-c}) does not exit from @value{GDBN}, but rather
1275 terminates the action of any @value{GDBN} command that is in progress and
1276 returns to @value{GDBN} command level. It is safe to type the interrupt
1277 character at any time because @value{GDBN} does not allow it to take effect
1278 until a time when it is safe.
1280 If you have been using @value{GDBN} to control an attached process or
1281 device, you can release it with the @code{detach} command
1282 (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an already-running process}).
1284 @node Shell Commands
1285 @section Shell commands
1287 If you need to execute occasional shell commands during your
1288 debugging session, there is no need to leave or suspend @value{GDBN}; you can
1289 just use the @code{shell} command.
1293 @cindex shell escape
1294 @item shell @var{command string}
1295 Invoke a standard shell to execute @var{command string}.
1296 If it exists, the environment variable @code{SHELL} determines which
1297 shell to run. Otherwise @value{GDBN} uses the default shell
1298 (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix systems, @file{COMMAND.COM} on MS-DOS, etc.).
1301 The utility @code{make} is often needed in development environments.
1302 You do not have to use the @code{shell} command for this purpose in
1307 @cindex calling make
1308 @item make @var{make-args}
1309 Execute the @code{make} program with the specified
1310 arguments. This is equivalent to @samp{shell make @var{make-args}}.
1313 @node Logging output
1314 @section Logging output
1315 @cindex logging @value{GDBN} output
1316 @cindex save @value{GDBN} output to a file
1318 You may want to save the output of @value{GDBN} commands to a file.
1319 There are several commands to control @value{GDBN}'s logging.
1323 @item set logging on
1325 @item set logging off
1327 @cindex logging file name
1328 @item set logging file @var{file}
1329 Change the name of the current logfile. The default logfile is @file{gdb.txt}.
1330 @item set logging overwrite [on|off]
1331 By default, @value{GDBN} will append to the logfile. Set @code{overwrite} if
1332 you want @code{set logging on} to overwrite the logfile instead.
1333 @item set logging redirect [on|off]
1334 By default, @value{GDBN} output will go to both the terminal and the logfile.
1335 Set @code{redirect} if you want output to go only to the log file.
1336 @kindex show logging
1338 Show the current values of the logging settings.
1342 @chapter @value{GDBN} Commands
1344 You can abbreviate a @value{GDBN} command to the first few letters of the command
1345 name, if that abbreviation is unambiguous; and you can repeat certain
1346 @value{GDBN} commands by typing just @key{RET}. You can also use the @key{TAB}
1347 key to get @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest of a word in a command (or to
1348 show you the alternatives available, if there is more than one possibility).
1351 * Command Syntax:: How to give commands to @value{GDBN}
1352 * Completion:: Command completion
1353 * Help:: How to ask @value{GDBN} for help
1356 @node Command Syntax
1357 @section Command syntax
1359 A @value{GDBN} command is a single line of input. There is no limit on
1360 how long it can be. It starts with a command name, which is followed by
1361 arguments whose meaning depends on the command name. For example, the
1362 command @code{step} accepts an argument which is the number of times to
1363 step, as in @samp{step 5}. You can also use the @code{step} command
1364 with no arguments. Some commands do not allow any arguments.
1366 @cindex abbreviation
1367 @value{GDBN} command names may always be truncated if that abbreviation is
1368 unambiguous. Other possible command abbreviations are listed in the
1369 documentation for individual commands. In some cases, even ambiguous
1370 abbreviations are allowed; for example, @code{s} is specially defined as
1371 equivalent to @code{step} even though there are other commands whose
1372 names start with @code{s}. You can test abbreviations by using them as
1373 arguments to the @code{help} command.
1375 @cindex repeating commands
1376 @kindex RET @r{(repeat last command)}
1377 A blank line as input to @value{GDBN} (typing just @key{RET}) means to
1378 repeat the previous command. Certain commands (for example, @code{run})
1379 will not repeat this way; these are commands whose unintentional
1380 repetition might cause trouble and which you are unlikely to want to
1381 repeat. User-defined commands can disable this feature; see
1382 @ref{Define, dont-repeat}.
1384 The @code{list} and @code{x} commands, when you repeat them with
1385 @key{RET}, construct new arguments rather than repeating
1386 exactly as typed. This permits easy scanning of source or memory.
1388 @value{GDBN} can also use @key{RET} in another way: to partition lengthy
1389 output, in a way similar to the common utility @code{more}
1390 (@pxref{Screen Size,,Screen size}). Since it is easy to press one
1391 @key{RET} too many in this situation, @value{GDBN} disables command
1392 repetition after any command that generates this sort of display.
1394 @kindex # @r{(a comment)}
1396 Any text from a @kbd{#} to the end of the line is a comment; it does
1397 nothing. This is useful mainly in command files (@pxref{Command
1398 Files,,Command files}).
1400 @cindex repeating command sequences
1401 @kindex C-o @r{(operate-and-get-next)}
1402 The @kbd{C-o} binding is useful for repeating a complex sequence of
1403 commands. This command accepts the current line, like @kbd{RET}, and
1404 then fetches the next line relative to the current line from the history
1408 @section Command completion
1411 @cindex word completion
1412 @value{GDBN} can fill in the rest of a word in a command for you, if there is
1413 only one possibility; it can also show you what the valid possibilities
1414 are for the next word in a command, at any time. This works for @value{GDBN}
1415 commands, @value{GDBN} subcommands, and the names of symbols in your program.
1417 Press the @key{TAB} key whenever you want @value{GDBN} to fill out the rest
1418 of a word. If there is only one possibility, @value{GDBN} fills in the
1419 word, and waits for you to finish the command (or press @key{RET} to
1420 enter it). For example, if you type
1422 @c FIXME "@key" does not distinguish its argument sufficiently to permit
1423 @c complete accuracy in these examples; space introduced for clarity.
1424 @c If texinfo enhancements make it unnecessary, it would be nice to
1425 @c replace " @key" by "@key" in the following...
1427 (@value{GDBP}) info bre @key{TAB}
1431 @value{GDBN} fills in the rest of the word @samp{breakpoints}, since that is
1432 the only @code{info} subcommand beginning with @samp{bre}:
1435 (@value{GDBP}) info breakpoints
1439 You can either press @key{RET} at this point, to run the @code{info
1440 breakpoints} command, or backspace and enter something else, if
1441 @samp{breakpoints} does not look like the command you expected. (If you
1442 were sure you wanted @code{info breakpoints} in the first place, you
1443 might as well just type @key{RET} immediately after @samp{info bre},
1444 to exploit command abbreviations rather than command completion).
1446 If there is more than one possibility for the next word when you press
1447 @key{TAB}, @value{GDBN} sounds a bell. You can either supply more
1448 characters and try again, or just press @key{TAB} a second time;
1449 @value{GDBN} displays all the possible completions for that word. For
1450 example, you might want to set a breakpoint on a subroutine whose name
1451 begins with @samp{make_}, but when you type @kbd{b make_@key{TAB}} @value{GDBN}
1452 just sounds the bell. Typing @key{TAB} again displays all the
1453 function names in your program that begin with those characters, for
1457 (@value{GDBP}) b make_ @key{TAB}
1458 @exdent @value{GDBN} sounds bell; press @key{TAB} again, to see:
1459 make_a_section_from_file make_environ
1460 make_abs_section make_function_type
1461 make_blockvector make_pointer_type
1462 make_cleanup make_reference_type
1463 make_command make_symbol_completion_list
1464 (@value{GDBP}) b make_
1468 After displaying the available possibilities, @value{GDBN} copies your
1469 partial input (@samp{b make_} in the example) so you can finish the
1472 If you just want to see the list of alternatives in the first place, you
1473 can press @kbd{M-?} rather than pressing @key{TAB} twice. @kbd{M-?}
1474 means @kbd{@key{META} ?}. You can type this either by holding down a
1475 key designated as the @key{META} shift on your keyboard (if there is
1476 one) while typing @kbd{?}, or as @key{ESC} followed by @kbd{?}.
1478 @cindex quotes in commands
1479 @cindex completion of quoted strings
1480 Sometimes the string you need, while logically a ``word'', may contain
1481 parentheses or other characters that @value{GDBN} normally excludes from
1482 its notion of a word. To permit word completion to work in this
1483 situation, you may enclose words in @code{'} (single quote marks) in
1484 @value{GDBN} commands.
1486 The most likely situation where you might need this is in typing the
1487 name of a C@t{++} function. This is because C@t{++} allows function
1488 overloading (multiple definitions of the same function, distinguished
1489 by argument type). For example, when you want to set a breakpoint you
1490 may need to distinguish whether you mean the version of @code{name}
1491 that takes an @code{int} parameter, @code{name(int)}, or the version
1492 that takes a @code{float} parameter, @code{name(float)}. To use the
1493 word-completion facilities in this situation, type a single quote
1494 @code{'} at the beginning of the function name. This alerts
1495 @value{GDBN} that it may need to consider more information than usual
1496 when you press @key{TAB} or @kbd{M-?} to request word completion:
1499 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble( @kbd{M-?}
1500 bubble(double,double) bubble(int,int)
1501 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble(
1504 In some cases, @value{GDBN} can tell that completing a name requires using
1505 quotes. When this happens, @value{GDBN} inserts the quote for you (while
1506 completing as much as it can) if you do not type the quote in the first
1510 (@value{GDBP}) b bub @key{TAB}
1511 @exdent @value{GDBN} alters your input line to the following, and rings a bell:
1512 (@value{GDBP}) b 'bubble(
1516 In general, @value{GDBN} can tell that a quote is needed (and inserts it) if
1517 you have not yet started typing the argument list when you ask for
1518 completion on an overloaded symbol.
1520 For more information about overloaded functions, see @ref{C plus plus
1521 expressions, ,C@t{++} expressions}. You can use the command @code{set
1522 overload-resolution off} to disable overload resolution;
1523 see @ref{Debugging C plus plus, ,@value{GDBN} features for C@t{++}}.
1527 @section Getting help
1528 @cindex online documentation
1531 You can always ask @value{GDBN} itself for information on its commands,
1532 using the command @code{help}.
1535 @kindex h @r{(@code{help})}
1538 You can use @code{help} (abbreviated @code{h}) with no arguments to
1539 display a short list of named classes of commands:
1543 List of classes of commands:
1545 aliases -- Aliases of other commands
1546 breakpoints -- Making program stop at certain points
1547 data -- Examining data
1548 files -- Specifying and examining files
1549 internals -- Maintenance commands
1550 obscure -- Obscure features
1551 running -- Running the program
1552 stack -- Examining the stack
1553 status -- Status inquiries
1554 support -- Support facilities
1555 tracepoints -- Tracing of program execution without@*
1556 stopping the program
1557 user-defined -- User-defined commands
1559 Type "help" followed by a class name for a list of
1560 commands in that class.
1561 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1563 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1566 @c the above line break eliminates huge line overfull...
1568 @item help @var{class}
1569 Using one of the general help classes as an argument, you can get a
1570 list of the individual commands in that class. For example, here is the
1571 help display for the class @code{status}:
1574 (@value{GDBP}) help status
1579 @c Line break in "show" line falsifies real output, but needed
1580 @c to fit in smallbook page size.
1581 info -- Generic command for showing things
1582 about the program being debugged
1583 show -- Generic command for showing things
1586 Type "help" followed by command name for full
1588 Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
1592 @item help @var{command}
1593 With a command name as @code{help} argument, @value{GDBN} displays a
1594 short paragraph on how to use that command.
1597 @item apropos @var{args}
1598 The @code{apropos} command searches through all of the @value{GDBN}
1599 commands, and their documentation, for the regular expression specified in
1600 @var{args}. It prints out all matches found. For example:
1611 set symbol-reloading -- Set dynamic symbol table reloading
1612 multiple times in one run
1613 show symbol-reloading -- Show dynamic symbol table reloading
1614 multiple times in one run
1619 @item complete @var{args}
1620 The @code{complete @var{args}} command lists all the possible completions
1621 for the beginning of a command. Use @var{args} to specify the beginning of the
1622 command you want completed. For example:
1628 @noindent results in:
1639 @noindent This is intended for use by @sc{gnu} Emacs.
1642 In addition to @code{help}, you can use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{info}
1643 and @code{show} to inquire about the state of your program, or the state
1644 of @value{GDBN} itself. Each command supports many topics of inquiry; this
1645 manual introduces each of them in the appropriate context. The listings
1646 under @code{info} and under @code{show} in the Index point to
1647 all the sub-commands. @xref{Index}.
1652 @kindex i @r{(@code{info})}
1654 This command (abbreviated @code{i}) is for describing the state of your
1655 program. For example, you can list the arguments given to your program
1656 with @code{info args}, list the registers currently in use with @code{info
1657 registers}, or list the breakpoints you have set with @code{info breakpoints}.
1658 You can get a complete list of the @code{info} sub-commands with
1659 @w{@code{help info}}.
1663 You can assign the result of an expression to an environment variable with
1664 @code{set}. For example, you can set the @value{GDBN} prompt to a $-sign with
1665 @code{set prompt $}.
1669 In contrast to @code{info}, @code{show} is for describing the state of
1670 @value{GDBN} itself.
1671 You can change most of the things you can @code{show}, by using the
1672 related command @code{set}; for example, you can control what number
1673 system is used for displays with @code{set radix}, or simply inquire
1674 which is currently in use with @code{show radix}.
1677 To display all the settable parameters and their current
1678 values, you can use @code{show} with no arguments; you may also use
1679 @code{info set}. Both commands produce the same display.
1680 @c FIXME: "info set" violates the rule that "info" is for state of
1681 @c FIXME...program. Ck w/ GNU: "info set" to be called something else,
1682 @c FIXME...or change desc of rule---eg "state of prog and debugging session"?
1686 Here are three miscellaneous @code{show} subcommands, all of which are
1687 exceptional in lacking corresponding @code{set} commands:
1690 @kindex show version
1691 @cindex @value{GDBN} version number
1693 Show what version of @value{GDBN} is running. You should include this
1694 information in @value{GDBN} bug-reports. If multiple versions of
1695 @value{GDBN} are in use at your site, you may need to determine which
1696 version of @value{GDBN} you are running; as @value{GDBN} evolves, new
1697 commands are introduced, and old ones may wither away. Also, many
1698 system vendors ship variant versions of @value{GDBN}, and there are
1699 variant versions of @value{GDBN} in @sc{gnu}/Linux distributions as well.
1700 The version number is the same as the one announced when you start
1703 @kindex show copying
1704 @kindex info copying
1705 @cindex display @value{GDBN} copyright
1708 Display information about permission for copying @value{GDBN}.
1710 @kindex show warranty
1711 @kindex info warranty
1713 @itemx info warranty
1714 Display the @sc{gnu} ``NO WARRANTY'' statement, or a warranty,
1715 if your version of @value{GDBN} comes with one.
1720 @chapter Running Programs Under @value{GDBN}
1722 When you run a program under @value{GDBN}, you must first generate
1723 debugging information when you compile it.
1725 You may start @value{GDBN} with its arguments, if any, in an environment
1726 of your choice. If you are doing native debugging, you may redirect
1727 your program's input and output, debug an already running process, or
1728 kill a child process.
1731 * Compilation:: Compiling for debugging
1732 * Starting:: Starting your program
1733 * Arguments:: Your program's arguments
1734 * Environment:: Your program's environment
1736 * Working Directory:: Your program's working directory
1737 * Input/Output:: Your program's input and output
1738 * Attach:: Debugging an already-running process
1739 * Kill Process:: Killing the child process
1741 * Threads:: Debugging programs with multiple threads
1742 * Processes:: Debugging programs with multiple processes
1743 * Checkpoint/Restart:: Setting a @emph{bookmark} to return to later
1747 @section Compiling for debugging
1749 In order to debug a program effectively, you need to generate
1750 debugging information when you compile it. This debugging information
1751 is stored in the object file; it describes the data type of each
1752 variable or function and the correspondence between source line numbers
1753 and addresses in the executable code.
1755 To request debugging information, specify the @samp{-g} option when you run
1758 Programs that are to be shipped to your customers are compiled with
1759 optimizations, using the @samp{-O} compiler option. However, many
1760 compilers are unable to handle the @samp{-g} and @samp{-O} options
1761 together. Using those compilers, you cannot generate optimized
1762 executables containing debugging information.
1764 @value{NGCC}, the @sc{gnu} C/C@t{++} compiler, supports @samp{-g} with or
1765 without @samp{-O}, making it possible to debug optimized code. We
1766 recommend that you @emph{always} use @samp{-g} whenever you compile a
1767 program. You may think your program is correct, but there is no sense
1768 in pushing your luck.
1770 @cindex optimized code, debugging
1771 @cindex debugging optimized code
1772 When you debug a program compiled with @samp{-g -O}, remember that the
1773 optimizer is rearranging your code; the debugger shows you what is
1774 really there. Do not be too surprised when the execution path does not
1775 exactly match your source file! An extreme example: if you define a
1776 variable, but never use it, @value{GDBN} never sees that
1777 variable---because the compiler optimizes it out of existence.
1779 Some things do not work as well with @samp{-g -O} as with just
1780 @samp{-g}, particularly on machines with instruction scheduling. If in
1781 doubt, recompile with @samp{-g} alone, and if this fixes the problem,
1782 please report it to us as a bug (including a test case!).
1783 @xref{Variables}, for more information about debugging optimized code.
1785 Older versions of the @sc{gnu} C compiler permitted a variant option
1786 @w{@samp{-gg}} for debugging information. @value{GDBN} no longer supports this
1787 format; if your @sc{gnu} C compiler has this option, do not use it.
1789 @value{GDBN} knows about preprocessor macros and can show you their
1790 expansion (@pxref{Macros}). Most compilers do not include information
1791 about preprocessor macros in the debugging information if you specify
1792 the @option{-g} flag alone, because this information is rather large.
1793 Version 3.1 and later of @value{NGCC}, the @sc{gnu} C compiler,
1794 provides macro information if you specify the options
1795 @option{-gdwarf-2} and @option{-g3}; the former option requests
1796 debugging information in the Dwarf 2 format, and the latter requests
1797 ``extra information''. In the future, we hope to find more compact
1798 ways to represent macro information, so that it can be included with
1803 @section Starting your program
1809 @kindex r @r{(@code{run})}
1812 Use the @code{run} command to start your program under @value{GDBN}.
1813 You must first specify the program name (except on VxWorks) with an
1814 argument to @value{GDBN} (@pxref{Invocation, ,Getting In and Out of
1815 @value{GDBN}}), or by using the @code{file} or @code{exec-file} command
1816 (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to specify files}).
1820 If you are running your program in an execution environment that
1821 supports processes, @code{run} creates an inferior process and makes
1822 that process run your program. (In environments without processes,
1823 @code{run} jumps to the start of your program.)
1825 The execution of a program is affected by certain information it
1826 receives from its superior. @value{GDBN} provides ways to specify this
1827 information, which you must do @emph{before} starting your program. (You
1828 can change it after starting your program, but such changes only affect
1829 your program the next time you start it.) This information may be
1830 divided into four categories:
1833 @item The @emph{arguments.}
1834 Specify the arguments to give your program as the arguments of the
1835 @code{run} command. If a shell is available on your target, the shell
1836 is used to pass the arguments, so that you may use normal conventions
1837 (such as wildcard expansion or variable substitution) in describing
1839 In Unix systems, you can control which shell is used with the
1840 @code{SHELL} environment variable.
1841 @xref{Arguments, ,Your program's arguments}.
1843 @item The @emph{environment.}
1844 Your program normally inherits its environment from @value{GDBN}, but you can
1845 use the @value{GDBN} commands @code{set environment} and @code{unset
1846 environment} to change parts of the environment that affect
1847 your program. @xref{Environment, ,Your program's environment}.
1849 @item The @emph{working directory.}
1850 Your program inherits its working directory from @value{GDBN}. You can set
1851 the @value{GDBN} working directory with the @code{cd} command in @value{GDBN}.
1852 @xref{Working Directory, ,Your program's working directory}.
1854 @item The @emph{standard input and output.}
1855 Your program normally uses the same device for standard input and
1856 standard output as @value{GDBN} is using. You can redirect input and output
1857 in the @code{run} command line, or you can use the @code{tty} command to
1858 set a different device for your program.
1859 @xref{Input/Output, ,Your program's input and output}.
1862 @emph{Warning:} While input and output redirection work, you cannot use
1863 pipes to pass the output of the program you are debugging to another
1864 program; if you attempt this, @value{GDBN} is likely to wind up debugging the
1868 When you issue the @code{run} command, your program begins to execute
1869 immediately. @xref{Stopping, ,Stopping and continuing}, for discussion
1870 of how to arrange for your program to stop. Once your program has
1871 stopped, you may call functions in your program, using the @code{print}
1872 or @code{call} commands. @xref{Data, ,Examining Data}.
1874 If the modification time of your symbol file has changed since the last
1875 time @value{GDBN} read its symbols, @value{GDBN} discards its symbol
1876 table, and reads it again. When it does this, @value{GDBN} tries to retain
1877 your current breakpoints.
1882 @cindex run to main procedure
1883 The name of the main procedure can vary from language to language.
1884 With C or C@t{++}, the main procedure name is always @code{main}, but
1885 other languages such as Ada do not require a specific name for their
1886 main procedure. The debugger provides a convenient way to start the
1887 execution of the program and to stop at the beginning of the main
1888 procedure, depending on the language used.
1890 The @samp{start} command does the equivalent of setting a temporary
1891 breakpoint at the beginning of the main procedure and then invoking
1892 the @samp{run} command.
1894 @cindex elaboration phase
1895 Some programs contain an @dfn{elaboration} phase where some startup code is
1896 executed before the main procedure is called. This depends on the
1897 languages used to write your program. In C@t{++}, for instance,
1898 constructors for static and global objects are executed before
1899 @code{main} is called. It is therefore possible that the debugger stops
1900 before reaching the main procedure. However, the temporary breakpoint
1901 will remain to halt execution.
1903 Specify the arguments to give to your program as arguments to the
1904 @samp{start} command. These arguments will be given verbatim to the
1905 underlying @samp{run} command. Note that the same arguments will be
1906 reused if no argument is provided during subsequent calls to
1907 @samp{start} or @samp{run}.
1909 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration. In
1910 these cases, using the @code{start} command would stop the execution of
1911 your program too late, as the program would have already completed the
1912 elaboration phase. Under these circumstances, insert breakpoints in your
1913 elaboration code before running your program.
1917 @section Your program's arguments
1919 @cindex arguments (to your program)
1920 The arguments to your program can be specified by the arguments of the
1922 They are passed to a shell, which expands wildcard characters and
1923 performs redirection of I/O, and thence to your program. Your
1924 @code{SHELL} environment variable (if it exists) specifies what shell
1925 @value{GDBN} uses. If you do not define @code{SHELL}, @value{GDBN} uses
1926 the default shell (@file{/bin/sh} on Unix).
1928 On non-Unix systems, the program is usually invoked directly by
1929 @value{GDBN}, which emulates I/O redirection via the appropriate system
1930 calls, and the wildcard characters are expanded by the startup code of
1931 the program, not by the shell.
1933 @code{run} with no arguments uses the same arguments used by the previous
1934 @code{run}, or those set by the @code{set args} command.
1939 Specify the arguments to be used the next time your program is run. If
1940 @code{set args} has no arguments, @code{run} executes your program
1941 with no arguments. Once you have run your program with arguments,
1942 using @code{set args} before the next @code{run} is the only way to run
1943 it again without arguments.
1947 Show the arguments to give your program when it is started.
1951 @section Your program's environment
1953 @cindex environment (of your program)
1954 The @dfn{environment} consists of a set of environment variables and
1955 their values. Environment variables conventionally record such things as
1956 your user name, your home directory, your terminal type, and your search
1957 path for programs to run. Usually you set up environment variables with
1958 the shell and they are inherited by all the other programs you run. When
1959 debugging, it can be useful to try running your program with a modified
1960 environment without having to start @value{GDBN} over again.
1964 @item path @var{directory}
1965 Add @var{directory} to the front of the @code{PATH} environment variable
1966 (the search path for executables) that will be passed to your program.
1967 The value of @code{PATH} used by @value{GDBN} does not change.
1968 You may specify several directory names, separated by whitespace or by a
1969 system-dependent separator character (@samp{:} on Unix, @samp{;} on
1970 MS-DOS and MS-Windows). If @var{directory} is already in the path, it
1971 is moved to the front, so it is searched sooner.
1973 You can use the string @samp{$cwd} to refer to whatever is the current
1974 working directory at the time @value{GDBN} searches the path. If you
1975 use @samp{.} instead, it refers to the directory where you executed the
1976 @code{path} command. @value{GDBN} replaces @samp{.} in the
1977 @var{directory} argument (with the current path) before adding
1978 @var{directory} to the search path.
1979 @c 'path' is explicitly nonrepeatable, but RMS points out it is silly to
1980 @c document that, since repeating it would be a no-op.
1984 Display the list of search paths for executables (the @code{PATH}
1985 environment variable).
1987 @kindex show environment
1988 @item show environment @r{[}@var{varname}@r{]}
1989 Print the value of environment variable @var{varname} to be given to
1990 your program when it starts. If you do not supply @var{varname},
1991 print the names and values of all environment variables to be given to
1992 your program. You can abbreviate @code{environment} as @code{env}.
1994 @kindex set environment
1995 @item set environment @var{varname} @r{[}=@var{value}@r{]}
1996 Set environment variable @var{varname} to @var{value}. The value
1997 changes for your program only, not for @value{GDBN} itself. @var{value} may
1998 be any string; the values of environment variables are just strings, and
1999 any interpretation is supplied by your program itself. The @var{value}
2000 parameter is optional; if it is eliminated, the variable is set to a
2002 @c "any string" here does not include leading, trailing
2003 @c blanks. Gnu asks: does anyone care?
2005 For example, this command:
2012 tells the debugged program, when subsequently run, that its user is named
2013 @samp{foo}. (The spaces around @samp{=} are used for clarity here; they
2014 are not actually required.)
2016 @kindex unset environment
2017 @item unset environment @var{varname}
2018 Remove variable @var{varname} from the environment to be passed to your
2019 program. This is different from @samp{set env @var{varname} =};
2020 @code{unset environment} removes the variable from the environment,
2021 rather than assigning it an empty value.
2024 @emph{Warning:} On Unix systems, @value{GDBN} runs your program using
2026 by your @code{SHELL} environment variable if it exists (or
2027 @code{/bin/sh} if not). If your @code{SHELL} variable names a shell
2028 that runs an initialization file---such as @file{.cshrc} for C-shell, or
2029 @file{.bashrc} for BASH---any variables you set in that file affect
2030 your program. You may wish to move setting of environment variables to
2031 files that are only run when you sign on, such as @file{.login} or
2034 @node Working Directory
2035 @section Your program's working directory
2037 @cindex working directory (of your program)
2038 Each time you start your program with @code{run}, it inherits its
2039 working directory from the current working directory of @value{GDBN}.
2040 The @value{GDBN} working directory is initially whatever it inherited
2041 from its parent process (typically the shell), but you can specify a new
2042 working directory in @value{GDBN} with the @code{cd} command.
2044 The @value{GDBN} working directory also serves as a default for the commands
2045 that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate on. @xref{Files, ,Commands to
2050 @cindex change working directory
2051 @item cd @var{directory}
2052 Set the @value{GDBN} working directory to @var{directory}.
2056 Print the @value{GDBN} working directory.
2059 It is generally impossible to find the current working directory of
2060 the process being debugged (since a program can change its directory
2061 during its run). If you work on a system where @value{GDBN} is
2062 configured with the @file{/proc} support, you can use the @code{info
2063 proc} command (@pxref{SVR4 Process Information}) to find out the
2064 current working directory of the debuggee.
2067 @section Your program's input and output
2072 By default, the program you run under @value{GDBN} does input and output to
2073 the same terminal that @value{GDBN} uses. @value{GDBN} switches the terminal
2074 to its own terminal modes to interact with you, but it records the terminal
2075 modes your program was using and switches back to them when you continue
2076 running your program.
2079 @kindex info terminal
2081 Displays information recorded by @value{GDBN} about the terminal modes your
2085 You can redirect your program's input and/or output using shell
2086 redirection with the @code{run} command. For example,
2093 starts your program, diverting its output to the file @file{outfile}.
2096 @cindex controlling terminal
2097 Another way to specify where your program should do input and output is
2098 with the @code{tty} command. This command accepts a file name as
2099 argument, and causes this file to be the default for future @code{run}
2100 commands. It also resets the controlling terminal for the child
2101 process, for future @code{run} commands. For example,
2108 directs that processes started with subsequent @code{run} commands
2109 default to do input and output on the terminal @file{/dev/ttyb} and have
2110 that as their controlling terminal.
2112 An explicit redirection in @code{run} overrides the @code{tty} command's
2113 effect on the input/output device, but not its effect on the controlling
2116 When you use the @code{tty} command or redirect input in the @code{run}
2117 command, only the input @emph{for your program} is affected. The input
2118 for @value{GDBN} still comes from your terminal. @code{tty} is an alias
2119 for @code{set inferior-tty}.
2121 @cindex inferior tty
2122 @cindex set inferior controlling terminal
2123 You can use the @code{show inferior-tty} command to tell @value{GDBN} to
2124 display the name of the terminal that will be used for future runs of your
2128 @item set inferior-tty /dev/ttyb
2129 @kindex set inferior-tty
2130 Set the tty for the program being debugged to /dev/ttyb.
2132 @item show inferior-tty
2133 @kindex show inferior-tty
2134 Show the current tty for the program being debugged.
2138 @section Debugging an already-running process
2143 @item attach @var{process-id}
2144 This command attaches to a running process---one that was started
2145 outside @value{GDBN}. (@code{info files} shows your active
2146 targets.) The command takes as argument a process ID. The usual way to
2147 find out the @var{process-id} of a Unix process is with the @code{ps} utility,
2148 or with the @samp{jobs -l} shell command.
2150 @code{attach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} a second time after
2151 executing the command.
2154 To use @code{attach}, your program must be running in an environment
2155 which supports processes; for example, @code{attach} does not work for
2156 programs on bare-board targets that lack an operating system. You must
2157 also have permission to send the process a signal.
2159 When you use @code{attach}, the debugger finds the program running in
2160 the process first by looking in the current working directory, then (if
2161 the program is not found) by using the source file search path
2162 (@pxref{Source Path, ,Specifying source directories}). You can also use
2163 the @code{file} command to load the program. @xref{Files, ,Commands to
2166 The first thing @value{GDBN} does after arranging to debug the specified
2167 process is to stop it. You can examine and modify an attached process
2168 with all the @value{GDBN} commands that are ordinarily available when
2169 you start processes with @code{run}. You can insert breakpoints; you
2170 can step and continue; you can modify storage. If you would rather the
2171 process continue running, you may use the @code{continue} command after
2172 attaching @value{GDBN} to the process.
2177 When you have finished debugging the attached process, you can use the
2178 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control. Detaching
2179 the process continues its execution. After the @code{detach} command,
2180 that process and @value{GDBN} become completely independent once more, and you
2181 are ready to @code{attach} another process or start one with @code{run}.
2182 @code{detach} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
2183 executing the command.
2186 If you exit @value{GDBN} or use the @code{run} command while you have an
2187 attached process, you kill that process. By default, @value{GDBN} asks
2188 for confirmation if you try to do either of these things; you can
2189 control whether or not you need to confirm by using the @code{set
2190 confirm} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional warnings and
2194 @section Killing the child process
2199 Kill the child process in which your program is running under @value{GDBN}.
2202 This command is useful if you wish to debug a core dump instead of a
2203 running process. @value{GDBN} ignores any core dump file while your program
2206 On some operating systems, a program cannot be executed outside @value{GDBN}
2207 while you have breakpoints set on it inside @value{GDBN}. You can use the
2208 @code{kill} command in this situation to permit running your program
2209 outside the debugger.
2211 The @code{kill} command is also useful if you wish to recompile and
2212 relink your program, since on many systems it is impossible to modify an
2213 executable file while it is running in a process. In this case, when you
2214 next type @code{run}, @value{GDBN} notices that the file has changed, and
2215 reads the symbol table again (while trying to preserve your current
2216 breakpoint settings).
2219 @section Debugging programs with multiple threads
2221 @cindex threads of execution
2222 @cindex multiple threads
2223 @cindex switching threads
2224 In some operating systems, such as HP-UX and Solaris, a single program
2225 may have more than one @dfn{thread} of execution. The precise semantics
2226 of threads differ from one operating system to another, but in general
2227 the threads of a single program are akin to multiple processes---except
2228 that they share one address space (that is, they can all examine and
2229 modify the same variables). On the other hand, each thread has its own
2230 registers and execution stack, and perhaps private memory.
2232 @value{GDBN} provides these facilities for debugging multi-thread
2236 @item automatic notification of new threads
2237 @item @samp{thread @var{threadno}}, a command to switch among threads
2238 @item @samp{info threads}, a command to inquire about existing threads
2239 @item @samp{thread apply [@var{threadno}] [@var{all}] @var{args}},
2240 a command to apply a command to a list of threads
2241 @item thread-specific breakpoints
2245 @emph{Warning:} These facilities are not yet available on every
2246 @value{GDBN} configuration where the operating system supports threads.
2247 If your @value{GDBN} does not support threads, these commands have no
2248 effect. For example, a system without thread support shows no output
2249 from @samp{info threads}, and always rejects the @code{thread} command,
2253 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2254 (@value{GDBP}) thread 1
2255 Thread ID 1 not known. Use the "info threads" command to
2256 see the IDs of currently known threads.
2258 @c FIXME to implementors: how hard would it be to say "sorry, this GDB
2259 @c doesn't support threads"?
2262 @cindex focus of debugging
2263 @cindex current thread
2264 The @value{GDBN} thread debugging facility allows you to observe all
2265 threads while your program runs---but whenever @value{GDBN} takes
2266 control, one thread in particular is always the focus of debugging.
2267 This thread is called the @dfn{current thread}. Debugging commands show
2268 program information from the perspective of the current thread.
2270 @cindex @code{New} @var{systag} message
2271 @cindex thread identifier (system)
2272 @c FIXME-implementors!! It would be more helpful if the [New...] message
2273 @c included GDB's numeric thread handle, so you could just go to that
2274 @c thread without first checking `info threads'.
2275 Whenever @value{GDBN} detects a new thread in your program, it displays
2276 the target system's identification for the thread with a message in the
2277 form @samp{[New @var{systag}]}. @var{systag} is a thread identifier
2278 whose form varies depending on the particular system. For example, on
2279 LynxOS, you might see
2282 [New process 35 thread 27]
2286 when @value{GDBN} notices a new thread. In contrast, on an SGI system,
2287 the @var{systag} is simply something like @samp{process 368}, with no
2290 @c FIXME!! (1) Does the [New...] message appear even for the very first
2291 @c thread of a program, or does it only appear for the
2292 @c second---i.e.@: when it becomes obvious we have a multithread
2294 @c (2) *Is* there necessarily a first thread always? Or do some
2295 @c multithread systems permit starting a program with multiple
2296 @c threads ab initio?
2298 @cindex thread number
2299 @cindex thread identifier (GDB)
2300 For debugging purposes, @value{GDBN} associates its own thread
2301 number---always a single integer---with each thread in your program.
2304 @kindex info threads
2306 Display a summary of all threads currently in your
2307 program. @value{GDBN} displays for each thread (in this order):
2311 the thread number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2314 the target system's thread identifier (@var{systag})
2317 the current stack frame summary for that thread
2321 An asterisk @samp{*} to the left of the @value{GDBN} thread number
2322 indicates the current thread.
2326 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2329 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2330 3 process 35 thread 27 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2331 2 process 35 thread 23 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2332 * 1 process 35 thread 13 main (argc=1, argv=0x7ffffff8)
2338 @cindex debugging multithreaded programs (on HP-UX)
2339 @cindex thread identifier (GDB), on HP-UX
2340 For debugging purposes, @value{GDBN} associates its own thread
2341 number---a small integer assigned in thread-creation order---with each
2342 thread in your program.
2344 @cindex @code{New} @var{systag} message, on HP-UX
2345 @cindex thread identifier (system), on HP-UX
2346 @c FIXME-implementors!! It would be more helpful if the [New...] message
2347 @c included GDB's numeric thread handle, so you could just go to that
2348 @c thread without first checking `info threads'.
2349 Whenever @value{GDBN} detects a new thread in your program, it displays
2350 both @value{GDBN}'s thread number and the target system's identification for the thread with a message in the
2351 form @samp{[New @var{systag}]}. @var{systag} is a thread identifier
2352 whose form varies depending on the particular system. For example, on
2356 [New thread 2 (system thread 26594)]
2360 when @value{GDBN} notices a new thread.
2363 @kindex info threads (HP-UX)
2365 Display a summary of all threads currently in your
2366 program. @value{GDBN} displays for each thread (in this order):
2369 @item the thread number assigned by @value{GDBN}
2371 @item the target system's thread identifier (@var{systag})
2373 @item the current stack frame summary for that thread
2377 An asterisk @samp{*} to the left of the @value{GDBN} thread number
2378 indicates the current thread.
2382 @c end table here to get a little more width for example
2385 (@value{GDBP}) info threads
2386 * 3 system thread 26607 worker (wptr=0x7b09c318 "@@") \@*
2388 2 system thread 26606 0x7b0030d8 in __ksleep () \@*
2389 from /usr/lib/libc.2
2390 1 system thread 27905 0x7b003498 in _brk () \@*
2391 from /usr/lib/libc.2
2394 On Solaris, you can display more information about user threads with a
2395 Solaris-specific command:
2398 @item maint info sol-threads
2399 @kindex maint info sol-threads
2400 @cindex thread info (Solaris)
2401 Display info on Solaris user threads.
2405 @kindex thread @var{threadno}
2406 @item thread @var{threadno}
2407 Make thread number @var{threadno} the current thread. The command
2408 argument @var{threadno} is the internal @value{GDBN} thread number, as
2409 shown in the first field of the @samp{info threads} display.
2410 @value{GDBN} responds by displaying the system identifier of the thread
2411 you selected, and its current stack frame summary:
2414 @c FIXME!! This example made up; find a @value{GDBN} w/threads and get real one
2415 (@value{GDBP}) thread 2
2416 [Switching to process 35 thread 23]
2417 0x34e5 in sigpause ()
2421 As with the @samp{[New @dots{}]} message, the form of the text after
2422 @samp{Switching to} depends on your system's conventions for identifying
2425 @kindex thread apply
2426 @cindex apply command to several threads
2427 @item thread apply [@var{threadno}] [@var{all}] @var{command}
2428 The @code{thread apply} command allows you to apply the named
2429 @var{command} to one or more threads. Specify the numbers of the
2430 threads that you want affected with the command argument
2431 @var{threadno}. It can be a single thread number, one of the numbers
2432 shown in the first field of the @samp{info threads} display; or it
2433 could be a range of thread numbers, as in @code{2-4}. To apply a
2434 command to all threads, type @kbd{thread apply all @var{command}}.
2437 @cindex automatic thread selection
2438 @cindex switching threads automatically
2439 @cindex threads, automatic switching
2440 Whenever @value{GDBN} stops your program, due to a breakpoint or a
2441 signal, it automatically selects the thread where that breakpoint or
2442 signal happened. @value{GDBN} alerts you to the context switch with a
2443 message of the form @samp{[Switching to @var{systag}]} to identify the
2446 @xref{Thread Stops,,Stopping and starting multi-thread programs}, for
2447 more information about how @value{GDBN} behaves when you stop and start
2448 programs with multiple threads.
2450 @xref{Set Watchpoints,,Setting watchpoints}, for information about
2451 watchpoints in programs with multiple threads.
2454 @section Debugging programs with multiple processes
2456 @cindex fork, debugging programs which call
2457 @cindex multiple processes
2458 @cindex processes, multiple
2459 On most systems, @value{GDBN} has no special support for debugging
2460 programs which create additional processes using the @code{fork}
2461 function. When a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug the
2462 parent process and the child process will run unimpeded. If you have
2463 set a breakpoint in any code which the child then executes, the child
2464 will get a @code{SIGTRAP} signal which (unless it catches the signal)
2465 will cause it to terminate.
2467 However, if you want to debug the child process there is a workaround
2468 which isn't too painful. Put a call to @code{sleep} in the code which
2469 the child process executes after the fork. It may be useful to sleep
2470 only if a certain environment variable is set, or a certain file exists,
2471 so that the delay need not occur when you don't want to run @value{GDBN}
2472 on the child. While the child is sleeping, use the @code{ps} program to
2473 get its process ID. Then tell @value{GDBN} (a new invocation of
2474 @value{GDBN} if you are also debugging the parent process) to attach to
2475 the child process (@pxref{Attach}). From that point on you can debug
2476 the child process just like any other process which you attached to.
2478 On some systems, @value{GDBN} provides support for debugging programs that
2479 create additional processes using the @code{fork} or @code{vfork} functions.
2480 Currently, the only platforms with this feature are HP-UX (11.x and later
2481 only?) and GNU/Linux (kernel version 2.5.60 and later).
2483 By default, when a program forks, @value{GDBN} will continue to debug
2484 the parent process and the child process will run unimpeded.
2486 If you want to follow the child process instead of the parent process,
2487 use the command @w{@code{set follow-fork-mode}}.
2490 @kindex set follow-fork-mode
2491 @item set follow-fork-mode @var{mode}
2492 Set the debugger response to a program call of @code{fork} or
2493 @code{vfork}. A call to @code{fork} or @code{vfork} creates a new
2494 process. The @var{mode} argument can be:
2498 The original process is debugged after a fork. The child process runs
2499 unimpeded. This is the default.
2502 The new process is debugged after a fork. The parent process runs
2507 @kindex show follow-fork-mode
2508 @item show follow-fork-mode
2509 Display the current debugger response to a @code{fork} or @code{vfork} call.
2512 @cindex debugging multiple processes
2513 On Linux, if you want to debug both the parent and child processes, use the
2514 command @w{@code{set detach-on-fork}}.
2517 @kindex set detach-on-fork
2518 @item set detach-on-fork @var{mode}
2519 Tells gdb whether to detach one of the processes after a fork, or
2520 retain debugger control over them both.
2524 The child process (or parent process, depending on the value of
2525 @code{follow-fork-mode}) will be detached and allowed to run
2526 independently. This is the default.
2529 Both processes will be held under the control of @value{GDBN}.
2530 One process (child or parent, depending on the value of
2531 @code{follow-fork-mode}) is debugged as usual, while the other
2536 @kindex show detach-on-follow
2537 @item show detach-on-follow
2538 Show whether detach-on-follow mode is on/off.
2541 If you choose to set @var{detach-on-follow} mode off, then
2542 @value{GDBN} will retain control of all forked processes (including
2543 nested forks). You can list the forked processes under the control of
2544 @value{GDBN} by using the @w{@code{info forks}} command, and switch
2545 from one fork to another by using the @w{@code{fork}} command.
2550 Print a list of all forked processes under the control of @value{GDBN}.
2551 The listing will include a fork id, a process id, and the current
2552 position (program counter) of the process.
2555 @kindex fork @var{fork-id}
2556 @item fork @var{fork-id}
2557 Make fork number @var{fork-id} the current process. The argument
2558 @var{fork-id} is the internal fork number assigned by @value{GDBN},
2559 as shown in the first field of the @samp{info forks} display.
2563 To quit debugging one of the forked processes, you can either detach
2564 from it by using the @w{@code{detach-fork}} command (allowing it to
2565 run independently), or delete (and kill) it using the
2566 @w{@code{delete-fork}} command.
2569 @kindex detach-fork @var{fork-id}
2570 @item detach-fork @var{fork-id}
2571 Detach from the process identified by @value{GDBN} fork number
2572 @var{fork-id}, and remove it from the fork list. The process will be
2573 allowed to run independently.
2575 @kindex delete-fork @var{fork-id}
2576 @item delete-fork @var{fork-id}
2577 Kill the process identified by @value{GDBN} fork number @var{fork-id},
2578 and remove it from the fork list.
2582 If you ask to debug a child process and a @code{vfork} is followed by an
2583 @code{exec}, @value{GDBN} executes the new target up to the first
2584 breakpoint in the new target. If you have a breakpoint set on
2585 @code{main} in your original program, the breakpoint will also be set on
2586 the child process's @code{main}.
2588 When a child process is spawned by @code{vfork}, you cannot debug the
2589 child or parent until an @code{exec} call completes.
2591 If you issue a @code{run} command to @value{GDBN} after an @code{exec}
2592 call executes, the new target restarts. To restart the parent process,
2593 use the @code{file} command with the parent executable name as its
2596 You can use the @code{catch} command to make @value{GDBN} stop whenever
2597 a @code{fork}, @code{vfork}, or @code{exec} call is made. @xref{Set
2598 Catchpoints, ,Setting catchpoints}.
2600 @node Checkpoint/Restart
2601 @section Setting a @emph{bookmark} to return to later
2606 @cindex snapshot of a process
2607 @cindex rewind program state
2609 On certain operating systems@footnote{Currently, only
2610 @sc{gnu}/Linux.}, @value{GDBN} is able to save a @dfn{snapshot} of a
2611 program's state, called a @dfn{checkpoint}, and come back to it
2614 Returning to a checkpoint effectively undoes everything that has
2615 happened in the program since the @code{checkpoint} was saved. This
2616 includes changes in memory, registers, and even (within some limits)
2617 system state. Effectively, it is like going back in time to the
2618 moment when the checkpoint was saved.
2620 Thus, if you're stepping thru a program and you think you're
2621 getting close to the point where things go wrong, you can save
2622 a checkpoint. Then, if you accidentally go too far and miss
2623 the critical statement, instead of having to restart your program
2624 from the beginning, you can just go back to the checkpoint and
2625 start again from there.
2627 This can be especially useful if it takes a lot of time or
2628 steps to reach the point where you think the bug occurs.
2630 To use the @code{checkpoint}/@code{restart} method of debugging:
2635 Save a snapshot of the debugged program's current execution state.
2636 The @code{checkpoint} command takes no arguments, but each checkpoint
2637 is assigned a small integer id, similar to a breakpoint id.
2639 @kindex info checkpoints
2640 @item info checkpoints
2641 List the checkpoints that have been saved in the current debugging
2642 session. For each checkpoint, the following information will be
2649 @item Source line, or label
2652 @kindex restart @var{checkpoint-id}
2653 @item restart @var{checkpoint-id}
2654 Restore the program state that was saved as checkpoint number
2655 @var{checkpoint-id}. All program variables, registers, stack frames
2656 etc.@: will be returned to the values that they had when the checkpoint
2657 was saved. In essence, gdb will ``wind back the clock'' to the point
2658 in time when the checkpoint was saved.
2660 Note that breakpoints, @value{GDBN} variables, command history etc.
2661 are not affected by restoring a checkpoint. In general, a checkpoint
2662 only restores things that reside in the program being debugged, not in
2665 @kindex delete-checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
2666 @item delete-checkpoint @var{checkpoint-id}
2667 Delete the previously-saved checkpoint identified by @var{checkpoint-id}.
2671 Returning to a previously saved checkpoint will restore the user state
2672 of the program being debugged, plus a significant subset of the system
2673 (OS) state, including file pointers. It won't ``un-write'' data from
2674 a file, but it will rewind the file pointer to the previous location,
2675 so that the previously written data can be overwritten. For files
2676 opened in read mode, the pointer will also be restored so that the
2677 previously read data can be read again.
2679 Of course, characters that have been sent to a printer (or other
2680 external device) cannot be ``snatched back'', and characters received
2681 from eg.@: a serial device can be removed from internal program buffers,
2682 but they cannot be ``pushed back'' into the serial pipeline, ready to
2683 be received again. Similarly, the actual contents of files that have
2684 been changed cannot be restored (at this time).
2686 However, within those constraints, you actually can ``rewind'' your
2687 program to a previously saved point in time, and begin debugging it
2688 again --- and you can change the course of events so as to debug a
2689 different execution path this time.
2691 @cindex checkpoints and process id
2692 Finally, there is one bit of internal program state that will be
2693 different when you return to a checkpoint --- the program's process
2694 id. Each checkpoint will have a unique process id (or @var{pid}),
2695 and each will be different from the program's original @var{pid}.
2696 If your program has saved a local copy of its process id, this could
2697 potentially pose a problem.
2699 @subsection A non-obvious benefit of using checkpoints
2701 On some systems such as @sc{gnu}/Linux, address space randomization
2702 is performed on new processes for security reasons. This makes it
2703 difficult or impossible to set a breakpoint, or watchpoint, on an
2704 absolute address if you have to restart the program, since the
2705 absolute location of a symbol will change from one execution to the
2708 A checkpoint, however, is an @emph{identical} copy of a process.
2709 Therefore if you create a checkpoint at (eg.@:) the start of main,
2710 and simply return to that checkpoint instead of restarting the
2711 process, you can avoid the effects of address randomization and
2712 your symbols will all stay in the same place.
2715 @chapter Stopping and Continuing
2717 The principal purposes of using a debugger are so that you can stop your
2718 program before it terminates; or so that, if your program runs into
2719 trouble, you can investigate and find out why.
2721 Inside @value{GDBN}, your program may stop for any of several reasons,
2722 such as a signal, a breakpoint, or reaching a new line after a
2723 @value{GDBN} command such as @code{step}. You may then examine and
2724 change variables, set new breakpoints or remove old ones, and then
2725 continue execution. Usually, the messages shown by @value{GDBN} provide
2726 ample explanation of the status of your program---but you can also
2727 explicitly request this information at any time.
2730 @kindex info program
2732 Display information about the status of your program: whether it is
2733 running or not, what process it is, and why it stopped.
2737 * Breakpoints:: Breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints
2738 * Continuing and Stepping:: Resuming execution
2740 * Thread Stops:: Stopping and starting multi-thread programs
2744 @section Breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints
2747 A @dfn{breakpoint} makes your program stop whenever a certain point in
2748 the program is reached. For each breakpoint, you can add conditions to
2749 control in finer detail whether your program stops. You can set
2750 breakpoints with the @code{break} command and its variants (@pxref{Set
2751 Breaks, ,Setting breakpoints}), to specify the place where your program
2752 should stop by line number, function name or exact address in the
2755 On some systems, you can set breakpoints in shared libraries before
2756 the executable is run. There is a minor limitation on HP-UX systems:
2757 you must wait until the executable is run in order to set breakpoints
2758 in shared library routines that are not called directly by the program
2759 (for example, routines that are arguments in a @code{pthread_create}
2763 @cindex memory tracing
2764 @cindex breakpoint on memory address
2765 @cindex breakpoint on variable modification
2766 A @dfn{watchpoint} is a special breakpoint that stops your program
2767 when the value of an expression changes. You must use a different
2768 command to set watchpoints (@pxref{Set Watchpoints, ,Setting
2769 watchpoints}), but aside from that, you can manage a watchpoint like
2770 any other breakpoint: you enable, disable, and delete both breakpoints
2771 and watchpoints using the same commands.
2773 You can arrange to have values from your program displayed automatically
2774 whenever @value{GDBN} stops at a breakpoint. @xref{Auto Display,,
2778 @cindex breakpoint on events
2779 A @dfn{catchpoint} is another special breakpoint that stops your program
2780 when a certain kind of event occurs, such as the throwing of a C@t{++}
2781 exception or the loading of a library. As with watchpoints, you use a
2782 different command to set a catchpoint (@pxref{Set Catchpoints, ,Setting
2783 catchpoints}), but aside from that, you can manage a catchpoint like any
2784 other breakpoint. (To stop when your program receives a signal, use the
2785 @code{handle} command; see @ref{Signals, ,Signals}.)
2787 @cindex breakpoint numbers
2788 @cindex numbers for breakpoints
2789 @value{GDBN} assigns a number to each breakpoint, watchpoint, or
2790 catchpoint when you create it; these numbers are successive integers
2791 starting with one. In many of the commands for controlling various
2792 features of breakpoints you use the breakpoint number to say which
2793 breakpoint you want to change. Each breakpoint may be @dfn{enabled} or
2794 @dfn{disabled}; if disabled, it has no effect on your program until you
2797 @cindex breakpoint ranges
2798 @cindex ranges of breakpoints
2799 Some @value{GDBN} commands accept a range of breakpoints on which to
2800 operate. A breakpoint range is either a single breakpoint number, like
2801 @samp{5}, or two such numbers, in increasing order, separated by a
2802 hyphen, like @samp{5-7}. When a breakpoint range is given to a command,
2803 all breakpoint in that range are operated on.
2806 * Set Breaks:: Setting breakpoints
2807 * Set Watchpoints:: Setting watchpoints
2808 * Set Catchpoints:: Setting catchpoints
2809 * Delete Breaks:: Deleting breakpoints
2810 * Disabling:: Disabling breakpoints
2811 * Conditions:: Break conditions
2812 * Break Commands:: Breakpoint command lists
2813 * Breakpoint Menus:: Breakpoint menus
2814 * Error in Breakpoints:: ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
2815 * Breakpoint related warnings:: ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
2819 @subsection Setting breakpoints
2821 @c FIXME LMB what does GDB do if no code on line of breakpt?
2822 @c consider in particular declaration with/without initialization.
2824 @c FIXME 2 is there stuff on this already? break at fun start, already init?
2827 @kindex b @r{(@code{break})}
2828 @vindex $bpnum@r{, convenience variable}
2829 @cindex latest breakpoint
2830 Breakpoints are set with the @code{break} command (abbreviated
2831 @code{b}). The debugger convenience variable @samp{$bpnum} records the
2832 number of the breakpoint you've set most recently; see @ref{Convenience
2833 Vars,, Convenience variables}, for a discussion of what you can do with
2834 convenience variables.
2836 You have several ways to say where the breakpoint should go.
2839 @item break @var{function}
2840 Set a breakpoint at entry to function @var{function}.
2841 When using source languages that permit overloading of symbols, such as
2842 C@t{++}, @var{function} may refer to more than one possible place to break.
2843 @xref{Breakpoint Menus,,Breakpoint menus}, for a discussion of that situation.
2845 @item break +@var{offset}
2846 @itemx break -@var{offset}
2847 Set a breakpoint some number of lines forward or back from the position
2848 at which execution stopped in the currently selected @dfn{stack frame}.
2849 (@xref{Frames, ,Frames}, for a description of stack frames.)
2851 @item break @var{linenum}
2852 Set a breakpoint at line @var{linenum} in the current source file.
2853 The current source file is the last file whose source text was printed.
2854 The breakpoint will stop your program just before it executes any of the
2857 @item break @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
2858 Set a breakpoint at line @var{linenum} in source file @var{filename}.
2860 @item break @var{filename}:@var{function}
2861 Set a breakpoint at entry to function @var{function} found in file
2862 @var{filename}. Specifying a file name as well as a function name is
2863 superfluous except when multiple files contain similarly named
2866 @item break *@var{address}
2867 Set a breakpoint at address @var{address}. You can use this to set
2868 breakpoints in parts of your program which do not have debugging
2869 information or source files.
2872 When called without any arguments, @code{break} sets a breakpoint at
2873 the next instruction to be executed in the selected stack frame
2874 (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the Stack}). In any selected frame but the
2875 innermost, this makes your program stop as soon as control
2876 returns to that frame. This is similar to the effect of a
2877 @code{finish} command in the frame inside the selected frame---except
2878 that @code{finish} does not leave an active breakpoint. If you use
2879 @code{break} without an argument in the innermost frame, @value{GDBN} stops
2880 the next time it reaches the current location; this may be useful
2883 @value{GDBN} normally ignores breakpoints when it resumes execution, until at
2884 least one instruction has been executed. If it did not do this, you
2885 would be unable to proceed past a breakpoint without first disabling the
2886 breakpoint. This rule applies whether or not the breakpoint already
2887 existed when your program stopped.
2889 @item break @dots{} if @var{cond}
2890 Set a breakpoint with condition @var{cond}; evaluate the expression
2891 @var{cond} each time the breakpoint is reached, and stop only if the
2892 value is nonzero---that is, if @var{cond} evaluates as true.
2893 @samp{@dots{}} stands for one of the possible arguments described
2894 above (or no argument) specifying where to break. @xref{Conditions,
2895 ,Break conditions}, for more information on breakpoint conditions.
2898 @item tbreak @var{args}
2899 Set a breakpoint enabled only for one stop. @var{args} are the
2900 same as for the @code{break} command, and the breakpoint is set in the same
2901 way, but the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the first time your
2902 program stops there. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling breakpoints}.
2905 @cindex hardware breakpoints
2906 @item hbreak @var{args}
2907 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint. @var{args} are the same as for the
2908 @code{break} command and the breakpoint is set in the same way, but the
2909 breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware may not
2910 have this support. The main purpose of this is EPROM/ROM code
2911 debugging, so you can set a breakpoint at an instruction without
2912 changing the instruction. This can be used with the new trap-generation
2913 provided by SPARClite DSU and most x86-based targets. These targets
2914 will generate traps when a program accesses some data or instruction
2915 address that is assigned to the debug registers. However the hardware
2916 breakpoint registers can take a limited number of breakpoints. For
2917 example, on the DSU, only two data breakpoints can be set at a time, and
2918 @value{GDBN} will reject this command if more than two are used. Delete
2919 or disable unused hardware breakpoints before setting new ones
2920 (@pxref{Disabling, ,Disabling}). @xref{Conditions, ,Break conditions}.
2921 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
2922 breakpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
2923 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
2927 @item thbreak @var{args}
2928 Set a hardware-assisted breakpoint enabled only for one stop. @var{args}
2929 are the same as for the @code{hbreak} command and the breakpoint is set in
2930 the same way. However, like the @code{tbreak} command,
2931 the breakpoint is automatically deleted after the
2932 first time your program stops there. Also, like the @code{hbreak}
2933 command, the breakpoint requires hardware support and some target hardware
2934 may not have this support. @xref{Disabling, ,Disabling breakpoints}.
2935 See also @ref{Conditions, ,Break conditions}.
2938 @cindex regular expression
2939 @cindex breakpoints in functions matching a regexp
2940 @cindex set breakpoints in many functions
2941 @item rbreak @var{regex}
2942 Set breakpoints on all functions matching the regular expression
2943 @var{regex}. This command sets an unconditional breakpoint on all
2944 matches, printing a list of all breakpoints it set. Once these
2945 breakpoints are set, they are treated just like the breakpoints set with
2946 the @code{break} command. You can delete them, disable them, or make
2947 them conditional the same way as any other breakpoint.
2949 The syntax of the regular expression is the standard one used with tools
2950 like @file{grep}. Note that this is different from the syntax used by
2951 shells, so for instance @code{foo*} matches all functions that include
2952 an @code{fo} followed by zero or more @code{o}s. There is an implicit
2953 @code{.*} leading and trailing the regular expression you supply, so to
2954 match only functions that begin with @code{foo}, use @code{^foo}.
2956 @cindex non-member C@t{++} functions, set breakpoint in
2957 When debugging C@t{++} programs, @code{rbreak} is useful for setting
2958 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
2961 @cindex set breakpoints on all functions
2962 The @code{rbreak} command can be used to set breakpoints in
2963 @strong{all} the functions in a program, like this:
2966 (@value{GDBP}) rbreak .
2969 @kindex info breakpoints
2970 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info breakpoints}
2971 @item info breakpoints @r{[}@var{n}@r{]}
2972 @itemx info break @r{[}@var{n}@r{]}
2973 @itemx info watchpoints @r{[}@var{n}@r{]}
2974 Print a table of all breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints set and
2975 not deleted, with the following columns for each breakpoint:
2978 @item Breakpoint Numbers
2980 Breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint.
2982 Whether the breakpoint is marked to be disabled or deleted when hit.
2983 @item Enabled or Disabled
2984 Enabled breakpoints are marked with @samp{y}. @samp{n} marks breakpoints
2985 that are not enabled.
2987 Where the breakpoint is in your program, as a memory address. If the
2988 breakpoint is pending (see below for details) on a future load of a shared library, the address
2989 will be listed as @samp{<PENDING>}.
2991 Where the breakpoint is in the source for your program, as a file and
2992 line number. For a pending breakpoint, the original string passed to
2993 the breakpoint command will be listed as it cannot be resolved until
2994 the appropriate shared library is loaded in the future.
2998 If a breakpoint is conditional, @code{info break} shows the condition on
2999 the line following the affected breakpoint; breakpoint commands, if any,
3000 are listed after that. A pending breakpoint is allowed to have a condition
3001 specified for it. The condition is not parsed for validity until a shared
3002 library is loaded that allows the pending breakpoint to resolve to a
3006 @code{info break} with a breakpoint
3007 number @var{n} as argument lists only that breakpoint. The
3008 convenience variable @code{$_} and the default examining-address for
3009 the @code{x} command are set to the address of the last breakpoint
3010 listed (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining memory}).
3013 @code{info break} displays a count of the number of times the breakpoint
3014 has been hit. This is especially useful in conjunction with the
3015 @code{ignore} command. You can ignore a large number of breakpoint
3016 hits, look at the breakpoint info to see how many times the breakpoint
3017 was hit, and then run again, ignoring one less than that number. This
3018 will get you quickly to the last hit of that breakpoint.
3021 @value{GDBN} allows you to set any number of breakpoints at the same place in
3022 your program. There is nothing silly or meaningless about this. When
3023 the breakpoints are conditional, this is even useful
3024 (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break conditions}).
3026 @cindex pending breakpoints
3027 If a specified breakpoint location cannot be found, it may be due to the fact
3028 that the location is in a shared library that is yet to be loaded. In such
3029 a case, you may want @value{GDBN} to create a special breakpoint (known as
3030 a @dfn{pending breakpoint}) that
3031 attempts to resolve itself in the future when an appropriate shared library
3034 Pending breakpoints are useful to set at the start of your
3035 @value{GDBN} session for locations that you know will be dynamically loaded
3036 later by the program being debugged. When shared libraries are loaded,
3037 a check is made to see if the load resolves any pending breakpoint locations.
3038 If a pending breakpoint location gets resolved,
3039 a regular breakpoint is created and the original pending breakpoint is removed.
3041 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling pending
3044 @kindex set breakpoint pending
3045 @kindex show breakpoint pending
3047 @item set breakpoint pending auto
3048 This is the default behavior. When @value{GDBN} cannot find the breakpoint
3049 location, it queries you whether a pending breakpoint should be created.
3051 @item set breakpoint pending on
3052 This indicates that an unrecognized breakpoint location should automatically
3053 result in a pending breakpoint being created.
3055 @item set breakpoint pending off
3056 This indicates that pending breakpoints are not to be created. Any
3057 unrecognized breakpoint location results in an error. This setting does
3058 not affect any pending breakpoints previously created.
3060 @item show breakpoint pending
3061 Show the current behavior setting for creating pending breakpoints.
3064 @cindex operations allowed on pending breakpoints
3065 Normal breakpoint operations apply to pending breakpoints as well. You may
3066 specify a condition for a pending breakpoint and/or commands to run when the
3067 breakpoint is reached. You can also enable or disable
3068 the pending breakpoint. When you specify a condition for a pending breakpoint,
3069 the parsing of the condition will be deferred until the point where the
3070 pending breakpoint location is resolved. Disabling a pending breakpoint
3071 tells @value{GDBN} to not attempt to resolve the breakpoint on any subsequent
3072 shared library load. When a pending breakpoint is re-enabled,
3073 @value{GDBN} checks to see if the location is already resolved.
3074 This is done because any number of shared library loads could have
3075 occurred since the time the breakpoint was disabled and one or more
3076 of these loads could resolve the location.
3078 @cindex negative breakpoint numbers
3079 @cindex internal @value{GDBN} breakpoints
3080 @value{GDBN} itself sometimes sets breakpoints in your program for
3081 special purposes, such as proper handling of @code{longjmp} (in C
3082 programs). These internal breakpoints are assigned negative numbers,
3083 starting with @code{-1}; @samp{info breakpoints} does not display them.
3084 You can see these breakpoints with the @value{GDBN} maintenance command
3085 @samp{maint info breakpoints} (@pxref{maint info breakpoints}).
3088 @node Set Watchpoints
3089 @subsection Setting watchpoints
3091 @cindex setting watchpoints
3092 You can use a watchpoint to stop execution whenever the value of an
3093 expression changes, without having to predict a particular place where
3096 @cindex software watchpoints
3097 @cindex hardware watchpoints
3098 Depending on your system, watchpoints may be implemented in software or
3099 hardware. @value{GDBN} does software watchpointing by single-stepping your
3100 program and testing the variable's value each time, which is hundreds of
3101 times slower than normal execution. (But this may still be worth it, to
3102 catch errors where you have no clue what part of your program is the
3105 On some systems, such as HP-UX, @sc{gnu}/Linux and most other
3106 x86-based targets, @value{GDBN} includes support for hardware
3107 watchpoints, which do not slow down the running of your program.
3111 @item watch @var{expr}
3112 Set a watchpoint for an expression. @value{GDBN} will break when @var{expr}
3113 is written into by the program and its value changes.
3116 @item rwatch @var{expr}
3117 Set a watchpoint that will break when the value of @var{expr} is read
3121 @item awatch @var{expr}
3122 Set a watchpoint that will break when @var{expr} is either read from
3123 or written into by the program.
3125 @kindex info watchpoints
3126 @item info watchpoints
3127 This command prints a list of watchpoints, breakpoints, and catchpoints;
3128 it is the same as @code{info break} (@pxref{Set Breaks}).
3131 @value{GDBN} sets a @dfn{hardware watchpoint} if possible. Hardware
3132 watchpoints execute very quickly, and the debugger reports a change in
3133 value at the exact instruction where the change occurs. If @value{GDBN}
3134 cannot set a hardware watchpoint, it sets a software watchpoint, which
3135 executes more slowly and reports the change in value at the next
3136 @emph{statement}, not the instruction, after the change occurs.
3138 @cindex use only software watchpoints
3139 You can force @value{GDBN} to use only software watchpoints with the
3140 @kbd{set can-use-hw-watchpoints 0} command. With this variable set to
3141 zero, @value{GDBN} will never try to use hardware watchpoints, even if
3142 the underlying system supports them. (Note that hardware-assisted
3143 watchpoints that were set @emph{before} setting
3144 @code{can-use-hw-watchpoints} to zero will still use the hardware
3145 mechanism of watching expressiion values.)
3148 @item set can-use-hw-watchpoints
3149 @kindex set can-use-hw-watchpoints
3150 Set whether or not to use hardware watchpoints.
3152 @item show can-use-hw-watchpoints
3153 @kindex show can-use-hw-watchpoints
3154 Show the current mode of using hardware watchpoints.
3157 For remote targets, you can restrict the number of hardware
3158 watchpoints @value{GDBN} will use, see @ref{set remote
3159 hardware-breakpoint-limit}.
3161 When you issue the @code{watch} command, @value{GDBN} reports
3164 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: @var{expr}
3168 if it was able to set a hardware watchpoint.
3170 Currently, the @code{awatch} and @code{rwatch} commands can only set
3171 hardware watchpoints, because accesses to data that don't change the
3172 value of the watched expression cannot be detected without examining
3173 every instruction as it is being executed, and @value{GDBN} does not do
3174 that currently. If @value{GDBN} finds that it is unable to set a
3175 hardware breakpoint with the @code{awatch} or @code{rwatch} command, it
3176 will print a message like this:
3179 Expression cannot be implemented with read/access watchpoint.
3182 Sometimes, @value{GDBN} cannot set a hardware watchpoint because the
3183 data type of the watched expression is wider than what a hardware
3184 watchpoint on the target machine can handle. For example, some systems
3185 can only watch regions that are up to 4 bytes wide; on such systems you
3186 cannot set hardware watchpoints for an expression that yields a
3187 double-precision floating-point number (which is typically 8 bytes
3188 wide). As a work-around, it might be possible to break the large region
3189 into a series of smaller ones and watch them with separate watchpoints.
3191 If you set too many hardware watchpoints, @value{GDBN} might be unable
3192 to insert all of them when you resume the execution of your program.
3193 Since the precise number of active watchpoints is unknown until such
3194 time as the program is about to be resumed, @value{GDBN} might not be
3195 able to warn you about this when you set the watchpoints, and the
3196 warning will be printed only when the program is resumed:
3199 Hardware watchpoint @var{num}: Could not insert watchpoint
3203 If this happens, delete or disable some of the watchpoints.
3205 The SPARClite DSU will generate traps when a program accesses some data
3206 or instruction address that is assigned to the debug registers. For the
3207 data addresses, DSU facilitates the @code{watch} command. However the
3208 hardware breakpoint registers can only take two data watchpoints, and
3209 both watchpoints must be the same kind. For example, you can set two
3210 watchpoints with @code{watch} commands, two with @code{rwatch} commands,
3211 @strong{or} two with @code{awatch} commands, but you cannot set one
3212 watchpoint with one command and the other with a different command.
3213 @value{GDBN} will reject the command if you try to mix watchpoints.
3214 Delete or disable unused watchpoint commands before setting new ones.
3216 If you call a function interactively using @code{print} or @code{call},
3217 any watchpoints you have set will be inactive until @value{GDBN} reaches another
3218 kind of breakpoint or the call completes.
3220 @value{GDBN} automatically deletes watchpoints that watch local
3221 (automatic) variables, or expressions that involve such variables, when
3222 they go out of scope, that is, when the execution leaves the block in
3223 which these variables were defined. In particular, when the program
3224 being debugged terminates, @emph{all} local variables go out of scope,
3225 and so only watchpoints that watch global variables remain set. If you
3226 rerun the program, you will need to set all such watchpoints again. One
3227 way of doing that would be to set a code breakpoint at the entry to the
3228 @code{main} function and when it breaks, set all the watchpoints.
3231 @cindex watchpoints and threads
3232 @cindex threads and watchpoints
3233 @emph{Warning:} In multi-thread programs, watchpoints have only limited
3234 usefulness. With the current watchpoint implementation, @value{GDBN}
3235 can only watch the value of an expression @emph{in a single thread}. If
3236 you are confident that the expression can only change due to the current
3237 thread's activity (and if you are also confident that no other thread
3238 can become current), then you can use watchpoints as usual. However,
3239 @value{GDBN} may not notice when a non-current thread's activity changes
3242 @c FIXME: this is almost identical to the previous paragraph.
3243 @emph{HP-UX Warning:} In multi-thread programs, software watchpoints
3244 have only limited usefulness. If @value{GDBN} creates a software
3245 watchpoint, it can only watch the value of an expression @emph{in a
3246 single thread}. If you are confident that the expression can only
3247 change due to the current thread's activity (and if you are also
3248 confident that no other thread can become current), then you can use
3249 software watchpoints as usual. However, @value{GDBN} may not notice
3250 when a non-current thread's activity changes the expression. (Hardware
3251 watchpoints, in contrast, watch an expression in all threads.)
3254 @xref{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}.
3256 @node Set Catchpoints
3257 @subsection Setting catchpoints
3258 @cindex catchpoints, setting
3259 @cindex exception handlers
3260 @cindex event handling
3262 You can use @dfn{catchpoints} to cause the debugger to stop for certain
3263 kinds of program events, such as C@t{++} exceptions or the loading of a
3264 shared library. Use the @code{catch} command to set a catchpoint.
3268 @item catch @var{event}
3269 Stop when @var{event} occurs. @var{event} can be any of the following:
3272 @cindex stop on C@t{++} exceptions
3273 The throwing of a C@t{++} exception.
3276 The catching of a C@t{++} exception.
3279 @cindex break on fork/exec
3280 A call to @code{exec}. This is currently only available for HP-UX.
3283 A call to @code{fork}. This is currently only available for HP-UX.
3286 A call to @code{vfork}. This is currently only available for HP-UX.
3289 @itemx load @var{libname}
3290 @cindex break on load/unload of shared library
3291 The dynamic loading of any shared library, or the loading of the library
3292 @var{libname}. This is currently only available for HP-UX.
3295 @itemx unload @var{libname}
3296 The unloading of any dynamically loaded shared library, or the unloading
3297 of the library @var{libname}. This is currently only available for HP-UX.
3300 @item tcatch @var{event}
3301 Set a catchpoint that is enabled only for one stop. The catchpoint is
3302 automatically deleted after the first time the event is caught.
3306 Use the @code{info break} command to list the current catchpoints.
3308 There are currently some limitations to C@t{++} exception handling
3309 (@code{catch throw} and @code{catch catch}) in @value{GDBN}:
3313 If you call a function interactively, @value{GDBN} normally returns
3314 control to you when the function has finished executing. If the call
3315 raises an exception, however, the call may bypass the mechanism that
3316 returns control to you and cause your program either to abort or to
3317 simply continue running until it hits a breakpoint, catches a signal
3318 that @value{GDBN} is listening for, or exits. This is the case even if
3319 you set a catchpoint for the exception; catchpoints on exceptions are
3320 disabled within interactive calls.
3323 You cannot raise an exception interactively.
3326 You cannot install an exception handler interactively.
3329 @cindex raise exceptions
3330 Sometimes @code{catch} is not the best way to debug exception handling:
3331 if you need to know exactly where an exception is raised, it is better to
3332 stop @emph{before} the exception handler is called, since that way you
3333 can see the stack before any unwinding takes place. If you set a
3334 breakpoint in an exception handler instead, it may not be easy to find
3335 out where the exception was raised.
3337 To stop just before an exception handler is called, you need some
3338 knowledge of the implementation. In the case of @sc{gnu} C@t{++}, exceptions are
3339 raised by calling a library function named @code{__raise_exception}
3340 which has the following ANSI C interface:
3343 /* @var{addr} is where the exception identifier is stored.
3344 @var{id} is the exception identifier. */
3345 void __raise_exception (void **addr, void *id);
3349 To make the debugger catch all exceptions before any stack
3350 unwinding takes place, set a breakpoint on @code{__raise_exception}
3351 (@pxref{Breakpoints, ,Breakpoints; watchpoints; and exceptions}).
3353 With a conditional breakpoint (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break conditions})
3354 that depends on the value of @var{id}, you can stop your program when
3355 a specific exception is raised. You can use multiple conditional
3356 breakpoints to stop your program when any of a number of exceptions are
3361 @subsection Deleting breakpoints
3363 @cindex clearing breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
3364 @cindex deleting breakpoints, watchpoints, catchpoints
3365 It is often necessary to eliminate a breakpoint, watchpoint, or
3366 catchpoint once it has done its job and you no longer want your program
3367 to stop there. This is called @dfn{deleting} the breakpoint. A
3368 breakpoint that has been deleted no longer exists; it is forgotten.
3370 With the @code{clear} command you can delete breakpoints according to
3371 where they are in your program. With the @code{delete} command you can
3372 delete individual breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints by specifying
3373 their breakpoint numbers.
3375 It is not necessary to delete a breakpoint to proceed past it. @value{GDBN}
3376 automatically ignores breakpoints on the first instruction to be executed
3377 when you continue execution without changing the execution address.
3382 Delete any breakpoints at the next instruction to be executed in the
3383 selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a frame}). When
3384 the innermost frame is selected, this is a good way to delete a
3385 breakpoint where your program just stopped.
3387 @item clear @var{function}
3388 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{function}
3389 Delete any breakpoints set at entry to the named @var{function}.
3391 @item clear @var{linenum}
3392 @itemx clear @var{filename}:@var{linenum}
3393 Delete any breakpoints set at or within the code of the specified
3394 @var{linenum} of the specified @var{filename}.
3396 @cindex delete breakpoints
3398 @kindex d @r{(@code{delete})}
3399 @item delete @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
3400 Delete the breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints of the breakpoint
3401 ranges specified as arguments. If no argument is specified, delete all
3402 breakpoints (@value{GDBN} asks confirmation, unless you have @code{set
3403 confirm off}). You can abbreviate this command as @code{d}.
3407 @subsection Disabling breakpoints
3409 @cindex enable/disable a breakpoint
3410 Rather than deleting a breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint, you might
3411 prefer to @dfn{disable} it. This makes the breakpoint inoperative as if
3412 it had been deleted, but remembers the information on the breakpoint so
3413 that you can @dfn{enable} it again later.
3415 You disable and enable breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints with
3416 the @code{enable} and @code{disable} commands, optionally specifying one
3417 or more breakpoint numbers as arguments. Use @code{info break} or
3418 @code{info watch} to print a list of breakpoints, watchpoints, and
3419 catchpoints if you do not know which numbers to use.
3421 A breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint can have any of four different
3422 states of enablement:
3426 Enabled. The breakpoint stops your program. A breakpoint set
3427 with the @code{break} command starts out in this state.
3429 Disabled. The breakpoint has no effect on your program.
3431 Enabled once. The breakpoint stops your program, but then becomes
3434 Enabled for deletion. The breakpoint stops your program, but
3435 immediately after it does so it is deleted permanently. A breakpoint
3436 set with the @code{tbreak} command starts out in this state.
3439 You can use the following commands to enable or disable breakpoints,
3440 watchpoints, and catchpoints:
3444 @kindex dis @r{(@code{disable})}
3445 @item disable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
3446 Disable the specified breakpoints---or all breakpoints, if none are
3447 listed. A disabled breakpoint has no effect but is not forgotten. All
3448 options such as ignore-counts, conditions and commands are remembered in
3449 case the breakpoint is enabled again later. You may abbreviate
3450 @code{disable} as @code{dis}.
3453 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} @r{[}@var{range}@dots{}@r{]}
3454 Enable the specified breakpoints (or all defined breakpoints). They
3455 become effective once again in stopping your program.
3457 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} once @var{range}@dots{}
3458 Enable the specified breakpoints temporarily. @value{GDBN} disables any
3459 of these breakpoints immediately after stopping your program.
3461 @item enable @r{[}breakpoints@r{]} delete @var{range}@dots{}
3462 Enable the specified breakpoints to work once, then die. @value{GDBN}
3463 deletes any of these breakpoints as soon as your program stops there.
3464 Breakpoints set by the @code{tbreak} command start out in this state.
3467 @c FIXME: I think the following ``Except for [...] @code{tbreak}'' is
3468 @c confusing: tbreak is also initially enabled.
3469 Except for a breakpoint set with @code{tbreak} (@pxref{Set Breaks,
3470 ,Setting breakpoints}), breakpoints that you set are initially enabled;
3471 subsequently, they become disabled or enabled only when you use one of
3472 the commands above. (The command @code{until} can set and delete a
3473 breakpoint of its own, but it does not change the state of your other
3474 breakpoints; see @ref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and
3478 @subsection Break conditions
3479 @cindex conditional breakpoints
3480 @cindex breakpoint conditions
3482 @c FIXME what is scope of break condition expr? Context where wanted?
3483 @c in particular for a watchpoint?
3484 The simplest sort of breakpoint breaks every time your program reaches a
3485 specified place. You can also specify a @dfn{condition} for a
3486 breakpoint. A condition is just a Boolean expression in your
3487 programming language (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). A breakpoint with
3488 a condition evaluates the expression each time your program reaches it,
3489 and your program stops only if the condition is @emph{true}.
3491 This is the converse of using assertions for program validation; in that
3492 situation, you want to stop when the assertion is violated---that is,
3493 when the condition is false. In C, if you want to test an assertion expressed
3494 by the condition @var{assert}, you should set the condition
3495 @samp{! @var{assert}} on the appropriate breakpoint.
3497 Conditions are also accepted for watchpoints; you may not need them,
3498 since a watchpoint is inspecting the value of an expression anyhow---but
3499 it might be simpler, say, to just set a watchpoint on a variable name,
3500 and specify a condition that tests whether the new value is an interesting
3503 Break conditions can have side effects, and may even call functions in
3504 your program. This can be useful, for example, to activate functions
3505 that log program progress, or to use your own print functions to
3506 format special data structures. The effects are completely predictable
3507 unless there is another enabled breakpoint at the same address. (In
3508 that case, @value{GDBN} might see the other breakpoint first and stop your
3509 program without checking the condition of this one.) Note that
3510 breakpoint commands are usually more convenient and flexible than break
3512 purpose of performing side effects when a breakpoint is reached
3513 (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint command lists}).
3515 Break conditions can be specified when a breakpoint is set, by using
3516 @samp{if} in the arguments to the @code{break} command. @xref{Set
3517 Breaks, ,Setting breakpoints}. They can also be changed at any time
3518 with the @code{condition} command.
3520 You can also use the @code{if} keyword with the @code{watch} command.
3521 The @code{catch} command does not recognize the @code{if} keyword;
3522 @code{condition} is the only way to impose a further condition on a
3527 @item condition @var{bnum} @var{expression}
3528 Specify @var{expression} as the break condition for breakpoint,
3529 watchpoint, or catchpoint number @var{bnum}. After you set a condition,
3530 breakpoint @var{bnum} stops your program only if the value of
3531 @var{expression} is true (nonzero, in C). When you use
3532 @code{condition}, @value{GDBN} checks @var{expression} immediately for
3533 syntactic correctness, and to determine whether symbols in it have
3534 referents in the context of your breakpoint. If @var{expression} uses
3535 symbols not referenced in the context of the breakpoint, @value{GDBN}
3536 prints an error message:
3539 No symbol "foo" in current context.
3544 not actually evaluate @var{expression} at the time the @code{condition}
3545 command (or a command that sets a breakpoint with a condition, like
3546 @code{break if @dots{}}) is given, however. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
3548 @item condition @var{bnum}
3549 Remove the condition from breakpoint number @var{bnum}. It becomes
3550 an ordinary unconditional breakpoint.
3553 @cindex ignore count (of breakpoint)
3554 A special case of a breakpoint condition is to stop only when the
3555 breakpoint has been reached a certain number of times. This is so
3556 useful that there is a special way to do it, using the @dfn{ignore
3557 count} of the breakpoint. Every breakpoint has an ignore count, which
3558 is an integer. Most of the time, the ignore count is zero, and
3559 therefore has no effect. But if your program reaches a breakpoint whose
3560 ignore count is positive, then instead of stopping, it just decrements
3561 the ignore count by one and continues. As a result, if the ignore count
3562 value is @var{n}, the breakpoint does not stop the next @var{n} times
3563 your program reaches it.
3567 @item ignore @var{bnum} @var{count}
3568 Set the ignore count of breakpoint number @var{bnum} to @var{count}.
3569 The next @var{count} times the breakpoint is reached, your program's
3570 execution does not stop; other than to decrement the ignore count, @value{GDBN}
3573 To make the breakpoint stop the next time it is reached, specify
3576 When you use @code{continue} to resume execution of your program from a
3577 breakpoint, you can specify an ignore count directly as an argument to
3578 @code{continue}, rather than using @code{ignore}. @xref{Continuing and
3579 Stepping,,Continuing and stepping}.
3581 If a breakpoint has a positive ignore count and a condition, the
3582 condition is not checked. Once the ignore count reaches zero,
3583 @value{GDBN} resumes checking the condition.
3585 You could achieve the effect of the ignore count with a condition such
3586 as @w{@samp{$foo-- <= 0}} using a debugger convenience variable that
3587 is decremented each time. @xref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
3591 Ignore counts apply to breakpoints, watchpoints, and catchpoints.
3594 @node Break Commands
3595 @subsection Breakpoint command lists
3597 @cindex breakpoint commands
3598 You can give any breakpoint (or watchpoint or catchpoint) a series of
3599 commands to execute when your program stops due to that breakpoint. For
3600 example, you might want to print the values of certain expressions, or
3601 enable other breakpoints.
3605 @kindex end@r{ (breakpoint commands)}
3606 @item commands @r{[}@var{bnum}@r{]}
3607 @itemx @dots{} @var{command-list} @dots{}
3609 Specify a list of commands for breakpoint number @var{bnum}. The commands
3610 themselves appear on the following lines. Type a line containing just
3611 @code{end} to terminate the commands.
3613 To remove all commands from a breakpoint, type @code{commands} and
3614 follow it immediately with @code{end}; that is, give no commands.
3616 With no @var{bnum} argument, @code{commands} refers to the last
3617 breakpoint, watchpoint, or catchpoint set (not to the breakpoint most
3618 recently encountered).
3621 Pressing @key{RET} as a means of repeating the last @value{GDBN} command is
3622 disabled within a @var{command-list}.
3624 You can use breakpoint commands to start your program up again. Simply
3625 use the @code{continue} command, or @code{step}, or any other command
3626 that resumes execution.
3628 Any other commands in the command list, after a command that resumes
3629 execution, are ignored. This is because any time you resume execution
3630 (even with a simple @code{next} or @code{step}), you may encounter
3631 another breakpoint---which could have its own command list, leading to
3632 ambiguities about which list to execute.
3635 If the first command you specify in a command list is @code{silent}, the
3636 usual message about stopping at a breakpoint is not printed. This may
3637 be desirable for breakpoints that are to print a specific message and
3638 then continue. If none of the remaining commands print anything, you
3639 see no sign that the breakpoint was reached. @code{silent} is
3640 meaningful only at the beginning of a breakpoint command list.
3642 The commands @code{echo}, @code{output}, and @code{printf} allow you to
3643 print precisely controlled output, and are often useful in silent
3644 breakpoints. @xref{Output, ,Commands for controlled output}.
3646 For example, here is how you could use breakpoint commands to print the
3647 value of @code{x} at entry to @code{foo} whenever @code{x} is positive.
3653 printf "x is %d\n",x
3658 One application for breakpoint commands is to compensate for one bug so
3659 you can test for another. Put a breakpoint just after the erroneous line
3660 of code, give it a condition to detect the case in which something
3661 erroneous has been done, and give it commands to assign correct values
3662 to any variables that need them. End with the @code{continue} command
3663 so that your program does not stop, and start with the @code{silent}
3664 command so that no output is produced. Here is an example:
3675 @node Breakpoint Menus
3676 @subsection Breakpoint menus
3678 @cindex symbol overloading
3680 Some programming languages (notably C@t{++} and Objective-C) permit a
3681 single function name
3682 to be defined several times, for application in different contexts.
3683 This is called @dfn{overloading}. When a function name is overloaded,
3684 @samp{break @var{function}} is not enough to tell @value{GDBN} where you want
3685 a breakpoint. If you realize this is a problem, you can use
3686 something like @samp{break @var{function}(@var{types})} to specify which
3687 particular version of the function you want. Otherwise, @value{GDBN} offers
3688 you a menu of numbered choices for different possible breakpoints, and
3689 waits for your selection with the prompt @samp{>}. The first two
3690 options are always @samp{[0] cancel} and @samp{[1] all}. Typing @kbd{1}
3691 sets a breakpoint at each definition of @var{function}, and typing
3692 @kbd{0} aborts the @code{break} command without setting any new
3695 For example, the following session excerpt shows an attempt to set a
3696 breakpoint at the overloaded symbol @code{String::after}.
3697 We choose three particular definitions of that function name:
3699 @c FIXME! This is likely to change to show arg type lists, at least
3702 (@value{GDBP}) b String::after
3705 [2] file:String.cc; line number:867
3706 [3] file:String.cc; line number:860
3707 [4] file:String.cc; line number:875
3708 [5] file:String.cc; line number:853
3709 [6] file:String.cc; line number:846
3710 [7] file:String.cc; line number:735
3712 Breakpoint 1 at 0xb26c: file String.cc, line 867.
3713 Breakpoint 2 at 0xb344: file String.cc, line 875.
3714 Breakpoint 3 at 0xafcc: file String.cc, line 846.
3715 Multiple breakpoints were set.
3716 Use the "delete" command to delete unwanted
3722 @c @ifclear BARETARGET
3723 @node Error in Breakpoints
3724 @subsection ``Cannot insert breakpoints''
3726 @c FIXME!! 14/6/95 Is there a real example of this? Let's use it.
3728 Under some operating systems, breakpoints cannot be used in a program if
3729 any other process is running that program. In this situation,
3730 attempting to run or continue a program with a breakpoint causes
3731 @value{GDBN} to print an error message:
3734 Cannot insert breakpoints.
3735 The same program may be running in another process.
3738 When this happens, you have three ways to proceed:
3742 Remove or disable the breakpoints, then continue.
3745 Suspend @value{GDBN}, and copy the file containing your program to a new
3746 name. Resume @value{GDBN} and use the @code{exec-file} command to specify
3747 that @value{GDBN} should run your program under that name.
3748 Then start your program again.
3751 Relink your program so that the text segment is nonsharable, using the
3752 linker option @samp{-N}. The operating system limitation may not apply
3753 to nonsharable executables.
3757 A similar message can be printed if you request too many active
3758 hardware-assisted breakpoints and watchpoints:
3760 @c FIXME: the precise wording of this message may change; the relevant
3761 @c source change is not committed yet (Sep 3, 1999).
3763 Stopped; cannot insert breakpoints.
3764 You may have requested too many hardware breakpoints and watchpoints.
3768 This message is printed when you attempt to resume the program, since
3769 only then @value{GDBN} knows exactly how many hardware breakpoints and
3770 watchpoints it needs to insert.
3772 When this message is printed, you need to disable or remove some of the
3773 hardware-assisted breakpoints and watchpoints, and then continue.
3775 @node Breakpoint related warnings
3776 @subsection ``Breakpoint address adjusted...''
3777 @cindex breakpoint address adjusted
3779 Some processor architectures place constraints on the addresses at
3780 which breakpoints may be placed. For architectures thus constrained,
3781 @value{GDBN} will attempt to adjust the breakpoint's address to comply
3782 with the constraints dictated by the architecture.
3784 One example of such an architecture is the Fujitsu FR-V. The FR-V is
3785 a VLIW architecture in which a number of RISC-like instructions may be
3786 bundled together for parallel execution. The FR-V architecture
3787 constrains the location of a breakpoint instruction within such a
3788 bundle to the instruction with the lowest address. @value{GDBN}
3789 honors this constraint by adjusting a breakpoint's address to the
3790 first in the bundle.
3792 It is not uncommon for optimized code to have bundles which contain
3793 instructions from different source statements, thus it may happen that
3794 a breakpoint's address will be adjusted from one source statement to
3795 another. Since this adjustment may significantly alter @value{GDBN}'s
3796 breakpoint related behavior from what the user expects, a warning is
3797 printed when the breakpoint is first set and also when the breakpoint
3800 A warning like the one below is printed when setting a breakpoint
3801 that's been subject to address adjustment:
3804 warning: Breakpoint address adjusted from 0x00010414 to 0x00010410.
3807 Such warnings are printed both for user settable and @value{GDBN}'s
3808 internal breakpoints. If you see one of these warnings, you should
3809 verify that a breakpoint set at the adjusted address will have the
3810 desired affect. If not, the breakpoint in question may be removed and
3811 other breakpoints may be set which will have the desired behavior.
3812 E.g., it may be sufficient to place the breakpoint at a later
3813 instruction. A conditional breakpoint may also be useful in some
3814 cases to prevent the breakpoint from triggering too often.
3816 @value{GDBN} will also issue a warning when stopping at one of these
3817 adjusted breakpoints:
3820 warning: Breakpoint 1 address previously adjusted from 0x00010414
3824 When this warning is encountered, it may be too late to take remedial
3825 action except in cases where the breakpoint is hit earlier or more
3826 frequently than expected.
3828 @node Continuing and Stepping
3829 @section Continuing and stepping
3833 @cindex resuming execution
3834 @dfn{Continuing} means resuming program execution until your program
3835 completes normally. In contrast, @dfn{stepping} means executing just
3836 one more ``step'' of your program, where ``step'' may mean either one
3837 line of source code, or one machine instruction (depending on what
3838 particular command you use). Either when continuing or when stepping,
3839 your program may stop even sooner, due to a breakpoint or a signal. (If
3840 it stops due to a signal, you may want to use @code{handle}, or use
3841 @samp{signal 0} to resume execution. @xref{Signals, ,Signals}.)
3845 @kindex c @r{(@code{continue})}
3846 @kindex fg @r{(resume foreground execution)}
3847 @item continue @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
3848 @itemx c @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
3849 @itemx fg @r{[}@var{ignore-count}@r{]}
3850 Resume program execution, at the address where your program last stopped;
3851 any breakpoints set at that address are bypassed. The optional argument
3852 @var{ignore-count} allows you to specify a further number of times to
3853 ignore a breakpoint at this location; its effect is like that of
3854 @code{ignore} (@pxref{Conditions, ,Break conditions}).
3856 The argument @var{ignore-count} is meaningful only when your program
3857 stopped due to a breakpoint. At other times, the argument to
3858 @code{continue} is ignored.
3860 The synonyms @code{c} and @code{fg} (for @dfn{foreground}, as the
3861 debugged program is deemed to be the foreground program) are provided
3862 purely for convenience, and have exactly the same behavior as
3866 To resume execution at a different place, you can use @code{return}
3867 (@pxref{Returning, ,Returning from a function}) to go back to the
3868 calling function; or @code{jump} (@pxref{Jumping, ,Continuing at a
3869 different address}) to go to an arbitrary location in your program.
3871 A typical technique for using stepping is to set a breakpoint
3872 (@pxref{Breakpoints, ,Breakpoints; watchpoints; and catchpoints}) at the
3873 beginning of the function or the section of your program where a problem
3874 is believed to lie, run your program until it stops at that breakpoint,
3875 and then step through the suspect area, examining the variables that are
3876 interesting, until you see the problem happen.
3880 @kindex s @r{(@code{step})}
3882 Continue running your program until control reaches a different source
3883 line, then stop it and return control to @value{GDBN}. This command is
3884 abbreviated @code{s}.
3887 @c "without debugging information" is imprecise; actually "without line
3888 @c numbers in the debugging information". (gcc -g1 has debugging info but
3889 @c not line numbers). But it seems complex to try to make that
3890 @c distinction here.
3891 @emph{Warning:} If you use the @code{step} command while control is
3892 within a function that was compiled without debugging information,
3893 execution proceeds until control reaches a function that does have
3894 debugging information. Likewise, it will not step into a function which
3895 is compiled without debugging information. To step through functions
3896 without debugging information, use the @code{stepi} command, described
3900 The @code{step} command only stops at the first instruction of a source
3901 line. This prevents the multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
3902 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc. @code{step} continues
3903 to stop if a function that has debugging information is called within
3904 the line. In other words, @code{step} @emph{steps inside} any functions
3905 called within the line.
3907 Also, the @code{step} command only enters a function if there is line
3908 number information for the function. Otherwise it acts like the
3909 @code{next} command. This avoids problems when using @code{cc -gl}
3910 on MIPS machines. Previously, @code{step} entered subroutines if there
3911 was any debugging information about the routine.
3913 @item step @var{count}
3914 Continue running as in @code{step}, but do so @var{count} times. If a
3915 breakpoint is reached, or a signal not related to stepping occurs before
3916 @var{count} steps, stepping stops right away.
3919 @kindex n @r{(@code{next})}
3920 @item next @r{[}@var{count}@r{]}
3921 Continue to the next source line in the current (innermost) stack frame.
3922 This is similar to @code{step}, but function calls that appear within
3923 the line of code are executed without stopping. Execution stops when
3924 control reaches a different line of code at the original stack level
3925 that was executing when you gave the @code{next} command. This command
3926 is abbreviated @code{n}.
3928 An argument @var{count} is a repeat count, as for @code{step}.
3931 @c FIX ME!! Do we delete this, or is there a way it fits in with
3932 @c the following paragraph? --- Vctoria
3934 @c @code{next} within a function that lacks debugging information acts like
3935 @c @code{step}, but any function calls appearing within the code of the
3936 @c function are executed without stopping.
3938 The @code{next} command only stops at the first instruction of a
3939 source line. This prevents multiple stops that could otherwise occur in
3940 @code{switch} statements, @code{for} loops, etc.
3942 @kindex set step-mode
3944 @cindex functions without line info, and stepping
3945 @cindex stepping into functions with no line info
3946 @itemx set step-mode on
3947 The @code{set step-mode on} command causes the @code{step} command to
3948 stop at the first instruction of a function which contains no debug line
3949 information rather than stepping over it.
3951 This is useful in cases where you may be interested in inspecting the
3952 machine instructions of a function which has no symbolic info and do not
3953 want @value{GDBN} to automatically skip over this function.
3955 @item set step-mode off
3956 Causes the @code{step} command to step over any functions which contains no
3957 debug information. This is the default.
3959 @item show step-mode
3960 Show whether @value{GDBN} will stop in or step over functions without
3961 source line debug information.
3965 Continue running until just after function in the selected stack frame
3966 returns. Print the returned value (if any).
3968 Contrast this with the @code{return} command (@pxref{Returning,
3969 ,Returning from a function}).
3972 @kindex u @r{(@code{until})}
3973 @cindex run until specified location
3976 Continue running until a source line past the current line, in the
3977 current stack frame, is reached. This command is used to avoid single
3978 stepping through a loop more than once. It is like the @code{next}
3979 command, except that when @code{until} encounters a jump, it
3980 automatically continues execution until the program counter is greater
3981 than the address of the jump.
3983 This means that when you reach the end of a loop after single stepping
3984 though it, @code{until} makes your program continue execution until it
3985 exits the loop. In contrast, a @code{next} command at the end of a loop
3986 simply steps back to the beginning of the loop, which forces you to step
3987 through the next iteration.
3989 @code{until} always stops your program if it attempts to exit the current
3992 @code{until} may produce somewhat counterintuitive results if the order
3993 of machine code does not match the order of the source lines. For
3994 example, in the following excerpt from a debugging session, the @code{f}
3995 (@code{frame}) command shows that execution is stopped at line
3996 @code{206}; yet when we use @code{until}, we get to line @code{195}:
4000 #0 main (argc=4, argv=0xf7fffae8) at m4.c:206
4002 (@value{GDBP}) until
4003 195 for ( ; argc > 0; NEXTARG) @{
4006 This happened because, for execution efficiency, the compiler had
4007 generated code for the loop closure test at the end, rather than the
4008 start, of the loop---even though the test in a C @code{for}-loop is
4009 written before the body of the loop. The @code{until} command appeared
4010 to step back to the beginning of the loop when it advanced to this
4011 expression; however, it has not really gone to an earlier
4012 statement---not in terms of the actual machine code.
4014 @code{until} with no argument works by means of single
4015 instruction stepping, and hence is slower than @code{until} with an
4018 @item until @var{location}
4019 @itemx u @var{location}
4020 Continue running your program until either the specified location is
4021 reached, or the current stack frame returns. @var{location} is any of
4022 the forms of argument acceptable to @code{break} (@pxref{Set Breaks,
4023 ,Setting breakpoints}). This form of the command uses breakpoints, and
4024 hence is quicker than @code{until} without an argument. The specified
4025 location is actually reached only if it is in the current frame. This
4026 implies that @code{until} can be used to skip over recursive function
4027 invocations. For instance in the code below, if the current location is
4028 line @code{96}, issuing @code{until 99} will execute the program up to
4029 line @code{99} in the same invocation of factorial, i.e. after the inner
4030 invocations have returned.
4033 94 int factorial (int value)
4035 96 if (value > 1) @{
4036 97 value *= factorial (value - 1);
4043 @kindex advance @var{location}
4044 @itemx advance @var{location}
4045 Continue running the program up to the given @var{location}. An argument is
4046 required, which should be of the same form as arguments for the @code{break}
4047 command. Execution will also stop upon exit from the current stack
4048 frame. This command is similar to @code{until}, but @code{advance} will
4049 not skip over recursive function calls, and the target location doesn't
4050 have to be in the same frame as the current one.
4054 @kindex si @r{(@code{stepi})}
4056 @itemx stepi @var{arg}
4058 Execute one machine instruction, then stop and return to the debugger.
4060 It is often useful to do @samp{display/i $pc} when stepping by machine
4061 instructions. This makes @value{GDBN} automatically display the next
4062 instruction to be executed, each time your program stops. @xref{Auto
4063 Display,, Automatic display}.
4065 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{step}.
4069 @kindex ni @r{(@code{nexti})}
4071 @itemx nexti @var{arg}
4073 Execute one machine instruction, but if it is a function call,
4074 proceed until the function returns.
4076 An argument is a repeat count, as in @code{next}.
4083 A signal is an asynchronous event that can happen in a program. The
4084 operating system defines the possible kinds of signals, and gives each
4085 kind a name and a number. For example, in Unix @code{SIGINT} is the
4086 signal a program gets when you type an interrupt character (often @kbd{C-c});
4087 @code{SIGSEGV} is the signal a program gets from referencing a place in
4088 memory far away from all the areas in use; @code{SIGALRM} occurs when
4089 the alarm clock timer goes off (which happens only if your program has
4090 requested an alarm).
4092 @cindex fatal signals
4093 Some signals, including @code{SIGALRM}, are a normal part of the
4094 functioning of your program. Others, such as @code{SIGSEGV}, indicate
4095 errors; these signals are @dfn{fatal} (they kill your program immediately) if the
4096 program has not specified in advance some other way to handle the signal.
4097 @code{SIGINT} does not indicate an error in your program, but it is normally
4098 fatal so it can carry out the purpose of the interrupt: to kill the program.
4100 @value{GDBN} has the ability to detect any occurrence of a signal in your
4101 program. You can tell @value{GDBN} in advance what to do for each kind of
4104 @cindex handling signals
4105 Normally, @value{GDBN} is set up to let the non-erroneous signals like
4106 @code{SIGALRM} be silently passed to your program
4107 (so as not to interfere with their role in the program's functioning)
4108 but to stop your program immediately whenever an error signal happens.
4109 You can change these settings with the @code{handle} command.
4112 @kindex info signals
4116 Print a table of all the kinds of signals and how @value{GDBN} has been told to
4117 handle each one. You can use this to see the signal numbers of all
4118 the defined types of signals.
4120 @code{info handle} is an alias for @code{info signals}.
4123 @item handle @var{signal} @var{keywords}@dots{}
4124 Change the way @value{GDBN} handles signal @var{signal}. @var{signal}
4125 can be the number of a signal or its name (with or without the
4126 @samp{SIG} at the beginning); a list of signal numbers of the form
4127 @samp{@var{low}-@var{high}}; or the word @samp{all}, meaning all the
4128 known signals. The @var{keywords} say what change to make.
4132 The keywords allowed by the @code{handle} command can be abbreviated.
4133 Their full names are:
4137 @value{GDBN} should not stop your program when this signal happens. It may
4138 still print a message telling you that the signal has come in.
4141 @value{GDBN} should stop your program when this signal happens. This implies
4142 the @code{print} keyword as well.
4145 @value{GDBN} should print a message when this signal happens.
4148 @value{GDBN} should not mention the occurrence of the signal at all. This
4149 implies the @code{nostop} keyword as well.
4153 @value{GDBN} should allow your program to see this signal; your program
4154 can handle the signal, or else it may terminate if the signal is fatal
4155 and not handled. @code{pass} and @code{noignore} are synonyms.
4159 @value{GDBN} should not allow your program to see this signal.
4160 @code{nopass} and @code{ignore} are synonyms.
4164 When a signal stops your program, the signal is not visible to the
4166 continue. Your program sees the signal then, if @code{pass} is in
4167 effect for the signal in question @emph{at that time}. In other words,
4168 after @value{GDBN} reports a signal, you can use the @code{handle}
4169 command with @code{pass} or @code{nopass} to control whether your
4170 program sees that signal when you continue.
4172 The default is set to @code{nostop}, @code{noprint}, @code{pass} for
4173 non-erroneous signals such as @code{SIGALRM}, @code{SIGWINCH} and
4174 @code{SIGCHLD}, and to @code{stop}, @code{print}, @code{pass} for the
4177 You can also use the @code{signal} command to prevent your program from
4178 seeing a signal, or cause it to see a signal it normally would not see,
4179 or to give it any signal at any time. For example, if your program stopped
4180 due to some sort of memory reference error, you might store correct
4181 values into the erroneous variables and continue, hoping to see more
4182 execution; but your program would probably terminate immediately as
4183 a result of the fatal signal once it saw the signal. To prevent this,
4184 you can continue with @samp{signal 0}. @xref{Signaling, ,Giving your
4188 @section Stopping and starting multi-thread programs
4190 When your program has multiple threads (@pxref{Threads,, Debugging
4191 programs with multiple threads}), you can choose whether to set
4192 breakpoints on all threads, or on a particular thread.
4195 @cindex breakpoints and threads
4196 @cindex thread breakpoints
4197 @kindex break @dots{} thread @var{threadno}
4198 @item break @var{linespec} thread @var{threadno}
4199 @itemx break @var{linespec} thread @var{threadno} if @dots{}
4200 @var{linespec} specifies source lines; there are several ways of
4201 writing them, but the effect is always to specify some source line.
4203 Use the qualifier @samp{thread @var{threadno}} with a breakpoint command
4204 to specify that you only want @value{GDBN} to stop the program when a
4205 particular thread reaches this breakpoint. @var{threadno} is one of the
4206 numeric thread identifiers assigned by @value{GDBN}, shown in the first
4207 column of the @samp{info threads} display.
4209 If you do not specify @samp{thread @var{threadno}} when you set a
4210 breakpoint, the breakpoint applies to @emph{all} threads of your
4213 You can use the @code{thread} qualifier on conditional breakpoints as
4214 well; in this case, place @samp{thread @var{threadno}} before the
4215 breakpoint condition, like this:
4218 (@value{GDBP}) break frik.c:13 thread 28 if bartab > lim
4223 @cindex stopped threads
4224 @cindex threads, stopped
4225 Whenever your program stops under @value{GDBN} for any reason,
4226 @emph{all} threads of execution stop, not just the current thread. This
4227 allows you to examine the overall state of the program, including
4228 switching between threads, without worrying that things may change
4231 @cindex thread breakpoints and system calls
4232 @cindex system calls and thread breakpoints
4233 @cindex premature return from system calls
4234 There is an unfortunate side effect. If one thread stops for a
4235 breakpoint, or for some other reason, and another thread is blocked in a
4236 system call, then the system call may return prematurely. This is a
4237 consequence of the interaction between multiple threads and the signals
4238 that @value{GDBN} uses to implement breakpoints and other events that
4241 To handle this problem, your program should check the return value of
4242 each system call and react appropriately. This is good programming
4245 For example, do not write code like this:
4251 The call to @code{sleep} will return early if a different thread stops
4252 at a breakpoint or for some other reason.
4254 Instead, write this:
4259 unslept = sleep (unslept);
4262 A system call is allowed to return early, so the system is still
4263 conforming to its specification. But @value{GDBN} does cause your
4264 multi-threaded program to behave differently than it would without
4267 Also, @value{GDBN} uses internal breakpoints in the thread library to
4268 monitor certain events such as thread creation and thread destruction.
4269 When such an event happens, a system call in another thread may return
4270 prematurely, even though your program does not appear to stop.
4272 @cindex continuing threads
4273 @cindex threads, continuing
4274 Conversely, whenever you restart the program, @emph{all} threads start
4275 executing. @emph{This is true even when single-stepping} with commands
4276 like @code{step} or @code{next}.
4278 In particular, @value{GDBN} cannot single-step all threads in lockstep.
4279 Since thread scheduling is up to your debugging target's operating
4280 system (not controlled by @value{GDBN}), other threads may
4281 execute more than one statement while the current thread completes a
4282 single step. Moreover, in general other threads stop in the middle of a
4283 statement, rather than at a clean statement boundary, when the program
4286 You might even find your program stopped in another thread after
4287 continuing or even single-stepping. This happens whenever some other
4288 thread runs into a breakpoint, a signal, or an exception before the
4289 first thread completes whatever you requested.
4291 On some OSes, you can lock the OS scheduler and thus allow only a single
4295 @item set scheduler-locking @var{mode}
4296 @cindex scheduler locking mode
4297 @cindex lock scheduler
4298 Set the scheduler locking mode. If it is @code{off}, then there is no
4299 locking and any thread may run at any time. If @code{on}, then only the
4300 current thread may run when the inferior is resumed. The @code{step}
4301 mode optimizes for single-stepping. It stops other threads from
4302 ``seizing the prompt'' by preempting the current thread while you are
4303 stepping. Other threads will only rarely (or never) get a chance to run
4304 when you step. They are more likely to run when you @samp{next} over a
4305 function call, and they are completely free to run when you use commands
4306 like @samp{continue}, @samp{until}, or @samp{finish}. However, unless another
4307 thread hits a breakpoint during its timeslice, they will never steal the
4308 @value{GDBN} prompt away from the thread that you are debugging.
4310 @item show scheduler-locking
4311 Display the current scheduler locking mode.
4316 @chapter Examining the Stack
4318 When your program has stopped, the first thing you need to know is where it
4319 stopped and how it got there.
4322 Each time your program performs a function call, information about the call
4324 That information includes the location of the call in your program,
4325 the arguments of the call,
4326 and the local variables of the function being called.
4327 The information is saved in a block of data called a @dfn{stack frame}.
4328 The stack frames are allocated in a region of memory called the @dfn{call
4331 When your program stops, the @value{GDBN} commands for examining the
4332 stack allow you to see all of this information.
4334 @cindex selected frame
4335 One of the stack frames is @dfn{selected} by @value{GDBN} and many
4336 @value{GDBN} commands refer implicitly to the selected frame. In
4337 particular, whenever you ask @value{GDBN} for the value of a variable in
4338 your program, the value is found in the selected frame. There are
4339 special @value{GDBN} commands to select whichever frame you are
4340 interested in. @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a frame}.
4342 When your program stops, @value{GDBN} automatically selects the
4343 currently executing frame and describes it briefly, similar to the
4344 @code{frame} command (@pxref{Frame Info, ,Information about a frame}).
4347 * Frames:: Stack frames
4348 * Backtrace:: Backtraces
4349 * Selection:: Selecting a frame
4350 * Frame Info:: Information on a frame
4355 @section Stack frames
4357 @cindex frame, definition
4359 The call stack is divided up into contiguous pieces called @dfn{stack
4360 frames}, or @dfn{frames} for short; each frame is the data associated
4361 with one call to one function. The frame contains the arguments given
4362 to the function, the function's local variables, and the address at
4363 which the function is executing.
4365 @cindex initial frame
4366 @cindex outermost frame
4367 @cindex innermost frame
4368 When your program is started, the stack has only one frame, that of the
4369 function @code{main}. This is called the @dfn{initial} frame or the
4370 @dfn{outermost} frame. Each time a function is called, a new frame is
4371 made. Each time a function returns, the frame for that function invocation
4372 is eliminated. If a function is recursive, there can be many frames for
4373 the same function. The frame for the function in which execution is
4374 actually occurring is called the @dfn{innermost} frame. This is the most
4375 recently created of all the stack frames that still exist.
4377 @cindex frame pointer
4378 Inside your program, stack frames are identified by their addresses. A
4379 stack frame consists of many bytes, each of which has its own address; each
4380 kind of computer has a convention for choosing one byte whose
4381 address serves as the address of the frame. Usually this address is kept
4382 in a register called the @dfn{frame pointer register}
4383 (@pxref{Registers, $fp}) while execution is going on in that frame.
4385 @cindex frame number
4386 @value{GDBN} assigns numbers to all existing stack frames, starting with
4387 zero for the innermost frame, one for the frame that called it,
4388 and so on upward. These numbers do not really exist in your program;
4389 they are assigned by @value{GDBN} to give you a way of designating stack
4390 frames in @value{GDBN} commands.
4392 @c The -fomit-frame-pointer below perennially causes hbox overflow
4393 @c underflow problems.
4394 @cindex frameless execution
4395 Some compilers provide a way to compile functions so that they operate
4396 without stack frames. (For example, the @value{GCC} option
4398 @samp{-fomit-frame-pointer}
4400 generates functions without a frame.)
4401 This is occasionally done with heavily used library functions to save
4402 the frame setup time. @value{GDBN} has limited facilities for dealing
4403 with these function invocations. If the innermost function invocation
4404 has no stack frame, @value{GDBN} nevertheless regards it as though
4405 it had a separate frame, which is numbered zero as usual, allowing
4406 correct tracing of the function call chain. However, @value{GDBN} has
4407 no provision for frameless functions elsewhere in the stack.
4410 @kindex frame@r{, command}
4411 @cindex current stack frame
4412 @item frame @var{args}
4413 The @code{frame} command allows you to move from one stack frame to another,
4414 and to print the stack frame you select. @var{args} may be either the
4415 address of the frame or the stack frame number. Without an argument,
4416 @code{frame} prints the current stack frame.
4418 @kindex select-frame
4419 @cindex selecting frame silently
4421 The @code{select-frame} command allows you to move from one stack frame
4422 to another without printing the frame. This is the silent version of
4430 @cindex call stack traces
4431 A backtrace is a summary of how your program got where it is. It shows one
4432 line per frame, for many frames, starting with the currently executing
4433 frame (frame zero), followed by its caller (frame one), and on up the
4438 @kindex bt @r{(@code{backtrace})}
4441 Print a backtrace of the entire stack: one line per frame for all
4442 frames in the stack.
4444 You can stop the backtrace at any time by typing the system interrupt
4445 character, normally @kbd{C-c}.
4447 @item backtrace @var{n}
4449 Similar, but print only the innermost @var{n} frames.
4451 @item backtrace -@var{n}
4453 Similar, but print only the outermost @var{n} frames.
4455 @item backtrace full
4456 Print the values of the local variables also.
4462 The names @code{where} and @code{info stack} (abbreviated @code{info s})
4463 are additional aliases for @code{backtrace}.
4465 @cindex multiple threads, backtrace
4466 In a multi-threaded program, @value{GDBN} by default shows the
4467 backtrace only for the current thread. To display the backtrace for
4468 several or all of the threads, use the command @code{thread apply}
4469 (@pxref{Threads, thread apply}). For example, if you type @kbd{thread
4470 apply all backtrace}, @value{GDBN} will display the backtrace for all
4471 the threads; this is handy when you debug a core dump of a
4472 multi-threaded program.
4474 Each line in the backtrace shows the frame number and the function name.
4475 The program counter value is also shown---unless you use @code{set
4476 print address off}. The backtrace also shows the source file name and
4477 line number, as well as the arguments to the function. The program
4478 counter value is omitted if it is at the beginning of the code for that
4481 Here is an example of a backtrace. It was made with the command
4482 @samp{bt 3}, so it shows the innermost three frames.
4486 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
4488 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=0x2b600) at macro.c:242
4489 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=177664, td=0xf7fffb08)
4491 (More stack frames follow...)
4496 The display for frame zero does not begin with a program counter
4497 value, indicating that your program has stopped at the beginning of the
4498 code for line @code{993} of @code{builtin.c}.
4500 @cindex value optimized out, in backtrace
4501 @cindex function call arguments, optimized out
4502 If your program was compiled with optimizations, some compilers will
4503 optimize away arguments passed to functions if those arguments are
4504 never used after the call. Such optimizations generate code that
4505 passes arguments through registers, but doesn't store those arguments
4506 in the stack frame. @value{GDBN} has no way of displaying such
4507 arguments in stack frames other than the innermost one. Here's what
4508 such a backtrace might look like:
4512 #0 m4_traceon (obs=0x24eb0, argc=1, argv=0x2b8c8)
4514 #1 0x6e38 in expand_macro (sym=<value optimized out>) at macro.c:242
4515 #2 0x6840 in expand_token (obs=0x0, t=<value optimized out>, td=0xf7fffb08)
4517 (More stack frames follow...)
4522 The values of arguments that were not saved in their stack frames are
4523 shown as @samp{<value optimized out>}.
4525 If you need to display the values of such optimized-out arguments,
4526 either deduce that from other variables whose values depend on the one
4527 you are interested in, or recompile without optimizations.
4529 @cindex backtrace beyond @code{main} function
4530 @cindex program entry point
4531 @cindex startup code, and backtrace
4532 Most programs have a standard user entry point---a place where system
4533 libraries and startup code transition into user code. For C this is
4534 @code{main}@footnote{
4535 Note that embedded programs (the so-called ``free-standing''
4536 environment) are not required to have a @code{main} function as the
4537 entry point. They could even have multiple entry points.}.
4538 When @value{GDBN} finds the entry function in a backtrace
4539 it will terminate the backtrace, to avoid tracing into highly
4540 system-specific (and generally uninteresting) code.
4542 If you need to examine the startup code, or limit the number of levels
4543 in a backtrace, you can change this behavior:
4546 @item set backtrace past-main
4547 @itemx set backtrace past-main on
4548 @kindex set backtrace
4549 Backtraces will continue past the user entry point.
4551 @item set backtrace past-main off
4552 Backtraces will stop when they encounter the user entry point. This is the
4555 @item show backtrace past-main
4556 @kindex show backtrace
4557 Display the current user entry point backtrace policy.
4559 @item set backtrace past-entry
4560 @itemx set backtrace past-entry on
4561 Backtraces will continue past the internal entry point of an application.
4562 This entry point is encoded by the linker when the application is built,
4563 and is likely before the user entry point @code{main} (or equivalent) is called.
4565 @item set backtrace past-entry off
4566 Backtraces will stop when they encouter the internal entry point of an
4567 application. This is the default.
4569 @item show backtrace past-entry
4570 Display the current internal entry point backtrace policy.
4572 @item set backtrace limit @var{n}
4573 @itemx set backtrace limit 0
4574 @cindex backtrace limit
4575 Limit the backtrace to @var{n} levels. A value of zero means
4578 @item show backtrace limit
4579 Display the current limit on backtrace levels.
4583 @section Selecting a frame
4585 Most commands for examining the stack and other data in your program work on
4586 whichever stack frame is selected at the moment. Here are the commands for
4587 selecting a stack frame; all of them finish by printing a brief description
4588 of the stack frame just selected.
4591 @kindex frame@r{, selecting}
4592 @kindex f @r{(@code{frame})}
4595 Select frame number @var{n}. Recall that frame zero is the innermost
4596 (currently executing) frame, frame one is the frame that called the
4597 innermost one, and so on. The highest-numbered frame is the one for
4600 @item frame @var{addr}
4602 Select the frame at address @var{addr}. This is useful mainly if the
4603 chaining of stack frames has been damaged by a bug, making it
4604 impossible for @value{GDBN} to assign numbers properly to all frames. In
4605 addition, this can be useful when your program has multiple stacks and
4606 switches between them.
4608 On the SPARC architecture, @code{frame} needs two addresses to
4609 select an arbitrary frame: a frame pointer and a stack pointer.
4611 On the MIPS and Alpha architecture, it needs two addresses: a stack
4612 pointer and a program counter.
4614 On the 29k architecture, it needs three addresses: a register stack
4615 pointer, a program counter, and a memory stack pointer.
4619 Move @var{n} frames up the stack. For positive numbers @var{n}, this
4620 advances toward the outermost frame, to higher frame numbers, to frames
4621 that have existed longer. @var{n} defaults to one.
4624 @kindex do @r{(@code{down})}
4626 Move @var{n} frames down the stack. For positive numbers @var{n}, this
4627 advances toward the innermost frame, to lower frame numbers, to frames
4628 that were created more recently. @var{n} defaults to one. You may
4629 abbreviate @code{down} as @code{do}.
4632 All of these commands end by printing two lines of output describing the
4633 frame. The first line shows the frame number, the function name, the
4634 arguments, and the source file and line number of execution in that
4635 frame. The second line shows the text of that source line.
4643 #1 0x22f0 in main (argc=1, argv=0xf7fffbf4, env=0xf7fffbfc)
4645 10 read_input_file (argv[i]);
4649 After such a printout, the @code{list} command with no arguments
4650 prints ten lines centered on the point of execution in the frame.
4651 You can also edit the program at the point of execution with your favorite
4652 editing program by typing @code{edit}.
4653 @xref{List, ,Printing source lines},
4657 @kindex down-silently
4659 @item up-silently @var{n}
4660 @itemx down-silently @var{n}
4661 These two commands are variants of @code{up} and @code{down},
4662 respectively; they differ in that they do their work silently, without
4663 causing display of the new frame. They are intended primarily for use
4664 in @value{GDBN} command scripts, where the output might be unnecessary and
4669 @section Information about a frame
4671 There are several other commands to print information about the selected
4677 When used without any argument, this command does not change which
4678 frame is selected, but prints a brief description of the currently
4679 selected stack frame. It can be abbreviated @code{f}. With an
4680 argument, this command is used to select a stack frame.
4681 @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a frame}.
4684 @kindex info f @r{(@code{info frame})}
4687 This command prints a verbose description of the selected stack frame,
4692 the address of the frame
4694 the address of the next frame down (called by this frame)
4696 the address of the next frame up (caller of this frame)
4698 the language in which the source code corresponding to this frame is written
4700 the address of the frame's arguments
4702 the address of the frame's local variables
4704 the program counter saved in it (the address of execution in the caller frame)
4706 which registers were saved in the frame
4709 @noindent The verbose description is useful when
4710 something has gone wrong that has made the stack format fail to fit
4711 the usual conventions.
4713 @item info frame @var{addr}
4714 @itemx info f @var{addr}
4715 Print a verbose description of the frame at address @var{addr}, without
4716 selecting that frame. The selected frame remains unchanged by this
4717 command. This requires the same kind of address (more than one for some
4718 architectures) that you specify in the @code{frame} command.
4719 @xref{Selection, ,Selecting a frame}.
4723 Print the arguments of the selected frame, each on a separate line.
4727 Print the local variables of the selected frame, each on a separate
4728 line. These are all variables (declared either static or automatic)
4729 accessible at the point of execution of the selected frame.
4732 @cindex catch exceptions, list active handlers
4733 @cindex exception handlers, how to list
4735 Print a list of all the exception handlers that are active in the
4736 current stack frame at the current point of execution. To see other
4737 exception handlers, visit the associated frame (using the @code{up},
4738 @code{down}, or @code{frame} commands); then type @code{info catch}.
4739 @xref{Set Catchpoints, , Setting catchpoints}.
4745 @chapter Examining Source Files
4747 @value{GDBN} can print parts of your program's source, since the debugging
4748 information recorded in the program tells @value{GDBN} what source files were
4749 used to build it. When your program stops, @value{GDBN} spontaneously prints
4750 the line where it stopped. Likewise, when you select a stack frame
4751 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a frame}), @value{GDBN} prints the line where
4752 execution in that frame has stopped. You can print other portions of
4753 source files by explicit command.
4755 If you use @value{GDBN} through its @sc{gnu} Emacs interface, you may
4756 prefer to use Emacs facilities to view source; see @ref{Emacs, ,Using
4757 @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs}.
4760 * List:: Printing source lines
4761 * Edit:: Editing source files
4762 * Search:: Searching source files
4763 * Source Path:: Specifying source directories
4764 * Machine Code:: Source and machine code
4768 @section Printing source lines
4771 @kindex l @r{(@code{list})}
4772 To print lines from a source file, use the @code{list} command
4773 (abbreviated @code{l}). By default, ten lines are printed.
4774 There are several ways to specify what part of the file you want to print.
4776 Here are the forms of the @code{list} command most commonly used:
4779 @item list @var{linenum}
4780 Print lines centered around line number @var{linenum} in the
4781 current source file.
4783 @item list @var{function}
4784 Print lines centered around the beginning of function
4788 Print more lines. If the last lines printed were printed with a
4789 @code{list} command, this prints lines following the last lines
4790 printed; however, if the last line printed was a solitary line printed
4791 as part of displaying a stack frame (@pxref{Stack, ,Examining the
4792 Stack}), this prints lines centered around that line.
4795 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
4798 @cindex @code{list}, how many lines to display
4799 By default, @value{GDBN} prints ten source lines with any of these forms of
4800 the @code{list} command. You can change this using @code{set listsize}:
4803 @kindex set listsize
4804 @item set listsize @var{count}
4805 Make the @code{list} command display @var{count} source lines (unless
4806 the @code{list} argument explicitly specifies some other number).
4808 @kindex show listsize
4810 Display the number of lines that @code{list} prints.
4813 Repeating a @code{list} command with @key{RET} discards the argument,
4814 so it is equivalent to typing just @code{list}. This is more useful
4815 than listing the same lines again. An exception is made for an
4816 argument of @samp{-}; that argument is preserved in repetition so that
4817 each repetition moves up in the source file.
4820 In general, the @code{list} command expects you to supply zero, one or two
4821 @dfn{linespecs}. Linespecs specify source lines; there are several ways
4822 of writing them, but the effect is always to specify some source line.
4823 Here is a complete description of the possible arguments for @code{list}:
4826 @item list @var{linespec}
4827 Print lines centered around the line specified by @var{linespec}.
4829 @item list @var{first},@var{last}
4830 Print lines from @var{first} to @var{last}. Both arguments are
4833 @item list ,@var{last}
4834 Print lines ending with @var{last}.
4836 @item list @var{first},
4837 Print lines starting with @var{first}.
4840 Print lines just after the lines last printed.
4843 Print lines just before the lines last printed.
4846 As described in the preceding table.
4849 Here are the ways of specifying a single source line---all the
4854 Specifies line @var{number} of the current source file.
4855 When a @code{list} command has two linespecs, this refers to
4856 the same source file as the first linespec.
4859 Specifies the line @var{offset} lines after the last line printed.
4860 When used as the second linespec in a @code{list} command that has
4861 two, this specifies the line @var{offset} lines down from the
4865 Specifies the line @var{offset} lines before the last line printed.
4867 @item @var{filename}:@var{number}
4868 Specifies line @var{number} in the source file @var{filename}.
4870 @item @var{function}
4871 Specifies the line that begins the body of the function @var{function}.
4872 For example: in C, this is the line with the open brace.
4874 @item @var{filename}:@var{function}
4875 Specifies the line of the open-brace that begins the body of the
4876 function @var{function} in the file @var{filename}. You only need the
4877 file name with a function name to avoid ambiguity when there are
4878 identically named functions in different source files.
4880 @item *@var{address}
4881 Specifies the line containing the program address @var{address}.
4882 @var{address} may be any expression.
4886 @section Editing source files
4887 @cindex editing source files
4890 @kindex e @r{(@code{edit})}
4891 To edit the lines in a source file, use the @code{edit} command.
4892 The editing program of your choice
4893 is invoked with the current line set to
4894 the active line in the program.
4895 Alternatively, there are several ways to specify what part of the file you
4896 want to print if you want to see other parts of the program.
4898 Here are the forms of the @code{edit} command most commonly used:
4902 Edit the current source file at the active line number in the program.
4904 @item edit @var{number}
4905 Edit the current source file with @var{number} as the active line number.
4907 @item edit @var{function}
4908 Edit the file containing @var{function} at the beginning of its definition.
4910 @item edit @var{filename}:@var{number}
4911 Specifies line @var{number} in the source file @var{filename}.
4913 @item edit @var{filename}:@var{function}
4914 Specifies the line that begins the body of the
4915 function @var{function} in the file @var{filename}. You only need the
4916 file name with a function name to avoid ambiguity when there are
4917 identically named functions in different source files.
4919 @item edit *@var{address}
4920 Specifies the line containing the program address @var{address}.
4921 @var{address} may be any expression.
4924 @subsection Choosing your editor
4925 You can customize @value{GDBN} to use any editor you want
4927 The only restriction is that your editor (say @code{ex}), recognizes the
4928 following command-line syntax:
4930 ex +@var{number} file
4932 The optional numeric value +@var{number} specifies the number of the line in
4933 the file where to start editing.}.
4934 By default, it is @file{@value{EDITOR}}, but you can change this
4935 by setting the environment variable @code{EDITOR} before using
4936 @value{GDBN}. For example, to configure @value{GDBN} to use the
4937 @code{vi} editor, you could use these commands with the @code{sh} shell:
4943 or in the @code{csh} shell,
4945 setenv EDITOR /usr/bin/vi
4950 @section Searching source files
4951 @cindex searching source files
4953 There are two commands for searching through the current source file for a
4958 @kindex forward-search
4959 @item forward-search @var{regexp}
4960 @itemx search @var{regexp}
4961 The command @samp{forward-search @var{regexp}} checks each line,
4962 starting with the one following the last line listed, for a match for
4963 @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can use the
4964 synonym @samp{search @var{regexp}} or abbreviate the command name as
4967 @kindex reverse-search
4968 @item reverse-search @var{regexp}
4969 The command @samp{reverse-search @var{regexp}} checks each line, starting
4970 with the one before the last line listed and going backward, for a match
4971 for @var{regexp}. It lists the line that is found. You can abbreviate
4972 this command as @code{rev}.
4976 @section Specifying source directories
4979 @cindex directories for source files
4980 Executable programs sometimes do not record the directories of the source
4981 files from which they were compiled, just the names. Even when they do,
4982 the directories could be moved between the compilation and your debugging
4983 session. @value{GDBN} has a list of directories to search for source files;
4984 this is called the @dfn{source path}. Each time @value{GDBN} wants a source file,
4985 it tries all the directories in the list, in the order they are present
4986 in the list, until it finds a file with the desired name.
4988 For example, suppose an executable references the file
4989 @file{/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}, and our source path is
4990 @file{/mnt/cross}. The file is first looked up literally; if this
4991 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c} is tried; if this
4992 fails, @file{/mnt/cross/foo.c} is opened; if this fails, an error
4993 message is printed. @value{GDBN} does not look up the parts of the
4994 source file name, such as @file{/mnt/cross/src/foo-1.0/lib/foo.c}.
4995 Likewise, the subdirectories of the source path are not searched: if
4996 the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the binary refers to
4997 @file{foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would not find it under
4998 @file{/mnt/cross/usr/src/foo-1.0/lib}.
5000 Plain file names, relative file names with leading directories, file
5001 names containing dots, etc.@: are all treated as described above; for
5002 instance, if the source path is @file{/mnt/cross}, and the source file
5003 is recorded as @file{../lib/foo.c}, @value{GDBN} would first try
5004 @file{../lib/foo.c}, then @file{/mnt/cross/../lib/foo.c}, and after
5005 that---@file{/mnt/cross/foo.c}.
5007 Note that the executable search path is @emph{not} used to locate the
5008 source files. Neither is the current working directory, unless it
5009 happens to be in the source path.
5011 Whenever you reset or rearrange the source path, @value{GDBN} clears out
5012 any information it has cached about where source files are found and where
5013 each line is in the file.
5017 When you start @value{GDBN}, its source path includes only @samp{cdir}
5018 and @samp{cwd}, in that order.
5019 To add other directories, use the @code{directory} command.
5021 The search path is used to find both program source files and @value{GDBN}
5022 script files (read using the @samp{-command} option and @samp{source} command).
5025 @item directory @var{dirname} @dots{}
5026 @item dir @var{dirname} @dots{}
5027 Add directory @var{dirname} to the front of the source path. Several
5028 directory names may be given to this command, separated by @samp{:}
5029 (@samp{;} on MS-DOS and MS-Windows, where @samp{:} usually appears as
5030 part of absolute file names) or
5031 whitespace. You may specify a directory that is already in the source
5032 path; this moves it forward, so @value{GDBN} searches it sooner.
5036 @vindex $cdir@r{, convenience variable}
5037 @vindex $cwdr@r{, convenience variable}
5038 @cindex compilation directory
5039 @cindex current directory
5040 @cindex working directory
5041 @cindex directory, current
5042 @cindex directory, compilation
5043 You can use the string @samp{$cdir} to refer to the compilation
5044 directory (if one is recorded), and @samp{$cwd} to refer to the current
5045 working directory. @samp{$cwd} is not the same as @samp{.}---the former
5046 tracks the current working directory as it changes during your @value{GDBN}
5047 session, while the latter is immediately expanded to the current
5048 directory at the time you add an entry to the source path.
5051 Reset the source path to empty again. This requires confirmation.
5053 @c RET-repeat for @code{directory} is explicitly disabled, but since
5054 @c repeating it would be a no-op we do not say that. (thanks to RMS)
5056 @item show directories
5057 @kindex show directories
5058 Print the source path: show which directories it contains.
5061 If your source path is cluttered with directories that are no longer of
5062 interest, @value{GDBN} may sometimes cause confusion by finding the wrong
5063 versions of source. You can correct the situation as follows:
5067 Use @code{directory} with no argument to reset the source path to empty.
5070 Use @code{directory} with suitable arguments to reinstall the
5071 directories you want in the source path. You can add all the
5072 directories in one command.
5076 @section Source and machine code
5077 @cindex source line and its code address
5079 You can use the command @code{info line} to map source lines to program
5080 addresses (and vice versa), and the command @code{disassemble} to display
5081 a range of addresses as machine instructions. When run under @sc{gnu} Emacs
5082 mode, the @code{info line} command causes the arrow to point to the
5083 line specified. Also, @code{info line} prints addresses in symbolic form as
5088 @item info line @var{linespec}
5089 Print the starting and ending addresses of the compiled code for
5090 source line @var{linespec}. You can specify source lines in any of
5091 the ways understood by the @code{list} command (@pxref{List, ,Printing
5095 For example, we can use @code{info line} to discover the location of
5096 the object code for the first line of function
5097 @code{m4_changequote}:
5099 @c FIXME: I think this example should also show the addresses in
5100 @c symbolic form, as they usually would be displayed.
5102 (@value{GDBP}) info line m4_changequote
5103 Line 895 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x634c and ends at 0x6350.
5107 @cindex code address and its source line
5108 We can also inquire (using @code{*@var{addr}} as the form for
5109 @var{linespec}) what source line covers a particular address:
5111 (@value{GDBP}) info line *0x63ff
5112 Line 926 of "builtin.c" starts at pc 0x63e4 and ends at 0x6404.
5115 @cindex @code{$_} and @code{info line}
5116 @cindex @code{x} command, default address
5117 @kindex x@r{(examine), and} info line
5118 After @code{info line}, the default address for the @code{x} command
5119 is changed to the starting address of the line, so that @samp{x/i} is
5120 sufficient to begin examining the machine code (@pxref{Memory,
5121 ,Examining memory}). Also, this address is saved as the value of the
5122 convenience variable @code{$_} (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
5127 @cindex assembly instructions
5128 @cindex instructions, assembly
5129 @cindex machine instructions
5130 @cindex listing machine instructions
5132 This specialized command dumps a range of memory as machine
5133 instructions. The default memory range is the function surrounding the
5134 program counter of the selected frame. A single argument to this
5135 command is a program counter value; @value{GDBN} dumps the function
5136 surrounding this value. Two arguments specify a range of addresses
5137 (first inclusive, second exclusive) to dump.
5140 The following example shows the disassembly of a range of addresses of
5141 HP PA-RISC 2.0 code:
5144 (@value{GDBP}) disas 0x32c4 0x32e4
5145 Dump of assembler code from 0x32c4 to 0x32e4:
5146 0x32c4 <main+204>: addil 0,dp
5147 0x32c8 <main+208>: ldw 0x22c(sr0,r1),r26
5148 0x32cc <main+212>: ldil 0x3000,r31
5149 0x32d0 <main+216>: ble 0x3f8(sr4,r31)
5150 0x32d4 <main+220>: ldo 0(r31),rp
5151 0x32d8 <main+224>: addil -0x800,dp
5152 0x32dc <main+228>: ldo 0x588(r1),r26
5153 0x32e0 <main+232>: ldil 0x3000,r31
5154 End of assembler dump.
5157 Some architectures have more than one commonly-used set of instruction
5158 mnemonics or other syntax.
5160 For programs that were dynamically linked and use shared libraries,
5161 instructions that call functions or branch to locations in the shared
5162 libraries might show a seemingly bogus location---it's actually a
5163 location of the relocation table. On some architectures, @value{GDBN}
5164 might be able to resolve these to actual function names.
5167 @kindex set disassembly-flavor
5168 @cindex Intel disassembly flavor
5169 @cindex AT&T disassembly flavor
5170 @item set disassembly-flavor @var{instruction-set}
5171 Select the instruction set to use when disassembling the
5172 program via the @code{disassemble} or @code{x/i} commands.
5174 Currently this command is only defined for the Intel x86 family. You
5175 can set @var{instruction-set} to either @code{intel} or @code{att}.
5176 The default is @code{att}, the AT&T flavor used by default by Unix
5177 assemblers for x86-based targets.
5179 @kindex show disassembly-flavor
5180 @item show disassembly-flavor
5181 Show the current setting of the disassembly flavor.
5186 @chapter Examining Data
5188 @cindex printing data
5189 @cindex examining data
5192 @c "inspect" is not quite a synonym if you are using Epoch, which we do not
5193 @c document because it is nonstandard... Under Epoch it displays in a
5194 @c different window or something like that.
5195 The usual way to examine data in your program is with the @code{print}
5196 command (abbreviated @code{p}), or its synonym @code{inspect}. It
5197 evaluates and prints the value of an expression of the language your
5198 program is written in (@pxref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with
5199 Different Languages}).
5202 @item print @var{expr}
5203 @itemx print /@var{f} @var{expr}
5204 @var{expr} is an expression (in the source language). By default the
5205 value of @var{expr} is printed in a format appropriate to its data type;
5206 you can choose a different format by specifying @samp{/@var{f}}, where
5207 @var{f} is a letter specifying the format; see @ref{Output Formats,,Output
5211 @itemx print /@var{f}
5212 @cindex reprint the last value
5213 If you omit @var{expr}, @value{GDBN} displays the last value again (from the
5214 @dfn{value history}; @pxref{Value History, ,Value history}). This allows you to
5215 conveniently inspect the same value in an alternative format.
5218 A more low-level way of examining data is with the @code{x} command.
5219 It examines data in memory at a specified address and prints it in a
5220 specified format. @xref{Memory, ,Examining memory}.
5222 If you are interested in information about types, or about how the
5223 fields of a struct or a class are declared, use the @code{ptype @var{exp}}
5224 command rather than @code{print}. @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol
5228 * Expressions:: Expressions
5229 * Variables:: Program variables
5230 * Arrays:: Artificial arrays
5231 * Output Formats:: Output formats
5232 * Memory:: Examining memory
5233 * Auto Display:: Automatic display
5234 * Print Settings:: Print settings
5235 * Value History:: Value history
5236 * Convenience Vars:: Convenience variables
5237 * Registers:: Registers
5238 * Floating Point Hardware:: Floating point hardware
5239 * Vector Unit:: Vector Unit
5240 * OS Information:: Auxiliary data provided by operating system
5241 * Memory Region Attributes:: Memory region attributes
5242 * Dump/Restore Files:: Copy between memory and a file
5243 * Core File Generation:: Cause a program dump its core
5244 * Character Sets:: Debugging programs that use a different
5245 character set than GDB does
5246 * Caching Remote Data:: Data caching for remote targets
5250 @section Expressions
5253 @code{print} and many other @value{GDBN} commands accept an expression and
5254 compute its value. Any kind of constant, variable or operator defined
5255 by the programming language you are using is valid in an expression in
5256 @value{GDBN}. This includes conditional expressions, function calls,
5257 casts, and string constants. It also includes preprocessor macros, if
5258 you compiled your program to include this information; see
5261 @cindex arrays in expressions
5262 @value{GDBN} supports array constants in expressions input by
5263 the user. The syntax is @{@var{element}, @var{element}@dots{}@}. For example,
5264 you can use the command @code{print @{1, 2, 3@}} to build up an array in
5265 memory that is @code{malloc}ed in the target program.
5267 Because C is so widespread, most of the expressions shown in examples in
5268 this manual are in C. @xref{Languages, , Using @value{GDBN} with Different
5269 Languages}, for information on how to use expressions in other
5272 In this section, we discuss operators that you can use in @value{GDBN}
5273 expressions regardless of your programming language.
5275 @cindex casts, in expressions
5276 Casts are supported in all languages, not just in C, because it is so
5277 useful to cast a number into a pointer in order to examine a structure
5278 at that address in memory.
5279 @c FIXME: casts supported---Mod2 true?
5281 @value{GDBN} supports these operators, in addition to those common
5282 to programming languages:
5286 @samp{@@} is a binary operator for treating parts of memory as arrays.
5287 @xref{Arrays, ,Artificial arrays}, for more information.
5290 @samp{::} allows you to specify a variable in terms of the file or
5291 function where it is defined. @xref{Variables, ,Program variables}.
5293 @cindex @{@var{type}@}
5294 @cindex type casting memory
5295 @cindex memory, viewing as typed object
5296 @cindex casts, to view memory
5297 @item @{@var{type}@} @var{addr}
5298 Refers to an object of type @var{type} stored at address @var{addr} in
5299 memory. @var{addr} may be any expression whose value is an integer or
5300 pointer (but parentheses are required around binary operators, just as in
5301 a cast). This construct is allowed regardless of what kind of data is
5302 normally supposed to reside at @var{addr}.
5306 @section Program variables
5308 The most common kind of expression to use is the name of a variable
5311 Variables in expressions are understood in the selected stack frame
5312 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a frame}); they must be either:
5316 global (or file-static)
5323 visible according to the scope rules of the
5324 programming language from the point of execution in that frame
5327 @noindent This means that in the function
5342 you can examine and use the variable @code{a} whenever your program is
5343 executing within the function @code{foo}, but you can only use or
5344 examine the variable @code{b} while your program is executing inside
5345 the block where @code{b} is declared.
5347 @cindex variable name conflict
5348 There is an exception: you can refer to a variable or function whose
5349 scope is a single source file even if the current execution point is not
5350 in this file. But it is possible to have more than one such variable or
5351 function with the same name (in different source files). If that
5352 happens, referring to that name has unpredictable effects. If you wish,
5353 you can specify a static variable in a particular function or file,
5354 using the colon-colon (@code{::}) notation:
5356 @cindex colon-colon, context for variables/functions
5358 @c info cannot cope with a :: index entry, but why deprive hard copy readers?
5359 @cindex @code{::}, context for variables/functions
5362 @var{file}::@var{variable}
5363 @var{function}::@var{variable}
5367 Here @var{file} or @var{function} is the name of the context for the
5368 static @var{variable}. In the case of file names, you can use quotes to
5369 make sure @value{GDBN} parses the file name as a single word---for example,
5370 to print a global value of @code{x} defined in @file{f2.c}:
5373 (@value{GDBP}) p 'f2.c'::x
5376 @cindex C@t{++} scope resolution
5377 This use of @samp{::} is very rarely in conflict with the very similar
5378 use of the same notation in C@t{++}. @value{GDBN} also supports use of the C@t{++}
5379 scope resolution operator in @value{GDBN} expressions.
5380 @c FIXME: Um, so what happens in one of those rare cases where it's in
5383 @cindex wrong values
5384 @cindex variable values, wrong
5385 @cindex function entry/exit, wrong values of variables
5386 @cindex optimized code, wrong values of variables
5388 @emph{Warning:} Occasionally, a local variable may appear to have the
5389 wrong value at certain points in a function---just after entry to a new
5390 scope, and just before exit.
5392 You may see this problem when you are stepping by machine instructions.
5393 This is because, on most machines, it takes more than one instruction to
5394 set up a stack frame (including local variable definitions); if you are
5395 stepping by machine instructions, variables may appear to have the wrong
5396 values until the stack frame is completely built. On exit, it usually
5397 also takes more than one machine instruction to destroy a stack frame;
5398 after you begin stepping through that group of instructions, local
5399 variable definitions may be gone.
5401 This may also happen when the compiler does significant optimizations.
5402 To be sure of always seeing accurate values, turn off all optimization
5405 @cindex ``No symbol "foo" in current context''
5406 Another possible effect of compiler optimizations is to optimize
5407 unused variables out of existence, or assign variables to registers (as
5408 opposed to memory addresses). Depending on the support for such cases
5409 offered by the debug info format used by the compiler, @value{GDBN}
5410 might not be able to display values for such local variables. If that
5411 happens, @value{GDBN} will print a message like this:
5414 No symbol "foo" in current context.
5417 To solve such problems, either recompile without optimizations, or use a
5418 different debug info format, if the compiler supports several such
5419 formats. For example, @value{NGCC}, the @sc{gnu} C/C@t{++} compiler,
5420 usually supports the @option{-gstabs+} option. @option{-gstabs+}
5421 produces debug info in a format that is superior to formats such as
5422 COFF. You may be able to use DWARF 2 (@option{-gdwarf-2}), which is also
5423 an effective form for debug info. @xref{Debugging Options,,Options
5424 for Debugging Your Program or @sc{gnu} CC, gcc.info, Using @sc{gnu} CC}.
5425 @xref{C, , Debugging C++}, for more info about debug info formats
5426 that are best suited to C@t{++} programs.
5428 If you ask to print an object whose contents are unknown to
5429 @value{GDBN}, e.g., because its data type is not completely specified
5430 by the debug information, @value{GDBN} will say @samp{<incomplete
5431 type>}. @xref{Symbols, incomplete type}, for more about this.
5434 @section Artificial arrays
5436 @cindex artificial array
5438 @kindex @@@r{, referencing memory as an array}
5439 It is often useful to print out several successive objects of the
5440 same type in memory; a section of an array, or an array of
5441 dynamically determined size for which only a pointer exists in the
5444 You can do this by referring to a contiguous span of memory as an
5445 @dfn{artificial array}, using the binary operator @samp{@@}. The left
5446 operand of @samp{@@} should be the first element of the desired array
5447 and be an individual object. The right operand should be the desired length
5448 of the array. The result is an array value whose elements are all of
5449 the type of the left argument. The first element is actually the left
5450 argument; the second element comes from bytes of memory immediately
5451 following those that hold the first element, and so on. Here is an
5452 example. If a program says
5455 int *array = (int *) malloc (len * sizeof (int));
5459 you can print the contents of @code{array} with
5465 The left operand of @samp{@@} must reside in memory. Array values made
5466 with @samp{@@} in this way behave just like other arrays in terms of
5467 subscripting, and are coerced to pointers when used in expressions.
5468 Artificial arrays most often appear in expressions via the value history
5469 (@pxref{Value History, ,Value history}), after printing one out.
5471 Another way to create an artificial array is to use a cast.
5472 This re-interprets a value as if it were an array.
5473 The value need not be in memory:
5475 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[2])0x12345678
5476 $1 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
5479 As a convenience, if you leave the array length out (as in
5480 @samp{(@var{type}[])@var{value}}) @value{GDBN} calculates the size to fill
5481 the value (as @samp{sizeof(@var{value})/sizeof(@var{type})}:
5483 (@value{GDBP}) p/x (short[])0x12345678
5484 $2 = @{0x1234, 0x5678@}
5487 Sometimes the artificial array mechanism is not quite enough; in
5488 moderately complex data structures, the elements of interest may not
5489 actually be adjacent---for example, if you are interested in the values
5490 of pointers in an array. One useful work-around in this situation is
5491 to use a convenience variable (@pxref{Convenience Vars, ,Convenience
5492 variables}) as a counter in an expression that prints the first
5493 interesting value, and then repeat that expression via @key{RET}. For
5494 instance, suppose you have an array @code{dtab} of pointers to
5495 structures, and you are interested in the values of a field @code{fv}
5496 in each structure. Here is an example of what you might type:
5506 @node Output Formats
5507 @section Output formats
5509 @cindex formatted output
5510 @cindex output formats
5511 By default, @value{GDBN} prints a value according to its data type. Sometimes
5512 this is not what you want. For example, you might want to print a number
5513 in hex, or a pointer in decimal. Or you might want to view data in memory
5514 at a certain address as a character string or as an instruction. To do
5515 these things, specify an @dfn{output format} when you print a value.
5517 The simplest use of output formats is to say how to print a value
5518 already computed. This is done by starting the arguments of the
5519 @code{print} command with a slash and a format letter. The format
5520 letters supported are:
5524 Regard the bits of the value as an integer, and print the integer in
5528 Print as integer in signed decimal.
5531 Print as integer in unsigned decimal.
5534 Print as integer in octal.
5537 Print as integer in binary. The letter @samp{t} stands for ``two''.
5538 @footnote{@samp{b} cannot be used because these format letters are also
5539 used with the @code{x} command, where @samp{b} stands for ``byte'';
5540 see @ref{Memory,,Examining memory}.}
5543 @cindex unknown address, locating
5544 @cindex locate address
5545 Print as an address, both absolute in hexadecimal and as an offset from
5546 the nearest preceding symbol. You can use this format used to discover
5547 where (in what function) an unknown address is located:
5550 (@value{GDBP}) p/a 0x54320
5551 $3 = 0x54320 <_initialize_vx+396>
5555 The command @code{info symbol 0x54320} yields similar results.
5556 @xref{Symbols, info symbol}.
5559 Regard as an integer and print it as a character constant. This
5560 prints both the numerical value and its character representation. The
5561 character representation is replaced with the octal escape @samp{\nnn}
5562 for characters outside the 7-bit @sc{ascii} range.
5565 Regard the bits of the value as a floating point number and print
5566 using typical floating point syntax.
5569 For example, to print the program counter in hex (@pxref{Registers}), type
5576 Note that no space is required before the slash; this is because command
5577 names in @value{GDBN} cannot contain a slash.
5579 To reprint the last value in the value history with a different format,
5580 you can use the @code{print} command with just a format and no
5581 expression. For example, @samp{p/x} reprints the last value in hex.
5584 @section Examining memory
5586 You can use the command @code{x} (for ``examine'') to examine memory in
5587 any of several formats, independently of your program's data types.
5589 @cindex examining memory
5591 @kindex x @r{(examine memory)}
5592 @item x/@var{nfu} @var{addr}
5595 Use the @code{x} command to examine memory.
5598 @var{n}, @var{f}, and @var{u} are all optional parameters that specify how
5599 much memory to display and how to format it; @var{addr} is an
5600 expression giving the address where you want to start displaying memory.
5601 If you use defaults for @var{nfu}, you need not type the slash @samp{/}.
5602 Several commands set convenient defaults for @var{addr}.
5605 @item @var{n}, the repeat count
5606 The repeat count is a decimal integer; the default is 1. It specifies
5607 how much memory (counting by units @var{u}) to display.
5608 @c This really is **decimal**; unaffected by 'set radix' as of GDB
5611 @item @var{f}, the display format
5612 The display format is one of the formats used by @code{print}
5613 (@samp{x}, @samp{d}, @samp{u}, @samp{o}, @samp{t}, @samp{a}, @samp{c},
5614 @samp{f}), and in addition @samp{s} (for null-terminated strings) and
5615 @samp{i} (for machine instructions). The default is @samp{x}
5616 (hexadecimal) initially. The default changes each time you use either
5617 @code{x} or @code{print}.
5619 @item @var{u}, the unit size
5620 The unit size is any of
5626 Halfwords (two bytes).
5628 Words (four bytes). This is the initial default.
5630 Giant words (eight bytes).
5633 Each time you specify a unit size with @code{x}, that size becomes the
5634 default unit the next time you use @code{x}. (For the @samp{s} and
5635 @samp{i} formats, the unit size is ignored and is normally not written.)
5637 @item @var{addr}, starting display address
5638 @var{addr} is the address where you want @value{GDBN} to begin displaying
5639 memory. The expression need not have a pointer value (though it may);
5640 it is always interpreted as an integer address of a byte of memory.
5641 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information on expressions. The default for
5642 @var{addr} is usually just after the last address examined---but several
5643 other commands also set the default address: @code{info breakpoints} (to
5644 the address of the last breakpoint listed), @code{info line} (to the
5645 starting address of a line), and @code{print} (if you use it to display
5646 a value from memory).
5649 For example, @samp{x/3uh 0x54320} is a request to display three halfwords
5650 (@code{h}) of memory, formatted as unsigned decimal integers (@samp{u}),
5651 starting at address @code{0x54320}. @samp{x/4xw $sp} prints the four
5652 words (@samp{w}) of memory above the stack pointer (here, @samp{$sp};
5653 @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}) in hexadecimal (@samp{x}).
5655 Since the letters indicating unit sizes are all distinct from the
5656 letters specifying output formats, you do not have to remember whether
5657 unit size or format comes first; either order works. The output
5658 specifications @samp{4xw} and @samp{4wx} mean exactly the same thing.
5659 (However, the count @var{n} must come first; @samp{wx4} does not work.)
5661 Even though the unit size @var{u} is ignored for the formats @samp{s}
5662 and @samp{i}, you might still want to use a count @var{n}; for example,
5663 @samp{3i} specifies that you want to see three machine instructions,
5664 including any operands. The command @code{disassemble} gives an
5665 alternative way of inspecting machine instructions; see @ref{Machine
5666 Code,,Source and machine code}.
5668 All the defaults for the arguments to @code{x} are designed to make it
5669 easy to continue scanning memory with minimal specifications each time
5670 you use @code{x}. For example, after you have inspected three machine
5671 instructions with @samp{x/3i @var{addr}}, you can inspect the next seven
5672 with just @samp{x/7}. If you use @key{RET} to repeat the @code{x} command,
5673 the repeat count @var{n} is used again; the other arguments default as
5674 for successive uses of @code{x}.
5676 @cindex @code{$_}, @code{$__}, and value history
5677 The addresses and contents printed by the @code{x} command are not saved
5678 in the value history because there is often too much of them and they
5679 would get in the way. Instead, @value{GDBN} makes these values available for
5680 subsequent use in expressions as values of the convenience variables
5681 @code{$_} and @code{$__}. After an @code{x} command, the last address
5682 examined is available for use in expressions in the convenience variable
5683 @code{$_}. The contents of that address, as examined, are available in
5684 the convenience variable @code{$__}.
5686 If the @code{x} command has a repeat count, the address and contents saved
5687 are from the last memory unit printed; this is not the same as the last
5688 address printed if several units were printed on the last line of output.
5690 @cindex remote memory comparison
5691 @cindex verify remote memory image
5692 When you are debugging a program running on a remote target machine
5693 (@pxref{Remote}), you may wish to verify the program's image in the
5694 remote machine's memory against the executable file you downloaded to
5695 the target. The @code{compare-sections} command is provided for such
5699 @kindex compare-sections
5700 @item compare-sections @r{[}@var{section-name}@r{]}
5701 Compare the data of a loadable section @var{section-name} in the
5702 executable file of the program being debugged with the same section in
5703 the remote machine's memory, and report any mismatches. With no
5704 arguments, compares all loadable sections. This command's
5705 availability depends on the target's support for the @code{"qCRC"}
5710 @section Automatic display
5711 @cindex automatic display
5712 @cindex display of expressions
5714 If you find that you want to print the value of an expression frequently
5715 (to see how it changes), you might want to add it to the @dfn{automatic
5716 display list} so that @value{GDBN} prints its value each time your program stops.
5717 Each expression added to the list is given a number to identify it;
5718 to remove an expression from the list, you specify that number.
5719 The automatic display looks like this:
5723 3: bar[5] = (struct hack *) 0x3804
5727 This display shows item numbers, expressions and their current values. As with
5728 displays you request manually using @code{x} or @code{print}, you can
5729 specify the output format you prefer; in fact, @code{display} decides
5730 whether to use @code{print} or @code{x} depending on how elaborate your
5731 format specification is---it uses @code{x} if you specify a unit size,
5732 or one of the two formats (@samp{i} and @samp{s}) that are only
5733 supported by @code{x}; otherwise it uses @code{print}.
5737 @item display @var{expr}
5738 Add the expression @var{expr} to the list of expressions to display
5739 each time your program stops. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
5741 @code{display} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
5743 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{expr}
5744 For @var{fmt} specifying only a display format and not a size or
5745 count, add the expression @var{expr} to the auto-display list but
5746 arrange to display it each time in the specified format @var{fmt}.
5747 @xref{Output Formats,,Output formats}.
5749 @item display/@var{fmt} @var{addr}
5750 For @var{fmt} @samp{i} or @samp{s}, or including a unit-size or a
5751 number of units, add the expression @var{addr} as a memory address to
5752 be examined each time your program stops. Examining means in effect
5753 doing @samp{x/@var{fmt} @var{addr}}. @xref{Memory, ,Examining memory}.
5756 For example, @samp{display/i $pc} can be helpful, to see the machine
5757 instruction about to be executed each time execution stops (@samp{$pc}
5758 is a common name for the program counter; @pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
5761 @kindex delete display
5763 @item undisplay @var{dnums}@dots{}
5764 @itemx delete display @var{dnums}@dots{}
5765 Remove item numbers @var{dnums} from the list of expressions to display.
5767 @code{undisplay} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
5768 (Otherwise you would just get the error @samp{No display number @dots{}}.)
5770 @kindex disable display
5771 @item disable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
5772 Disable the display of item numbers @var{dnums}. A disabled display
5773 item is not printed automatically, but is not forgotten. It may be
5774 enabled again later.
5776 @kindex enable display
5777 @item enable display @var{dnums}@dots{}
5778 Enable display of item numbers @var{dnums}. It becomes effective once
5779 again in auto display of its expression, until you specify otherwise.
5782 Display the current values of the expressions on the list, just as is
5783 done when your program stops.
5785 @kindex info display
5787 Print the list of expressions previously set up to display
5788 automatically, each one with its item number, but without showing the
5789 values. This includes disabled expressions, which are marked as such.
5790 It also includes expressions which would not be displayed right now
5791 because they refer to automatic variables not currently available.
5794 @cindex display disabled out of scope
5795 If a display expression refers to local variables, then it does not make
5796 sense outside the lexical context for which it was set up. Such an
5797 expression is disabled when execution enters a context where one of its
5798 variables is not defined. For example, if you give the command
5799 @code{display last_char} while inside a function with an argument
5800 @code{last_char}, @value{GDBN} displays this argument while your program
5801 continues to stop inside that function. When it stops elsewhere---where
5802 there is no variable @code{last_char}---the display is disabled
5803 automatically. The next time your program stops where @code{last_char}
5804 is meaningful, you can enable the display expression once again.
5806 @node Print Settings
5807 @section Print settings
5809 @cindex format options
5810 @cindex print settings
5811 @value{GDBN} provides the following ways to control how arrays, structures,
5812 and symbols are printed.
5815 These settings are useful for debugging programs in any language:
5819 @item set print address
5820 @itemx set print address on
5821 @cindex print/don't print memory addresses
5822 @value{GDBN} prints memory addresses showing the location of stack
5823 traces, structure values, pointer values, breakpoints, and so forth,
5824 even when it also displays the contents of those addresses. The default
5825 is @code{on}. For example, this is what a stack frame display looks like with
5826 @code{set print address on}:
5831 #0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<<", rq=0x34c88 ">>")
5833 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
5837 @item set print address off
5838 Do not print addresses when displaying their contents. For example,
5839 this is the same stack frame displayed with @code{set print address off}:
5843 (@value{GDBP}) set print addr off
5845 #0 set_quotes (lq="<<", rq=">>") at input.c:530
5846 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
5850 You can use @samp{set print address off} to eliminate all machine
5851 dependent displays from the @value{GDBN} interface. For example, with
5852 @code{print address off}, you should get the same text for backtraces on
5853 all machines---whether or not they involve pointer arguments.
5856 @item show print address
5857 Show whether or not addresses are to be printed.
5860 When @value{GDBN} prints a symbolic address, it normally prints the
5861 closest earlier symbol plus an offset. If that symbol does not uniquely
5862 identify the address (for example, it is a name whose scope is a single
5863 source file), you may need to clarify. One way to do this is with
5864 @code{info line}, for example @samp{info line *0x4537}. Alternately,
5865 you can set @value{GDBN} to print the source file and line number when
5866 it prints a symbolic address:
5869 @item set print symbol-filename on
5870 @cindex source file and line of a symbol
5871 @cindex symbol, source file and line
5872 Tell @value{GDBN} to print the source file name and line number of a
5873 symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
5875 @item set print symbol-filename off
5876 Do not print source file name and line number of a symbol. This is the
5879 @item show print symbol-filename
5880 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} will print the source file name and
5881 line number of a symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
5884 Another situation where it is helpful to show symbol filenames and line
5885 numbers is when disassembling code; @value{GDBN} shows you the line
5886 number and source file that corresponds to each instruction.
5888 Also, you may wish to see the symbolic form only if the address being
5889 printed is reasonably close to the closest earlier symbol:
5892 @item set print max-symbolic-offset @var{max-offset}
5893 @cindex maximum value for offset of closest symbol
5894 Tell @value{GDBN} to only display the symbolic form of an address if the
5895 offset between the closest earlier symbol and the address is less than
5896 @var{max-offset}. The default is 0, which tells @value{GDBN}
5897 to always print the symbolic form of an address if any symbol precedes it.
5899 @item show print max-symbolic-offset
5900 Ask how large the maximum offset is that @value{GDBN} prints in a
5904 @cindex wild pointer, interpreting
5905 @cindex pointer, finding referent
5906 If you have a pointer and you are not sure where it points, try
5907 @samp{set print symbol-filename on}. Then you can determine the name
5908 and source file location of the variable where it points, using
5909 @samp{p/a @var{pointer}}. This interprets the address in symbolic form.
5910 For example, here @value{GDBN} shows that a variable @code{ptt} points
5911 at another variable @code{t}, defined in @file{hi2.c}:
5914 (@value{GDBP}) set print symbol-filename on
5915 (@value{GDBP}) p/a ptt
5916 $4 = 0xe008 <t in hi2.c>
5920 @emph{Warning:} For pointers that point to a local variable, @samp{p/a}
5921 does not show the symbol name and filename of the referent, even with
5922 the appropriate @code{set print} options turned on.
5925 Other settings control how different kinds of objects are printed:
5928 @item set print array
5929 @itemx set print array on
5930 @cindex pretty print arrays
5931 Pretty print arrays. This format is more convenient to read,
5932 but uses more space. The default is off.
5934 @item set print array off
5935 Return to compressed format for arrays.
5937 @item show print array
5938 Show whether compressed or pretty format is selected for displaying
5941 @cindex print array indexes
5942 @item set print array-indexes
5943 @itemx set print array-indexes on
5944 Print the index of each element when displaying arrays. May be more
5945 convenient to locate a given element in the array or quickly find the
5946 index of a given element in that printed array. The default is off.
5948 @item set print array-indexes off
5949 Stop printing element indexes when displaying arrays.
5951 @item show print array-indexes
5952 Show whether the index of each element is printed when displaying
5955 @item set print elements @var{number-of-elements}
5956 @cindex number of array elements to print
5957 @cindex limit on number of printed array elements
5958 Set a limit on how many elements of an array @value{GDBN} will print.
5959 If @value{GDBN} is printing a large array, it stops printing after it has
5960 printed the number of elements set by the @code{set print elements} command.
5961 This limit also applies to the display of strings.
5962 When @value{GDBN} starts, this limit is set to 200.
5963 Setting @var{number-of-elements} to zero means that the printing is unlimited.
5965 @item show print elements
5966 Display the number of elements of a large array that @value{GDBN} will print.
5967 If the number is 0, then the printing is unlimited.
5969 @item set print repeats
5970 @cindex repeated array elements
5971 Set the threshold for suppressing display of repeated array
5972 elelments. When the number of consecutive identical elements of an
5973 array exceeds the threshold, @value{GDBN} prints the string
5974 @code{"<repeats @var{n} times>"}, where @var{n} is the number of
5975 identical repetitions, instead of displaying the identical elements
5976 themselves. Setting the threshold to zero will cause all elements to
5977 be individually printed. The default threshold is 10.
5979 @item show print repeats
5980 Display the current threshold for printing repeated identical
5983 @item set print null-stop
5984 @cindex @sc{null} elements in arrays
5985 Cause @value{GDBN} to stop printing the characters of an array when the first
5986 @sc{null} is encountered. This is useful when large arrays actually
5987 contain only short strings.
5990 @item show print null-stop
5991 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops printing an array on the first
5992 @sc{null} character.
5994 @item set print pretty on
5995 @cindex print structures in indented form
5996 @cindex indentation in structure display
5997 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in an indented format with one member
5998 per line, like this:
6013 @item set print pretty off
6014 Cause @value{GDBN} to print structures in a compact format, like this:
6018 $1 = @{next = 0x0, flags = @{sweet = 1, sour = 1@}, \
6019 meat = 0x54 "Pork"@}
6024 This is the default format.
6026 @item show print pretty
6027 Show which format @value{GDBN} is using to print structures.
6029 @item set print sevenbit-strings on
6030 @cindex eight-bit characters in strings
6031 @cindex octal escapes in strings
6032 Print using only seven-bit characters; if this option is set,
6033 @value{GDBN} displays any eight-bit characters (in strings or
6034 character values) using the notation @code{\}@var{nnn}. This setting is
6035 best if you are working in English (@sc{ascii}) and you use the
6036 high-order bit of characters as a marker or ``meta'' bit.
6038 @item set print sevenbit-strings off
6039 Print full eight-bit characters. This allows the use of more
6040 international character sets, and is the default.
6042 @item show print sevenbit-strings
6043 Show whether or not @value{GDBN} is printing only seven-bit characters.
6045 @item set print union on
6046 @cindex unions in structures, printing
6047 Tell @value{GDBN} to print unions which are contained in structures
6048 and other unions. This is the default setting.
6050 @item set print union off
6051 Tell @value{GDBN} not to print unions which are contained in
6052 structures and other unions. @value{GDBN} will print @code{"@{...@}"}
6055 @item show print union
6056 Ask @value{GDBN} whether or not it will print unions which are contained in
6057 structures and other unions.
6059 For example, given the declarations
6062 typedef enum @{Tree, Bug@} Species;
6063 typedef enum @{Big_tree, Acorn, Seedling@} Tree_forms;
6064 typedef enum @{Caterpillar, Cocoon, Butterfly@}
6075 struct thing foo = @{Tree, @{Acorn@}@};
6079 with @code{set print union on} in effect @samp{p foo} would print
6082 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{tree = Acorn, bug = Cocoon@}@}
6086 and with @code{set print union off} in effect it would print
6089 $1 = @{it = Tree, form = @{...@}@}
6093 @code{set print union} affects programs written in C-like languages
6099 These settings are of interest when debugging C@t{++} programs:
6102 @cindex demangling C@t{++} names
6103 @item set print demangle
6104 @itemx set print demangle on
6105 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than in the encoded
6106 (``mangled'') form passed to the assembler and linker for type-safe
6107 linkage. The default is on.
6109 @item show print demangle
6110 Show whether C@t{++} names are printed in mangled or demangled form.
6112 @item set print asm-demangle
6113 @itemx set print asm-demangle on
6114 Print C@t{++} names in their source form rather than their mangled form, even
6115 in assembler code printouts such as instruction disassemblies.
6118 @item show print asm-demangle
6119 Show whether C@t{++} names in assembly listings are printed in mangled
6122 @cindex C@t{++} symbol decoding style
6123 @cindex symbol decoding style, C@t{++}
6124 @kindex set demangle-style
6125 @item set demangle-style @var{style}
6126 Choose among several encoding schemes used by different compilers to
6127 represent C@t{++} names. The choices for @var{style} are currently:
6131 Allow @value{GDBN} to choose a decoding style by inspecting your program.
6134 Decode based on the @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler (@code{g++}) encoding algorithm.
6135 This is the default.
6138 Decode based on the HP ANSI C@t{++} (@code{aCC}) encoding algorithm.
6141 Decode based on the Lucid C@t{++} compiler (@code{lcc}) encoding algorithm.
6144 Decode using the algorithm in the @cite{C@t{++} Annotated Reference Manual}.
6145 @strong{Warning:} this setting alone is not sufficient to allow
6146 debugging @code{cfront}-generated executables. @value{GDBN} would
6147 require further enhancement to permit that.
6150 If you omit @var{style}, you will see a list of possible formats.
6152 @item show demangle-style
6153 Display the encoding style currently in use for decoding C@t{++} symbols.
6155 @item set print object
6156 @itemx set print object on
6157 @cindex derived type of an object, printing
6158 @cindex display derived types
6159 When displaying a pointer to an object, identify the @emph{actual}
6160 (derived) type of the object rather than the @emph{declared} type, using
6161 the virtual function table.
6163 @item set print object off
6164 Display only the declared type of objects, without reference to the
6165 virtual function table. This is the default setting.
6167 @item show print object
6168 Show whether actual, or declared, object types are displayed.
6170 @item set print static-members
6171 @itemx set print static-members on
6172 @cindex static members of C@t{++} objects
6173 Print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object. The default is on.
6175 @item set print static-members off
6176 Do not print static members when displaying a C@t{++} object.
6178 @item show print static-members
6179 Show whether C@t{++} static members are printed or not.
6181 @item set print pascal_static-members
6182 @itemx set print pascal_static-members on
6183 @cindex static members of Pacal objects
6184 @cindex Pacal objects, static members display
6185 Print static members when displaying a Pascal object. The default is on.
6187 @item set print pascal_static-members off
6188 Do not print static members when displaying a Pascal object.
6190 @item show print pascal_static-members
6191 Show whether Pascal static members are printed or not.
6193 @c These don't work with HP ANSI C++ yet.
6194 @item set print vtbl
6195 @itemx set print vtbl on
6196 @cindex pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables
6197 @cindex virtual functions (C@t{++}) display
6198 @cindex VTBL display
6199 Pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables. The default is off.
6200 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
6201 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
6203 @item set print vtbl off
6204 Do not pretty print C@t{++} virtual function tables.
6206 @item show print vtbl
6207 Show whether C@t{++} virtual function tables are pretty printed, or not.
6211 @section Value history
6213 @cindex value history
6214 @cindex history of values printed by @value{GDBN}
6215 Values printed by the @code{print} command are saved in the @value{GDBN}
6216 @dfn{value history}. This allows you to refer to them in other expressions.
6217 Values are kept until the symbol table is re-read or discarded
6218 (for example with the @code{file} or @code{symbol-file} commands).
6219 When the symbol table changes, the value history is discarded,
6220 since the values may contain pointers back to the types defined in the
6225 @cindex history number
6226 The values printed are given @dfn{history numbers} by which you can
6227 refer to them. These are successive integers starting with one.
6228 @code{print} shows you the history number assigned to a value by
6229 printing @samp{$@var{num} = } before the value; here @var{num} is the
6232 To refer to any previous value, use @samp{$} followed by the value's
6233 history number. The way @code{print} labels its output is designed to
6234 remind you of this. Just @code{$} refers to the most recent value in
6235 the history, and @code{$$} refers to the value before that.
6236 @code{$$@var{n}} refers to the @var{n}th value from the end; @code{$$2}
6237 is the value just prior to @code{$$}, @code{$$1} is equivalent to
6238 @code{$$}, and @code{$$0} is equivalent to @code{$}.
6240 For example, suppose you have just printed a pointer to a structure and
6241 want to see the contents of the structure. It suffices to type
6247 If you have a chain of structures where the component @code{next} points
6248 to the next one, you can print the contents of the next one with this:
6255 You can print successive links in the chain by repeating this
6256 command---which you can do by just typing @key{RET}.
6258 Note that the history records values, not expressions. If the value of
6259 @code{x} is 4 and you type these commands:
6267 then the value recorded in the value history by the @code{print} command
6268 remains 4 even though the value of @code{x} has changed.
6273 Print the last ten values in the value history, with their item numbers.
6274 This is like @samp{p@ $$9} repeated ten times, except that @code{show
6275 values} does not change the history.
6277 @item show values @var{n}
6278 Print ten history values centered on history item number @var{n}.
6281 Print ten history values just after the values last printed. If no more
6282 values are available, @code{show values +} produces no display.
6285 Pressing @key{RET} to repeat @code{show values @var{n}} has exactly the
6286 same effect as @samp{show values +}.
6288 @node Convenience Vars
6289 @section Convenience variables
6291 @cindex convenience variables
6292 @cindex user-defined variables
6293 @value{GDBN} provides @dfn{convenience variables} that you can use within
6294 @value{GDBN} to hold on to a value and refer to it later. These variables
6295 exist entirely within @value{GDBN}; they are not part of your program, and
6296 setting a convenience variable has no direct effect on further execution
6297 of your program. That is why you can use them freely.
6299 Convenience variables are prefixed with @samp{$}. Any name preceded by
6300 @samp{$} can be used for a convenience variable, unless it is one of
6301 the predefined machine-specific register names (@pxref{Registers, ,Registers}).
6302 (Value history references, in contrast, are @emph{numbers} preceded
6303 by @samp{$}. @xref{Value History, ,Value history}.)
6305 You can save a value in a convenience variable with an assignment
6306 expression, just as you would set a variable in your program.
6310 set $foo = *object_ptr
6314 would save in @code{$foo} the value contained in the object pointed to by
6317 Using a convenience variable for the first time creates it, but its
6318 value is @code{void} until you assign a new value. You can alter the
6319 value with another assignment at any time.
6321 Convenience variables have no fixed types. You can assign a convenience
6322 variable any type of value, including structures and arrays, even if
6323 that variable already has a value of a different type. The convenience
6324 variable, when used as an expression, has the type of its current value.
6327 @kindex show convenience
6328 @cindex show all user variables
6329 @item show convenience
6330 Print a list of convenience variables used so far, and their values.
6331 Abbreviated @code{show conv}.
6333 @kindex init-if-undefined
6334 @cindex convenience variables, initializing
6335 @item init-if-undefined $@var{variable} = @var{expression}
6336 Set a convenience variable if it has not already been set. This is useful
6337 for user-defined commands that keep some state. It is similar, in concept,
6338 to using local static variables with initializers in C (except that
6339 convenience variables are global). It can also be used to allow users to
6340 override default values used in a command script.
6342 If the variable is already defined then the expression is not evaluated so
6343 any side-effects do not occur.
6346 One of the ways to use a convenience variable is as a counter to be
6347 incremented or a pointer to be advanced. For example, to print
6348 a field from successive elements of an array of structures:
6352 print bar[$i++]->contents
6356 Repeat that command by typing @key{RET}.
6358 Some convenience variables are created automatically by @value{GDBN} and given
6359 values likely to be useful.
6362 @vindex $_@r{, convenience variable}
6364 The variable @code{$_} is automatically set by the @code{x} command to
6365 the last address examined (@pxref{Memory, ,Examining memory}). Other
6366 commands which provide a default address for @code{x} to examine also
6367 set @code{$_} to that address; these commands include @code{info line}
6368 and @code{info breakpoint}. The type of @code{$_} is @code{void *}
6369 except when set by the @code{x} command, in which case it is a pointer
6370 to the type of @code{$__}.
6372 @vindex $__@r{, convenience variable}
6374 The variable @code{$__} is automatically set by the @code{x} command
6375 to the value found in the last address examined. Its type is chosen
6376 to match the format in which the data was printed.
6379 @vindex $_exitcode@r{, convenience variable}
6380 The variable @code{$_exitcode} is automatically set to the exit code when
6381 the program being debugged terminates.
6384 On HP-UX systems, if you refer to a function or variable name that
6385 begins with a dollar sign, @value{GDBN} searches for a user or system
6386 name first, before it searches for a convenience variable.
6392 You can refer to machine register contents, in expressions, as variables
6393 with names starting with @samp{$}. The names of registers are different
6394 for each machine; use @code{info registers} to see the names used on
6398 @kindex info registers
6399 @item info registers
6400 Print the names and values of all registers except floating-point
6401 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
6403 @kindex info all-registers
6404 @cindex floating point registers
6405 @item info all-registers
6406 Print the names and values of all registers, including floating-point
6407 and vector registers (in the selected stack frame).
6409 @item info registers @var{regname} @dots{}
6410 Print the @dfn{relativized} value of each specified register @var{regname}.
6411 As discussed in detail below, register values are normally relative to
6412 the selected stack frame. @var{regname} may be any register name valid on
6413 the machine you are using, with or without the initial @samp{$}.
6416 @cindex stack pointer register
6417 @cindex program counter register
6418 @cindex process status register
6419 @cindex frame pointer register
6420 @cindex standard registers
6421 @value{GDBN} has four ``standard'' register names that are available (in
6422 expressions) on most machines---whenever they do not conflict with an
6423 architecture's canonical mnemonics for registers. The register names
6424 @code{$pc} and @code{$sp} are used for the program counter register and
6425 the stack pointer. @code{$fp} is used for a register that contains a
6426 pointer to the current stack frame, and @code{$ps} is used for a
6427 register that contains the processor status. For example,
6428 you could print the program counter in hex with
6435 or print the instruction to be executed next with
6442 or add four to the stack pointer@footnote{This is a way of removing
6443 one word from the stack, on machines where stacks grow downward in
6444 memory (most machines, nowadays). This assumes that the innermost
6445 stack frame is selected; setting @code{$sp} is not allowed when other
6446 stack frames are selected. To pop entire frames off the stack,
6447 regardless of machine architecture, use @code{return};
6448 see @ref{Returning, ,Returning from a function}.} with
6454 Whenever possible, these four standard register names are available on
6455 your machine even though the machine has different canonical mnemonics,
6456 so long as there is no conflict. The @code{info registers} command
6457 shows the canonical names. For example, on the SPARC, @code{info
6458 registers} displays the processor status register as @code{$psr} but you
6459 can also refer to it as @code{$ps}; and on x86-based machines @code{$ps}
6460 is an alias for the @sc{eflags} register.
6462 @value{GDBN} always considers the contents of an ordinary register as an
6463 integer when the register is examined in this way. Some machines have
6464 special registers which can hold nothing but floating point; these
6465 registers are considered to have floating point values. There is no way
6466 to refer to the contents of an ordinary register as floating point value
6467 (although you can @emph{print} it as a floating point value with
6468 @samp{print/f $@var{regname}}).
6470 Some registers have distinct ``raw'' and ``virtual'' data formats. This
6471 means that the data format in which the register contents are saved by
6472 the operating system is not the same one that your program normally
6473 sees. For example, the registers of the 68881 floating point
6474 coprocessor are always saved in ``extended'' (raw) format, but all C
6475 programs expect to work with ``double'' (virtual) format. In such
6476 cases, @value{GDBN} normally works with the virtual format only (the format
6477 that makes sense for your program), but the @code{info registers} command
6478 prints the data in both formats.
6480 @cindex SSE registers (x86)
6481 @cindex MMX registers (x86)
6482 Some machines have special registers whose contents can be interpreted
6483 in several different ways. For example, modern x86-based machines
6484 have SSE and MMX registers that can hold several values packed
6485 together in several different formats. @value{GDBN} refers to such
6486 registers in @code{struct} notation:
6489 (@value{GDBP}) print $xmm1
6491 v4_float = @{0, 3.43859137e-038, 1.54142831e-044, 1.821688e-044@},
6492 v2_double = @{9.92129282474342e-303, 2.7585945287983262e-313@},
6493 v16_int8 = "\000\000\000\000\3706;\001\v\000\000\000\r\000\000",
6494 v8_int16 = @{0, 0, 14072, 315, 11, 0, 13, 0@},
6495 v4_int32 = @{0, 20657912, 11, 13@},
6496 v2_int64 = @{88725056443645952, 55834574859@},
6497 uint128 = 0x0000000d0000000b013b36f800000000
6502 To set values of such registers, you need to tell @value{GDBN} which
6503 view of the register you wish to change, as if you were assigning
6504 value to a @code{struct} member:
6507 (@value{GDBP}) set $xmm1.uint128 = 0x000000000000000000000000FFFFFFFF
6510 Normally, register values are relative to the selected stack frame
6511 (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a frame}). This means that you get the
6512 value that the register would contain if all stack frames farther in
6513 were exited and their saved registers restored. In order to see the
6514 true contents of hardware registers, you must select the innermost
6515 frame (with @samp{frame 0}).
6517 However, @value{GDBN} must deduce where registers are saved, from the machine
6518 code generated by your compiler. If some registers are not saved, or if
6519 @value{GDBN} is unable to locate the saved registers, the selected stack
6520 frame makes no difference.
6522 @node Floating Point Hardware
6523 @section Floating point hardware
6524 @cindex floating point
6526 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give
6527 you more information about the status of the floating point hardware.
6532 Display hardware-dependent information about the floating
6533 point unit. The exact contents and layout vary depending on the
6534 floating point chip. Currently, @samp{info float} is supported on
6535 the ARM and x86 machines.
6539 @section Vector Unit
6542 Depending on the configuration, @value{GDBN} may be able to give you
6543 more information about the status of the vector unit.
6548 Display information about the vector unit. The exact contents and
6549 layout vary depending on the hardware.
6552 @node OS Information
6553 @section Operating system auxiliary information
6554 @cindex OS information
6556 @value{GDBN} provides interfaces to useful OS facilities that can help
6557 you debug your program.
6559 @cindex @code{ptrace} system call
6560 @cindex @code{struct user} contents
6561 When @value{GDBN} runs on a @dfn{Posix system} (such as GNU or Unix
6562 machines), it interfaces with the inferior via the @code{ptrace}
6563 system call. The operating system creates a special sata structure,
6564 called @code{struct user}, for this interface. You can use the
6565 command @code{info udot} to display the contents of this data
6571 Display the contents of the @code{struct user} maintained by the OS
6572 kernel for the program being debugged. @value{GDBN} displays the
6573 contents of @code{struct user} as a list of hex numbers, similar to
6574 the @code{examine} command.
6577 @cindex auxiliary vector
6578 @cindex vector, auxiliary
6579 Some operating systems supply an @dfn{auxiliary vector} to programs at
6580 startup. This is akin to the arguments and environment that you
6581 specify for a program, but contains a system-dependent variety of
6582 binary values that tell system libraries important details about the
6583 hardware, operating system, and process. Each value's purpose is
6584 identified by an integer tag; the meanings are well-known but system-specific.
6585 Depending on the configuration and operating system facilities,
6586 @value{GDBN} may be able to show you this information. For remote
6587 targets, this functionality may further depend on the remote stub's
6588 support of the @samp{qPart:auxv:read} packet, see @ref{Remote
6589 configuration, auxiliary vector}.
6594 Display the auxiliary vector of the inferior, which can be either a
6595 live process or a core dump file. @value{GDBN} prints each tag value
6596 numerically, and also shows names and text descriptions for recognized
6597 tags. Some values in the vector are numbers, some bit masks, and some
6598 pointers to strings or other data. @value{GDBN} displays each value in the
6599 most appropriate form for a recognized tag, and in hexadecimal for
6600 an unrecognized tag.
6604 @node Memory Region Attributes
6605 @section Memory region attributes
6606 @cindex memory region attributes
6608 @dfn{Memory region attributes} allow you to describe special handling
6609 required by regions of your target's memory. @value{GDBN} uses attributes
6610 to determine whether to allow certain types of memory accesses; whether to
6611 use specific width accesses; and whether to cache target memory.
6613 Defined memory regions can be individually enabled and disabled. When a
6614 memory region is disabled, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when
6615 accessing memory in that region. Similarly, if no memory regions have
6616 been defined, @value{GDBN} uses the default attributes when accessing
6619 When a memory region is defined, it is given a number to identify it;
6620 to enable, disable, or remove a memory region, you specify that number.
6624 @item mem @var{lower} @var{upper} @var{attributes}@dots{}
6625 Define a memory region bounded by @var{lower} and @var{upper} with
6626 attributes @var{attributes}@dots{}, and add it to the list of regions
6627 monitored by @value{GDBN}. Note that @var{upper} == 0 is a special
6628 case: it is treated as the the target's maximum memory address.
6629 (0xffff on 16 bit targets, 0xffffffff on 32 bit targets, etc.)
6632 @item delete mem @var{nums}@dots{}
6633 Remove memory regions @var{nums}@dots{} from the list of regions
6634 monitored by @value{GDBN}.
6637 @item disable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
6638 Disable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
6639 A disabled memory region is not forgotten.
6640 It may be enabled again later.
6643 @item enable mem @var{nums}@dots{}
6644 Enable monitoring of memory regions @var{nums}@dots{}.
6648 Print a table of all defined memory regions, with the following columns
6652 @item Memory Region Number
6653 @item Enabled or Disabled.
6654 Enabled memory regions are marked with @samp{y}.
6655 Disabled memory regions are marked with @samp{n}.
6658 The address defining the inclusive lower bound of the memory region.
6661 The address defining the exclusive upper bound of the memory region.
6664 The list of attributes set for this memory region.
6669 @subsection Attributes
6671 @subsubsection Memory Access Mode
6672 The access mode attributes set whether @value{GDBN} may make read or
6673 write accesses to a memory region.
6675 While these attributes prevent @value{GDBN} from performing invalid
6676 memory accesses, they do nothing to prevent the target system, I/O DMA,
6677 etc.@: from accessing memory.
6681 Memory is read only.
6683 Memory is write only.
6685 Memory is read/write. This is the default.
6688 @subsubsection Memory Access Size
6689 The acccess size attributes tells @value{GDBN} to use specific sized
6690 accesses in the memory region. Often memory mapped device registers
6691 require specific sized accesses. If no access size attribute is
6692 specified, @value{GDBN} may use accesses of any size.
6696 Use 8 bit memory accesses.
6698 Use 16 bit memory accesses.
6700 Use 32 bit memory accesses.
6702 Use 64 bit memory accesses.
6705 @c @subsubsection Hardware/Software Breakpoints
6706 @c The hardware/software breakpoint attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
6707 @c will use hardware or software breakpoints for the internal breakpoints
6708 @c used by the step, next, finish, until, etc. commands.
6712 @c Always use hardware breakpoints
6713 @c @item swbreak (default)
6716 @subsubsection Data Cache
6717 The data cache attributes set whether @value{GDBN} will cache target
6718 memory. While this generally improves performance by reducing debug
6719 protocol overhead, it can lead to incorrect results because @value{GDBN}
6720 does not know about volatile variables or memory mapped device
6725 Enable @value{GDBN} to cache target memory.
6727 Disable @value{GDBN} from caching target memory. This is the default.
6730 @c @subsubsection Memory Write Verification
6731 @c The memory write verification attributes set whether @value{GDBN}
6732 @c will re-reads data after each write to verify the write was successful.
6736 @c @item noverify (default)
6739 @node Dump/Restore Files
6740 @section Copy between memory and a file
6741 @cindex dump/restore files
6742 @cindex append data to a file
6743 @cindex dump data to a file
6744 @cindex restore data from a file
6746 You can use the commands @code{dump}, @code{append}, and
6747 @code{restore} to copy data between target memory and a file. The
6748 @code{dump} and @code{append} commands write data to a file, and the
6749 @code{restore} command reads data from a file back into the inferior's
6750 memory. Files may be in binary, Motorola S-record, Intel hex, or
6751 Tektronix Hex format; however, @value{GDBN} can only append to binary
6757 @item dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
6758 @itemx dump @r{[}@var{format}@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
6759 Dump the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
6760 or the value of @var{expr}, to @var{filename} in the given format.
6762 The @var{format} parameter may be any one of:
6769 Motorola S-record format.
6771 Tektronix Hex format.
6774 @value{GDBN} uses the same definitions of these formats as the
6775 @sc{gnu} binary utilities, like @samp{objdump} and @samp{objcopy}. If
6776 @var{format} is omitted, @value{GDBN} dumps the data in raw binary
6780 @item append @r{[}binary@r{]} memory @var{filename} @var{start_addr} @var{end_addr}
6781 @itemx append @r{[}binary@r{]} value @var{filename} @var{expr}
6782 Append the contents of memory from @var{start_addr} to @var{end_addr},
6783 or the value of @var{expr}, to the file @var{filename}, in raw binary form.
6784 (@value{GDBN} can only append data to files in raw binary form.)
6787 @item restore @var{filename} @r{[}binary@r{]} @var{bias} @var{start} @var{end}
6788 Restore the contents of file @var{filename} into memory. The
6789 @code{restore} command can automatically recognize any known @sc{bfd}
6790 file format, except for raw binary. To restore a raw binary file you
6791 must specify the optional keyword @code{binary} after the filename.
6793 If @var{bias} is non-zero, its value will be added to the addresses
6794 contained in the file. Binary files always start at address zero, so
6795 they will be restored at address @var{bias}. Other bfd files have
6796 a built-in location; they will be restored at offset @var{bias}
6799 If @var{start} and/or @var{end} are non-zero, then only data between
6800 file offset @var{start} and file offset @var{end} will be restored.
6801 These offsets are relative to the addresses in the file, before
6802 the @var{bias} argument is applied.
6806 @node Core File Generation
6807 @section How to Produce a Core File from Your Program
6808 @cindex dump core from inferior
6810 A @dfn{core file} or @dfn{core dump} is a file that records the memory
6811 image of a running process and its process status (register values
6812 etc.). Its primary use is post-mortem debugging of a program that
6813 crashed while it ran outside a debugger. A program that crashes
6814 automatically produces a core file, unless this feature is disabled by
6815 the user. @xref{Files}, for information on invoking @value{GDBN} in
6816 the post-mortem debugging mode.
6818 Occasionally, you may wish to produce a core file of the program you
6819 are debugging in order to preserve a snapshot of its state.
6820 @value{GDBN} has a special command for that.
6824 @kindex generate-core-file
6825 @item generate-core-file [@var{file}]
6826 @itemx gcore [@var{file}]
6827 Produce a core dump of the inferior process. The optional argument
6828 @var{file} specifies the file name where to put the core dump. If not
6829 specified, the file name defaults to @file{core.@var{pid}}, where
6830 @var{pid} is the inferior process ID.
6832 Note that this command is implemented only for some systems (as of
6833 this writing, @sc{gnu}/Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, Unixware, and S390).
6836 @node Character Sets
6837 @section Character Sets
6838 @cindex character sets
6840 @cindex translating between character sets
6841 @cindex host character set
6842 @cindex target character set
6844 If the program you are debugging uses a different character set to
6845 represent characters and strings than the one @value{GDBN} uses itself,
6846 @value{GDBN} can automatically translate between the character sets for
6847 you. The character set @value{GDBN} uses we call the @dfn{host
6848 character set}; the one the inferior program uses we call the
6849 @dfn{target character set}.
6851 For example, if you are running @value{GDBN} on a @sc{gnu}/Linux system, which
6852 uses the ISO Latin 1 character set, but you are using @value{GDBN}'s
6853 remote protocol (@pxref{Remote,Remote Debugging}) to debug a program
6854 running on an IBM mainframe, which uses the @sc{ebcdic} character set,
6855 then the host character set is Latin-1, and the target character set is
6856 @sc{ebcdic}. If you give @value{GDBN} the command @code{set
6857 target-charset EBCDIC-US}, then @value{GDBN} translates between
6858 @sc{ebcdic} and Latin 1 as you print character or string values, or use
6859 character and string literals in expressions.
6861 @value{GDBN} has no way to automatically recognize which character set
6862 the inferior program uses; you must tell it, using the @code{set
6863 target-charset} command, described below.
6865 Here are the commands for controlling @value{GDBN}'s character set
6869 @item set target-charset @var{charset}
6870 @kindex set target-charset
6871 Set the current target character set to @var{charset}. We list the
6872 character set names @value{GDBN} recognizes below, but if you type
6873 @code{set target-charset} followed by @key{TAB}@key{TAB}, @value{GDBN} will
6874 list the target character sets it supports.
6878 @item set host-charset @var{charset}
6879 @kindex set host-charset
6880 Set the current host character set to @var{charset}.
6882 By default, @value{GDBN} uses a host character set appropriate to the
6883 system it is running on; you can override that default using the
6884 @code{set host-charset} command.
6886 @value{GDBN} can only use certain character sets as its host character
6887 set. We list the character set names @value{GDBN} recognizes below, and
6888 indicate which can be host character sets, but if you type
6889 @code{set target-charset} followed by @key{TAB}@key{TAB}, @value{GDBN} will
6890 list the host character sets it supports.
6892 @item set charset @var{charset}
6894 Set the current host and target character sets to @var{charset}. As
6895 above, if you type @code{set charset} followed by @key{TAB}@key{TAB},
6896 @value{GDBN} will list the name of the character sets that can be used
6897 for both host and target.
6901 @kindex show charset
6902 Show the names of the current host and target charsets.
6904 @itemx show host-charset
6905 @kindex show host-charset
6906 Show the name of the current host charset.
6908 @itemx show target-charset
6909 @kindex show target-charset
6910 Show the name of the current target charset.
6914 @value{GDBN} currently includes support for the following character
6920 @cindex ASCII character set
6921 Seven-bit U.S. @sc{ascii}. @value{GDBN} can use this as its host
6925 @cindex ISO 8859-1 character set
6926 @cindex ISO Latin 1 character set
6927 The ISO Latin 1 character set. This extends @sc{ascii} with accented
6928 characters needed for French, German, and Spanish. @value{GDBN} can use
6929 this as its host character set.
6933 @cindex EBCDIC character set
6934 @cindex IBM1047 character set
6935 Variants of the @sc{ebcdic} character set, used on some of IBM's
6936 mainframe operating systems. (@sc{gnu}/Linux on the S/390 uses U.S. @sc{ascii}.)
6937 @value{GDBN} cannot use these as its host character set.
6941 Note that these are all single-byte character sets. More work inside
6942 GDB is needed to support multi-byte or variable-width character
6943 encodings, like the UTF-8 and UCS-2 encodings of Unicode.
6945 Here is an example of @value{GDBN}'s character set support in action.
6946 Assume that the following source code has been placed in the file
6947 @file{charset-test.c}:
6953 = @{72, 101, 108, 108, 111, 44, 32, 119,
6954 111, 114, 108, 100, 33, 10, 0@};
6955 char ibm1047_hello[]
6956 = @{200, 133, 147, 147, 150, 107, 64, 166,
6957 150, 153, 147, 132, 90, 37, 0@};
6961 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
6965 In this program, @code{ascii_hello} and @code{ibm1047_hello} are arrays
6966 containing the string @samp{Hello, world!} followed by a newline,
6967 encoded in the @sc{ascii} and @sc{ibm1047} character sets.
6969 We compile the program, and invoke the debugger on it:
6972 $ gcc -g charset-test.c -o charset-test
6973 $ gdb -nw charset-test
6974 GNU gdb 2001-12-19-cvs
6975 Copyright 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
6980 We can use the @code{show charset} command to see what character sets
6981 @value{GDBN} is currently using to interpret and display characters and
6985 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
6986 The current host and target character set is `ISO-8859-1'.
6990 For the sake of printing this manual, let's use @sc{ascii} as our
6991 initial character set:
6993 (@value{GDBP}) set charset ASCII
6994 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
6995 The current host and target character set is `ASCII'.
6999 Let's assume that @sc{ascii} is indeed the correct character set for our
7000 host system --- in other words, let's assume that if @value{GDBN} prints
7001 characters using the @sc{ascii} character set, our terminal will display
7002 them properly. Since our current target character set is also
7003 @sc{ascii}, the contents of @code{ascii_hello} print legibly:
7006 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
7007 $1 = 0x401698 "Hello, world!\n"
7008 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
7013 @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and string
7014 literals you use in expressions:
7017 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
7022 The @sc{ascii} character set uses the number 43 to encode the @samp{+}
7025 @value{GDBN} relies on the user to tell it which character set the
7026 target program uses. If we print @code{ibm1047_hello} while our target
7027 character set is still @sc{ascii}, we get jibberish:
7030 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
7031 $4 = 0x4016a8 "\310\205\223\223\226k@@\246\226\231\223\204Z%"
7032 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
7037 If we invoke the @code{set target-charset} followed by @key{TAB}@key{TAB},
7038 @value{GDBN} tells us the character sets it supports:
7041 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
7042 ASCII EBCDIC-US IBM1047 ISO-8859-1
7043 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset
7046 We can select @sc{ibm1047} as our target character set, and examine the
7047 program's strings again. Now the @sc{ascii} string is wrong, but
7048 @value{GDBN} translates the contents of @code{ibm1047_hello} from the
7049 target character set, @sc{ibm1047}, to the host character set,
7050 @sc{ascii}, and they display correctly:
7053 (@value{GDBP}) set target-charset IBM1047
7054 (@value{GDBP}) show charset
7055 The current host character set is `ASCII'.
7056 The current target character set is `IBM1047'.
7057 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello
7058 $6 = 0x401698 "\110\145%%?\054\040\167?\162%\144\041\012"
7059 (@value{GDBP}) print ascii_hello[0]
7061 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello
7062 $8 = 0x4016a8 "Hello, world!\n"
7063 (@value{GDBP}) print ibm1047_hello[0]
7068 As above, @value{GDBN} uses the target character set for character and
7069 string literals you use in expressions:
7072 (@value{GDBP}) print '+'
7077 The @sc{ibm1047} character set uses the number 78 to encode the @samp{+}
7080 @node Caching Remote Data
7081 @section Caching Data of Remote Targets
7082 @cindex caching data of remote targets
7084 @value{GDBN} can cache data exchanged between the debugger and a
7085 remote target (@pxref{Remote}). Such caching generally improves
7086 performance, because it reduces the overhead of the remote protocol by
7087 bundling memory reads and writes into large chunks. Unfortunately,
7088 @value{GDBN} does not currently know anything about volatile
7089 registers, and thus data caching will produce incorrect results when
7090 volatile registers are in use.
7093 @kindex set remotecache
7094 @item set remotecache on
7095 @itemx set remotecache off
7096 Set caching state for remote targets. When @code{ON}, use data
7097 caching. By default, this option is @code{OFF}.
7099 @kindex show remotecache
7100 @item show remotecache
7101 Show the current state of data caching for remote targets.
7105 Print the information about the data cache performance. The
7106 information displayed includes: the dcache width and depth; and for
7107 each cache line, how many times it was referenced, and its data and
7108 state (dirty, bad, ok, etc.). This command is useful for debugging
7109 the data cache operation.
7114 @chapter C Preprocessor Macros
7116 Some languages, such as C and C@t{++}, provide a way to define and invoke
7117 ``preprocessor macros'' which expand into strings of tokens.
7118 @value{GDBN} can evaluate expressions containing macro invocations, show
7119 the result of macro expansion, and show a macro's definition, including
7120 where it was defined.
7122 You may need to compile your program specially to provide @value{GDBN}
7123 with information about preprocessor macros. Most compilers do not
7124 include macros in their debugging information, even when you compile
7125 with the @option{-g} flag. @xref{Compilation}.
7127 A program may define a macro at one point, remove that definition later,
7128 and then provide a different definition after that. Thus, at different
7129 points in the program, a macro may have different definitions, or have
7130 no definition at all. If there is a current stack frame, @value{GDBN}
7131 uses the macros in scope at that frame's source code line. Otherwise,
7132 @value{GDBN} uses the macros in scope at the current listing location;
7135 At the moment, @value{GDBN} does not support the @code{##}
7136 token-splicing operator, the @code{#} stringification operator, or
7137 variable-arity macros.
7139 Whenever @value{GDBN} evaluates an expression, it always expands any
7140 macro invocations present in the expression. @value{GDBN} also provides
7141 the following commands for working with macros explicitly.
7145 @kindex macro expand
7146 @cindex macro expansion, showing the results of preprocessor
7147 @cindex preprocessor macro expansion, showing the results of
7148 @cindex expanding preprocessor macros
7149 @item macro expand @var{expression}
7150 @itemx macro exp @var{expression}
7151 Show the results of expanding all preprocessor macro invocations in
7152 @var{expression}. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does
7153 not parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression;
7154 it can be any string of tokens.
7157 @item macro expand-once @var{expression}
7158 @itemx macro exp1 @var{expression}
7159 @cindex expand macro once
7160 @i{(This command is not yet implemented.)} Show the results of
7161 expanding those preprocessor macro invocations that appear explicitly in
7162 @var{expression}. Macro invocations appearing in that expansion are
7163 left unchanged. This command allows you to see the effect of a
7164 particular macro more clearly, without being confused by further
7165 expansions. Since @value{GDBN} simply expands macros, but does not
7166 parse the result, @var{expression} need not be a valid expression; it
7167 can be any string of tokens.
7170 @cindex macro definition, showing
7171 @cindex definition, showing a macro's
7172 @item info macro @var{macro}
7173 Show the definition of the macro named @var{macro}, and describe the
7174 source location where that definition was established.
7176 @kindex macro define
7177 @cindex user-defined macros
7178 @cindex defining macros interactively
7179 @cindex macros, user-defined
7180 @item macro define @var{macro} @var{replacement-list}
7181 @itemx macro define @var{macro}(@var{arglist}) @var{replacement-list}
7182 @i{(This command is not yet implemented.)} Introduce a definition for a
7183 preprocessor macro named @var{macro}, invocations of which are replaced
7184 by the tokens given in @var{replacement-list}. The first form of this
7185 command defines an ``object-like'' macro, which takes no arguments; the
7186 second form defines a ``function-like'' macro, which takes the arguments
7187 given in @var{arglist}.
7189 A definition introduced by this command is in scope in every expression
7190 evaluated in @value{GDBN}, until it is removed with the @command{macro
7191 undef} command, described below. The definition overrides all
7192 definitions for @var{macro} present in the program being debugged, as
7193 well as any previous user-supplied definition.
7196 @item macro undef @var{macro}
7197 @i{(This command is not yet implemented.)} Remove any user-supplied
7198 definition for the macro named @var{macro}. This command only affects
7199 definitions provided with the @command{macro define} command, described
7200 above; it cannot remove definitions present in the program being
7205 @i{(This command is not yet implemented.)} List all the macros
7206 defined using the @code{macro define} command.
7209 @cindex macros, example of debugging with
7210 Here is a transcript showing the above commands in action. First, we
7211 show our source files:
7219 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
7224 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
7226 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
7228 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
7235 Now, we compile the program using the @sc{gnu} C compiler, @value{NGCC}.
7236 We pass the @option{-gdwarf-2} and @option{-g3} flags to ensure the
7237 compiler includes information about preprocessor macros in the debugging
7241 $ gcc -gdwarf-2 -g3 sample.c -o sample
7245 Now, we start @value{GDBN} on our sample program:
7249 GNU gdb 2002-05-06-cvs
7250 Copyright 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
7251 GDB is free software, @dots{}
7255 We can expand macros and examine their definitions, even when the
7256 program is not running. @value{GDBN} uses the current listing position
7257 to decide which macro definitions are in scope:
7260 (@value{GDBP}) list main
7263 5 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
7268 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
7270 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
7271 (@value{GDBP}) info macro ADD
7272 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:5
7273 #define ADD(x) (M + x)
7274 (@value{GDBP}) info macro Q
7275 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.h:1
7276 included at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:2
7278 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand ADD(1)
7279 expands to: (42 + 1)
7280 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand-once ADD(1)
7281 expands to: once (M + 1)
7285 In the example above, note that @command{macro expand-once} expands only
7286 the macro invocation explicit in the original text --- the invocation of
7287 @code{ADD} --- but does not expand the invocation of the macro @code{M},
7288 which was introduced by @code{ADD}.
7290 Once the program is running, GDB uses the macro definitions in force at
7291 the source line of the current stack frame:
7294 (@value{GDBP}) break main
7295 Breakpoint 1 at 0x8048370: file sample.c, line 10.
7297 Starting program: /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample
7299 Breakpoint 1, main () at sample.c:10
7300 10 printf ("Hello, world!\n");
7304 At line 10, the definition of the macro @code{N} at line 9 is in force:
7307 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
7308 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:9
7310 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
7312 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
7317 As we step over directives that remove @code{N}'s definition, and then
7318 give it a new definition, @value{GDBN} finds the definition (or lack
7319 thereof) in force at each point:
7324 12 printf ("We're so creative.\n");
7325 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
7326 The symbol `N' has no definition as a C/C++ preprocessor macro
7327 at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:12
7330 14 printf ("Goodbye, world!\n");
7331 (@value{GDBP}) info macro N
7332 Defined at /home/jimb/gdb/macros/play/sample.c:13
7334 (@value{GDBP}) macro expand N Q M
7335 expands to: 1729 < 42
7336 (@value{GDBP}) print N Q M
7343 @chapter Tracepoints
7344 @c This chapter is based on the documentation written by Michael
7345 @c Snyder, David Taylor, Jim Blandy, and Elena Zannoni.
7348 In some applications, it is not feasible for the debugger to interrupt
7349 the program's execution long enough for the developer to learn
7350 anything helpful about its behavior. If the program's correctness
7351 depends on its real-time behavior, delays introduced by a debugger
7352 might cause the program to change its behavior drastically, or perhaps
7353 fail, even when the code itself is correct. It is useful to be able
7354 to observe the program's behavior without interrupting it.
7356 Using @value{GDBN}'s @code{trace} and @code{collect} commands, you can
7357 specify locations in the program, called @dfn{tracepoints}, and
7358 arbitrary expressions to evaluate when those tracepoints are reached.
7359 Later, using the @code{tfind} command, you can examine the values
7360 those expressions had when the program hit the tracepoints. The
7361 expressions may also denote objects in memory---structures or arrays,
7362 for example---whose values @value{GDBN} should record; while visiting
7363 a particular tracepoint, you may inspect those objects as if they were
7364 in memory at that moment. However, because @value{GDBN} records these
7365 values without interacting with you, it can do so quickly and
7366 unobtrusively, hopefully not disturbing the program's behavior.
7368 The tracepoint facility is currently available only for remote
7369 targets. @xref{Targets}. In addition, your remote target must know
7370 how to collect trace data. This functionality is implemented in the
7371 remote stub; however, none of the stubs distributed with @value{GDBN}
7372 support tracepoints as of this writing. The format of the remote
7373 packets used to implement tracepoints are described in @ref{Tracepoint
7376 This chapter describes the tracepoint commands and features.
7380 * Analyze Collected Data::
7381 * Tracepoint Variables::
7384 @node Set Tracepoints
7385 @section Commands to Set Tracepoints
7387 Before running such a @dfn{trace experiment}, an arbitrary number of
7388 tracepoints can be set. Like a breakpoint (@pxref{Set Breaks}), a
7389 tracepoint has a number assigned to it by @value{GDBN}. Like with
7390 breakpoints, tracepoint numbers are successive integers starting from
7391 one. Many of the commands associated with tracepoints take the
7392 tracepoint number as their argument, to identify which tracepoint to
7395 For each tracepoint, you can specify, in advance, some arbitrary set
7396 of data that you want the target to collect in the trace buffer when
7397 it hits that tracepoint. The collected data can include registers,
7398 local variables, or global data. Later, you can use @value{GDBN}
7399 commands to examine the values these data had at the time the
7402 This section describes commands to set tracepoints and associated
7403 conditions and actions.
7406 * Create and Delete Tracepoints::
7407 * Enable and Disable Tracepoints::
7408 * Tracepoint Passcounts::
7409 * Tracepoint Actions::
7410 * Listing Tracepoints::
7411 * Starting and Stopping Trace Experiment::
7414 @node Create and Delete Tracepoints
7415 @subsection Create and Delete Tracepoints
7418 @cindex set tracepoint
7421 The @code{trace} command is very similar to the @code{break} command.
7422 Its argument can be a source line, a function name, or an address in
7423 the target program. @xref{Set Breaks}. The @code{trace} command
7424 defines a tracepoint, which is a point in the target program where the
7425 debugger will briefly stop, collect some data, and then allow the
7426 program to continue. Setting a tracepoint or changing its commands
7427 doesn't take effect until the next @code{tstart} command; thus, you
7428 cannot change the tracepoint attributes once a trace experiment is
7431 Here are some examples of using the @code{trace} command:
7434 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo.c:121} // a source file and line number
7436 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace +2} // 2 lines forward
7438 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace my_function} // first source line of function
7440 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *my_function} // EXACT start address of function
7442 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace *0x2117c4} // an address
7446 You can abbreviate @code{trace} as @code{tr}.
7449 @cindex last tracepoint number
7450 @cindex recent tracepoint number
7451 @cindex tracepoint number
7452 The convenience variable @code{$tpnum} records the tracepoint number
7453 of the most recently set tracepoint.
7455 @kindex delete tracepoint
7456 @cindex tracepoint deletion
7457 @item delete tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
7458 Permanently delete one or more tracepoints. With no argument, the
7459 default is to delete all tracepoints.
7464 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace 1 2 3} // remove three tracepoints
7466 (@value{GDBP}) @b{delete trace} // remove all tracepoints
7470 You can abbreviate this command as @code{del tr}.
7473 @node Enable and Disable Tracepoints
7474 @subsection Enable and Disable Tracepoints
7477 @kindex disable tracepoint
7478 @item disable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
7479 Disable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints if no argument
7480 @var{num} is given. A disabled tracepoint will have no effect during
7481 the next trace experiment, but it is not forgotten. You can re-enable
7482 a disabled tracepoint using the @code{enable tracepoint} command.
7484 @kindex enable tracepoint
7485 @item enable tracepoint @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
7486 Enable tracepoint @var{num}, or all tracepoints. The enabled
7487 tracepoints will become effective the next time a trace experiment is
7491 @node Tracepoint Passcounts
7492 @subsection Tracepoint Passcounts
7496 @cindex tracepoint pass count
7497 @item passcount @r{[}@var{n} @r{[}@var{num}@r{]]}
7498 Set the @dfn{passcount} of a tracepoint. The passcount is a way to
7499 automatically stop a trace experiment. If a tracepoint's passcount is
7500 @var{n}, then the trace experiment will be automatically stopped on
7501 the @var{n}'th time that tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number
7502 @var{num} is not specified, the @code{passcount} command sets the
7503 passcount of the most recently defined tracepoint. If no passcount is
7504 given, the trace experiment will run until stopped explicitly by the
7510 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 5 2} // Stop on the 5th execution of
7511 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// tracepoint 2}
7513 (@value{GDBP}) @b{passcount 12} // Stop on the 12th execution of the
7514 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// most recently defined tracepoint.}
7515 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
7516 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 3}
7517 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace bar}
7518 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 2}
7519 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace baz}
7520 (@value{GDBP}) @b{pass 1} // Stop tracing when foo has been
7521 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// executed 3 times OR when bar has}
7522 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// been executed 2 times}
7523 @exdent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @code{// OR when baz has been executed 1 time.}
7527 @node Tracepoint Actions
7528 @subsection Tracepoint Action Lists
7532 @cindex tracepoint actions
7533 @item actions @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
7534 This command will prompt for a list of actions to be taken when the
7535 tracepoint is hit. If the tracepoint number @var{num} is not
7536 specified, this command sets the actions for the one that was most
7537 recently defined (so that you can define a tracepoint and then say
7538 @code{actions} without bothering about its number). You specify the
7539 actions themselves on the following lines, one action at a time, and
7540 terminate the actions list with a line containing just @code{end}. So
7541 far, the only defined actions are @code{collect} and
7542 @code{while-stepping}.
7544 @cindex remove actions from a tracepoint
7545 To remove all actions from a tracepoint, type @samp{actions @var{num}}
7546 and follow it immediately with @samp{end}.
7549 (@value{GDBP}) @b{collect @var{data}} // collect some data
7551 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while-stepping 5} // single-step 5 times, collect data
7553 (@value{GDBP}) @b{end} // signals the end of actions.
7556 In the following example, the action list begins with @code{collect}
7557 commands indicating the things to be collected when the tracepoint is
7558 hit. Then, in order to single-step and collect additional data
7559 following the tracepoint, a @code{while-stepping} command is used,
7560 followed by the list of things to be collected while stepping. The
7561 @code{while-stepping} command is terminated by its own separate
7562 @code{end} command. Lastly, the action list is terminated by an
7566 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace foo}
7567 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
7568 Enter actions for tracepoint 1, one per line:
7577 @kindex collect @r{(tracepoints)}
7578 @item collect @var{expr1}, @var{expr2}, @dots{}
7579 Collect values of the given expressions when the tracepoint is hit.
7580 This command accepts a comma-separated list of any valid expressions.
7581 In addition to global, static, or local variables, the following
7582 special arguments are supported:
7586 collect all registers
7589 collect all function arguments
7592 collect all local variables.
7595 You can give several consecutive @code{collect} commands, each one
7596 with a single argument, or one @code{collect} command with several
7597 arguments separated by commas: the effect is the same.
7599 The command @code{info scope} (@pxref{Symbols, info scope}) is
7600 particularly useful for figuring out what data to collect.
7602 @kindex while-stepping @r{(tracepoints)}
7603 @item while-stepping @var{n}
7604 Perform @var{n} single-step traces after the tracepoint, collecting
7605 new data at each step. The @code{while-stepping} command is
7606 followed by the list of what to collect while stepping (followed by
7607 its own @code{end} command):
7611 > collect $regs, myglobal
7617 You may abbreviate @code{while-stepping} as @code{ws} or
7621 @node Listing Tracepoints
7622 @subsection Listing Tracepoints
7625 @kindex info tracepoints
7627 @cindex information about tracepoints
7628 @item info tracepoints @r{[}@var{num}@r{]}
7629 Display information about the tracepoint @var{num}. If you don't specify
7630 a tracepoint number, displays information about all the tracepoints
7631 defined so far. For each tracepoint, the following information is
7638 whether it is enabled or disabled
7642 its passcount as given by the @code{passcount @var{n}} command
7644 its step count as given by the @code{while-stepping @var{n}} command
7646 where in the source files is the tracepoint set
7648 its action list as given by the @code{actions} command
7652 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info trace}
7653 Num Enb Address PassC StepC What
7654 1 y 0x002117c4 0 0 <gdb_asm>
7655 2 y 0x0020dc64 0 0 in g_test at g_test.c:1375
7656 3 y 0x0020b1f4 0 0 in get_data at ../foo.c:41
7661 This command can be abbreviated @code{info tp}.
7664 @node Starting and Stopping Trace Experiment
7665 @subsection Starting and Stopping Trace Experiment
7669 @cindex start a new trace experiment
7670 @cindex collected data discarded
7672 This command takes no arguments. It starts the trace experiment, and
7673 begins collecting data. This has the side effect of discarding all
7674 the data collected in the trace buffer during the previous trace
7678 @cindex stop a running trace experiment
7680 This command takes no arguments. It ends the trace experiment, and
7681 stops collecting data.
7683 @strong{Note}: a trace experiment and data collection may stop
7684 automatically if any tracepoint's passcount is reached
7685 (@pxref{Tracepoint Passcounts}), or if the trace buffer becomes full.
7688 @cindex status of trace data collection
7689 @cindex trace experiment, status of
7691 This command displays the status of the current trace data
7695 Here is an example of the commands we described so far:
7698 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace gdb_c_test}
7699 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
7700 Enter actions for tracepoint #1, one per line.
7701 > collect $regs,$locals,$args
7706 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
7707 [time passes @dots{}]
7708 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstop}
7712 @node Analyze Collected Data
7713 @section Using the collected data
7715 After the tracepoint experiment ends, you use @value{GDBN} commands
7716 for examining the trace data. The basic idea is that each tracepoint
7717 collects a trace @dfn{snapshot} every time it is hit and another
7718 snapshot every time it single-steps. All these snapshots are
7719 consecutively numbered from zero and go into a buffer, and you can
7720 examine them later. The way you examine them is to @dfn{focus} on a
7721 specific trace snapshot. When the remote stub is focused on a trace
7722 snapshot, it will respond to all @value{GDBN} requests for memory and
7723 registers by reading from the buffer which belongs to that snapshot,
7724 rather than from @emph{real} memory or registers of the program being
7725 debugged. This means that @strong{all} @value{GDBN} commands
7726 (@code{print}, @code{info registers}, @code{backtrace}, etc.) will
7727 behave as if we were currently debugging the program state as it was
7728 when the tracepoint occurred. Any requests for data that are not in
7729 the buffer will fail.
7732 * tfind:: How to select a trace snapshot
7733 * tdump:: How to display all data for a snapshot
7734 * save-tracepoints:: How to save tracepoints for a future run
7738 @subsection @code{tfind @var{n}}
7741 @cindex select trace snapshot
7742 @cindex find trace snapshot
7743 The basic command for selecting a trace snapshot from the buffer is
7744 @code{tfind @var{n}}, which finds trace snapshot number @var{n},
7745 counting from zero. If no argument @var{n} is given, the next
7746 snapshot is selected.
7748 Here are the various forms of using the @code{tfind} command.
7752 Find the first snapshot in the buffer. This is a synonym for
7753 @code{tfind 0} (since 0 is the number of the first snapshot).
7756 Stop debugging trace snapshots, resume @emph{live} debugging.
7759 Same as @samp{tfind none}.
7762 No argument means find the next trace snapshot.
7765 Find the previous trace snapshot before the current one. This permits
7766 retracing earlier steps.
7768 @item tfind tracepoint @var{num}
7769 Find the next snapshot associated with tracepoint @var{num}. Search
7770 proceeds forward from the last examined trace snapshot. If no
7771 argument @var{num} is given, it means find the next snapshot collected
7772 for the same tracepoint as the current snapshot.
7774 @item tfind pc @var{addr}
7775 Find the next snapshot associated with the value @var{addr} of the
7776 program counter. Search proceeds forward from the last examined trace
7777 snapshot. If no argument @var{addr} is given, it means find the next
7778 snapshot with the same value of PC as the current snapshot.
7780 @item tfind outside @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
7781 Find the next snapshot whose PC is outside the given range of
7784 @item tfind range @var{addr1}, @var{addr2}
7785 Find the next snapshot whose PC is between @var{addr1} and
7786 @var{addr2}. @c FIXME: Is the range inclusive or exclusive?
7788 @item tfind line @r{[}@var{file}:@r{]}@var{n}
7789 Find the next snapshot associated with the source line @var{n}. If
7790 the optional argument @var{file} is given, refer to line @var{n} in
7791 that source file. Search proceeds forward from the last examined
7792 trace snapshot. If no argument @var{n} is given, it means find the
7793 next line other than the one currently being examined; thus saying
7794 @code{tfind line} repeatedly can appear to have the same effect as
7795 stepping from line to line in a @emph{live} debugging session.
7798 The default arguments for the @code{tfind} commands are specifically
7799 designed to make it easy to scan through the trace buffer. For
7800 instance, @code{tfind} with no argument selects the next trace
7801 snapshot, and @code{tfind -} with no argument selects the previous
7802 trace snapshot. So, by giving one @code{tfind} command, and then
7803 simply hitting @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine all the trace
7804 snapshots in order. Or, by saying @code{tfind -} and then hitting
7805 @key{RET} repeatedly you can examine the snapshots in reverse order.
7806 The @code{tfind line} command with no argument selects the snapshot
7807 for the next source line executed. The @code{tfind pc} command with
7808 no argument selects the next snapshot with the same program counter
7809 (PC) as the current frame. The @code{tfind tracepoint} command with
7810 no argument selects the next trace snapshot collected by the same
7811 tracepoint as the current one.
7813 In addition to letting you scan through the trace buffer manually,
7814 these commands make it easy to construct @value{GDBN} scripts that
7815 scan through the trace buffer and print out whatever collected data
7816 you are interested in. Thus, if we want to examine the PC, FP, and SP
7817 registers from each trace frame in the buffer, we can say this:
7820 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
7821 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
7822 > printf "Frame %d, PC = %08X, SP = %08X, FP = %08X\n", \
7823 $trace_frame, $pc, $sp, $fp
7827 Frame 0, PC = 0020DC64, SP = 0030BF3C, FP = 0030BF44
7828 Frame 1, PC = 0020DC6C, SP = 0030BF38, FP = 0030BF44
7829 Frame 2, PC = 0020DC70, SP = 0030BF34, FP = 0030BF44
7830 Frame 3, PC = 0020DC74, SP = 0030BF30, FP = 0030BF44
7831 Frame 4, PC = 0020DC78, SP = 0030BF2C, FP = 0030BF44
7832 Frame 5, PC = 0020DC7C, SP = 0030BF28, FP = 0030BF44
7833 Frame 6, PC = 0020DC80, SP = 0030BF24, FP = 0030BF44
7834 Frame 7, PC = 0020DC84, SP = 0030BF20, FP = 0030BF44
7835 Frame 8, PC = 0020DC88, SP = 0030BF1C, FP = 0030BF44
7836 Frame 9, PC = 0020DC8E, SP = 0030BF18, FP = 0030BF44
7837 Frame 10, PC = 00203F6C, SP = 0030BE3C, FP = 0030BF14
7840 Or, if we want to examine the variable @code{X} at each source line in
7844 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
7845 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while ($trace_frame != -1)}
7846 > printf "Frame %d, X == %d\n", $trace_frame, X
7856 @subsection @code{tdump}
7858 @cindex dump all data collected at tracepoint
7859 @cindex tracepoint data, display
7861 This command takes no arguments. It prints all the data collected at
7862 the current trace snapshot.
7865 (@value{GDBP}) @b{trace 444}
7866 (@value{GDBP}) @b{actions}
7867 Enter actions for tracepoint #2, one per line:
7868 > collect $regs, $locals, $args, gdb_long_test
7871 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tstart}
7873 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind line 444}
7874 #0 gdb_test (p1=0x11, p2=0x22, p3=0x33, p4=0x44, p5=0x55, p6=0x66)
7876 444 printp( "%s: arguments = 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X 0x%X\n", )
7878 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tdump}
7879 Data collected at tracepoint 2, trace frame 1:
7880 d0 0xc4aa0085 -995491707
7884 d4 0x71aea3d 119204413
7889 a1 0x3000668 50333288
7892 a4 0x3000698 50333336
7894 fp 0x30bf3c 0x30bf3c
7895 sp 0x30bf34 0x30bf34
7897 pc 0x20b2c8 0x20b2c8
7901 p = 0x20e5b4 "gdb-test"
7908 gdb_long_test = 17 '\021'
7913 @node save-tracepoints
7914 @subsection @code{save-tracepoints @var{filename}}
7915 @kindex save-tracepoints
7916 @cindex save tracepoints for future sessions
7918 This command saves all current tracepoint definitions together with
7919 their actions and passcounts, into a file @file{@var{filename}}
7920 suitable for use in a later debugging session. To read the saved
7921 tracepoint definitions, use the @code{source} command (@pxref{Command
7924 @node Tracepoint Variables
7925 @section Convenience Variables for Tracepoints
7926 @cindex tracepoint variables
7927 @cindex convenience variables for tracepoints
7930 @vindex $trace_frame
7931 @item (int) $trace_frame
7932 The current trace snapshot (a.k.a.@: @dfn{frame}) number, or -1 if no
7933 snapshot is selected.
7936 @item (int) $tracepoint
7937 The tracepoint for the current trace snapshot.
7940 @item (int) $trace_line
7941 The line number for the current trace snapshot.
7944 @item (char []) $trace_file
7945 The source file for the current trace snapshot.
7948 @item (char []) $trace_func
7949 The name of the function containing @code{$tracepoint}.
7952 Note: @code{$trace_file} is not suitable for use in @code{printf},
7953 use @code{output} instead.
7955 Here's a simple example of using these convenience variables for
7956 stepping through all the trace snapshots and printing some of their
7960 (@value{GDBP}) @b{tfind start}
7962 (@value{GDBP}) @b{while $trace_frame != -1}
7963 > output $trace_file
7964 > printf ", line %d (tracepoint #%d)\n", $trace_line, $tracepoint
7970 @chapter Debugging Programs That Use Overlays
7973 If your program is too large to fit completely in your target system's
7974 memory, you can sometimes use @dfn{overlays} to work around this
7975 problem. @value{GDBN} provides some support for debugging programs that
7979 * How Overlays Work:: A general explanation of overlays.
7980 * Overlay Commands:: Managing overlays in @value{GDBN}.
7981 * Automatic Overlay Debugging:: @value{GDBN} can find out which overlays are
7982 mapped by asking the inferior.
7983 * Overlay Sample Program:: A sample program using overlays.
7986 @node How Overlays Work
7987 @section How Overlays Work
7988 @cindex mapped overlays
7989 @cindex unmapped overlays
7990 @cindex load address, overlay's
7991 @cindex mapped address
7992 @cindex overlay area
7994 Suppose you have a computer whose instruction address space is only 64
7995 kilobytes long, but which has much more memory which can be accessed by
7996 other means: special instructions, segment registers, or memory
7997 management hardware, for example. Suppose further that you want to
7998 adapt a program which is larger than 64 kilobytes to run on this system.
8000 One solution is to identify modules of your program which are relatively
8001 independent, and need not call each other directly; call these modules
8002 @dfn{overlays}. Separate the overlays from the main program, and place
8003 their machine code in the larger memory. Place your main program in
8004 instruction memory, but leave at least enough space there to hold the
8005 largest overlay as well.
8007 Now, to call a function located in an overlay, you must first copy that
8008 overlay's machine code from the large memory into the space set aside
8009 for it in the instruction memory, and then jump to its entry point
8012 @c NB: In the below the mapped area's size is greater or equal to the
8013 @c size of all overlays. This is intentional to remind the developer
8014 @c that overlays don't necessarily need to be the same size.
8018 Data Instruction Larger
8019 Address Space Address Space Address Space
8020 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+
8022 +-----------+ +-----------+ +-----------+<-- overlay 1
8023 | program | | main | .----| overlay 1 | load address
8024 | variables | | program | | +-----------+
8025 | and heap | | | | | |
8026 +-----------+ | | | +-----------+<-- overlay 2
8027 | | +-----------+ | | | load address
8028 +-----------+ | | | .-| overlay 2 |
8030 mapped --->+-----------+ | | +-----------+
8032 | overlay | <-' | | |
8033 | area | <---' +-----------+<-- overlay 3
8034 | | <---. | | load address
8035 +-----------+ `--| overlay 3 |
8042 @anchor{A code overlay}A code overlay
8046 The diagram (@pxref{A code overlay}) shows a system with separate data
8047 and instruction address spaces. To map an overlay, the program copies
8048 its code from the larger address space to the instruction address space.
8049 Since the overlays shown here all use the same mapped address, only one
8050 may be mapped at a time. For a system with a single address space for
8051 data and instructions, the diagram would be similar, except that the
8052 program variables and heap would share an address space with the main
8053 program and the overlay area.
8055 An overlay loaded into instruction memory and ready for use is called a
8056 @dfn{mapped} overlay; its @dfn{mapped address} is its address in the
8057 instruction memory. An overlay not present (or only partially present)
8058 in instruction memory is called @dfn{unmapped}; its @dfn{load address}
8059 is its address in the larger memory. The mapped address is also called
8060 the @dfn{virtual memory address}, or @dfn{VMA}; the load address is also
8061 called the @dfn{load memory address}, or @dfn{LMA}.
8063 Unfortunately, overlays are not a completely transparent way to adapt a
8064 program to limited instruction memory. They introduce a new set of
8065 global constraints you must keep in mind as you design your program:
8070 Before calling or returning to a function in an overlay, your program
8071 must make sure that overlay is actually mapped. Otherwise, the call or
8072 return will transfer control to the right address, but in the wrong
8073 overlay, and your program will probably crash.
8076 If the process of mapping an overlay is expensive on your system, you
8077 will need to choose your overlays carefully to minimize their effect on
8078 your program's performance.
8081 The executable file you load onto your system must contain each
8082 overlay's instructions, appearing at the overlay's load address, not its
8083 mapped address. However, each overlay's instructions must be relocated
8084 and its symbols defined as if the overlay were at its mapped address.
8085 You can use GNU linker scripts to specify different load and relocation
8086 addresses for pieces of your program; see @ref{Overlay Description,,,
8087 ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}.
8090 The procedure for loading executable files onto your system must be able
8091 to load their contents into the larger address space as well as the
8092 instruction and data spaces.
8096 The overlay system described above is rather simple, and could be
8097 improved in many ways:
8102 If your system has suitable bank switch registers or memory management
8103 hardware, you could use those facilities to make an overlay's load area
8104 contents simply appear at their mapped address in instruction space.
8105 This would probably be faster than copying the overlay to its mapped
8106 area in the usual way.
8109 If your overlays are small enough, you could set aside more than one
8110 overlay area, and have more than one overlay mapped at a time.
8113 You can use overlays to manage data, as well as instructions. In
8114 general, data overlays are even less transparent to your design than
8115 code overlays: whereas code overlays only require care when you call or
8116 return to functions, data overlays require care every time you access
8117 the data. Also, if you change the contents of a data overlay, you
8118 must copy its contents back out to its load address before you can copy a
8119 different data overlay into the same mapped area.
8124 @node Overlay Commands
8125 @section Overlay Commands
8127 To use @value{GDBN}'s overlay support, each overlay in your program must
8128 correspond to a separate section of the executable file. The section's
8129 virtual memory address and load memory address must be the overlay's
8130 mapped and load addresses. Identifying overlays with sections allows
8131 @value{GDBN} to determine the appropriate address of a function or
8132 variable, depending on whether the overlay is mapped or not.
8134 @value{GDBN}'s overlay commands all start with the word @code{overlay};
8135 you can abbreviate this as @code{ov} or @code{ovly}. The commands are:
8140 Disable @value{GDBN}'s overlay support. When overlay support is
8141 disabled, @value{GDBN} assumes that all functions and variables are
8142 always present at their mapped addresses. By default, @value{GDBN}'s
8143 overlay support is disabled.
8145 @item overlay manual
8146 @cindex manual overlay debugging
8147 Enable @dfn{manual} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
8148 relies on you to tell it which overlays are mapped, and which are not,
8149 using the @code{overlay map-overlay} and @code{overlay unmap-overlay}
8150 commands described below.
8152 @item overlay map-overlay @var{overlay}
8153 @itemx overlay map @var{overlay}
8154 @cindex map an overlay
8155 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is now mapped; @var{overlay} must
8156 be the name of the object file section containing the overlay. When an
8157 overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the overlay's
8158 functions and variables at their mapped addresses. @value{GDBN} assumes
8159 that any other overlays whose mapped ranges overlap that of
8160 @var{overlay} are now unmapped.
8162 @item overlay unmap-overlay @var{overlay}
8163 @itemx overlay unmap @var{overlay}
8164 @cindex unmap an overlay
8165 Tell @value{GDBN} that @var{overlay} is no longer mapped; @var{overlay}
8166 must be the name of the object file section containing the overlay.
8167 When an overlay is unmapped, @value{GDBN} assumes it can find the
8168 overlay's functions and variables at their load addresses.
8171 Enable @dfn{automatic} overlay debugging. In this mode, @value{GDBN}
8172 consults a data structure the overlay manager maintains in the inferior
8173 to see which overlays are mapped. For details, see @ref{Automatic
8176 @item overlay load-target
8178 @cindex reloading the overlay table
8179 Re-read the overlay table from the inferior. Normally, @value{GDBN}
8180 re-reads the table @value{GDBN} automatically each time the inferior
8181 stops, so this command should only be necessary if you have changed the
8182 overlay mapping yourself using @value{GDBN}. This command is only
8183 useful when using automatic overlay debugging.
8185 @item overlay list-overlays
8187 @cindex listing mapped overlays
8188 Display a list of the overlays currently mapped, along with their mapped
8189 addresses, load addresses, and sizes.
8193 Normally, when @value{GDBN} prints a code address, it includes the name
8194 of the function the address falls in:
8197 (@value{GDBP}) print main
8198 $3 = @{int ()@} 0x11a0 <main>
8201 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} recognizes code in
8202 unmapped overlays, and prints the names of unmapped functions with
8203 asterisks around them. For example, if @code{foo} is a function in an
8204 unmapped overlay, @value{GDBN} prints it this way:
8207 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
8208 No sections are mapped.
8209 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
8210 $5 = @{int (int)@} 0x100000 <*foo*>
8213 When @code{foo}'s overlay is mapped, @value{GDBN} prints the function's
8217 (@value{GDBP}) overlay list
8218 Section .ov.foo.text, loaded at 0x100000 - 0x100034,
8219 mapped at 0x1016 - 0x104a
8220 (@value{GDBP}) print foo
8221 $6 = @{int (int)@} 0x1016 <foo>
8224 When overlay debugging is enabled, @value{GDBN} can find the correct
8225 address for functions and variables in an overlay, whether or not the
8226 overlay is mapped. This allows most @value{GDBN} commands, like
8227 @code{break} and @code{disassemble}, to work normally, even on unmapped
8228 code. However, @value{GDBN}'s breakpoint support has some limitations:
8232 @cindex breakpoints in overlays
8233 @cindex overlays, setting breakpoints in
8234 You can set breakpoints in functions in unmapped overlays, as long as
8235 @value{GDBN} can write to the overlay at its load address.
8237 @value{GDBN} can not set hardware or simulator-based breakpoints in
8238 unmapped overlays. However, if you set a breakpoint at the end of your
8239 overlay manager (and tell @value{GDBN} which overlays are now mapped, if
8240 you are using manual overlay management), @value{GDBN} will re-set its
8241 breakpoints properly.
8245 @node Automatic Overlay Debugging
8246 @section Automatic Overlay Debugging
8247 @cindex automatic overlay debugging
8249 @value{GDBN} can automatically track which overlays are mapped and which
8250 are not, given some simple co-operation from the overlay manager in the
8251 inferior. If you enable automatic overlay debugging with the
8252 @code{overlay auto} command (@pxref{Overlay Commands}), @value{GDBN}
8253 looks in the inferior's memory for certain variables describing the
8254 current state of the overlays.
8256 Here are the variables your overlay manager must define to support
8257 @value{GDBN}'s automatic overlay debugging:
8261 @item @code{_ovly_table}:
8262 This variable must be an array of the following structures:
8267 /* The overlay's mapped address. */
8270 /* The size of the overlay, in bytes. */
8273 /* The overlay's load address. */
8276 /* Non-zero if the overlay is currently mapped;
8278 unsigned long mapped;
8282 @item @code{_novlys}:
8283 This variable must be a four-byte signed integer, holding the total
8284 number of elements in @code{_ovly_table}.
8288 To decide whether a particular overlay is mapped or not, @value{GDBN}
8289 looks for an entry in @w{@code{_ovly_table}} whose @code{vma} and
8290 @code{lma} members equal the VMA and LMA of the overlay's section in the
8291 executable file. When @value{GDBN} finds a matching entry, it consults
8292 the entry's @code{mapped} member to determine whether the overlay is
8295 In addition, your overlay manager may define a function called
8296 @code{_ovly_debug_event}. If this function is defined, @value{GDBN}
8297 will silently set a breakpoint there. If the overlay manager then
8298 calls this function whenever it has changed the overlay table, this
8299 will enable @value{GDBN} to accurately keep track of which overlays
8300 are in program memory, and update any breakpoints that may be set
8301 in overlays. This will allow breakpoints to work even if the
8302 overlays are kept in ROM or other non-writable memory while they
8303 are not being executed.
8305 @node Overlay Sample Program
8306 @section Overlay Sample Program
8307 @cindex overlay example program
8309 When linking a program which uses overlays, you must place the overlays
8310 at their load addresses, while relocating them to run at their mapped
8311 addresses. To do this, you must write a linker script (@pxref{Overlay
8312 Description,,, ld.info, Using ld: the GNU linker}). Unfortunately,
8313 since linker scripts are specific to a particular host system, target
8314 architecture, and target memory layout, this manual cannot provide
8315 portable sample code demonstrating @value{GDBN}'s overlay support.
8317 However, the @value{GDBN} source distribution does contain an overlaid
8318 program, with linker scripts for a few systems, as part of its test
8319 suite. The program consists of the following files from
8320 @file{gdb/testsuite/gdb.base}:
8324 The main program file.
8326 A simple overlay manager, used by @file{overlays.c}.
8331 Overlay modules, loaded and used by @file{overlays.c}.
8334 Linker scripts for linking the test program on the @code{d10v-elf}
8335 and @code{m32r-elf} targets.
8338 You can build the test program using the @code{d10v-elf} GCC
8339 cross-compiler like this:
8342 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c overlays.c
8343 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c ovlymgr.c
8344 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c foo.c
8345 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c bar.c
8346 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c baz.c
8347 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c grbx.c
8348 $ d10v-elf-gcc -g overlays.o ovlymgr.o foo.o bar.o \
8349 baz.o grbx.o -Wl,-Td10v.ld -o overlays
8352 The build process is identical for any other architecture, except that
8353 you must substitute the appropriate compiler and linker script for the
8354 target system for @code{d10v-elf-gcc} and @code{d10v.ld}.
8358 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages
8361 Although programming languages generally have common aspects, they are
8362 rarely expressed in the same manner. For instance, in ANSI C,
8363 dereferencing a pointer @code{p} is accomplished by @code{*p}, but in
8364 Modula-2, it is accomplished by @code{p^}. Values can also be
8365 represented (and displayed) differently. Hex numbers in C appear as
8366 @samp{0x1ae}, while in Modula-2 they appear as @samp{1AEH}.
8368 @cindex working language
8369 Language-specific information is built into @value{GDBN} for some languages,
8370 allowing you to express operations like the above in your program's
8371 native language, and allowing @value{GDBN} to output values in a manner
8372 consistent with the syntax of your program's native language. The
8373 language you use to build expressions is called the @dfn{working
8377 * Setting:: Switching between source languages
8378 * Show:: Displaying the language
8379 * Checks:: Type and range checks
8380 * Supported languages:: Supported languages
8381 * Unsupported languages:: Unsupported languages
8385 @section Switching between source languages
8387 There are two ways to control the working language---either have @value{GDBN}
8388 set it automatically, or select it manually yourself. You can use the
8389 @code{set language} command for either purpose. On startup, @value{GDBN}
8390 defaults to setting the language automatically. The working language is
8391 used to determine how expressions you type are interpreted, how values
8394 In addition to the working language, every source file that
8395 @value{GDBN} knows about has its own working language. For some object
8396 file formats, the compiler might indicate which language a particular
8397 source file is in. However, most of the time @value{GDBN} infers the
8398 language from the name of the file. The language of a source file
8399 controls whether C@t{++} names are demangled---this way @code{backtrace} can
8400 show each frame appropriately for its own language. There is no way to
8401 set the language of a source file from within @value{GDBN}, but you can
8402 set the language associated with a filename extension. @xref{Show, ,
8403 Displaying the language}.
8405 This is most commonly a problem when you use a program, such
8406 as @code{cfront} or @code{f2c}, that generates C but is written in
8407 another language. In that case, make the
8408 program use @code{#line} directives in its C output; that way
8409 @value{GDBN} will know the correct language of the source code of the original
8410 program, and will display that source code, not the generated C code.
8413 * Filenames:: Filename extensions and languages.
8414 * Manually:: Setting the working language manually
8415 * Automatically:: Having @value{GDBN} infer the source language
8419 @subsection List of filename extensions and languages
8421 If a source file name ends in one of the following extensions, then
8422 @value{GDBN} infers that its language is the one indicated.
8443 Objective-C source file
8450 Modula-2 source file
8454 Assembler source file. This actually behaves almost like C, but
8455 @value{GDBN} does not skip over function prologues when stepping.
8458 In addition, you may set the language associated with a filename
8459 extension. @xref{Show, , Displaying the language}.
8462 @subsection Setting the working language
8464 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically,
8465 expressions are interpreted the same way in your debugging session and
8468 @kindex set language
8469 If you wish, you may set the language manually. To do this, issue the
8470 command @samp{set language @var{lang}}, where @var{lang} is the name of
8472 @code{c} or @code{modula-2}.
8473 For a list of the supported languages, type @samp{set language}.
8475 Setting the language manually prevents @value{GDBN} from updating the working
8476 language automatically. This can lead to confusion if you try
8477 to debug a program when the working language is not the same as the
8478 source language, when an expression is acceptable to both
8479 languages---but means different things. For instance, if the current
8480 source file were written in C, and @value{GDBN} was parsing Modula-2, a
8488 might not have the effect you intended. In C, this means to add
8489 @code{b} and @code{c} and place the result in @code{a}. The result
8490 printed would be the value of @code{a}. In Modula-2, this means to compare
8491 @code{a} to the result of @code{b+c}, yielding a @code{BOOLEAN} value.
8494 @subsection Having @value{GDBN} infer the source language
8496 To have @value{GDBN} set the working language automatically, use
8497 @samp{set language local} or @samp{set language auto}. @value{GDBN}
8498 then infers the working language. That is, when your program stops in a
8499 frame (usually by encountering a breakpoint), @value{GDBN} sets the
8500 working language to the language recorded for the function in that
8501 frame. If the language for a frame is unknown (that is, if the function
8502 or block corresponding to the frame was defined in a source file that
8503 does not have a recognized extension), the current working language is
8504 not changed, and @value{GDBN} issues a warning.
8506 This may not seem necessary for most programs, which are written
8507 entirely in one source language. However, program modules and libraries
8508 written in one source language can be used by a main program written in
8509 a different source language. Using @samp{set language auto} in this
8510 case frees you from having to set the working language manually.
8513 @section Displaying the language
8515 The following commands help you find out which language is the
8516 working language, and also what language source files were written in.
8520 @kindex show language
8521 Display the current working language. This is the
8522 language you can use with commands such as @code{print} to
8523 build and compute expressions that may involve variables in your program.
8526 @kindex info frame@r{, show the source language}
8527 Display the source language for this frame. This language becomes the
8528 working language if you use an identifier from this frame.
8529 @xref{Frame Info, ,Information about a frame}, to identify the other
8530 information listed here.
8533 @kindex info source@r{, show the source language}
8534 Display the source language of this source file.
8535 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}, to identify the other
8536 information listed here.
8539 In unusual circumstances, you may have source files with extensions
8540 not in the standard list. You can then set the extension associated
8541 with a language explicitly:
8544 @item set extension-language @var{ext} @var{language}
8545 @kindex set extension-language
8546 Tell @value{GDBN} that source files with extension @var{ext} are to be
8547 assumed as written in the source language @var{language}.
8549 @item info extensions
8550 @kindex info extensions
8551 List all the filename extensions and the associated languages.
8555 @section Type and range checking
8558 @emph{Warning:} In this release, the @value{GDBN} commands for type and range
8559 checking are included, but they do not yet have any effect. This
8560 section documents the intended facilities.
8562 @c FIXME remove warning when type/range code added
8564 Some languages are designed to guard you against making seemingly common
8565 errors through a series of compile- and run-time checks. These include
8566 checking the type of arguments to functions and operators, and making
8567 sure mathematical overflows are caught at run time. Checks such as
8568 these help to ensure a program's correctness once it has been compiled
8569 by eliminating type mismatches, and providing active checks for range
8570 errors when your program is running.
8572 @value{GDBN} can check for conditions like the above if you wish.
8573 Although @value{GDBN} does not check the statements in your program,
8574 it can check expressions entered directly into @value{GDBN} for
8575 evaluation via the @code{print} command, for example. As with the
8576 working language, @value{GDBN} can also decide whether or not to check
8577 automatically based on your program's source language.
8578 @xref{Supported languages, ,Supported languages}, for the default
8579 settings of supported languages.
8582 * Type Checking:: An overview of type checking
8583 * Range Checking:: An overview of range checking
8586 @cindex type checking
8587 @cindex checks, type
8589 @subsection An overview of type checking
8591 Some languages, such as Modula-2, are strongly typed, meaning that the
8592 arguments to operators and functions have to be of the correct type,
8593 otherwise an error occurs. These checks prevent type mismatch
8594 errors from ever causing any run-time problems. For example,
8602 The second example fails because the @code{CARDINAL} 1 is not
8603 type-compatible with the @code{REAL} 2.3.
8605 For the expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell the
8606 @value{GDBN} type checker to skip checking;
8607 to treat any mismatches as errors and abandon the expression;
8608 or to only issue warnings when type mismatches occur,
8609 but evaluate the expression anyway. When you choose the last of
8610 these, @value{GDBN} evaluates expressions like the second example above, but
8611 also issues a warning.
8613 Even if you turn type checking off, there may be other reasons
8614 related to type that prevent @value{GDBN} from evaluating an expression.
8615 For instance, @value{GDBN} does not know how to add an @code{int} and
8616 a @code{struct foo}. These particular type errors have nothing to do
8617 with the language in use, and usually arise from expressions, such as
8618 the one described above, which make little sense to evaluate anyway.
8620 Each language defines to what degree it is strict about type. For
8621 instance, both Modula-2 and C require the arguments to arithmetical
8622 operators to be numbers. In C, enumerated types and pointers can be
8623 represented as numbers, so that they are valid arguments to mathematical
8624 operators. @xref{Supported languages, ,Supported languages}, for further
8625 details on specific languages.
8627 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling the type checker:
8629 @kindex set check type
8630 @kindex show check type
8632 @item set check type auto
8633 Set type checking on or off based on the current working language.
8634 @xref{Supported languages, ,Supported languages}, for the default settings for
8637 @item set check type on
8638 @itemx set check type off
8639 Set type checking on or off, overriding the default setting for the
8640 current working language. Issue a warning if the setting does not
8641 match the language default. If any type mismatches occur in
8642 evaluating an expression while type checking is on, @value{GDBN} prints a
8643 message and aborts evaluation of the expression.
8645 @item set check type warn
8646 Cause the type checker to issue warnings, but to always attempt to
8647 evaluate the expression. Evaluating the expression may still
8648 be impossible for other reasons. For example, @value{GDBN} cannot add
8649 numbers and structures.
8652 Show the current setting of the type checker, and whether or not @value{GDBN}
8653 is setting it automatically.
8656 @cindex range checking
8657 @cindex checks, range
8658 @node Range Checking
8659 @subsection An overview of range checking
8661 In some languages (such as Modula-2), it is an error to exceed the
8662 bounds of a type; this is enforced with run-time checks. Such range
8663 checking is meant to ensure program correctness by making sure
8664 computations do not overflow, or indices on an array element access do
8665 not exceed the bounds of the array.
8667 For expressions you use in @value{GDBN} commands, you can tell
8668 @value{GDBN} to treat range errors in one of three ways: ignore them,
8669 always treat them as errors and abandon the expression, or issue
8670 warnings but evaluate the expression anyway.
8672 A range error can result from numerical overflow, from exceeding an
8673 array index bound, or when you type a constant that is not a member
8674 of any type. Some languages, however, do not treat overflows as an
8675 error. In many implementations of C, mathematical overflow causes the
8676 result to ``wrap around'' to lower values---for example, if @var{m} is
8677 the largest integer value, and @var{s} is the smallest, then
8680 @var{m} + 1 @result{} @var{s}
8683 This, too, is specific to individual languages, and in some cases
8684 specific to individual compilers or machines. @xref{Supported languages, ,
8685 Supported languages}, for further details on specific languages.
8687 @value{GDBN} provides some additional commands for controlling the range checker:
8689 @kindex set check range
8690 @kindex show check range
8692 @item set check range auto
8693 Set range checking on or off based on the current working language.
8694 @xref{Supported languages, ,Supported languages}, for the default settings for
8697 @item set check range on
8698 @itemx set check range off
8699 Set range checking on or off, overriding the default setting for the
8700 current working language. A warning is issued if the setting does not
8701 match the language default. If a range error occurs and range checking is on,
8702 then a message is printed and evaluation of the expression is aborted.
8704 @item set check range warn
8705 Output messages when the @value{GDBN} range checker detects a range error,
8706 but attempt to evaluate the expression anyway. Evaluating the
8707 expression may still be impossible for other reasons, such as accessing
8708 memory that the process does not own (a typical example from many Unix
8712 Show the current setting of the range checker, and whether or not it is
8713 being set automatically by @value{GDBN}.
8716 @node Supported languages
8717 @section Supported languages
8719 @value{GDBN} supports C, C@t{++}, Objective-C, Fortran, Java, Pascal,
8720 assembly, Modula-2, and Ada.
8721 @c This is false ...
8722 Some @value{GDBN} features may be used in expressions regardless of the
8723 language you use: the @value{GDBN} @code{@@} and @code{::} operators,
8724 and the @samp{@{type@}addr} construct (@pxref{Expressions,
8725 ,Expressions}) can be used with the constructs of any supported
8728 The following sections detail to what degree each source language is
8729 supported by @value{GDBN}. These sections are not meant to be language
8730 tutorials or references, but serve only as a reference guide to what the
8731 @value{GDBN} expression parser accepts, and what input and output
8732 formats should look like for different languages. There are many good
8733 books written on each of these languages; please look to these for a
8734 language reference or tutorial.
8738 * Objective-C:: Objective-C
8741 * Modula-2:: Modula-2
8746 @subsection C and C@t{++}
8748 @cindex C and C@t{++}
8749 @cindex expressions in C or C@t{++}
8751 Since C and C@t{++} are so closely related, many features of @value{GDBN} apply
8752 to both languages. Whenever this is the case, we discuss those languages
8756 @cindex @code{g++}, @sc{gnu} C@t{++} compiler
8757 @cindex @sc{gnu} C@t{++}
8758 The C@t{++} debugging facilities are jointly implemented by the C@t{++}
8759 compiler and @value{GDBN}. Therefore, to debug your C@t{++} code
8760 effectively, you must compile your C@t{++} programs with a supported
8761 C@t{++} compiler, such as @sc{gnu} @code{g++}, or the HP ANSI C@t{++}
8762 compiler (@code{aCC}).
8764 For best results when using @sc{gnu} C@t{++}, use the DWARF 2 debugging
8765 format; if it doesn't work on your system, try the stabs+ debugging
8766 format. You can select those formats explicitly with the @code{g++}
8767 command-line options @option{-gdwarf-2} and @option{-gstabs+}.
8768 @xref{Debugging Options,,Options for Debugging Your Program or @sc{gnu}
8769 CC, gcc.info, Using @sc{gnu} CC}.
8772 * C Operators:: C and C@t{++} operators
8773 * C Constants:: C and C@t{++} constants
8774 * C plus plus expressions:: C@t{++} expressions
8775 * C Defaults:: Default settings for C and C@t{++}
8776 * C Checks:: C and C@t{++} type and range checks
8777 * Debugging C:: @value{GDBN} and C
8778 * Debugging C plus plus:: @value{GDBN} features for C@t{++}
8782 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} operators
8784 @cindex C and C@t{++} operators
8786 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
8787 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
8788 often defined on groups of types.
8790 For the purposes of C and C@t{++}, the following definitions hold:
8795 @emph{Integral types} include @code{int} with any of its storage-class
8796 specifiers; @code{char}; @code{enum}; and, for C@t{++}, @code{bool}.
8799 @emph{Floating-point types} include @code{float}, @code{double}, and
8800 @code{long double} (if supported by the target platform).
8803 @emph{Pointer types} include all types defined as @code{(@var{type} *)}.
8806 @emph{Scalar types} include all of the above.
8811 The following operators are supported. They are listed here
8812 in order of increasing precedence:
8816 The comma or sequencing operator. Expressions in a comma-separated list
8817 are evaluated from left to right, with the result of the entire
8818 expression being the last expression evaluated.
8821 Assignment. The value of an assignment expression is the value
8822 assigned. Defined on scalar types.
8825 Used in an expression of the form @w{@code{@var{a} @var{op}= @var{b}}},
8826 and translated to @w{@code{@var{a} = @var{a op b}}}.
8827 @w{@code{@var{op}=}} and @code{=} have the same precedence.
8828 @var{op} is any one of the operators @code{|}, @code{^}, @code{&},
8829 @code{<<}, @code{>>}, @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{%}.
8832 The ternary operator. @code{@var{a} ? @var{b} : @var{c}} can be thought
8833 of as: if @var{a} then @var{b} else @var{c}. @var{a} should be of an
8837 Logical @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
8840 Logical @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
8843 Bitwise @sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
8846 Bitwise exclusive-@sc{or}. Defined on integral types.
8849 Bitwise @sc{and}. Defined on integral types.
8852 Equality and inequality. Defined on scalar types. The value of these
8853 expressions is 0 for false and non-zero for true.
8855 @item <@r{, }>@r{, }<=@r{, }>=
8856 Less than, greater than, less than or equal, greater than or equal.
8857 Defined on scalar types. The value of these expressions is 0 for false
8858 and non-zero for true.
8861 left shift, and right shift. Defined on integral types.
8864 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
8867 Addition and subtraction. Defined on integral types, floating-point types and
8870 @item *@r{, }/@r{, }%
8871 Multiplication, division, and modulus. Multiplication and division are
8872 defined on integral and floating-point types. Modulus is defined on
8876 Increment and decrement. When appearing before a variable, the
8877 operation is performed before the variable is used in an expression;
8878 when appearing after it, the variable's value is used before the
8879 operation takes place.
8882 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types. Same precedence as
8886 Address operator. Defined on variables. Same precedence as @code{++}.
8888 For debugging C@t{++}, @value{GDBN} implements a use of @samp{&} beyond what is
8889 allowed in the C@t{++} language itself: you can use @samp{&(&@var{ref})}
8890 (or, if you prefer, simply @samp{&&@var{ref}}) to examine the address
8891 where a C@t{++} reference variable (declared with @samp{&@var{ref}}) is
8895 Negative. Defined on integral and floating-point types. Same
8896 precedence as @code{++}.
8899 Logical negation. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
8903 Bitwise complement operator. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
8908 Structure member, and pointer-to-structure member. For convenience,
8909 @value{GDBN} regards the two as equivalent, choosing whether to dereference a
8910 pointer based on the stored type information.
8911 Defined on @code{struct} and @code{union} data.
8914 Dereferences of pointers to members.
8917 Array indexing. @code{@var{a}[@var{i}]} is defined as
8918 @code{*(@var{a}+@var{i})}. Same precedence as @code{->}.
8921 Function parameter list. Same precedence as @code{->}.
8924 C@t{++} scope resolution operator. Defined on @code{struct}, @code{union},
8925 and @code{class} types.
8928 Doubled colons also represent the @value{GDBN} scope operator
8929 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). Same precedence as @code{::},
8933 If an operator is redefined in the user code, @value{GDBN} usually
8934 attempts to invoke the redefined version instead of using the operator's
8942 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} constants
8944 @cindex C and C@t{++} constants
8946 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of C and C@t{++} in the
8951 Integer constants are a sequence of digits. Octal constants are
8952 specified by a leading @samp{0} (i.e.@: zero), and hexadecimal constants
8953 by a leading @samp{0x} or @samp{0X}. Constants may also end with a letter
8954 @samp{l}, specifying that the constant should be treated as a
8958 Floating point constants are a sequence of digits, followed by a decimal
8959 point, followed by a sequence of digits, and optionally followed by an
8960 exponent. An exponent is of the form:
8961 @samp{@w{e@r{[[}+@r{]|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}}, where @var{nnn} is another
8962 sequence of digits. The @samp{+} is optional for positive exponents.
8963 A floating-point constant may also end with a letter @samp{f} or
8964 @samp{F}, specifying that the constant should be treated as being of
8965 the @code{float} (as opposed to the default @code{double}) type; or with
8966 a letter @samp{l} or @samp{L}, which specifies a @code{long double}
8970 Enumerated constants consist of enumerated identifiers, or their
8971 integral equivalents.
8974 Character constants are a single character surrounded by single quotes
8975 (@code{'}), or a number---the ordinal value of the corresponding character
8976 (usually its @sc{ascii} value). Within quotes, the single character may
8977 be represented by a letter or by @dfn{escape sequences}, which are of
8978 the form @samp{\@var{nnn}}, where @var{nnn} is the octal representation
8979 of the character's ordinal value; or of the form @samp{\@var{x}}, where
8980 @samp{@var{x}} is a predefined special character---for example,
8981 @samp{\n} for newline.
8984 String constants are a sequence of character constants surrounded by
8985 double quotes (@code{"}). Any valid character constant (as described
8986 above) may appear. Double quotes within the string must be preceded by
8987 a backslash, so for instance @samp{"a\"b'c"} is a string of five
8991 Pointer constants are an integral value. You can also write pointers
8992 to constants using the C operator @samp{&}.
8995 Array constants are comma-separated lists surrounded by braces @samp{@{}
8996 and @samp{@}}; for example, @samp{@{1,2,3@}} is a three-element array of
8997 integers, @samp{@{@{1,2@}, @{3,4@}, @{5,6@}@}} is a three-by-two array,
8998 and @samp{@{&"hi", &"there", &"fred"@}} is a three-element array of pointers.
9002 * C plus plus expressions::
9009 @node C plus plus expressions
9010 @subsubsection C@t{++} expressions
9012 @cindex expressions in C@t{++}
9013 @value{GDBN} expression handling can interpret most C@t{++} expressions.
9015 @cindex debugging C@t{++} programs
9016 @cindex C@t{++} compilers
9017 @cindex debug formats and C@t{++}
9018 @cindex @value{NGCC} and C@t{++}
9020 @emph{Warning:} @value{GDBN} can only debug C@t{++} code if you use the
9021 proper compiler and the proper debug format. Currently, @value{GDBN}
9022 works best when debugging C@t{++} code that is compiled with
9023 @value{NGCC} 2.95.3 or with @value{NGCC} 3.1 or newer, using the options
9024 @option{-gdwarf-2} or @option{-gstabs+}. DWARF 2 is preferred over
9025 stabs+. Most configurations of @value{NGCC} emit either DWARF 2 or
9026 stabs+ as their default debug format, so you usually don't need to
9027 specify a debug format explicitly. Other compilers and/or debug formats
9028 are likely to work badly or not at all when using @value{GDBN} to debug
9034 @cindex member functions
9036 Member function calls are allowed; you can use expressions like
9039 count = aml->GetOriginal(x, y)
9042 @vindex this@r{, inside C@t{++} member functions}
9043 @cindex namespace in C@t{++}
9045 While a member function is active (in the selected stack frame), your
9046 expressions have the same namespace available as the member function;
9047 that is, @value{GDBN} allows implicit references to the class instance
9048 pointer @code{this} following the same rules as C@t{++}.
9050 @cindex call overloaded functions
9051 @cindex overloaded functions, calling
9052 @cindex type conversions in C@t{++}
9054 You can call overloaded functions; @value{GDBN} resolves the function
9055 call to the right definition, with some restrictions. @value{GDBN} does not
9056 perform overload resolution involving user-defined type conversions,
9057 calls to constructors, or instantiations of templates that do not exist
9058 in the program. It also cannot handle ellipsis argument lists or
9061 It does perform integral conversions and promotions, floating-point
9062 promotions, arithmetic conversions, pointer conversions, conversions of
9063 class objects to base classes, and standard conversions such as those of
9064 functions or arrays to pointers; it requires an exact match on the
9065 number of function arguments.
9067 Overload resolution is always performed, unless you have specified
9068 @code{set overload-resolution off}. @xref{Debugging C plus plus,
9069 ,@value{GDBN} features for C@t{++}}.
9071 You must specify @code{set overload-resolution off} in order to use an
9072 explicit function signature to call an overloaded function, as in
9074 p 'foo(char,int)'('x', 13)
9077 The @value{GDBN} command-completion facility can simplify this;
9078 see @ref{Completion, ,Command completion}.
9080 @cindex reference declarations
9082 @value{GDBN} understands variables declared as C@t{++} references; you can use
9083 them in expressions just as you do in C@t{++} source---they are automatically
9086 In the parameter list shown when @value{GDBN} displays a frame, the values of
9087 reference variables are not displayed (unlike other variables); this
9088 avoids clutter, since references are often used for large structures.
9089 The @emph{address} of a reference variable is always shown, unless
9090 you have specified @samp{set print address off}.
9093 @value{GDBN} supports the C@t{++} name resolution operator @code{::}---your
9094 expressions can use it just as expressions in your program do. Since
9095 one scope may be defined in another, you can use @code{::} repeatedly if
9096 necessary, for example in an expression like
9097 @samp{@var{scope1}::@var{scope2}::@var{name}}. @value{GDBN} also allows
9098 resolving name scope by reference to source files, in both C and C@t{++}
9099 debugging (@pxref{Variables, ,Program variables}).
9102 In addition, when used with HP's C@t{++} compiler, @value{GDBN} supports
9103 calling virtual functions correctly, printing out virtual bases of
9104 objects, calling functions in a base subobject, casting objects, and
9105 invoking user-defined operators.
9108 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} defaults
9110 @cindex C and C@t{++} defaults
9112 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set type and range checking automatically, they
9113 both default to @code{off} whenever the working language changes to
9114 C or C@t{++}. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
9115 selects the working language.
9117 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, it
9118 recognizes source files whose names end with @file{.c}, @file{.C}, or
9119 @file{.cc}, etc, and when @value{GDBN} enters code compiled from one of
9120 these files, it sets the working language to C or C@t{++}.
9121 @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN} infer the source language},
9122 for further details.
9124 @c Type checking is (a) primarily motivated by Modula-2, and (b)
9125 @c unimplemented. If (b) changes, it might make sense to let this node
9126 @c appear even if Mod-2 does not, but meanwhile ignore it. roland 16jul93.
9129 @subsubsection C and C@t{++} type and range checks
9131 @cindex C and C@t{++} checks
9133 By default, when @value{GDBN} parses C or C@t{++} expressions, type checking
9134 is not used. However, if you turn type checking on, @value{GDBN}
9135 considers two variables type equivalent if:
9139 The two variables are structured and have the same structure, union, or
9143 The two variables have the same type name, or types that have been
9144 declared equivalent through @code{typedef}.
9147 @c leaving this out because neither J Gilmore nor R Pesch understand it.
9150 The two @code{struct}, @code{union}, or @code{enum} variables are
9151 declared in the same declaration. (Note: this may not be true for all C
9156 Range checking, if turned on, is done on mathematical operations. Array
9157 indices are not checked, since they are often used to index a pointer
9158 that is not itself an array.
9161 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and C
9163 The @code{set print union} and @code{show print union} commands apply to
9164 the @code{union} type. When set to @samp{on}, any @code{union} that is
9165 inside a @code{struct} or @code{class} is also printed. Otherwise, it
9166 appears as @samp{@{...@}}.
9168 The @code{@@} operator aids in the debugging of dynamic arrays, formed
9169 with pointers and a memory allocation function. @xref{Expressions,
9173 * Debugging C plus plus::
9176 @node Debugging C plus plus
9177 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} features for C@t{++}
9179 @cindex commands for C@t{++}
9181 Some @value{GDBN} commands are particularly useful with C@t{++}, and some are
9182 designed specifically for use with C@t{++}. Here is a summary:
9185 @cindex break in overloaded functions
9186 @item @r{breakpoint menus}
9187 When you want a breakpoint in a function whose name is overloaded,
9188 @value{GDBN} breakpoint menus help you specify which function definition
9189 you want. @xref{Breakpoint Menus,,Breakpoint menus}.
9191 @cindex overloading in C@t{++}
9192 @item rbreak @var{regex}
9193 Setting breakpoints using regular expressions is helpful for setting
9194 breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members of any special
9196 @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting breakpoints}.
9198 @cindex C@t{++} exception handling
9201 Debug C@t{++} exception handling using these commands. @xref{Set
9202 Catchpoints, , Setting catchpoints}.
9205 @item ptype @var{typename}
9206 Print inheritance relationships as well as other information for type
9208 @xref{Symbols, ,Examining the Symbol Table}.
9210 @cindex C@t{++} symbol display
9211 @item set print demangle
9212 @itemx show print demangle
9213 @itemx set print asm-demangle
9214 @itemx show print asm-demangle
9215 Control whether C@t{++} symbols display in their source form, both when
9216 displaying code as C@t{++} source and when displaying disassemblies.
9217 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print settings}.
9219 @item set print object
9220 @itemx show print object
9221 Choose whether to print derived (actual) or declared types of objects.
9222 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print settings}.
9224 @item set print vtbl
9225 @itemx show print vtbl
9226 Control the format for printing virtual function tables.
9227 @xref{Print Settings, ,Print settings}.
9228 (The @code{vtbl} commands do not work on programs compiled with the HP
9229 ANSI C@t{++} compiler (@code{aCC}).)
9231 @kindex set overload-resolution
9232 @cindex overloaded functions, overload resolution
9233 @item set overload-resolution on
9234 Enable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. The default
9235 is on. For overloaded functions, @value{GDBN} evaluates the arguments
9236 and searches for a function whose signature matches the argument types,
9237 using the standard C@t{++} conversion rules (see @ref{C plus plus expressions, ,C@t{++}
9238 expressions}, for details). If it cannot find a match, it emits a
9241 @item set overload-resolution off
9242 Disable overload resolution for C@t{++} expression evaluation. For
9243 overloaded functions that are not class member functions, @value{GDBN}
9244 chooses the first function of the specified name that it finds in the
9245 symbol table, whether or not its arguments are of the correct type. For
9246 overloaded functions that are class member functions, @value{GDBN}
9247 searches for a function whose signature @emph{exactly} matches the
9250 @kindex show overload-resolution
9251 @item show overload-resolution
9252 Show the current setting of overload resolution.
9254 @item @r{Overloaded symbol names}
9255 You can specify a particular definition of an overloaded symbol, using
9256 the same notation that is used to declare such symbols in C@t{++}: type
9257 @code{@var{symbol}(@var{types})} rather than just @var{symbol}. You can
9258 also use the @value{GDBN} command-line word completion facilities to list the
9259 available choices, or to finish the type list for you.
9260 @xref{Completion,, Command completion}, for details on how to do this.
9264 @subsection Objective-C
9267 This section provides information about some commands and command
9268 options that are useful for debugging Objective-C code. See also
9269 @ref{Symbols, info classes}, and @ref{Symbols, info selectors}, for a
9270 few more commands specific to Objective-C support.
9273 * Method Names in Commands::
9274 * The Print Command with Objective-C::
9277 @node Method Names in Commands, The Print Command with Objective-C, Objective-C, Objective-C
9278 @subsubsection Method Names in Commands
9280 The following commands have been extended to accept Objective-C method
9281 names as line specifications:
9283 @kindex clear@r{, and Objective-C}
9284 @kindex break@r{, and Objective-C}
9285 @kindex info line@r{, and Objective-C}
9286 @kindex jump@r{, and Objective-C}
9287 @kindex list@r{, and Objective-C}
9291 @item @code{info line}
9296 A fully qualified Objective-C method name is specified as
9299 -[@var{Class} @var{methodName}]
9302 where the minus sign is used to indicate an instance method and a
9303 plus sign (not shown) is used to indicate a class method. The class
9304 name @var{Class} and method name @var{methodName} are enclosed in
9305 brackets, similar to the way messages are specified in Objective-C
9306 source code. For example, to set a breakpoint at the @code{create}
9307 instance method of class @code{Fruit} in the program currently being
9311 break -[Fruit create]
9314 To list ten program lines around the @code{initialize} class method,
9318 list +[NSText initialize]
9321 In the current version of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus sign is
9322 required. In future versions of @value{GDBN}, the plus or minus
9323 sign will be optional, but you can use it to narrow the search. It
9324 is also possible to specify just a method name:
9330 You must specify the complete method name, including any colons. If
9331 your program's source files contain more than one @code{create} method,
9332 you'll be presented with a numbered list of classes that implement that
9333 method. Indicate your choice by number, or type @samp{0} to exit if
9336 As another example, to clear a breakpoint established at the
9337 @code{makeKeyAndOrderFront:} method of the @code{NSWindow} class, enter:
9340 clear -[NSWindow makeKeyAndOrderFront:]
9343 @node The Print Command with Objective-C
9344 @subsubsection The Print Command With Objective-C
9345 @cindex Objective-C, print objects
9346 @kindex print-object
9347 @kindex po @r{(@code{print-object})}
9349 The print command has also been extended to accept methods. For example:
9352 print -[@var{object} hash]
9355 @cindex print an Objective-C object description
9356 @cindex @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, and printing Objective-C objects
9358 will tell @value{GDBN} to send the @code{hash} message to @var{object}
9359 and print the result. Also, an additional command has been added,
9360 @code{print-object} or @code{po} for short, which is meant to print
9361 the description of an object. However, this command may only work
9362 with certain Objective-C libraries that have a particular hook
9363 function, @code{_NSPrintForDebugger}, defined.
9367 @cindex Fortran-specific support in @value{GDBN}
9369 @value{GDBN} can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, but it
9370 currently supports only the features of Fortran 77 language.
9372 @cindex trailing underscore, in Fortran symbols
9373 Some Fortran compilers (@sc{gnu} Fortran 77 and Fortran 95 compilers
9374 among them) append an underscore to the names of variables and
9375 functions. When you debug programs compiled by those compilers, you
9376 will need to refer to variables and functions with a trailing
9380 * Fortran Operators:: Fortran operators and expressions
9381 * Fortran Defaults:: Default settings for Fortran
9382 * Special Fortran commands:: Special @value{GDBN} commands for Fortran
9385 @node Fortran Operators
9386 @subsubsection Fortran operators and expressions
9388 @cindex Fortran operators and expressions
9390 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
9391 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on characters or other non-
9392 arithmetic types. Operators are often defined on groups of types.
9396 The exponentiation operator. It raises the first operand to the power
9400 The range operator. Normally used in the form of array(low:high) to
9401 represent a section of array.
9404 @node Fortran Defaults
9405 @subsubsection Fortran Defaults
9407 @cindex Fortran Defaults
9409 Fortran symbols are usually case-insensitive, so @value{GDBN} by
9410 default uses case-insensitive matches for Fortran symbols. You can
9411 change that with the @samp{set case-insensitive} command, see
9412 @ref{Symbols}, for the details.
9414 @node Special Fortran commands
9415 @subsubsection Special Fortran commands
9417 @cindex Special Fortran commands
9419 @value{GDBN} had some commands to support Fortran specific feature,
9420 such as common block displaying.
9423 @cindex @code{COMMON} blocks, Fortran
9425 @item info common @r{[}@var{common-name}@r{]}
9426 This command prints the values contained in the Fortran @code{COMMON}
9427 block whose name is @var{common-name}. With no argument, the names of
9428 all @code{COMMON} blocks visible at current program location are
9435 @cindex Pascal support in @value{GDBN}, limitations
9436 Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
9437 nested functions does not currently work. @value{GDBN} does not support
9438 entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
9441 The Pascal-specific command @code{set print pascal_static-members}
9442 controls whether static members of Pascal objects are displayed.
9443 @xref{Print Settings, pascal_static-members}.
9446 @subsection Modula-2
9448 @cindex Modula-2, @value{GDBN} support
9450 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} to support Modula-2 only support
9451 output from the @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler (which is currently being
9452 developed). Other Modula-2 compilers are not currently supported, and
9453 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
9454 to give an error as @value{GDBN} reads in the executable's symbol
9457 @cindex expressions in Modula-2
9459 * M2 Operators:: Built-in operators
9460 * Built-In Func/Proc:: Built-in functions and procedures
9461 * M2 Constants:: Modula-2 constants
9462 * M2 Defaults:: Default settings for Modula-2
9463 * Deviations:: Deviations from standard Modula-2
9464 * M2 Checks:: Modula-2 type and range checks
9465 * M2 Scope:: The scope operators @code{::} and @code{.}
9466 * GDB/M2:: @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
9470 @subsubsection Operators
9471 @cindex Modula-2 operators
9473 Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
9474 @code{+} is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are
9475 often defined on groups of types. For the purposes of Modula-2, the
9476 following definitions hold:
9481 @emph{Integral types} consist of @code{INTEGER}, @code{CARDINAL}, and
9485 @emph{Character types} consist of @code{CHAR} and its subranges.
9488 @emph{Floating-point types} consist of @code{REAL}.
9491 @emph{Pointer types} consist of anything declared as @code{POINTER TO
9495 @emph{Scalar types} consist of all of the above.
9498 @emph{Set types} consist of @code{SET} and @code{BITSET} types.
9501 @emph{Boolean types} consist of @code{BOOLEAN}.
9505 The following operators are supported, and appear in order of
9506 increasing precedence:
9510 Function argument or array index separator.
9513 Assignment. The value of @var{var} @code{:=} @var{value} is
9517 Less than, greater than on integral, floating-point, or enumerated
9521 Less than or equal to, greater than or equal to
9522 on integral, floating-point and enumerated types, or set inclusion on
9523 set types. Same precedence as @code{<}.
9525 @item =@r{, }<>@r{, }#
9526 Equality and two ways of expressing inequality, valid on scalar types.
9527 Same precedence as @code{<}. In @value{GDBN} scripts, only @code{<>} is
9528 available for inequality, since @code{#} conflicts with the script
9532 Set membership. Defined on set types and the types of their members.
9533 Same precedence as @code{<}.
9536 Boolean disjunction. Defined on boolean types.
9539 Boolean conjunction. Defined on boolean types.
9542 The @value{GDBN} ``artificial array'' operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}).
9545 Addition and subtraction on integral and floating-point types, or union
9546 and difference on set types.
9549 Multiplication on integral and floating-point types, or set intersection
9553 Division on floating-point types, or symmetric set difference on set
9554 types. Same precedence as @code{*}.
9557 Integer division and remainder. Defined on integral types. Same
9558 precedence as @code{*}.
9561 Negative. Defined on @code{INTEGER} and @code{REAL} data.
9564 Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types.
9567 Boolean negation. Defined on boolean types. Same precedence as
9571 @code{RECORD} field selector. Defined on @code{RECORD} data. Same
9572 precedence as @code{^}.
9575 Array indexing. Defined on @code{ARRAY} data. Same precedence as @code{^}.
9578 Procedure argument list. Defined on @code{PROCEDURE} objects. Same precedence
9582 @value{GDBN} and Modula-2 scope operators.
9586 @emph{Warning:} Sets and their operations are not yet supported, so @value{GDBN}
9587 treats the use of the operator @code{IN}, or the use of operators
9588 @code{+}, @code{-}, @code{*}, @code{/}, @code{=}, , @code{<>}, @code{#},
9589 @code{<=}, and @code{>=} on sets as an error.
9593 @node Built-In Func/Proc
9594 @subsubsection Built-in functions and procedures
9595 @cindex Modula-2 built-ins
9597 Modula-2 also makes available several built-in procedures and functions.
9598 In describing these, the following metavariables are used:
9603 represents an @code{ARRAY} variable.
9606 represents a @code{CHAR} constant or variable.
9609 represents a variable or constant of integral type.
9612 represents an identifier that belongs to a set. Generally used in the
9613 same function with the metavariable @var{s}. The type of @var{s} should
9614 be @code{SET OF @var{mtype}} (where @var{mtype} is the type of @var{m}).
9617 represents a variable or constant of integral or floating-point type.
9620 represents a variable or constant of floating-point type.
9626 represents a variable.
9629 represents a variable or constant of one of many types. See the
9630 explanation of the function for details.
9633 All Modula-2 built-in procedures also return a result, described below.
9637 Returns the absolute value of @var{n}.
9640 If @var{c} is a lower case letter, it returns its upper case
9641 equivalent, otherwise it returns its argument.
9644 Returns the character whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
9647 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
9649 @item DEC(@var{v},@var{i})
9650 Decrements the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
9653 @item EXCL(@var{m},@var{s})
9654 Removes the element @var{m} from the set @var{s}. Returns the new
9657 @item FLOAT(@var{i})
9658 Returns the floating point equivalent of the integer @var{i}.
9661 Returns the index of the last member of @var{a}.
9664 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by one. Returns the new value.
9666 @item INC(@var{v},@var{i})
9667 Increments the value in the variable @var{v} by @var{i}. Returns the
9670 @item INCL(@var{m},@var{s})
9671 Adds the element @var{m} to the set @var{s} if it is not already
9672 there. Returns the new set.
9675 Returns the maximum value of the type @var{t}.
9678 Returns the minimum value of the type @var{t}.
9681 Returns boolean TRUE if @var{i} is an odd number.
9684 Returns the ordinal value of its argument. For example, the ordinal
9685 value of a character is its @sc{ascii} value (on machines supporting the
9686 @sc{ascii} character set). @var{x} must be of an ordered type, which include
9687 integral, character and enumerated types.
9690 Returns the size of its argument. @var{x} can be a variable or a type.
9692 @item TRUNC(@var{r})
9693 Returns the integral part of @var{r}.
9695 @item VAL(@var{t},@var{i})
9696 Returns the member of the type @var{t} whose ordinal value is @var{i}.
9700 @emph{Warning:} Sets and their operations are not yet supported, so
9701 @value{GDBN} treats the use of procedures @code{INCL} and @code{EXCL} as
9705 @cindex Modula-2 constants
9707 @subsubsection Constants
9709 @value{GDBN} allows you to express the constants of Modula-2 in the following
9715 Integer constants are simply a sequence of digits. When used in an
9716 expression, a constant is interpreted to be type-compatible with the
9717 rest of the expression. Hexadecimal integers are specified by a
9718 trailing @samp{H}, and octal integers by a trailing @samp{B}.
9721 Floating point constants appear as a sequence of digits, followed by a
9722 decimal point and another sequence of digits. An optional exponent can
9723 then be specified, in the form @samp{E@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}}, where
9724 @samp{@r{[}+@r{|}-@r{]}@var{nnn}} is the desired exponent. All of the
9725 digits of the floating point constant must be valid decimal (base 10)
9729 Character constants consist of a single character enclosed by a pair of
9730 like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}). They may
9731 also be expressed by their ordinal value (their @sc{ascii} value, usually)
9732 followed by a @samp{C}.
9735 String constants consist of a sequence of characters enclosed by a
9736 pair of like quotes, either single (@code{'}) or double (@code{"}).
9737 Escape sequences in the style of C are also allowed. @xref{C
9738 Constants, ,C and C@t{++} constants}, for a brief explanation of escape
9742 Enumerated constants consist of an enumerated identifier.
9745 Boolean constants consist of the identifiers @code{TRUE} and
9749 Pointer constants consist of integral values only.
9752 Set constants are not yet supported.
9756 @subsubsection Modula-2 defaults
9757 @cindex Modula-2 defaults
9759 If type and range checking are set automatically by @value{GDBN}, they
9760 both default to @code{on} whenever the working language changes to
9761 Modula-2. This happens regardless of whether you or @value{GDBN}
9762 selected the working language.
9764 If you allow @value{GDBN} to set the language automatically, then entering
9765 code compiled from a file whose name ends with @file{.mod} sets the
9766 working language to Modula-2. @xref{Automatically, ,Having @value{GDBN} set
9767 the language automatically}, for further details.
9770 @subsubsection Deviations from standard Modula-2
9771 @cindex Modula-2, deviations from
9773 A few changes have been made to make Modula-2 programs easier to debug.
9774 This is done primarily via loosening its type strictness:
9778 Unlike in standard Modula-2, pointer constants can be formed by
9779 integers. This allows you to modify pointer variables during
9780 debugging. (In standard Modula-2, the actual address contained in a
9781 pointer variable is hidden from you; it can only be modified
9782 through direct assignment to another pointer variable or expression that
9783 returned a pointer.)
9786 C escape sequences can be used in strings and characters to represent
9787 non-printable characters. @value{GDBN} prints out strings with these
9788 escape sequences embedded. Single non-printable characters are
9789 printed using the @samp{CHR(@var{nnn})} format.
9792 The assignment operator (@code{:=}) returns the value of its right-hand
9796 All built-in procedures both modify @emph{and} return their argument.
9800 @subsubsection Modula-2 type and range checks
9801 @cindex Modula-2 checks
9804 @emph{Warning:} in this release, @value{GDBN} does not yet perform type or
9807 @c FIXME remove warning when type/range checks added
9809 @value{GDBN} considers two Modula-2 variables type equivalent if:
9813 They are of types that have been declared equivalent via a @code{TYPE
9814 @var{t1} = @var{t2}} statement
9817 They have been declared on the same line. (Note: This is true of the
9818 @sc{gnu} Modula-2 compiler, but it may not be true of other compilers.)
9821 As long as type checking is enabled, any attempt to combine variables
9822 whose types are not equivalent is an error.
9824 Range checking is done on all mathematical operations, assignment, array
9825 index bounds, and all built-in functions and procedures.
9828 @subsubsection The scope operators @code{::} and @code{.}
9830 @cindex @code{.}, Modula-2 scope operator
9831 @cindex colon, doubled as scope operator
9833 @vindex colon-colon@r{, in Modula-2}
9834 @c Info cannot handle :: but TeX can.
9837 @vindex ::@r{, in Modula-2}
9840 There are a few subtle differences between the Modula-2 scope operator
9841 (@code{.}) and the @value{GDBN} scope operator (@code{::}). The two have
9846 @var{module} . @var{id}
9847 @var{scope} :: @var{id}
9851 where @var{scope} is the name of a module or a procedure,
9852 @var{module} the name of a module, and @var{id} is any declared
9853 identifier within your program, except another module.
9855 Using the @code{::} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the scope
9856 specified by @var{scope} for the identifier @var{id}. If it is not
9857 found in the specified scope, then @value{GDBN} searches all scopes
9858 enclosing the one specified by @var{scope}.
9860 Using the @code{.} operator makes @value{GDBN} search the current scope for
9861 the identifier specified by @var{id} that was imported from the
9862 definition module specified by @var{module}. With this operator, it is
9863 an error if the identifier @var{id} was not imported from definition
9864 module @var{module}, or if @var{id} is not an identifier in
9868 @subsubsection @value{GDBN} and Modula-2
9870 Some @value{GDBN} commands have little use when debugging Modula-2 programs.
9871 Five subcommands of @code{set print} and @code{show print} apply
9872 specifically to C and C@t{++}: @samp{vtbl}, @samp{demangle},
9873 @samp{asm-demangle}, @samp{object}, and @samp{union}. The first four
9874 apply to C@t{++}, and the last to the C @code{union} type, which has no direct
9875 analogue in Modula-2.
9877 The @code{@@} operator (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}), while available
9878 with any language, is not useful with Modula-2. Its
9879 intent is to aid the debugging of @dfn{dynamic arrays}, which cannot be
9880 created in Modula-2 as they can in C or C@t{++}. However, because an
9881 address can be specified by an integral constant, the construct
9882 @samp{@{@var{type}@}@var{adrexp}} is still useful.
9884 @cindex @code{#} in Modula-2
9885 In @value{GDBN} scripts, the Modula-2 inequality operator @code{#} is
9886 interpreted as the beginning of a comment. Use @code{<>} instead.
9892 The extensions made to @value{GDBN} for Ada only support
9893 output from the @sc{gnu} Ada (GNAT) compiler.
9894 Other Ada compilers are not currently supported, and
9895 attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely
9899 @cindex expressions in Ada
9901 * Ada Mode Intro:: General remarks on the Ada syntax
9902 and semantics supported by Ada mode
9904 * Omissions from Ada:: Restrictions on the Ada expression syntax.
9905 * Additions to Ada:: Extensions of the Ada expression syntax.
9906 * Stopping Before Main Program:: Debugging the program during elaboration.
9907 * Ada Glitches:: Known peculiarities of Ada mode.
9910 @node Ada Mode Intro
9911 @subsubsection Introduction
9912 @cindex Ada mode, general
9914 The Ada mode of @value{GDBN} supports a fairly large subset of Ada expression
9915 syntax, with some extensions.
9916 The philosophy behind the design of this subset is
9920 That @value{GDBN} should provide basic literals and access to operations for
9921 arithmetic, dereferencing, field selection, indexing, and subprogram calls,
9922 leaving more sophisticated computations to subprograms written into the
9923 program (which therefore may be called from @value{GDBN}).
9926 That type safety and strict adherence to Ada language restrictions
9927 are not particularly important to the @value{GDBN} user.
9930 That brevity is important to the @value{GDBN} user.
9933 Thus, for brevity, the debugger acts as if there were
9934 implicit @code{with} and @code{use} clauses in effect for all user-written
9935 packages, making it unnecessary to fully qualify most names with
9936 their packages, regardless of context. Where this causes ambiguity,
9937 @value{GDBN} asks the user's intent.
9939 The debugger will start in Ada mode if it detects an Ada main program.
9940 As for other languages, it will enter Ada mode when stopped in a program that
9941 was translated from an Ada source file.
9943 While in Ada mode, you may use `@t{--}' for comments. This is useful
9944 mostly for documenting command files. The standard @value{GDBN} comment
9945 (@samp{#}) still works at the beginning of a line in Ada mode, but not in the
9946 middle (to allow based literals).
9948 The debugger supports limited overloading. Given a subprogram call in which
9949 the function symbol has multiple definitions, it will use the number of
9950 actual parameters and some information about their types to attempt to narrow
9951 the set of definitions. It also makes very limited use of context, preferring
9952 procedures to functions in the context of the @code{call} command, and
9953 functions to procedures elsewhere.
9955 @node Omissions from Ada
9956 @subsubsection Omissions from Ada
9957 @cindex Ada, omissions from
9959 Here are the notable omissions from the subset:
9963 Only a subset of the attributes are supported:
9967 @t{'First}, @t{'Last}, and @t{'Length}
9968 on array objects (not on types and subtypes).
9971 @t{'Min} and @t{'Max}.
9974 @t{'Pos} and @t{'Val}.
9980 @t{'Range} on array objects (not subtypes), but only as the right
9981 operand of the membership (@code{in}) operator.
9984 @t{'Access}, @t{'Unchecked_Access}, and
9985 @t{'Unrestricted_Access} (a GNAT extension).
9993 @code{Characters.Latin_1} are not available and
9994 concatenation is not implemented. Thus, escape characters in strings are
9995 not currently available.
9998 Equality tests (@samp{=} and @samp{/=}) on arrays test for bitwise
9999 equality of representations. They will generally work correctly
10000 for strings and arrays whose elements have integer or enumeration types.
10001 They may not work correctly for arrays whose element
10002 types have user-defined equality, for arrays of real values
10003 (in particular, IEEE-conformant floating point, because of negative
10004 zeroes and NaNs), and for arrays whose elements contain unused bits with
10005 indeterminate values.
10008 The other component-by-component array operations (@code{and}, @code{or},
10009 @code{xor}, @code{not}, and relational tests other than equality)
10010 are not implemented.
10013 @cindex array aggregates (Ada)
10014 @cindex record aggregates (Ada)
10015 @cindex aggregates (Ada)
10016 There is limited support for array and record aggregates. They are
10017 permitted only on the right sides of assignments, as in these examples:
10020 set An_Array := (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
10021 set An_Array := (1, others => 0)
10022 set An_Array := (0|4 => 1, 1..3 => 2, 5 => 6)
10023 set A_2D_Array := ((1, 2, 3), (4, 5, 6), (7, 8, 9))
10024 set A_Record := (1, "Peter", True);
10025 set A_Record := (Name => "Peter", Id => 1, Alive => True)
10029 discriminant's value by assigning an aggregate has an
10030 undefined effect if that discriminant is used within the record.
10031 However, you can first modify discriminants by directly assigning to
10032 them (which normally would not be allowed in Ada), and then performing an
10033 aggregate assignment. For example, given a variable @code{A_Rec}
10034 declared to have a type such as:
10037 type Rec (Len : Small_Integer := 0) is record
10039 Vals : IntArray (1 .. Len);
10043 you can assign a value with a different size of @code{Vals} with two
10048 set A_Rec := (Id => 42, Vals => (1, 2, 3, 4))
10051 As this example also illustrates, @value{GDBN} is very loose about the usual
10052 rules concerning aggregates. You may leave out some of the
10053 components of an array or record aggregate (such as the @code{Len}
10054 component in the assignment to @code{A_Rec} above); they will retain their
10055 original values upon assignment. You may freely use dynamic values as
10056 indices in component associations. You may even use overlapping or
10057 redundant component associations, although which component values are
10058 assigned in such cases is not defined.
10061 Calls to dispatching subprograms are not implemented.
10064 The overloading algorithm is much more limited (i.e., less selective)
10065 than that of real Ada. It makes only limited use of the context in which a subexpression
10066 appears to resolve its meaning, and it is much looser in its rules for allowing
10067 type matches. As a result, some function calls will be ambiguous, and the user
10068 will be asked to choose the proper resolution.
10071 The @code{new} operator is not implemented.
10074 Entry calls are not implemented.
10077 Aside from printing, arithmetic operations on the native VAX floating-point
10078 formats are not supported.
10081 It is not possible to slice a packed array.
10084 @node Additions to Ada
10085 @subsubsection Additions to Ada
10086 @cindex Ada, deviations from
10088 As it does for other languages, @value{GDBN} makes certain generic
10089 extensions to Ada (@pxref{Expressions}):
10093 If the expression @var{E} is a variable residing in memory
10094 (typically a local variable or array element) and @var{N} is
10095 a positive integer, then @code{@var{E}@@@var{N}} displays the values of
10096 @var{E} and the @var{N}-1 adjacent variables following it in memory as an array.
10097 In Ada, this operator is generally not necessary, since its prime use
10098 is in displaying parts of an array, and slicing will usually do this in Ada.
10099 However, there are occasional uses when debugging programs
10100 in which certain debugging information has been optimized away.
10103 @code{@var{B}::@var{var}} means ``the variable named @var{var} that appears
10104 in function or file @var{B}.'' When @var{B} is a file name, you must typically
10105 surround it in single quotes.
10108 The expression @code{@{@var{type}@} @var{addr}} means ``the variable of type
10109 @var{type} that appears at address @var{addr}.''
10112 A name starting with @samp{$} is a convenience variable
10113 (@pxref{Convenience Vars}) or a machine register (@pxref{Registers}).
10116 In addition, @value{GDBN} provides a few other shortcuts and outright additions specific
10121 The assignment statement is allowed as an expression, returning
10122 its right-hand operand as its value. Thus, you may enter
10126 print A(tmp := y + 1)
10130 The semicolon is allowed as an ``operator,'' returning as its value
10131 the value of its right-hand operand.
10132 This allows, for example,
10133 complex conditional breaks:
10137 condition 1 (report(i); k += 1; A(k) > 100)
10141 Rather than use catenation and symbolic character names to introduce special
10142 characters into strings, one may instead use a special bracket notation,
10143 which is also used to print strings. A sequence of characters of the form
10144 @samp{["@var{XX}"]} within a string or character literal denotes the
10145 (single) character whose numeric encoding is @var{XX} in hexadecimal. The
10146 sequence of characters @samp{["""]} also denotes a single quotation mark
10147 in strings. For example,
10149 "One line.["0a"]Next line.["0a"]"
10152 contains an ASCII newline character (@code{Ada.Characters.Latin_1.LF}) after each
10156 The subtype used as a prefix for the attributes @t{'Pos}, @t{'Min}, and
10157 @t{'Max} is optional (and is ignored in any case). For example, it is valid
10165 When printing arrays, @value{GDBN} uses positional notation when the
10166 array has a lower bound of 1, and uses a modified named notation otherwise.
10167 For example, a one-dimensional array of three integers with a lower bound of 3 might print as
10174 That is, in contrast to valid Ada, only the first component has a @code{=>}
10178 You may abbreviate attributes in expressions with any unique,
10179 multi-character subsequence of
10180 their names (an exact match gets preference).
10181 For example, you may use @t{a'len}, @t{a'gth}, or @t{a'lh}
10182 in place of @t{a'length}.
10185 @cindex quoting Ada internal identifiers
10186 Since Ada is case-insensitive, the debugger normally maps identifiers you type
10187 to lower case. The GNAT compiler uses upper-case characters for
10188 some of its internal identifiers, which are normally of no interest to users.
10189 For the rare occasions when you actually have to look at them,
10190 enclose them in angle brackets to avoid the lower-case mapping.
10193 @value{GDBP} print <JMPBUF_SAVE>[0]
10197 Printing an object of class-wide type or dereferencing an
10198 access-to-class-wide value will display all the components of the object's
10199 specific type (as indicated by its run-time tag). Likewise, component
10200 selection on such a value will operate on the specific type of the
10205 @node Stopping Before Main Program
10206 @subsubsection Stopping at the Very Beginning
10208 @cindex breakpointing Ada elaboration code
10209 It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration, and
10210 before reaching the main procedure.
10211 As defined in the Ada Reference
10212 Manual, the elaboration code is invoked from a procedure called
10213 @code{adainit}. To run your program up to the beginning of
10214 elaboration, simply use the following two commands:
10215 @code{tbreak adainit} and @code{run}.
10218 @subsubsection Known Peculiarities of Ada Mode
10219 @cindex Ada, problems
10221 Besides the omissions listed previously (@pxref{Omissions from Ada}),
10222 we know of several problems with and limitations of Ada mode in
10224 some of which will be fixed with planned future releases of the debugger
10225 and the GNU Ada compiler.
10229 Currently, the debugger
10230 has insufficient information to determine whether certain pointers represent
10231 pointers to objects or the objects themselves.
10232 Thus, the user may have to tack an extra @code{.all} after an expression
10233 to get it printed properly.
10236 Static constants that the compiler chooses not to materialize as objects in
10237 storage are invisible to the debugger.
10240 Named parameter associations in function argument lists are ignored (the
10241 argument lists are treated as positional).
10244 Many useful library packages are currently invisible to the debugger.
10247 Fixed-point arithmetic, conversions, input, and output is carried out using
10248 floating-point arithmetic, and may give results that only approximate those on
10252 The type of the @t{'Address} attribute may not be @code{System.Address}.
10255 The GNAT compiler never generates the prefix @code{Standard} for any of
10256 the standard symbols defined by the Ada language. @value{GDBN} knows about
10257 this: it will strip the prefix from names when you use it, and will never
10258 look for a name you have so qualified among local symbols, nor match against
10259 symbols in other packages or subprograms. If you have
10260 defined entities anywhere in your program other than parameters and
10261 local variables whose simple names match names in @code{Standard},
10262 GNAT's lack of qualification here can cause confusion. When this happens,
10263 you can usually resolve the confusion
10264 by qualifying the problematic names with package
10265 @code{Standard} explicitly.
10268 @node Unsupported languages
10269 @section Unsupported languages
10271 @cindex unsupported languages
10272 @cindex minimal language
10273 In addition to the other fully-supported programming languages,
10274 @value{GDBN} also provides a pseudo-language, called @code{minimal}.
10275 It does not represent a real programming language, but provides a set
10276 of capabilities close to what the C or assembly languages provide.
10277 This should allow most simple operations to be performed while debugging
10278 an application that uses a language currently not supported by @value{GDBN}.
10280 If the language is set to @code{auto}, @value{GDBN} will automatically
10281 select this language if the current frame corresponds to an unsupported
10285 @chapter Examining the Symbol Table
10287 The commands described in this chapter allow you to inquire about the
10288 symbols (names of variables, functions and types) defined in your
10289 program. This information is inherent in the text of your program and
10290 does not change as your program executes. @value{GDBN} finds it in your
10291 program's symbol table, in the file indicated when you started @value{GDBN}
10292 (@pxref{File Options, ,Choosing files}), or by one of the
10293 file-management commands (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to specify files}).
10295 @cindex symbol names
10296 @cindex names of symbols
10297 @cindex quoting names
10298 Occasionally, you may need to refer to symbols that contain unusual
10299 characters, which @value{GDBN} ordinarily treats as word delimiters. The
10300 most frequent case is in referring to static variables in other
10301 source files (@pxref{Variables,,Program variables}). File names
10302 are recorded in object files as debugging symbols, but @value{GDBN} would
10303 ordinarily parse a typical file name, like @file{foo.c}, as the three words
10304 @samp{foo} @samp{.} @samp{c}. To allow @value{GDBN} to recognize
10305 @samp{foo.c} as a single symbol, enclose it in single quotes; for example,
10312 looks up the value of @code{x} in the scope of the file @file{foo.c}.
10315 @cindex case-insensitive symbol names
10316 @cindex case sensitivity in symbol names
10317 @kindex set case-sensitive
10318 @item set case-sensitive on
10319 @itemx set case-sensitive off
10320 @itemx set case-sensitive auto
10321 Normally, when @value{GDBN} looks up symbols, it matches their names
10322 with case sensitivity determined by the current source language.
10323 Occasionally, you may wish to control that. The command @code{set
10324 case-sensitive} lets you do that by specifying @code{on} for
10325 case-sensitive matches or @code{off} for case-insensitive ones. If
10326 you specify @code{auto}, case sensitivity is reset to the default
10327 suitable for the source language. The default is case-sensitive
10328 matches for all languages except for Fortran, for which the default is
10329 case-insensitive matches.
10331 @kindex show case-sensitive
10332 @item show case-sensitive
10333 This command shows the current setting of case sensitivity for symbols
10336 @kindex info address
10337 @cindex address of a symbol
10338 @item info address @var{symbol}
10339 Describe where the data for @var{symbol} is stored. For a register
10340 variable, this says which register it is kept in. For a non-register
10341 local variable, this prints the stack-frame offset at which the variable
10344 Note the contrast with @samp{print &@var{symbol}}, which does not work
10345 at all for a register variable, and for a stack local variable prints
10346 the exact address of the current instantiation of the variable.
10348 @kindex info symbol
10349 @cindex symbol from address
10350 @cindex closest symbol and offset for an address
10351 @item info symbol @var{addr}
10352 Print the name of a symbol which is stored at the address @var{addr}.
10353 If no symbol is stored exactly at @var{addr}, @value{GDBN} prints the
10354 nearest symbol and an offset from it:
10357 (@value{GDBP}) info symbol 0x54320
10358 _initialize_vx + 396 in section .text
10362 This is the opposite of the @code{info address} command. You can use
10363 it to find out the name of a variable or a function given its address.
10366 @item whatis [@var{arg}]
10367 Print the data type of @var{arg}, which can be either an expression or
10368 a data type. With no argument, print the data type of @code{$}, the
10369 last value in the value history. If @var{arg} is an expression, it is
10370 not actually evaluated, and any side-effecting operations (such as
10371 assignments or function calls) inside it do not take place. If
10372 @var{arg} is a type name, it may be the name of a type or typedef, or
10373 for C code it may have the form @samp{class @var{class-name}},
10374 @samp{struct @var{struct-tag}}, @samp{union @var{union-tag}} or
10375 @samp{enum @var{enum-tag}}.
10376 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
10379 @item ptype [@var{arg}]
10380 @code{ptype} accepts the same arguments as @code{whatis}, but prints a
10381 detailed description of the type, instead of just the name of the type.
10382 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}.
10384 For example, for this variable declaration:
10387 struct complex @{double real; double imag;@} v;
10391 the two commands give this output:
10395 (@value{GDBP}) whatis v
10396 type = struct complex
10397 (@value{GDBP}) ptype v
10398 type = struct complex @{
10406 As with @code{whatis}, using @code{ptype} without an argument refers to
10407 the type of @code{$}, the last value in the value history.
10409 @cindex incomplete type
10410 Sometimes, programs use opaque data types or incomplete specifications
10411 of complex data structure. If the debug information included in the
10412 program does not allow @value{GDBN} to display a full declaration of
10413 the data type, it will say @samp{<incomplete type>}. For example,
10414 given these declarations:
10418 struct foo *fooptr;
10422 but no definition for @code{struct foo} itself, @value{GDBN} will say:
10426 $1 = <incomplete type>
10430 ``Incomplete type'' is C terminology for data types that are not
10431 completely specified.
10434 @item info types @var{regexp}
10436 Print a brief description of all types whose names match the regular
10437 expression @var{regexp} (or all types in your program, if you supply
10438 no argument). Each complete typename is matched as though it were a
10439 complete line; thus, @samp{i type value} gives information on all
10440 types in your program whose names include the string @code{value}, but
10441 @samp{i type ^value$} gives information only on types whose complete
10442 name is @code{value}.
10444 This command differs from @code{ptype} in two ways: first, like
10445 @code{whatis}, it does not print a detailed description; second, it
10446 lists all source files where a type is defined.
10449 @cindex local variables
10450 @item info scope @var{location}
10451 List all the variables local to a particular scope. This command
10452 accepts a @var{location} argument---a function name, a source line, or
10453 an address preceded by a @samp{*}, and prints all the variables local
10454 to the scope defined by that location. For example:
10457 (@value{GDBP}) @b{info scope command_line_handler}
10458 Scope for command_line_handler:
10459 Symbol rl is an argument at stack/frame offset 8, length 4.
10460 Symbol linebuffer is in static storage at address 0x150a18, length 4.
10461 Symbol linelength is in static storage at address 0x150a1c, length 4.
10462 Symbol p is a local variable in register $esi, length 4.
10463 Symbol p1 is a local variable in register $ebx, length 4.
10464 Symbol nline is a local variable in register $edx, length 4.
10465 Symbol repeat is a local variable at frame offset -8, length 4.
10469 This command is especially useful for determining what data to collect
10470 during a @dfn{trace experiment}, see @ref{Tracepoint Actions,
10473 @kindex info source
10475 Show information about the current source file---that is, the source file for
10476 the function containing the current point of execution:
10479 the name of the source file, and the directory containing it,
10481 the directory it was compiled in,
10483 its length, in lines,
10485 which programming language it is written in,
10487 whether the executable includes debugging information for that file, and
10488 if so, what format the information is in (e.g., STABS, Dwarf 2, etc.), and
10490 whether the debugging information includes information about
10491 preprocessor macros.
10495 @kindex info sources
10497 Print the names of all source files in your program for which there is
10498 debugging information, organized into two lists: files whose symbols
10499 have already been read, and files whose symbols will be read when needed.
10501 @kindex info functions
10502 @item info functions
10503 Print the names and data types of all defined functions.
10505 @item info functions @var{regexp}
10506 Print the names and data types of all defined functions
10507 whose names contain a match for regular expression @var{regexp}.
10508 Thus, @samp{info fun step} finds all functions whose names
10509 include @code{step}; @samp{info fun ^step} finds those whose names
10510 start with @code{step}. If a function name contains characters
10511 that conflict with the regular expression language (e.g.@:
10512 @samp{operator*()}), they may be quoted with a backslash.
10514 @kindex info variables
10515 @item info variables
10516 Print the names and data types of all variables that are declared
10517 outside of functions (i.e.@: excluding local variables).
10519 @item info variables @var{regexp}
10520 Print the names and data types of all variables (except for local
10521 variables) whose names contain a match for regular expression
10524 @kindex info classes
10525 @cindex Objective-C, classes and selectors
10527 @itemx info classes @var{regexp}
10528 Display all Objective-C classes in your program, or
10529 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
10532 @kindex info selectors
10533 @item info selectors
10534 @itemx info selectors @var{regexp}
10535 Display all Objective-C selectors in your program, or
10536 (with the @var{regexp} argument) all those matching a particular regular
10540 This was never implemented.
10541 @kindex info methods
10543 @itemx info methods @var{regexp}
10544 The @code{info methods} command permits the user to examine all defined
10545 methods within C@t{++} program, or (with the @var{regexp} argument) a
10546 specific set of methods found in the various C@t{++} classes. Many
10547 C@t{++} classes provide a large number of methods. Thus, the output
10548 from the @code{ptype} command can be overwhelming and hard to use. The
10549 @code{info-methods} command filters the methods, printing only those
10550 which match the regular-expression @var{regexp}.
10553 @cindex reloading symbols
10554 Some systems allow individual object files that make up your program to
10555 be replaced without stopping and restarting your program. For example,
10556 in VxWorks you can simply recompile a defective object file and keep on
10557 running. If you are running on one of these systems, you can allow
10558 @value{GDBN} to reload the symbols for automatically relinked modules:
10561 @kindex set symbol-reloading
10562 @item set symbol-reloading on
10563 Replace symbol definitions for the corresponding source file when an
10564 object file with a particular name is seen again.
10566 @item set symbol-reloading off
10567 Do not replace symbol definitions when encountering object files of the
10568 same name more than once. This is the default state; if you are not
10569 running on a system that permits automatic relinking of modules, you
10570 should leave @code{symbol-reloading} off, since otherwise @value{GDBN}
10571 may discard symbols when linking large programs, that may contain
10572 several modules (from different directories or libraries) with the same
10575 @kindex show symbol-reloading
10576 @item show symbol-reloading
10577 Show the current @code{on} or @code{off} setting.
10580 @cindex opaque data types
10581 @kindex set opaque-type-resolution
10582 @item set opaque-type-resolution on
10583 Tell @value{GDBN} to resolve opaque types. An opaque type is a type
10584 declared as a pointer to a @code{struct}, @code{class}, or
10585 @code{union}---for example, @code{struct MyType *}---that is used in one
10586 source file although the full declaration of @code{struct MyType} is in
10587 another source file. The default is on.
10589 A change in the setting of this subcommand will not take effect until
10590 the next time symbols for a file are loaded.
10592 @item set opaque-type-resolution off
10593 Tell @value{GDBN} not to resolve opaque types. In this case, the type
10594 is printed as follows:
10596 @{<no data fields>@}
10599 @kindex show opaque-type-resolution
10600 @item show opaque-type-resolution
10601 Show whether opaque types are resolved or not.
10603 @kindex maint print symbols
10604 @cindex symbol dump
10605 @kindex maint print psymbols
10606 @cindex partial symbol dump
10607 @item maint print symbols @var{filename}
10608 @itemx maint print psymbols @var{filename}
10609 @itemx maint print msymbols @var{filename}
10610 Write a dump of debugging symbol data into the file @var{filename}.
10611 These commands are used to debug the @value{GDBN} symbol-reading code. Only
10612 symbols with debugging data are included. If you use @samp{maint print
10613 symbols}, @value{GDBN} includes all the symbols for which it has already
10614 collected full details: that is, @var{filename} reflects symbols for
10615 only those files whose symbols @value{GDBN} has read. You can use the
10616 command @code{info sources} to find out which files these are. If you
10617 use @samp{maint print psymbols} instead, the dump shows information about
10618 symbols that @value{GDBN} only knows partially---that is, symbols defined in
10619 files that @value{GDBN} has skimmed, but not yet read completely. Finally,
10620 @samp{maint print msymbols} dumps just the minimal symbol information
10621 required for each object file from which @value{GDBN} has read some symbols.
10622 @xref{Files, ,Commands to specify files}, for a discussion of how
10623 @value{GDBN} reads symbols (in the description of @code{symbol-file}).
10625 @kindex maint info symtabs
10626 @kindex maint info psymtabs
10627 @cindex listing @value{GDBN}'s internal symbol tables
10628 @cindex symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
10629 @cindex full symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
10630 @cindex partial symbol tables, listing @value{GDBN}'s internal
10631 @item maint info symtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
10632 @itemx maint info psymtabs @r{[} @var{regexp} @r{]}
10634 List the @code{struct symtab} or @code{struct partial_symtab}
10635 structures whose names match @var{regexp}. If @var{regexp} is not
10636 given, list them all. The output includes expressions which you can
10637 copy into a @value{GDBN} debugging this one to examine a particular
10638 structure in more detail. For example:
10641 (@value{GDBP}) maint info psymtabs dwarf2read
10642 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
10643 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
10644 @{ psymtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
10645 ((struct partial_symtab *) 0x8474b10)
10648 text addresses 0x814d3c8 -- 0x8158074
10649 globals (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x8507a08 @@ 9)
10650 statics (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x40e95b78 @@ 2882)
10651 dependencies (none)
10654 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
10658 We see that there is one partial symbol table whose filename contains
10659 the string @samp{dwarf2read}, belonging to the @samp{gdb} executable;
10660 and we see that @value{GDBN} has not read in any symtabs yet at all.
10661 If we set a breakpoint on a function, that will cause @value{GDBN} to
10662 read the symtab for the compilation unit containing that function:
10665 (@value{GDBP}) break dwarf2_psymtab_to_symtab
10666 Breakpoint 1 at 0x814e5da: file /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c,
10668 (@value{GDBP}) maint info symtabs
10669 @{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
10670 ((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
10671 @{ symtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
10672 ((struct symtab *) 0x86c1f38)
10675 blockvector ((struct blockvector *) 0x86c1bd0) (primary)
10676 debugformat DWARF 2
10685 @chapter Altering Execution
10687 Once you think you have found an error in your program, you might want to
10688 find out for certain whether correcting the apparent error would lead to
10689 correct results in the rest of the run. You can find the answer by
10690 experiment, using the @value{GDBN} features for altering execution of the
10693 For example, you can store new values into variables or memory
10694 locations, give your program a signal, restart it at a different
10695 address, or even return prematurely from a function.
10698 * Assignment:: Assignment to variables
10699 * Jumping:: Continuing at a different address
10700 * Signaling:: Giving your program a signal
10701 * Returning:: Returning from a function
10702 * Calling:: Calling your program's functions
10703 * Patching:: Patching your program
10707 @section Assignment to variables
10710 @cindex setting variables
10711 To alter the value of a variable, evaluate an assignment expression.
10712 @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}. For example,
10719 stores the value 4 into the variable @code{x}, and then prints the
10720 value of the assignment expression (which is 4).
10721 @xref{Languages, ,Using @value{GDBN} with Different Languages}, for more
10722 information on operators in supported languages.
10724 @kindex set variable
10725 @cindex variables, setting
10726 If you are not interested in seeing the value of the assignment, use the
10727 @code{set} command instead of the @code{print} command. @code{set} is
10728 really the same as @code{print} except that the expression's value is
10729 not printed and is not put in the value history (@pxref{Value History,
10730 ,Value history}). The expression is evaluated only for its effects.
10732 If the beginning of the argument string of the @code{set} command
10733 appears identical to a @code{set} subcommand, use the @code{set
10734 variable} command instead of just @code{set}. This command is identical
10735 to @code{set} except for its lack of subcommands. For example, if your
10736 program has a variable @code{width}, you get an error if you try to set
10737 a new value with just @samp{set width=13}, because @value{GDBN} has the
10738 command @code{set width}:
10741 (@value{GDBP}) whatis width
10743 (@value{GDBP}) p width
10745 (@value{GDBP}) set width=47
10746 Invalid syntax in expression.
10750 The invalid expression, of course, is @samp{=47}. In
10751 order to actually set the program's variable @code{width}, use
10754 (@value{GDBP}) set var width=47
10757 Because the @code{set} command has many subcommands that can conflict
10758 with the names of program variables, it is a good idea to use the
10759 @code{set variable} command instead of just @code{set}. For example, if
10760 your program has a variable @code{g}, you run into problems if you try
10761 to set a new value with just @samp{set g=4}, because @value{GDBN} has
10762 the command @code{set gnutarget}, abbreviated @code{set g}:
10766 (@value{GDBP}) whatis g
10770 (@value{GDBP}) set g=4
10774 The program being debugged has been started already.
10775 Start it from the beginning? (y or n) y
10776 Starting program: /home/smith/cc_progs/a.out
10777 "/home/smith/cc_progs/a.out": can't open to read symbols:
10778 Invalid bfd target.
10779 (@value{GDBP}) show g
10780 The current BFD target is "=4".
10785 The program variable @code{g} did not change, and you silently set the
10786 @code{gnutarget} to an invalid value. In order to set the variable
10790 (@value{GDBP}) set var g=4
10793 @value{GDBN} allows more implicit conversions in assignments than C; you can
10794 freely store an integer value into a pointer variable or vice versa,
10795 and you can convert any structure to any other structure that is the
10796 same length or shorter.
10797 @comment FIXME: how do structs align/pad in these conversions?
10798 @comment /doc@cygnus.com 18dec1990
10800 To store values into arbitrary places in memory, use the @samp{@{@dots{}@}}
10801 construct to generate a value of specified type at a specified address
10802 (@pxref{Expressions, ,Expressions}). For example, @code{@{int@}0x83040} refers
10803 to memory location @code{0x83040} as an integer (which implies a certain size
10804 and representation in memory), and
10807 set @{int@}0x83040 = 4
10811 stores the value 4 into that memory location.
10814 @section Continuing at a different address
10816 Ordinarily, when you continue your program, you do so at the place where
10817 it stopped, with the @code{continue} command. You can instead continue at
10818 an address of your own choosing, with the following commands:
10822 @item jump @var{linespec}
10823 Resume execution at line @var{linespec}. Execution stops again
10824 immediately if there is a breakpoint there. @xref{List, ,Printing
10825 source lines}, for a description of the different forms of
10826 @var{linespec}. It is common practice to use the @code{tbreak} command
10827 in conjunction with @code{jump}. @xref{Set Breaks, ,Setting
10830 The @code{jump} command does not change the current stack frame, or
10831 the stack pointer, or the contents of any memory location or any
10832 register other than the program counter. If line @var{linespec} is in
10833 a different function from the one currently executing, the results may
10834 be bizarre if the two functions expect different patterns of arguments or
10835 of local variables. For this reason, the @code{jump} command requests
10836 confirmation if the specified line is not in the function currently
10837 executing. However, even bizarre results are predictable if you are
10838 well acquainted with the machine-language code of your program.
10840 @item jump *@var{address}
10841 Resume execution at the instruction at address @var{address}.
10844 @c Doesn't work on HP-UX; have to set $pcoqh and $pcoqt.
10845 On many systems, you can get much the same effect as the @code{jump}
10846 command by storing a new value into the register @code{$pc}. The
10847 difference is that this does not start your program running; it only
10848 changes the address of where it @emph{will} run when you continue. For
10856 makes the next @code{continue} command or stepping command execute at
10857 address @code{0x485}, rather than at the address where your program stopped.
10858 @xref{Continuing and Stepping, ,Continuing and stepping}.
10860 The most common occasion to use the @code{jump} command is to back
10861 up---perhaps with more breakpoints set---over a portion of a program
10862 that has already executed, in order to examine its execution in more
10867 @section Giving your program a signal
10868 @cindex deliver a signal to a program
10872 @item signal @var{signal}
10873 Resume execution where your program stopped, but immediately give it the
10874 signal @var{signal}. @var{signal} can be the name or the number of a
10875 signal. For example, on many systems @code{signal 2} and @code{signal
10876 SIGINT} are both ways of sending an interrupt signal.
10878 Alternatively, if @var{signal} is zero, continue execution without
10879 giving a signal. This is useful when your program stopped on account of
10880 a signal and would ordinary see the signal when resumed with the
10881 @code{continue} command; @samp{signal 0} causes it to resume without a
10884 @code{signal} does not repeat when you press @key{RET} a second time
10885 after executing the command.
10889 Invoking the @code{signal} command is not the same as invoking the
10890 @code{kill} utility from the shell. Sending a signal with @code{kill}
10891 causes @value{GDBN} to decide what to do with the signal depending on
10892 the signal handling tables (@pxref{Signals}). The @code{signal} command
10893 passes the signal directly to your program.
10897 @section Returning from a function
10900 @cindex returning from a function
10903 @itemx return @var{expression}
10904 You can cancel execution of a function call with the @code{return}
10905 command. If you give an
10906 @var{expression} argument, its value is used as the function's return
10910 When you use @code{return}, @value{GDBN} discards the selected stack frame
10911 (and all frames within it). You can think of this as making the
10912 discarded frame return prematurely. If you wish to specify a value to
10913 be returned, give that value as the argument to @code{return}.
10915 This pops the selected stack frame (@pxref{Selection, ,Selecting a
10916 frame}), and any other frames inside of it, leaving its caller as the
10917 innermost remaining frame. That frame becomes selected. The
10918 specified value is stored in the registers used for returning values
10921 The @code{return} command does not resume execution; it leaves the
10922 program stopped in the state that would exist if the function had just
10923 returned. In contrast, the @code{finish} command (@pxref{Continuing
10924 and Stepping, ,Continuing and stepping}) resumes execution until the
10925 selected stack frame returns naturally.
10928 @section Calling program functions
10931 @cindex calling functions
10932 @cindex inferior functions, calling
10933 @item print @var{expr}
10934 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} and display the resuling value.
10935 @var{expr} may include calls to functions in the program being
10939 @item call @var{expr}
10940 Evaluate the expression @var{expr} without displaying @code{void}
10943 You can use this variant of the @code{print} command if you want to
10944 execute a function from your program that does not return anything
10945 (a.k.a.@: @dfn{a void function}), but without cluttering the output
10946 with @code{void} returned values that @value{GDBN} will otherwise
10947 print. If the result is not void, it is printed and saved in the
10951 It is possible for the function you call via the @code{print} or
10952 @code{call} command to generate a signal (e.g., if there's a bug in
10953 the function, or if you passed it incorrect arguments). What happens
10954 in that case is controlled by the @code{set unwindonsignal} command.
10957 @item set unwindonsignal
10958 @kindex set unwindonsignal
10959 @cindex unwind stack in called functions
10960 @cindex call dummy stack unwinding
10961 Set unwinding of the stack if a signal is received while in a function
10962 that @value{GDBN} called in the program being debugged. If set to on,
10963 @value{GDBN} unwinds the stack it created for the call and restores
10964 the context to what it was before the call. If set to off (the
10965 default), @value{GDBN} stops in the frame where the signal was
10968 @item show unwindonsignal
10969 @kindex show unwindonsignal
10970 Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions called by
10974 @cindex weak alias functions
10975 Sometimes, a function you wish to call is actually a @dfn{weak alias}
10976 for another function. In such case, @value{GDBN} might not pick up
10977 the type information, including the types of the function arguments,
10978 which causes @value{GDBN} to call the inferior function incorrectly.
10979 As a result, the called function will function erroneously and may
10980 even crash. A solution to that is to use the name of the aliased
10984 @section Patching programs
10986 @cindex patching binaries
10987 @cindex writing into executables
10988 @cindex writing into corefiles
10990 By default, @value{GDBN} opens the file containing your program's
10991 executable code (or the corefile) read-only. This prevents accidental
10992 alterations to machine code; but it also prevents you from intentionally
10993 patching your program's binary.
10995 If you'd like to be able to patch the binary, you can specify that
10996 explicitly with the @code{set write} command. For example, you might
10997 want to turn on internal debugging flags, or even to make emergency
11003 @itemx set write off
11004 If you specify @samp{set write on}, @value{GDBN} opens executable and
11005 core files for both reading and writing; if you specify @samp{set write
11006 off} (the default), @value{GDBN} opens them read-only.
11008 If you have already loaded a file, you must load it again (using the
11009 @code{exec-file} or @code{core-file} command) after changing @code{set
11010 write}, for your new setting to take effect.
11014 Display whether executable files and core files are opened for writing
11015 as well as reading.
11019 @chapter @value{GDBN} Files
11021 @value{GDBN} needs to know the file name of the program to be debugged,
11022 both in order to read its symbol table and in order to start your
11023 program. To debug a core dump of a previous run, you must also tell
11024 @value{GDBN} the name of the core dump file.
11027 * Files:: Commands to specify files
11028 * Separate Debug Files:: Debugging information in separate files
11029 * Symbol Errors:: Errors reading symbol files
11033 @section Commands to specify files
11035 @cindex symbol table
11036 @cindex core dump file
11038 You may want to specify executable and core dump file names. The usual
11039 way to do this is at start-up time, using the arguments to
11040 @value{GDBN}'s start-up commands (@pxref{Invocation, , Getting In and
11041 Out of @value{GDBN}}).
11043 Occasionally it is necessary to change to a different file during a
11044 @value{GDBN} session. Or you may run @value{GDBN} and forget to
11045 specify a file you want to use. Or you are debugging a remote target
11046 via @code{gdbserver} (@pxref{Server, file}). In these situations the
11047 @value{GDBN} commands to specify new files are useful.
11050 @cindex executable file
11052 @item file @var{filename}
11053 Use @var{filename} as the program to be debugged. It is read for its
11054 symbols and for the contents of pure memory. It is also the program
11055 executed when you use the @code{run} command. If you do not specify a
11056 directory and the file is not found in the @value{GDBN} working directory,
11057 @value{GDBN} uses the environment variable @code{PATH} as a list of
11058 directories to search, just as the shell does when looking for a program
11059 to run. You can change the value of this variable, for both @value{GDBN}
11060 and your program, using the @code{path} command.
11062 @cindex unlinked object files
11063 @cindex patching object files
11064 You can load unlinked object @file{.o} files into @value{GDBN} using
11065 the @code{file} command. You will not be able to ``run'' an object
11066 file, but you can disassemble functions and inspect variables. Also,
11067 if the underlying BFD functionality supports it, you could use
11068 @kbd{gdb -write} to patch object files using this technique. Note
11069 that @value{GDBN} can neither interpret nor modify relocations in this
11070 case, so branches and some initialized variables will appear to go to
11071 the wrong place. But this feature is still handy from time to time.
11074 @code{file} with no argument makes @value{GDBN} discard any information it
11075 has on both executable file and the symbol table.
11078 @item exec-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{]}
11079 Specify that the program to be run (but not the symbol table) is found
11080 in @var{filename}. @value{GDBN} searches the environment variable @code{PATH}
11081 if necessary to locate your program. Omitting @var{filename} means to
11082 discard information on the executable file.
11084 @kindex symbol-file
11085 @item symbol-file @r{[} @var{filename} @r{]}
11086 Read symbol table information from file @var{filename}. @code{PATH} is
11087 searched when necessary. Use the @code{file} command to get both symbol
11088 table and program to run from the same file.
11090 @code{symbol-file} with no argument clears out @value{GDBN} information on your
11091 program's symbol table.
11093 The @code{symbol-file} command causes @value{GDBN} to forget the contents of
11094 some breakpoints and auto-display expressions. This is because they may
11095 contain pointers to the internal data recording symbols and data types,
11096 which are part of the old symbol table data being discarded inside
11099 @code{symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after
11102 When @value{GDBN} is configured for a particular environment, it
11103 understands debugging information in whatever format is the standard
11104 generated for that environment; you may use either a @sc{gnu} compiler, or
11105 other compilers that adhere to the local conventions.
11106 Best results are usually obtained from @sc{gnu} compilers; for example,
11107 using @code{@value{GCC}} you can generate debugging information for
11110 For most kinds of object files, with the exception of old SVR3 systems
11111 using COFF, the @code{symbol-file} command does not normally read the
11112 symbol table in full right away. Instead, it scans the symbol table
11113 quickly to find which source files and which symbols are present. The
11114 details are read later, one source file at a time, as they are needed.
11116 The purpose of this two-stage reading strategy is to make @value{GDBN}
11117 start up faster. For the most part, it is invisible except for
11118 occasional pauses while the symbol table details for a particular source
11119 file are being read. (The @code{set verbose} command can turn these
11120 pauses into messages if desired. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional
11121 warnings and messages}.)
11123 We have not implemented the two-stage strategy for COFF yet. When the
11124 symbol table is stored in COFF format, @code{symbol-file} reads the
11125 symbol table data in full right away. Note that ``stabs-in-COFF''
11126 still does the two-stage strategy, since the debug info is actually
11130 @cindex reading symbols immediately
11131 @cindex symbols, reading immediately
11132 @item symbol-file @var{filename} @r{[} -readnow @r{]}
11133 @itemx file @var{filename} @r{[} -readnow @r{]}
11134 You can override the @value{GDBN} two-stage strategy for reading symbol
11135 tables by using the @samp{-readnow} option with any of the commands that
11136 load symbol table information, if you want to be sure @value{GDBN} has the
11137 entire symbol table available.
11139 @c FIXME: for now no mention of directories, since this seems to be in
11140 @c flux. 13mar1992 status is that in theory GDB would look either in
11141 @c current dir or in same dir as myprog; but issues like competing
11142 @c GDB's, or clutter in system dirs, mean that in practice right now
11143 @c only current dir is used. FFish says maybe a special GDB hierarchy
11144 @c (eg rooted in val of env var GDBSYMS) could exist for mappable symbol
11148 @item core-file @r{[}@var{filename}@r{]}
11150 Specify the whereabouts of a core dump file to be used as the ``contents
11151 of memory''. Traditionally, core files contain only some parts of the
11152 address space of the process that generated them; @value{GDBN} can access the
11153 executable file itself for other parts.
11155 @code{core-file} with no argument specifies that no core file is
11158 Note that the core file is ignored when your program is actually running
11159 under @value{GDBN}. So, if you have been running your program and you
11160 wish to debug a core file instead, you must kill the subprocess in which
11161 the program is running. To do this, use the @code{kill} command
11162 (@pxref{Kill Process, ,Killing the child process}).
11164 @kindex add-symbol-file
11165 @cindex dynamic linking
11166 @item add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address}
11167 @itemx add-symbol-file @var{filename} @var{address} @r{[} -readnow @r{]}
11168 @itemx add-symbol-file @var{filename} @r{-s}@var{section} @var{address} @dots{}
11169 The @code{add-symbol-file} command reads additional symbol table
11170 information from the file @var{filename}. You would use this command
11171 when @var{filename} has been dynamically loaded (by some other means)
11172 into the program that is running. @var{address} should be the memory
11173 address at which the file has been loaded; @value{GDBN} cannot figure
11174 this out for itself. You can additionally specify an arbitrary number
11175 of @samp{@r{-s}@var{section} @var{address}} pairs, to give an explicit
11176 section name and base address for that section. You can specify any
11177 @var{address} as an expression.
11179 The symbol table of the file @var{filename} is added to the symbol table
11180 originally read with the @code{symbol-file} command. You can use the
11181 @code{add-symbol-file} command any number of times; the new symbol data
11182 thus read keeps adding to the old. To discard all old symbol data
11183 instead, use the @code{symbol-file} command without any arguments.
11185 @cindex relocatable object files, reading symbols from
11186 @cindex object files, relocatable, reading symbols from
11187 @cindex reading symbols from relocatable object files
11188 @cindex symbols, reading from relocatable object files
11189 @cindex @file{.o} files, reading symbols from
11190 Although @var{filename} is typically a shared library file, an
11191 executable file, or some other object file which has been fully
11192 relocated for loading into a process, you can also load symbolic
11193 information from relocatable @file{.o} files, as long as:
11197 the file's symbolic information refers only to linker symbols defined in
11198 that file, not to symbols defined by other object files,
11200 every section the file's symbolic information refers to has actually
11201 been loaded into the inferior, as it appears in the file, and
11203 you can determine the address at which every section was loaded, and
11204 provide these to the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
11208 Some embedded operating systems, like Sun Chorus and VxWorks, can load
11209 relocatable files into an already running program; such systems
11210 typically make the requirements above easy to meet. However, it's
11211 important to recognize that many native systems use complex link
11212 procedures (@code{.linkonce} section factoring and C@t{++} constructor table
11213 assembly, for example) that make the requirements difficult to meet. In
11214 general, one cannot assume that using @code{add-symbol-file} to read a
11215 relocatable object file's symbolic information will have the same effect
11216 as linking the relocatable object file into the program in the normal
11219 @code{add-symbol-file} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} after using it.
11221 @kindex add-symbol-file-from-memory
11222 @cindex @code{syscall DSO}
11223 @cindex load symbols from memory
11224 @item add-symbol-file-from-memory @var{address}
11225 Load symbols from the given @var{address} in a dynamically loaded
11226 object file whose image is mapped directly into the inferior's memory.
11227 For example, the Linux kernel maps a @code{syscall DSO} into each
11228 process's address space; this DSO provides kernel-specific code for
11229 some system calls. The argument can be any expression whose
11230 evaluation yields the address of the file's shared object file header.
11231 For this command to work, you must have used @code{symbol-file} or
11232 @code{exec-file} commands in advance.
11234 @kindex add-shared-symbol-files
11236 @item add-shared-symbol-files @var{library-file}
11237 @itemx assf @var{library-file}
11238 The @code{add-shared-symbol-files} command can currently be used only
11239 in the Cygwin build of @value{GDBN} on MS-Windows OS, where it is an
11240 alias for the @code{dll-symbols} command (@pxref{Cygwin Native}).
11241 @value{GDBN} automatically looks for shared libraries, however if
11242 @value{GDBN} does not find yours, you can invoke
11243 @code{add-shared-symbol-files}. It takes one argument: the shared
11244 library's file name. @code{assf} is a shorthand alias for
11245 @code{add-shared-symbol-files}.
11248 @item section @var{section} @var{addr}
11249 The @code{section} command changes the base address of the named
11250 @var{section} of the exec file to @var{addr}. This can be used if the
11251 exec file does not contain section addresses, (such as in the
11252 @code{a.out} format), or when the addresses specified in the file
11253 itself are wrong. Each section must be changed separately. The
11254 @code{info files} command, described below, lists all the sections and
11258 @kindex info target
11261 @code{info files} and @code{info target} are synonymous; both print the
11262 current target (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}),
11263 including the names of the executable and core dump files currently in
11264 use by @value{GDBN}, and the files from which symbols were loaded. The
11265 command @code{help target} lists all possible targets rather than
11268 @kindex maint info sections
11269 @item maint info sections
11270 Another command that can give you extra information about program sections
11271 is @code{maint info sections}. In addition to the section information
11272 displayed by @code{info files}, this command displays the flags and file
11273 offset of each section in the executable and core dump files. In addition,
11274 @code{maint info sections} provides the following command options (which
11275 may be arbitrarily combined):
11279 Display sections for all loaded object files, including shared libraries.
11280 @item @var{sections}
11281 Display info only for named @var{sections}.
11282 @item @var{section-flags}
11283 Display info only for sections for which @var{section-flags} are true.
11284 The section flags that @value{GDBN} currently knows about are:
11287 Section will have space allocated in the process when loaded.
11288 Set for all sections except those containing debug information.
11290 Section will be loaded from the file into the child process memory.
11291 Set for pre-initialized code and data, clear for @code{.bss} sections.
11293 Section needs to be relocated before loading.
11295 Section cannot be modified by the child process.
11297 Section contains executable code only.
11299 Section contains data only (no executable code).
11301 Section will reside in ROM.
11303 Section contains data for constructor/destructor lists.
11305 Section is not empty.
11307 An instruction to the linker to not output the section.
11308 @item COFF_SHARED_LIBRARY
11309 A notification to the linker that the section contains
11310 COFF shared library information.
11312 Section contains common symbols.
11315 @kindex set trust-readonly-sections
11316 @cindex read-only sections
11317 @item set trust-readonly-sections on
11318 Tell @value{GDBN} that readonly sections in your object file
11319 really are read-only (i.e.@: that their contents will not change).
11320 In that case, @value{GDBN} can fetch values from these sections
11321 out of the object file, rather than from the target program.
11322 For some targets (notably embedded ones), this can be a significant
11323 enhancement to debugging performance.
11325 The default is off.
11327 @item set trust-readonly-sections off
11328 Tell @value{GDBN} not to trust readonly sections. This means that
11329 the contents of the section might change while the program is running,
11330 and must therefore be fetched from the target when needed.
11332 @item show trust-readonly-sections
11333 Show the current setting of trusting readonly sections.
11336 All file-specifying commands allow both absolute and relative file names
11337 as arguments. @value{GDBN} always converts the file name to an absolute file
11338 name and remembers it that way.
11340 @cindex shared libraries
11341 @value{GDBN} supports GNU/Linux, MS-Windows, HP-UX, SunOS, SVr4, Irix,
11342 and IBM RS/6000 AIX shared libraries.
11344 @value{GDBN} automatically loads symbol definitions from shared libraries
11345 when you use the @code{run} command, or when you examine a core file.
11346 (Before you issue the @code{run} command, @value{GDBN} does not understand
11347 references to a function in a shared library, however---unless you are
11348 debugging a core file).
11350 On HP-UX, if the program loads a library explicitly, @value{GDBN}
11351 automatically loads the symbols at the time of the @code{shl_load} call.
11353 @c FIXME: some @value{GDBN} release may permit some refs to undef
11354 @c FIXME...symbols---eg in a break cmd---assuming they are from a shared
11355 @c FIXME...lib; check this from time to time when updating manual
11357 There are times, however, when you may wish to not automatically load
11358 symbol definitions from shared libraries, such as when they are
11359 particularly large or there are many of them.
11361 To control the automatic loading of shared library symbols, use the
11365 @kindex set auto-solib-add
11366 @item set auto-solib-add @var{mode}
11367 If @var{mode} is @code{on}, symbols from all shared object libraries
11368 will be loaded automatically when the inferior begins execution, you
11369 attach to an independently started inferior, or when the dynamic linker
11370 informs @value{GDBN} that a new library has been loaded. If @var{mode}
11371 is @code{off}, symbols must be loaded manually, using the
11372 @code{sharedlibrary} command. The default value is @code{on}.
11374 @cindex memory used for symbol tables
11375 If your program uses lots of shared libraries with debug info that
11376 takes large amounts of memory, you can decrease the @value{GDBN}
11377 memory footprint by preventing it from automatically loading the
11378 symbols from shared libraries. To that end, type @kbd{set
11379 auto-solib-add off} before running the inferior, then load each
11380 library whose debug symbols you do need with @kbd{sharedlibrary
11381 @var{regexp}}, where @var{regexp} is a regular expresion that matches
11382 the libraries whose symbols you want to be loaded.
11384 @kindex show auto-solib-add
11385 @item show auto-solib-add
11386 Display the current autoloading mode.
11389 @cindex load shared library
11390 To explicitly load shared library symbols, use the @code{sharedlibrary}
11394 @kindex info sharedlibrary
11397 @itemx info sharedlibrary
11398 Print the names of the shared libraries which are currently loaded.
11400 @kindex sharedlibrary
11402 @item sharedlibrary @var{regex}
11403 @itemx share @var{regex}
11404 Load shared object library symbols for files matching a
11405 Unix regular expression.
11406 As with files loaded automatically, it only loads shared libraries
11407 required by your program for a core file or after typing @code{run}. If
11408 @var{regex} is omitted all shared libraries required by your program are
11411 @item nosharedlibrary
11412 @kindex nosharedlibrary
11413 @cindex unload symbols from shared libraries
11414 Unload all shared object library symbols. This discards all symbols
11415 that have been loaded from all shared libraries. Symbols from shared
11416 libraries that were loaded by explicit user requests are not
11420 Sometimes you may wish that @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control
11421 when any of shared library events happen. Use the @code{set
11422 stop-on-solib-events} command for this:
11425 @item set stop-on-solib-events
11426 @kindex set stop-on-solib-events
11427 This command controls whether @value{GDBN} should give you control
11428 when the dynamic linker notifies it about some shared library event.
11429 The most common event of interest is loading or unloading of a new
11432 @item show stop-on-solib-events
11433 @kindex show stop-on-solib-events
11434 Show whether @value{GDBN} stops and gives you control when shared
11435 library events happen.
11438 Shared libraries are also supported in many cross or remote debugging
11439 configurations. A copy of the target's libraries need to be present on the
11440 host system; they need to be the same as the target libraries, although the
11441 copies on the target can be stripped as long as the copies on the host are
11444 @cindex where to look for shared libraries
11445 For remote debugging, you need to tell @value{GDBN} where the target
11446 libraries are, so that it can load the correct copies---otherwise, it
11447 may try to load the host's libraries. @value{GDBN} has two variables
11448 to specify the search directories for target libraries.
11451 @cindex prefix for shared library file names
11452 @kindex set solib-absolute-prefix
11453 @item set solib-absolute-prefix @var{path}
11454 If this variable is set, @var{path} will be used as a prefix for any
11455 absolute shared library paths; many runtime loaders store the absolute
11456 paths to the shared library in the target program's memory. If you use
11457 @samp{solib-absolute-prefix} to find shared libraries, they need to be laid
11458 out in the same way that they are on the target, with e.g.@: a
11459 @file{/usr/lib} hierarchy under @var{path}.
11461 @cindex default value of @samp{solib-absolute-prefix}
11462 @cindex @samp{--with-sysroot}
11463 You can set the default value of @samp{solib-absolute-prefix} by using the
11464 configure-time @samp{--with-sysroot} option.
11466 @kindex show solib-absolute-prefix
11467 @item show solib-absolute-prefix
11468 Display the current shared library prefix.
11470 @kindex set solib-search-path
11471 @item set solib-search-path @var{path}
11472 If this variable is set, @var{path} is a colon-separated list of directories
11473 to search for shared libraries. @samp{solib-search-path} is used after
11474 @samp{solib-absolute-prefix} fails to locate the library, or if the path to
11475 the library is relative instead of absolute. If you want to use
11476 @samp{solib-search-path} instead of @samp{solib-absolute-prefix}, be sure to
11477 set @samp{solib-absolute-prefix} to a nonexistant directory to prevent
11478 @value{GDBN} from finding your host's libraries.
11480 @kindex show solib-search-path
11481 @item show solib-search-path
11482 Display the current shared library search path.
11486 @node Separate Debug Files
11487 @section Debugging Information in Separate Files
11488 @cindex separate debugging information files
11489 @cindex debugging information in separate files
11490 @cindex @file{.debug} subdirectories
11491 @cindex debugging information directory, global
11492 @cindex global debugging information directory
11494 @value{GDBN} allows you to put a program's debugging information in a
11495 file separate from the executable itself, in a way that allows
11496 @value{GDBN} to find and load the debugging information automatically.
11497 Since debugging information can be very large --- sometimes larger
11498 than the executable code itself --- some systems distribute debugging
11499 information for their executables in separate files, which users can
11500 install only when they need to debug a problem.
11502 If an executable's debugging information has been extracted to a
11503 separate file, the executable should contain a @dfn{debug link} giving
11504 the name of the debugging information file (with no directory
11505 components), and a checksum of its contents. (The exact form of a
11506 debug link is described below.) If the full name of the directory
11507 containing the executable is @var{execdir}, and the executable has a
11508 debug link that specifies the name @var{debugfile}, then @value{GDBN}
11509 will automatically search for the debugging information file in three
11514 the directory containing the executable file (that is, it will look
11515 for a file named @file{@var{execdir}/@var{debugfile}},
11517 a subdirectory of that directory named @file{.debug} (that is, the
11518 file @file{@var{execdir}/.debug/@var{debugfile}}, and
11520 a subdirectory of the global debug file directory that includes the
11521 executable's full path, and the name from the link (that is, the file
11522 @file{@var{globaldebugdir}/@var{execdir}/@var{debugfile}}, where
11523 @var{globaldebugdir} is the global debug file directory, and
11524 @var{execdir} has been turned into a relative path).
11527 @value{GDBN} checks under each of these names for a debugging
11528 information file whose checksum matches that given in the link, and
11529 reads the debugging information from the first one it finds.
11531 So, for example, if you ask @value{GDBN} to debug @file{/usr/bin/ls},
11532 which has a link containing the name @file{ls.debug}, and the global
11533 debug directory is @file{/usr/lib/debug}, then @value{GDBN} will look
11534 for debug information in @file{/usr/bin/ls.debug},
11535 @file{/usr/bin/.debug/ls.debug}, and
11536 @file{/usr/lib/debug/usr/bin/ls.debug}.
11538 You can set the global debugging info directory's name, and view the
11539 name @value{GDBN} is currently using.
11543 @kindex set debug-file-directory
11544 @item set debug-file-directory @var{directory}
11545 Set the directory which @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
11546 information files to @var{directory}.
11548 @kindex show debug-file-directory
11549 @item show debug-file-directory
11550 Show the directory @value{GDBN} searches for separate debugging
11555 @cindex @code{.gnu_debuglink} sections
11556 @cindex debug links
11557 A debug link is a special section of the executable file named
11558 @code{.gnu_debuglink}. The section must contain:
11562 A filename, with any leading directory components removed, followed by
11565 zero to three bytes of padding, as needed to reach the next four-byte
11566 boundary within the section, and
11568 a four-byte CRC checksum, stored in the same endianness used for the
11569 executable file itself. The checksum is computed on the debugging
11570 information file's full contents by the function given below, passing
11571 zero as the @var{crc} argument.
11574 Any executable file format can carry a debug link, as long as it can
11575 contain a section named @code{.gnu_debuglink} with the contents
11578 The debugging information file itself should be an ordinary
11579 executable, containing a full set of linker symbols, sections, and
11580 debugging information. The sections of the debugging information file
11581 should have the same names, addresses and sizes as the original file,
11582 but they need not contain any data --- much like a @code{.bss} section
11583 in an ordinary executable.
11585 As of December 2002, there is no standard GNU utility to produce
11586 separated executable / debugging information file pairs. Ulrich
11587 Drepper's @file{elfutils} package, starting with version 0.53,
11588 contains a version of the @code{strip} command such that the command
11589 @kbd{strip foo -f foo.debug} removes the debugging information from
11590 the executable file @file{foo}, places it in the file
11591 @file{foo.debug}, and leaves behind a debug link in @file{foo}.
11593 Since there are many different ways to compute CRC's (different
11594 polynomials, reversals, byte ordering, etc.), the simplest way to
11595 describe the CRC used in @code{.gnu_debuglink} sections is to give the
11596 complete code for a function that computes it:
11598 @kindex gnu_debuglink_crc32
11601 gnu_debuglink_crc32 (unsigned long crc,
11602 unsigned char *buf, size_t len)
11604 static const unsigned long crc32_table[256] =
11606 0x00000000, 0x77073096, 0xee0e612c, 0x990951ba, 0x076dc419,
11607 0x706af48f, 0xe963a535, 0x9e6495a3, 0x0edb8832, 0x79dcb8a4,
11608 0xe0d5e91e, 0x97d2d988, 0x09b64c2b, 0x7eb17cbd, 0xe7b82d07,
11609 0x90bf1d91, 0x1db71064, 0x6ab020f2, 0xf3b97148, 0x84be41de,
11610 0x1adad47d, 0x6ddde4eb, 0xf4d4b551, 0x83d385c7, 0x136c9856,
11611 0x646ba8c0, 0xfd62f97a, 0x8a65c9ec, 0x14015c4f, 0x63066cd9,
11612 0xfa0f3d63, 0x8d080df5, 0x3b6e20c8, 0x4c69105e, 0xd56041e4,
11613 0xa2677172, 0x3c03e4d1, 0x4b04d447, 0xd20d85fd, 0xa50ab56b,
11614 0x35b5a8fa, 0x42b2986c, 0xdbbbc9d6, 0xacbcf940, 0x32d86ce3,
11615 0x45df5c75, 0xdcd60dcf, 0xabd13d59, 0x26d930ac, 0x51de003a,
11616 0xc8d75180, 0xbfd06116, 0x21b4f4b5, 0x56b3c423, 0xcfba9599,
11617 0xb8bda50f, 0x2802b89e, 0x5f058808, 0xc60cd9b2, 0xb10be924,
11618 0x2f6f7c87, 0x58684c11, 0xc1611dab, 0xb6662d3d, 0x76dc4190,
11619 0x01db7106, 0x98d220bc, 0xefd5102a, 0x71b18589, 0x06b6b51f,
11620 0x9fbfe4a5, 0xe8b8d433, 0x7807c9a2, 0x0f00f934, 0x9609a88e,
11621 0xe10e9818, 0x7f6a0dbb, 0x086d3d2d, 0x91646c97, 0xe6635c01,
11622 0x6b6b51f4, 0x1c6c6162, 0x856530d8, 0xf262004e, 0x6c0695ed,
11623 0x1b01a57b, 0x8208f4c1, 0xf50fc457, 0x65b0d9c6, 0x12b7e950,
11624 0x8bbeb8ea, 0xfcb9887c, 0x62dd1ddf, 0x15da2d49, 0x8cd37cf3,
11625 0xfbd44c65, 0x4db26158, 0x3ab551ce, 0xa3bc0074, 0xd4bb30e2,
11626 0x4adfa541, 0x3dd895d7, 0xa4d1c46d, 0xd3d6f4fb, 0x4369e96a,
11627 0x346ed9fc, 0xad678846, 0xda60b8d0, 0x44042d73, 0x33031de5,
11628 0xaa0a4c5f, 0xdd0d7cc9, 0x5005713c, 0x270241aa, 0xbe0b1010,
11629 0xc90c2086, 0x5768b525, 0x206f85b3, 0xb966d409, 0xce61e49f,
11630 0x5edef90e, 0x29d9c998, 0xb0d09822, 0xc7d7a8b4, 0x59b33d17,
11631 0x2eb40d81, 0xb7bd5c3b, 0xc0ba6cad, 0xedb88320, 0x9abfb3b6,
11632 0x03b6e20c, 0x74b1d29a, 0xead54739, 0x9dd277af, 0x04db2615,
11633 0x73dc1683, 0xe3630b12, 0x94643b84, 0x0d6d6a3e, 0x7a6a5aa8,
11634 0xe40ecf0b, 0x9309ff9d, 0x0a00ae27, 0x7d079eb1, 0xf00f9344,
11635 0x8708a3d2, 0x1e01f268, 0x6906c2fe, 0xf762575d, 0x806567cb,
11636 0x196c3671, 0x6e6b06e7, 0xfed41b76, 0x89d32be0, 0x10da7a5a,
11637 0x67dd4acc, 0xf9b9df6f, 0x8ebeeff9, 0x17b7be43, 0x60b08ed5,
11638 0xd6d6a3e8, 0xa1d1937e, 0x38d8c2c4, 0x4fdff252, 0xd1bb67f1,
11639 0xa6bc5767, 0x3fb506dd, 0x48b2364b, 0xd80d2bda, 0xaf0a1b4c,
11640 0x36034af6, 0x41047a60, 0xdf60efc3, 0xa867df55, 0x316e8eef,
11641 0x4669be79, 0xcb61b38c, 0xbc66831a, 0x256fd2a0, 0x5268e236,
11642 0xcc0c7795, 0xbb0b4703, 0x220216b9, 0x5505262f, 0xc5ba3bbe,
11643 0xb2bd0b28, 0x2bb45a92, 0x5cb36a04, 0xc2d7ffa7, 0xb5d0cf31,
11644 0x2cd99e8b, 0x5bdeae1d, 0x9b64c2b0, 0xec63f226, 0x756aa39c,
11645 0x026d930a, 0x9c0906a9, 0xeb0e363f, 0x72076785, 0x05005713,
11646 0x95bf4a82, 0xe2b87a14, 0x7bb12bae, 0x0cb61b38, 0x92d28e9b,
11647 0xe5d5be0d, 0x7cdcefb7, 0x0bdbdf21, 0x86d3d2d4, 0xf1d4e242,
11648 0x68ddb3f8, 0x1fda836e, 0x81be16cd, 0xf6b9265b, 0x6fb077e1,
11649 0x18b74777, 0x88085ae6, 0xff0f6a70, 0x66063bca, 0x11010b5c,
11650 0x8f659eff, 0xf862ae69, 0x616bffd3, 0x166ccf45, 0xa00ae278,
11651 0xd70dd2ee, 0x4e048354, 0x3903b3c2, 0xa7672661, 0xd06016f7,
11652 0x4969474d, 0x3e6e77db, 0xaed16a4a, 0xd9d65adc, 0x40df0b66,
11653 0x37d83bf0, 0xa9bcae53, 0xdebb9ec5, 0x47b2cf7f, 0x30b5ffe9,
11654 0xbdbdf21c, 0xcabac28a, 0x53b39330, 0x24b4a3a6, 0xbad03605,
11655 0xcdd70693, 0x54de5729, 0x23d967bf, 0xb3667a2e, 0xc4614ab8,
11656 0x5d681b02, 0x2a6f2b94, 0xb40bbe37, 0xc30c8ea1, 0x5a05df1b,
11659 unsigned char *end;
11661 crc = ~crc & 0xffffffff;
11662 for (end = buf + len; buf < end; ++buf)
11663 crc = crc32_table[(crc ^ *buf) & 0xff] ^ (crc >> 8);
11664 return ~crc & 0xffffffff;
11669 @node Symbol Errors
11670 @section Errors reading symbol files
11672 While reading a symbol file, @value{GDBN} occasionally encounters problems,
11673 such as symbol types it does not recognize, or known bugs in compiler
11674 output. By default, @value{GDBN} does not notify you of such problems, since
11675 they are relatively common and primarily of interest to people
11676 debugging compilers. If you are interested in seeing information
11677 about ill-constructed symbol tables, you can either ask @value{GDBN} to print
11678 only one message about each such type of problem, no matter how many
11679 times the problem occurs; or you can ask @value{GDBN} to print more messages,
11680 to see how many times the problems occur, with the @code{set
11681 complaints} command (@pxref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional warnings and
11684 The messages currently printed, and their meanings, include:
11687 @item inner block not inside outer block in @var{symbol}
11689 The symbol information shows where symbol scopes begin and end
11690 (such as at the start of a function or a block of statements). This
11691 error indicates that an inner scope block is not fully contained
11692 in its outer scope blocks.
11694 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the inner block as if it had
11695 the same scope as the outer block. In the error message, @var{symbol}
11696 may be shown as ``@code{(don't know)}'' if the outer block is not a
11699 @item block at @var{address} out of order
11701 The symbol information for symbol scope blocks should occur in
11702 order of increasing addresses. This error indicates that it does not
11705 @value{GDBN} does not circumvent this problem, and has trouble
11706 locating symbols in the source file whose symbols it is reading. (You
11707 can often determine what source file is affected by specifying
11708 @code{set verbose on}. @xref{Messages/Warnings, ,Optional warnings and
11711 @item bad block start address patched
11713 The symbol information for a symbol scope block has a start address
11714 smaller than the address of the preceding source line. This is known
11715 to occur in the SunOS 4.1.1 (and earlier) C compiler.
11717 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by treating the symbol scope block as
11718 starting on the previous source line.
11720 @item bad string table offset in symbol @var{n}
11723 Symbol number @var{n} contains a pointer into the string table which is
11724 larger than the size of the string table.
11726 @value{GDBN} circumvents the problem by considering the symbol to have the
11727 name @code{foo}, which may cause other problems if many symbols end up
11730 @item unknown symbol type @code{0x@var{nn}}
11732 The symbol information contains new data types that @value{GDBN} does
11733 not yet know how to read. @code{0x@var{nn}} is the symbol type of the
11734 uncomprehended information, in hexadecimal.
11736 @value{GDBN} circumvents the error by ignoring this symbol information.
11737 This usually allows you to debug your program, though certain symbols
11738 are not accessible. If you encounter such a problem and feel like
11739 debugging it, you can debug @code{@value{GDBP}} with itself, breakpoint
11740 on @code{complain}, then go up to the function @code{read_dbx_symtab}
11741 and examine @code{*bufp} to see the symbol.
11743 @item stub type has NULL name
11745 @value{GDBN} could not find the full definition for a struct or class.
11747 @item const/volatile indicator missing (ok if using g++ v1.x), got@dots{}
11748 The symbol information for a C@t{++} member function is missing some
11749 information that recent versions of the compiler should have output for
11752 @item info mismatch between compiler and debugger
11754 @value{GDBN} could not parse a type specification output by the compiler.
11759 @chapter Specifying a Debugging Target
11761 @cindex debugging target
11762 A @dfn{target} is the execution environment occupied by your program.
11764 Often, @value{GDBN} runs in the same host environment as your program;
11765 in that case, the debugging target is specified as a side effect when
11766 you use the @code{file} or @code{core} commands. When you need more
11767 flexibility---for example, running @value{GDBN} on a physically separate
11768 host, or controlling a standalone system over a serial port or a
11769 realtime system over a TCP/IP connection---you can use the @code{target}
11770 command to specify one of the target types configured for @value{GDBN}
11771 (@pxref{Target Commands, ,Commands for managing targets}).
11773 @cindex target architecture
11774 It is possible to build @value{GDBN} for several different @dfn{target
11775 architectures}. When @value{GDBN} is built like that, you can choose
11776 one of the available architectures with the @kbd{set architecture}
11780 @kindex set architecture
11781 @kindex show architecture
11782 @item set architecture @var{arch}
11783 This command sets the current target architecture to @var{arch}. The
11784 value of @var{arch} can be @code{"auto"}, in addition to one of the
11785 supported architectures.
11787 @item show architecture
11788 Show the current target architecture.
11790 @item set processor
11792 @kindex set processor
11793 @kindex show processor
11794 These are alias commands for, respectively, @code{set architecture}
11795 and @code{show architecture}.
11799 * Active Targets:: Active targets
11800 * Target Commands:: Commands for managing targets
11801 * Byte Order:: Choosing target byte order
11802 * Remote:: Remote debugging
11803 * KOD:: Kernel Object Display
11807 @node Active Targets
11808 @section Active targets
11810 @cindex stacking targets
11811 @cindex active targets
11812 @cindex multiple targets
11814 There are three classes of targets: processes, core files, and
11815 executable files. @value{GDBN} can work concurrently on up to three
11816 active targets, one in each class. This allows you to (for example)
11817 start a process and inspect its activity without abandoning your work on
11820 For example, if you execute @samp{gdb a.out}, then the executable file
11821 @code{a.out} is the only active target. If you designate a core file as
11822 well---presumably from a prior run that crashed and coredumped---then
11823 @value{GDBN} has two active targets and uses them in tandem, looking
11824 first in the corefile target, then in the executable file, to satisfy
11825 requests for memory addresses. (Typically, these two classes of target
11826 are complementary, since core files contain only a program's
11827 read-write memory---variables and so on---plus machine status, while
11828 executable files contain only the program text and initialized data.)
11830 When you type @code{run}, your executable file becomes an active process
11831 target as well. When a process target is active, all @value{GDBN}
11832 commands requesting memory addresses refer to that target; addresses in
11833 an active core file or executable file target are obscured while the
11834 process target is active.
11836 Use the @code{core-file} and @code{exec-file} commands to select a new
11837 core file or executable target (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to specify
11838 files}). To specify as a target a process that is already running, use
11839 the @code{attach} command (@pxref{Attach, ,Debugging an already-running
11842 @node Target Commands
11843 @section Commands for managing targets
11846 @item target @var{type} @var{parameters}
11847 Connects the @value{GDBN} host environment to a target machine or
11848 process. A target is typically a protocol for talking to debugging
11849 facilities. You use the argument @var{type} to specify the type or
11850 protocol of the target machine.
11852 Further @var{parameters} are interpreted by the target protocol, but
11853 typically include things like device names or host names to connect
11854 with, process numbers, and baud rates.
11856 The @code{target} command does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again
11857 after executing the command.
11859 @kindex help target
11861 Displays the names of all targets available. To display targets
11862 currently selected, use either @code{info target} or @code{info files}
11863 (@pxref{Files, ,Commands to specify files}).
11865 @item help target @var{name}
11866 Describe a particular target, including any parameters necessary to
11869 @kindex set gnutarget
11870 @item set gnutarget @var{args}
11871 @value{GDBN} uses its own library BFD to read your files. @value{GDBN}
11872 knows whether it is reading an @dfn{executable},
11873 a @dfn{core}, or a @dfn{.o} file; however, you can specify the file format
11874 with the @code{set gnutarget} command. Unlike most @code{target} commands,
11875 with @code{gnutarget} the @code{target} refers to a program, not a machine.
11878 @emph{Warning:} To specify a file format with @code{set gnutarget},
11879 you must know the actual BFD name.
11883 @xref{Files, , Commands to specify files}.
11885 @kindex show gnutarget
11886 @item show gnutarget
11887 Use the @code{show gnutarget} command to display what file format
11888 @code{gnutarget} is set to read. If you have not set @code{gnutarget},
11889 @value{GDBN} will determine the file format for each file automatically,
11890 and @code{show gnutarget} displays @samp{The current BDF target is "auto"}.
11893 @cindex common targets
11894 Here are some common targets (available, or not, depending on the GDB
11899 @item target exec @var{program}
11900 @cindex executable file target
11901 An executable file. @samp{target exec @var{program}} is the same as
11902 @samp{exec-file @var{program}}.
11904 @item target core @var{filename}
11905 @cindex core dump file target
11906 A core dump file. @samp{target core @var{filename}} is the same as
11907 @samp{core-file @var{filename}}.
11909 @item target remote @var{dev}
11910 @cindex remote target
11911 Remote serial target in GDB-specific protocol. The argument @var{dev}
11912 specifies what serial device to use for the connection (e.g.@:
11913 @file{/dev/ttya}). @xref{Remote, ,Remote debugging}. @code{target remote}
11914 supports the @code{load} command. This is only useful if you have
11915 some other way of getting the stub to the target system, and you can put
11916 it somewhere in memory where it won't get clobbered by the download.
11919 @cindex built-in simulator target
11920 Builtin CPU simulator. @value{GDBN} includes simulators for most architectures.
11928 works; however, you cannot assume that a specific memory map, device
11929 drivers, or even basic I/O is available, although some simulators do
11930 provide these. For info about any processor-specific simulator details,
11931 see the appropriate section in @ref{Embedded Processors, ,Embedded
11936 Some configurations may include these targets as well:
11940 @item target nrom @var{dev}
11941 @cindex NetROM ROM emulator target
11942 NetROM ROM emulator. This target only supports downloading.
11946 Different targets are available on different configurations of @value{GDBN};
11947 your configuration may have more or fewer targets.
11949 Many remote targets require you to download the executable's code once
11950 you've successfully established a connection. You may wish to control
11951 various aspects of this process, such as the size of the data chunks
11952 used by @value{GDBN} to download program parts to the remote target.
11955 @kindex set download-write-size
11956 @item set download-write-size @var{size}
11957 Set the write size used when downloading a program. Only used when
11958 downloading a program onto a remote target. Specify zero or a
11959 negative value to disable blocked writes. The actual size of each
11960 transfer is also limited by the size of the target packet and the
11963 @kindex show download-write-size
11964 @item show download-write-size
11965 @kindex show download-write-size
11966 Show the current value of the write size.
11969 @kindex set hash@r{, for remote monitors}
11970 @cindex hash mark while downloading
11971 This command controls whether a hash mark @samp{#} is displayed while
11972 downloading a file to the remote monitor. If on, a hash mark is
11973 displayed after each S-record is successfully downloaded to the
11977 @kindex show hash@r{, for remote monitors}
11978 Show the current status of displaying the hash mark.
11980 @item set debug monitor
11981 @kindex set debug monitor
11982 @cindex display remote monitor communications
11983 Enable or disable display of communications messages between
11984 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
11986 @item show debug monitor
11987 @kindex show debug monitor
11988 Show the current status of displaying communications between
11989 @value{GDBN} and the remote monitor.
11994 @kindex load @var{filename}
11995 @item load @var{filename}
11996 Depending on what remote debugging facilities are configured into
11997 @value{GDBN}, the @code{load} command may be available. Where it exists, it
11998 is meant to make @var{filename} (an executable) available for debugging
11999 on the remote system---by downloading, or dynamic linking, for example.
12000 @code{load} also records the @var{filename} symbol table in @value{GDBN}, like
12001 the @code{add-symbol-file} command.
12003 If your @value{GDBN} does not have a @code{load} command, attempting to
12004 execute it gets the error message ``@code{You can't do that when your
12005 target is @dots{}}''
12007 The file is loaded at whatever address is specified in the executable.
12008 For some object file formats, you can specify the load address when you
12009 link the program; for other formats, like a.out, the object file format
12010 specifies a fixed address.
12011 @c FIXME! This would be a good place for an xref to the GNU linker doc.
12013 @code{load} does not repeat if you press @key{RET} again after using it.
12017 @section Choosing target byte order
12019 @cindex choosing target byte order
12020 @cindex target byte order
12022 Some types of processors, such as the MIPS, PowerPC, and Renesas SH,
12023 offer the ability to run either big-endian or little-endian byte
12024 orders. Usually the executable or symbol will include a bit to
12025 designate the endian-ness, and you will not need to worry about
12026 which to use. However, you may still find it useful to adjust
12027 @value{GDBN}'s idea of processor endian-ness manually.
12031 @item set endian big
12032 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is big-endian.
12034 @item set endian little
12035 Instruct @value{GDBN} to assume the target is little-endian.
12037 @item set endian auto
12038 Instruct @value{GDBN} to use the byte order associated with the
12042 Display @value{GDBN}'s current idea of the target byte order.
12046 Note that these commands merely adjust interpretation of symbolic
12047 data on the host, and that they have absolutely no effect on the
12051 @section Remote debugging
12052 @cindex remote debugging
12054 If you are trying to debug a program running on a machine that cannot run
12055 @value{GDBN} in the usual way, it is often useful to use remote debugging.
12056 For example, you might use remote debugging on an operating system kernel,
12057 or on a small system which does not have a general purpose operating system
12058 powerful enough to run a full-featured debugger.
12060 Some configurations of @value{GDBN} have special serial or TCP/IP interfaces
12061 to make this work with particular debugging targets. In addition,
12062 @value{GDBN} comes with a generic serial protocol (specific to @value{GDBN},
12063 but not specific to any particular target system) which you can use if you
12064 write the remote stubs---the code that runs on the remote system to
12065 communicate with @value{GDBN}.
12067 Other remote targets may be available in your
12068 configuration of @value{GDBN}; use @code{help target} to list them.
12070 Once you've connected to the remote target, @value{GDBN} allows you to
12071 send arbitrary commands to the remote monitor:
12074 @item remote @var{command}
12075 @kindex remote@r{, a command}
12076 @cindex send command to remote monitor
12077 Send an arbitrary @var{command} string to the remote monitor.
12082 @section Kernel Object Display
12083 @cindex kernel object display
12086 Some targets support kernel object display. Using this facility,
12087 @value{GDBN} communicates specially with the underlying operating system
12088 and can display information about operating system-level objects such as
12089 mutexes and other synchronization objects. Exactly which objects can be
12090 displayed is determined on a per-OS basis.
12093 Use the @code{set os} command to set the operating system. This tells
12094 @value{GDBN} which kernel object display module to initialize:
12097 (@value{GDBP}) set os cisco
12101 The associated command @code{show os} displays the operating system
12102 set with the @code{set os} command; if no operating system has been
12103 set, @code{show os} will display an empty string @samp{""}.
12105 If @code{set os} succeeds, @value{GDBN} will display some information
12106 about the operating system, and will create a new @code{info} command
12107 which can be used to query the target. The @code{info} command is named
12108 after the operating system:
12112 (@value{GDBP}) info cisco
12113 List of Cisco Kernel Objects
12115 any Any and all objects
12118 Further subcommands can be used to query about particular objects known
12121 There is currently no way to determine whether a given operating
12122 system is supported other than to try setting it with @kbd{set os
12123 @var{name}}, where @var{name} is the name of the operating system you
12127 @node Remote Debugging
12128 @chapter Debugging remote programs
12131 * Connecting:: Connecting to a remote target
12132 * Server:: Using the gdbserver program
12133 * NetWare:: Using the gdbserve.nlm program
12134 * Remote configuration:: Remote configuration
12135 * remote stub:: Implementing a remote stub
12139 @section Connecting to a remote target
12141 On the @value{GDBN} host machine, you will need an unstripped copy of
12142 your program, since @value{GDBN} needs symobl and debugging information.
12143 Start up @value{GDBN} as usual, using the name of the local copy of your
12144 program as the first argument.
12146 @cindex @code{target remote}
12147 @value{GDBN} can communicate with the target over a serial line, or
12148 over an @acronym{IP} network using @acronym{TCP} or @acronym{UDP}. In
12149 each case, @value{GDBN} uses the same protocol for debugging your
12150 program; only the medium carrying the debugging packets varies. The
12151 @code{target remote} command establishes a connection to the target.
12152 Its arguments indicate which medium to use:
12156 @item target remote @var{serial-device}
12157 @cindex serial line, @code{target remote}
12158 Use @var{serial-device} to communicate with the target. For example,
12159 to use a serial line connected to the device named @file{/dev/ttyb}:
12162 target remote /dev/ttyb
12165 If you're using a serial line, you may want to give @value{GDBN} the
12166 @w{@samp{--baud}} option, or use the @code{set remotebaud} command
12167 (@pxref{Remote configuration, set remotebaud}) before the
12168 @code{target} command.
12170 @item target remote @code{@var{host}:@var{port}}
12171 @itemx target remote @code{tcp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
12172 @cindex @acronym{TCP} port, @code{target remote}
12173 Debug using a @acronym{TCP} connection to @var{port} on @var{host}.
12174 The @var{host} may be either a host name or a numeric @acronym{IP}
12175 address; @var{port} must be a decimal number. The @var{host} could be
12176 the target machine itself, if it is directly connected to the net, or
12177 it might be a terminal server which in turn has a serial line to the
12180 For example, to connect to port 2828 on a terminal server named
12184 target remote manyfarms:2828
12187 If your remote target is actually running on the same machine as your
12188 debugger session (e.g.@: a simulator for your target running on the
12189 same host), you can omit the hostname. For example, to connect to
12190 port 1234 on your local machine:
12193 target remote :1234
12197 Note that the colon is still required here.
12199 @item target remote @code{udp:@var{host}:@var{port}}
12200 @cindex @acronym{UDP} port, @code{target remote}
12201 Debug using @acronym{UDP} packets to @var{port} on @var{host}. For example, to
12202 connect to @acronym{UDP} port 2828 on a terminal server named @code{manyfarms}:
12205 target remote udp:manyfarms:2828
12208 When using a @acronym{UDP} connection for remote debugging, you should
12209 keep in mind that the `U' stands for ``Unreliable''. @acronym{UDP}
12210 can silently drop packets on busy or unreliable networks, which will
12211 cause havoc with your debugging session.
12215 Once the connection has been established, you can use all the usual
12216 commands to examine and change data and to step and continue the
12219 @cindex interrupting remote programs
12220 @cindex remote programs, interrupting
12221 Whenever @value{GDBN} is waiting for the remote program, if you type the
12222 interrupt character (often @key{C-C}), @value{GDBN} attempts to stop the
12223 program. This may or may not succeed, depending in part on the hardware
12224 and the serial drivers the remote system uses. If you type the
12225 interrupt character once again, @value{GDBN} displays this prompt:
12228 Interrupted while waiting for the program.
12229 Give up (and stop debugging it)? (y or n)
12232 If you type @kbd{y}, @value{GDBN} abandons the remote debugging session.
12233 (If you decide you want to try again later, you can use @samp{target
12234 remote} again to connect once more.) If you type @kbd{n}, @value{GDBN}
12235 goes back to waiting.
12238 @kindex detach (remote)
12240 When you have finished debugging the remote program, you can use the
12241 @code{detach} command to release it from @value{GDBN} control.
12242 Detaching from the target normally resumes its execution, but the results
12243 will depend on your particular remote stub. After the @code{detach}
12244 command, @value{GDBN} is free to connect to another target.
12248 The @code{disconnect} command behaves like @code{detach}, except that
12249 the target is generally not resumed. It will wait for @value{GDBN}
12250 (this instance or another one) to connect and continue debugging. After
12251 the @code{disconnect} command, @value{GDBN} is again free to connect to
12254 @cindex send command to remote monitor
12255 @cindex extend @value{GDBN} for remote targets
12256 @cindex add new commands for external monitor
12258 @item monitor @var{cmd}
12259 This command allows you to send arbitrary commands directly to the
12260 remote monitor. Since @value{GDBN} doesn't care about the commands it
12261 sends like this, this command is the way to extend @value{GDBN}---you
12262 can add new commands that only the external monitor will understand
12267 @section Using the @code{gdbserver} program
12270 @cindex remote connection without stubs
12271 @code{gdbserver} is a control program for Unix-like systems, which
12272 allows you to connect your program with a remote @value{GDBN} via
12273 @code{target remote}---but without linking in the usual debugging stub.
12275 @code{gdbserver} is not a complete replacement for the debugging stubs,
12276 because it requires essentially the same operating-system facilities
12277 that @value{GDBN} itself does. In fact, a system that can run
12278 @code{gdbserver} to connect to a remote @value{GDBN} could also run
12279 @value{GDBN} locally! @code{gdbserver} is sometimes useful nevertheless,
12280 because it is a much smaller program than @value{GDBN} itself. It is
12281 also easier to port than all of @value{GDBN}, so you may be able to get
12282 started more quickly on a new system by using @code{gdbserver}.
12283 Finally, if you develop code for real-time systems, you may find that
12284 the tradeoffs involved in real-time operation make it more convenient to
12285 do as much development work as possible on another system, for example
12286 by cross-compiling. You can use @code{gdbserver} to make a similar
12287 choice for debugging.
12289 @value{GDBN} and @code{gdbserver} communicate via either a serial line
12290 or a TCP connection, using the standard @value{GDBN} remote serial
12294 @item On the target machine,
12295 you need to have a copy of the program you want to debug.
12296 @code{gdbserver} does not need your program's symbol table, so you can
12297 strip the program if necessary to save space. @value{GDBN} on the host
12298 system does all the symbol handling.
12300 To use the server, you must tell it how to communicate with @value{GDBN};
12301 the name of your program; and the arguments for your program. The usual
12305 target> gdbserver @var{comm} @var{program} [ @var{args} @dots{} ]
12308 @var{comm} is either a device name (to use a serial line) or a TCP
12309 hostname and portnumber. For example, to debug Emacs with the argument
12310 @samp{foo.txt} and communicate with @value{GDBN} over the serial port
12314 target> gdbserver /dev/com1 emacs foo.txt
12317 @code{gdbserver} waits passively for the host @value{GDBN} to communicate
12320 To use a TCP connection instead of a serial line:
12323 target> gdbserver host:2345 emacs foo.txt
12326 The only difference from the previous example is the first argument,
12327 specifying that you are communicating with the host @value{GDBN} via
12328 TCP. The @samp{host:2345} argument means that @code{gdbserver} is to
12329 expect a TCP connection from machine @samp{host} to local TCP port 2345.
12330 (Currently, the @samp{host} part is ignored.) You can choose any number
12331 you want for the port number as long as it does not conflict with any
12332 TCP ports already in use on the target system (for example, @code{23} is
12333 reserved for @code{telnet}).@footnote{If you choose a port number that
12334 conflicts with another service, @code{gdbserver} prints an error message
12335 and exits.} You must use the same port number with the host @value{GDBN}
12336 @code{target remote} command.
12338 On some targets, @code{gdbserver} can also attach to running programs.
12339 This is accomplished via the @code{--attach} argument. The syntax is:
12342 target> gdbserver @var{comm} --attach @var{pid}
12345 @var{pid} is the process ID of a currently running process. It isn't necessary
12346 to point @code{gdbserver} at a binary for the running process.
12349 @cindex attach to a program by name
12350 You can debug processes by name instead of process ID if your target has the
12351 @code{pidof} utility:
12354 target> gdbserver @var{comm} --attach `pidof @var{PROGRAM}`
12357 In case more than one copy of @var{PROGRAM} is running, or @var{PROGRAM}
12358 has multiple threads, most versions of @code{pidof} support the
12359 @code{-s} option to only return the first process ID.
12361 @item On the host machine,
12362 connect to your target (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a remote target}).
12363 For TCP connections, you must start up @code{gdbserver} prior to using
12364 the @code{target remote} command. Otherwise you may get an error whose
12365 text depends on the host system, but which usually looks something like
12366 @samp{Connection refused}. You don't need to use the @code{load}
12367 command in @value{GDBN} when using @code{gdbserver}, since the program is
12368 already on the target. However, if you want to load the symbols (as
12369 you normally would), do that with the @code{file} command, and issue
12370 it @emph{before} connecting to the server; otherwise, you will get an
12371 error message saying @code{"Program is already running"}, since the
12372 program is considered running after the connection.
12377 @section Using the @code{gdbserve.nlm} program
12379 @kindex gdbserve.nlm
12380 @code{gdbserve.nlm} is a control program for NetWare systems, which
12381 allows you to connect your program with a remote @value{GDBN} via
12382 @code{target remote}.
12384 @value{GDBN} and @code{gdbserve.nlm} communicate via a serial line,
12385 using the standard @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol.
12388 @item On the target machine,
12389 you need to have a copy of the program you want to debug.
12390 @code{gdbserve.nlm} does not need your program's symbol table, so you
12391 can strip the program if necessary to save space. @value{GDBN} on the
12392 host system does all the symbol handling.
12394 To use the server, you must tell it how to communicate with
12395 @value{GDBN}; the name of your program; and the arguments for your
12396 program. The syntax is:
12399 load gdbserve [ BOARD=@var{board} ] [ PORT=@var{port} ]
12400 [ BAUD=@var{baud} ] @var{program} [ @var{args} @dots{} ]
12403 @var{board} and @var{port} specify the serial line; @var{baud} specifies
12404 the baud rate used by the connection. @var{port} and @var{node} default
12405 to 0, @var{baud} defaults to 9600@dmn{bps}.
12407 For example, to debug Emacs with the argument @samp{foo.txt}and
12408 communicate with @value{GDBN} over serial port number 2 or board 1
12409 using a 19200@dmn{bps} connection:
12412 load gdbserve BOARD=1 PORT=2 BAUD=19200 emacs foo.txt
12416 On the @value{GDBN} host machine, connect to your target (@pxref{Connecting,,
12417 Connecting to a remote target}).
12421 @node Remote configuration
12422 @section Remote configuration
12425 @kindex show remote
12426 This section documents the configuration options available when
12427 debugging remote programs. For the options related to the File I/O
12428 extensions of the remote protocol, see @ref{The system call,
12429 system-call-allowed}.
12432 @item set remoteaddresssize @var{bits}
12433 @cindex adress size for remote targets
12434 @cindex bits in remote address
12435 Set the maximum size of address in a memory packet to the specified
12436 number of bits. @value{GDBN} will mask off the address bits above
12437 that number, when it passes addresses to the remote target. The
12438 default value is the number of bits in the target's address.
12440 @item show remoteaddresssize
12441 Show the current value of remote address size in bits.
12443 @item set remotebaud @var{n}
12444 @cindex baud rate for remote targets
12445 Set the baud rate for the remote serial I/O to @var{n} baud. The
12446 value is used to set the speed of the serial port used for debugging
12449 @item show remotebaud
12450 Show the current speed of the remote connection.
12452 @item set remotebreak
12453 @cindex interrupt remote programs
12454 @cindex BREAK signal instead of Ctrl-C
12455 @anchor{set remotebreak}
12456 If set to on, @value{GDBN} sends a @code{BREAK} signal to the remote
12457 when you press the @key{Ctrl-C} key to interrupt the program running
12458 on the remote. If set to off, @value{GDBN} sends the @samp{Ctrl-C}
12459 character instead. The default is off, since most remote systems
12460 expect to see @samp{Ctrl-C} as the interrupt signal.
12462 @item show remotebreak
12463 Show whether @value{GDBN} sends @code{BREAK} or @samp{Ctrl-C} to
12464 interrupt the remote program.
12466 @item set remotedebug
12467 @cindex debug remote protocol
12468 @cindex remote protocol debugging
12469 @cindex display remote packets
12470 Control the debugging of the remote protocol. When enabled, each
12471 packet sent to or received from the remote target is displayed. The
12474 @item show remotedebug
12475 Show the current setting of the remote protocol debugging.
12477 @item set remotedevice @var{device}
12478 @cindex serial port name
12479 Set the name of the serial port through which to communicate to the
12480 remote target to @var{device}. This is the device used by
12481 @value{GDBN} to open the serial communications line to the remote
12482 target. There's no default, so you must set a valid port name for the
12483 remote serial communications to work. (Some varieties of the
12484 @code{target} command accept the port name as part of their
12487 @item show remotedevice
12488 Show the current name of the serial port.
12490 @item set remotelogbase @var{base}
12491 Set the base (a.k.a.@: radix) of logging serial protocol
12492 communications to @var{base}. Supported values of @var{base} are:
12493 @code{ascii}, @code{octal}, and @code{hex}. The default is
12496 @item show remotelogbase
12497 Show the current setting of the radix for logging remote serial
12500 @item set remotelogfile @var{file}
12501 @cindex record serial communications on file
12502 Record remote serial communications on the named @var{file}. The
12503 default is not to record at all.
12505 @item show remotelogfile.
12506 Show the current setting of the file name on which to record the
12507 serial communications.
12509 @item set remotetimeout @var{num}
12510 @cindex timeout for serial communications
12511 @cindex remote timeout
12512 Set the timeout limit to wait for the remote target to respond to
12513 @var{num} seconds. The default is 2 seconds.
12515 @item show remotetimeout
12516 Show the current number of seconds to wait for the remote target
12519 @cindex limit hardware breakpoints and watchpoints
12520 @cindex remote target, limit break- and watchpoints
12521 @anchor{set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit}
12522 @anchor{set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit}
12523 @item set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit @var{limit}
12524 @itemx set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit @var{limit}
12525 Restrict @value{GDBN} to using @var{limit} remote hardware breakpoint or
12526 watchpoints. A limit of -1, the default, is treated as unlimited.
12528 @item set remote fetch-register-packet
12529 @itemx set remote set-register-packet
12530 @itemx set remote P-packet
12531 @itemx set remote p-packet
12533 @cindex fetch registers from remote targets
12534 @cindex set registers in remote targets
12535 Determine whether @value{GDBN} can set and fetch registers from the
12536 remote target using the @samp{P} packets. The default depends on the
12537 remote stub's support of the @samp{P} packets (@value{GDBN} queries
12538 the stub when this packet is first required).
12540 @item show remote fetch-register-packet
12541 @itemx show remote set-register-packet
12542 @itemx show remote P-packet
12543 @itemx show remote p-packet
12544 Show the current setting of using the @samp{P} packets for setting and
12545 fetching registers from the remote target.
12547 @cindex binary downloads
12549 @item set remote binary-download-packet
12550 @itemx set remote X-packet
12551 Determine whether @value{GDBN} sends downloads in binary mode using
12552 the @samp{X} packets. The default is on.
12554 @item show remote binary-download-packet
12555 @itemx show remote X-packet
12556 Show the current setting of using the @samp{X} packets for binary
12559 @item set remote read-aux-vector-packet
12560 @cindex auxiliary vector of remote target
12561 @cindex @code{auxv}, and remote targets
12562 Set the use of the remote protocol's @samp{qPart:auxv:read} (target
12563 auxiliary vector read) request. This request is used to fetch the
12564 remote target's @dfn{auxiliary vector}, see @ref{OS Information,
12565 Auxiliary Vector}. The default setting depends on the remote stub's
12566 support of this request (@value{GDBN} queries the stub when this
12567 request is first required). @xref{General Query Packets, qPart}, for
12568 more information about this request.
12570 @item show remote read-aux-vector-packet
12571 Show the current setting of use of the @samp{qPart:auxv:read} request.
12573 @item set remote symbol-lookup-packet
12574 @cindex remote symbol lookup request
12575 Set the use of the remote protocol's @samp{qSymbol} (target symbol
12576 lookup) request. This request is used to communicate symbol
12577 information to the remote target, e.g., whenever a new shared library
12578 is loaded by the remote (@pxref{Files, shared libraries}). The
12579 default setting depends on the remote stub's support of this request
12580 (@value{GDBN} queries the stub when this request is first required).
12581 @xref{General Query Packets, qSymbol}, for more information about this
12584 @item show remote symbol-lookup-packet
12585 Show the current setting of use of the @samp{qSymbol} request.
12587 @item set remote verbose-resume-packet
12588 @cindex resume remote target
12589 @cindex signal thread, and remote targets
12590 @cindex single-step thread, and remote targets
12591 @cindex thread-specific operations on remote targets
12592 Set the use of the remote protocol's @samp{vCont} (descriptive resume)
12593 request. This request is used to resume specific threads in the
12594 remote target, and to single-step or signal them. The default setting
12595 depends on the remote stub's support of this request (@value{GDBN}
12596 queries the stub when this request is first required). This setting
12597 affects debugging of multithreaded programs: if @samp{vCont} cannot be
12598 used, @value{GDBN} might be unable to single-step a specific thread,
12599 especially under @code{set scheduler-locking off}; it is also
12600 impossible to pause a specific thread. @xref{Packets, vCont}, for
12603 @item show remote verbose-resume-packet
12604 Show the current setting of use of the @samp{vCont} request
12606 @item set remote software-breakpoint-packet
12607 @itemx set remote hardware-breakpoint-packet
12608 @itemx set remote write-watchpoint-packet
12609 @itemx set remote read-watchpoint-packet
12610 @itemx set remote access-watchpoint-packet
12611 @itemx set remote Z-packet
12613 @cindex remote hardware breakpoints and watchpoints
12614 These commands enable or disable the use of @samp{Z} packets for
12615 setting breakpoints and watchpoints in the remote target. The default
12616 depends on the remote stub's support of the @samp{Z} packets
12617 (@value{GDBN} queries the stub when each packet is first required).
12618 The command @code{set remote Z-packet}, kept for back-compatibility,
12619 turns on or off all the features that require the use of @samp{Z}
12622 @item show remote software-breakpoint-packet
12623 @itemx show remote hardware-breakpoint-packet
12624 @itemx show remote write-watchpoint-packet
12625 @itemx show remote read-watchpoint-packet
12626 @itemx show remote access-watchpoint-packet
12627 @itemx show remote Z-packet
12628 Show the current setting of @samp{Z} packets usage.
12630 @item set remote get-thread-local-storage-address
12631 @kindex set remote get-thread-local-storage-address
12632 @cindex thread local storage of remote targets
12633 This command enables or disables the use of the @samp{qGetTLSAddr}
12634 (Get Thread Local Storage Address) request packet. The default
12635 depends on whether the remote stub supports this request.
12636 @xref{General Query Packets, qGetTLSAddr}, for more details about this
12639 @item show remote get-thread-local-storage-address
12640 @kindex show remote get-thread-local-storage-address
12641 Show the current setting of @samp{qGetTLSAddr} packet usage.
12645 @section Implementing a remote stub
12647 @cindex debugging stub, example
12648 @cindex remote stub, example
12649 @cindex stub example, remote debugging
12650 The stub files provided with @value{GDBN} implement the target side of the
12651 communication protocol, and the @value{GDBN} side is implemented in the
12652 @value{GDBN} source file @file{remote.c}. Normally, you can simply allow
12653 these subroutines to communicate, and ignore the details. (If you're
12654 implementing your own stub file, you can still ignore the details: start
12655 with one of the existing stub files. @file{sparc-stub.c} is the best
12656 organized, and therefore the easiest to read.)
12658 @cindex remote serial debugging, overview
12659 To debug a program running on another machine (the debugging
12660 @dfn{target} machine), you must first arrange for all the usual
12661 prerequisites for the program to run by itself. For example, for a C
12666 A startup routine to set up the C runtime environment; these usually
12667 have a name like @file{crt0}. The startup routine may be supplied by
12668 your hardware supplier, or you may have to write your own.
12671 A C subroutine library to support your program's
12672 subroutine calls, notably managing input and output.
12675 A way of getting your program to the other machine---for example, a
12676 download program. These are often supplied by the hardware
12677 manufacturer, but you may have to write your own from hardware
12681 The next step is to arrange for your program to use a serial port to
12682 communicate with the machine where @value{GDBN} is running (the @dfn{host}
12683 machine). In general terms, the scheme looks like this:
12687 @value{GDBN} already understands how to use this protocol; when everything
12688 else is set up, you can simply use the @samp{target remote} command
12689 (@pxref{Targets,,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
12691 @item On the target,
12692 you must link with your program a few special-purpose subroutines that
12693 implement the @value{GDBN} remote serial protocol. The file containing these
12694 subroutines is called a @dfn{debugging stub}.
12696 On certain remote targets, you can use an auxiliary program
12697 @code{gdbserver} instead of linking a stub into your program.
12698 @xref{Server,,Using the @code{gdbserver} program}, for details.
12701 The debugging stub is specific to the architecture of the remote
12702 machine; for example, use @file{sparc-stub.c} to debug programs on
12705 @cindex remote serial stub list
12706 These working remote stubs are distributed with @value{GDBN}:
12711 @cindex @file{i386-stub.c}
12714 For Intel 386 and compatible architectures.
12717 @cindex @file{m68k-stub.c}
12718 @cindex Motorola 680x0
12720 For Motorola 680x0 architectures.
12723 @cindex @file{sh-stub.c}
12726 For Renesas SH architectures.
12729 @cindex @file{sparc-stub.c}
12731 For @sc{sparc} architectures.
12733 @item sparcl-stub.c
12734 @cindex @file{sparcl-stub.c}
12737 For Fujitsu @sc{sparclite} architectures.
12741 The @file{README} file in the @value{GDBN} distribution may list other
12742 recently added stubs.
12745 * Stub Contents:: What the stub can do for you
12746 * Bootstrapping:: What you must do for the stub
12747 * Debug Session:: Putting it all together
12750 @node Stub Contents
12751 @subsection What the stub can do for you
12753 @cindex remote serial stub
12754 The debugging stub for your architecture supplies these three
12758 @item set_debug_traps
12759 @findex set_debug_traps
12760 @cindex remote serial stub, initialization
12761 This routine arranges for @code{handle_exception} to run when your
12762 program stops. You must call this subroutine explicitly near the
12763 beginning of your program.
12765 @item handle_exception
12766 @findex handle_exception
12767 @cindex remote serial stub, main routine
12768 This is the central workhorse, but your program never calls it
12769 explicitly---the setup code arranges for @code{handle_exception} to
12770 run when a trap is triggered.
12772 @code{handle_exception} takes control when your program stops during
12773 execution (for example, on a breakpoint), and mediates communications
12774 with @value{GDBN} on the host machine. This is where the communications
12775 protocol is implemented; @code{handle_exception} acts as the @value{GDBN}
12776 representative on the target machine. It begins by sending summary
12777 information on the state of your program, then continues to execute,
12778 retrieving and transmitting any information @value{GDBN} needs, until you
12779 execute a @value{GDBN} command that makes your program resume; at that point,
12780 @code{handle_exception} returns control to your own code on the target
12784 @cindex @code{breakpoint} subroutine, remote
12785 Use this auxiliary subroutine to make your program contain a
12786 breakpoint. Depending on the particular situation, this may be the only
12787 way for @value{GDBN} to get control. For instance, if your target
12788 machine has some sort of interrupt button, you won't need to call this;
12789 pressing the interrupt button transfers control to
12790 @code{handle_exception}---in effect, to @value{GDBN}. On some machines,
12791 simply receiving characters on the serial port may also trigger a trap;
12792 again, in that situation, you don't need to call @code{breakpoint} from
12793 your own program---simply running @samp{target remote} from the host
12794 @value{GDBN} session gets control.
12796 Call @code{breakpoint} if none of these is true, or if you simply want
12797 to make certain your program stops at a predetermined point for the
12798 start of your debugging session.
12801 @node Bootstrapping
12802 @subsection What you must do for the stub
12804 @cindex remote stub, support routines
12805 The debugging stubs that come with @value{GDBN} are set up for a particular
12806 chip architecture, but they have no information about the rest of your
12807 debugging target machine.
12809 First of all you need to tell the stub how to communicate with the
12813 @item int getDebugChar()
12814 @findex getDebugChar
12815 Write this subroutine to read a single character from the serial port.
12816 It may be identical to @code{getchar} for your target system; a
12817 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
12819 @item void putDebugChar(int)
12820 @findex putDebugChar
12821 Write this subroutine to write a single character to the serial port.
12822 It may be identical to @code{putchar} for your target system; a
12823 different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you wish.
12826 @cindex control C, and remote debugging
12827 @cindex interrupting remote targets
12828 If you want @value{GDBN} to be able to stop your program while it is
12829 running, you need to use an interrupt-driven serial driver, and arrange
12830 for it to stop when it receives a @code{^C} (@samp{\003}, the control-C
12831 character). That is the character which @value{GDBN} uses to tell the
12832 remote system to stop.
12834 Getting the debugging target to return the proper status to @value{GDBN}
12835 probably requires changes to the standard stub; one quick and dirty way
12836 is to just execute a breakpoint instruction (the ``dirty'' part is that
12837 @value{GDBN} reports a @code{SIGTRAP} instead of a @code{SIGINT}).
12839 Other routines you need to supply are:
12842 @item void exceptionHandler (int @var{exception_number}, void *@var{exception_address})
12843 @findex exceptionHandler
12844 Write this function to install @var{exception_address} in the exception
12845 handling tables. You need to do this because the stub does not have any
12846 way of knowing what the exception handling tables on your target system
12847 are like (for example, the processor's table might be in @sc{rom},
12848 containing entries which point to a table in @sc{ram}).
12849 @var{exception_number} is the exception number which should be changed;
12850 its meaning is architecture-dependent (for example, different numbers
12851 might represent divide by zero, misaligned access, etc). When this
12852 exception occurs, control should be transferred directly to
12853 @var{exception_address}, and the processor state (stack, registers,
12854 and so on) should be just as it is when a processor exception occurs. So if
12855 you want to use a jump instruction to reach @var{exception_address}, it
12856 should be a simple jump, not a jump to subroutine.
12858 For the 386, @var{exception_address} should be installed as an interrupt
12859 gate so that interrupts are masked while the handler runs. The gate
12860 should be at privilege level 0 (the most privileged level). The
12861 @sc{sparc} and 68k stubs are able to mask interrupts themselves without
12862 help from @code{exceptionHandler}.
12864 @item void flush_i_cache()
12865 @findex flush_i_cache
12866 On @sc{sparc} and @sc{sparclite} only, write this subroutine to flush the
12867 instruction cache, if any, on your target machine. If there is no
12868 instruction cache, this subroutine may be a no-op.
12870 On target machines that have instruction caches, @value{GDBN} requires this
12871 function to make certain that the state of your program is stable.
12875 You must also make sure this library routine is available:
12878 @item void *memset(void *, int, int)
12880 This is the standard library function @code{memset} that sets an area of
12881 memory to a known value. If you have one of the free versions of
12882 @code{libc.a}, @code{memset} can be found there; otherwise, you must
12883 either obtain it from your hardware manufacturer, or write your own.
12886 If you do not use the GNU C compiler, you may need other standard
12887 library subroutines as well; this varies from one stub to another,
12888 but in general the stubs are likely to use any of the common library
12889 subroutines which @code{@value{GCC}} generates as inline code.
12892 @node Debug Session
12893 @subsection Putting it all together
12895 @cindex remote serial debugging summary
12896 In summary, when your program is ready to debug, you must follow these
12901 Make sure you have defined the supporting low-level routines
12902 (@pxref{Bootstrapping,,What you must do for the stub}):
12904 @code{getDebugChar}, @code{putDebugChar},
12905 @code{flush_i_cache}, @code{memset}, @code{exceptionHandler}.
12909 Insert these lines near the top of your program:
12917 For the 680x0 stub only, you need to provide a variable called
12918 @code{exceptionHook}. Normally you just use:
12921 void (*exceptionHook)() = 0;
12925 but if before calling @code{set_debug_traps}, you set it to point to a
12926 function in your program, that function is called when
12927 @code{@value{GDBN}} continues after stopping on a trap (for example, bus
12928 error). The function indicated by @code{exceptionHook} is called with
12929 one parameter: an @code{int} which is the exception number.
12932 Compile and link together: your program, the @value{GDBN} debugging stub for
12933 your target architecture, and the supporting subroutines.
12936 Make sure you have a serial connection between your target machine and
12937 the @value{GDBN} host, and identify the serial port on the host.
12940 @c The "remote" target now provides a `load' command, so we should
12941 @c document that. FIXME.
12942 Download your program to your target machine (or get it there by
12943 whatever means the manufacturer provides), and start it.
12946 Start @value{GDBN} on the host, and connect to the target
12947 (@pxref{Connecting,,Connecting to a remote target}).
12951 @node Configurations
12952 @chapter Configuration-Specific Information
12954 While nearly all @value{GDBN} commands are available for all native and
12955 cross versions of the debugger, there are some exceptions. This chapter
12956 describes things that are only available in certain configurations.
12958 There are three major categories of configurations: native
12959 configurations, where the host and target are the same, embedded
12960 operating system configurations, which are usually the same for several
12961 different processor architectures, and bare embedded processors, which
12962 are quite different from each other.
12967 * Embedded Processors::
12974 This section describes details specific to particular native
12979 * BSD libkvm Interface:: Debugging BSD kernel memory images
12980 * SVR4 Process Information:: SVR4 process information
12981 * DJGPP Native:: Features specific to the DJGPP port
12982 * Cygwin Native:: Features specific to the Cygwin port
12983 * Hurd Native:: Features specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd
12984 * Neutrino:: Features specific to QNX Neutrino
12990 On HP-UX systems, if you refer to a function or variable name that
12991 begins with a dollar sign, @value{GDBN} searches for a user or system
12992 name first, before it searches for a convenience variable.
12995 @node BSD libkvm Interface
12996 @subsection BSD libkvm Interface
12999 @cindex kernel memory image
13000 @cindex kernel crash dump
13002 BSD-derived systems (FreeBSD/NetBSD/OpenBSD) have a kernel memory
13003 interface that provides a uniform interface for accessing kernel virtual
13004 memory images, including live systems and crash dumps. @value{GDBN}
13005 uses this interface to allow you to debug live kernels and kernel crash
13006 dumps on many native BSD configurations. This is implemented as a
13007 special @code{kvm} debugging target. For debugging a live system, load
13008 the currently running kernel into @value{GDBN} and connect to the
13012 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm}
13015 For debugging crash dumps, provide the file name of the crash dump as an
13019 (@value{GDBP}) @b{target kvm /var/crash/bsd.0}
13022 Once connected to the @code{kvm} target, the following commands are
13028 Set current context from the @dfn{Process Control Block} (PCB) address.
13031 Set current context from proc address. This command isn't available on
13032 modern FreeBSD systems.
13035 @node SVR4 Process Information
13036 @subsection SVR4 process information
13038 @cindex examine process image
13039 @cindex process info via @file{/proc}
13041 Many versions of SVR4 and compatible systems provide a facility called
13042 @samp{/proc} that can be used to examine the image of a running
13043 process using file-system subroutines. If @value{GDBN} is configured
13044 for an operating system with this facility, the command @code{info
13045 proc} is available to report information about the process running
13046 your program, or about any process running on your system. @code{info
13047 proc} works only on SVR4 systems that include the @code{procfs} code.
13048 This includes, as of this writing, @sc{gnu}/Linux, OSF/1 (Digital
13049 Unix), Solaris, Irix, and Unixware, but not HP-UX, for example.
13055 @itemx info proc @var{process-id}
13056 Summarize available information about any running process. If a
13057 process ID is specified by @var{process-id}, display information about
13058 that process; otherwise display information about the program being
13059 debugged. The summary includes the debugged process ID, the command
13060 line used to invoke it, its current working directory, and its
13061 executable file's absolute file name.
13063 On some systems, @var{process-id} can be of the form
13064 @samp{[@var{pid}]/@var{tid}} which specifies a certain thread ID
13065 within a process. If the optional @var{pid} part is missing, it means
13066 a thread from the process being debugged (the leading @samp{/} still
13067 needs to be present, or else @value{GDBN} will interpret the number as
13068 a process ID rather than a thread ID).
13070 @item info proc mappings
13071 @cindex memory address space mappings
13072 Report the memory address space ranges accessible in the program, with
13073 information on whether the process has read, write, or execute access
13074 rights to each range. On @sc{gnu}/Linux systems, each memory range
13075 includes the object file which is mapped to that range, instead of the
13076 memory access rights to that range.
13078 @item info proc stat
13079 @itemx info proc status
13080 @cindex process detailed status information
13081 These subcommands are specific to @sc{gnu}/Linux systems. They show
13082 the process-related information, including the user ID and group ID;
13083 how many threads are there in the process; its virtual memory usage;
13084 the signals that are pending, blocked, and ignored; its TTY; its
13085 consumption of system and user time; its stack size; its @samp{nice}
13086 value; etc. For more information, see the @samp{proc} man page
13087 (type @kbd{man 5 proc} from your shell prompt).
13089 @item info proc all
13090 Show all the information about the process described under all of the
13091 above @code{info proc} subcommands.
13094 @comment These sub-options of 'info proc' were not included when
13095 @comment procfs.c was re-written. Keep their descriptions around
13096 @comment against the day when someone finds the time to put them back in.
13097 @kindex info proc times
13098 @item info proc times
13099 Starting time, user CPU time, and system CPU time for your program and
13102 @kindex info proc id
13104 Report on the process IDs related to your program: its own process ID,
13105 the ID of its parent, the process group ID, and the session ID.
13108 @item set procfs-trace
13109 @kindex set procfs-trace
13110 @cindex @code{procfs} API calls
13111 This command enables and disables tracing of @code{procfs} API calls.
13113 @item show procfs-trace
13114 @kindex show procfs-trace
13115 Show the current state of @code{procfs} API call tracing.
13117 @item set procfs-file @var{file}
13118 @kindex set procfs-file
13119 Tell @value{GDBN} to write @code{procfs} API trace to the named
13120 @var{file}. @value{GDBN} appends the trace info to the previous
13121 contents of the file. The default is to display the trace on the
13124 @item show procfs-file
13125 @kindex show procfs-file
13126 Show the file to which @code{procfs} API trace is written.
13128 @item proc-trace-entry
13129 @itemx proc-trace-exit
13130 @itemx proc-untrace-entry
13131 @itemx proc-untrace-exit
13132 @kindex proc-trace-entry
13133 @kindex proc-trace-exit
13134 @kindex proc-untrace-entry
13135 @kindex proc-untrace-exit
13136 These commands enable and disable tracing of entries into and exits
13137 from the @code{syscall} interface.
13140 @kindex info pidlist
13141 @cindex process list, QNX Neutrino
13142 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all the
13143 processes and all the threads within each process.
13146 @kindex info meminfo
13147 @cindex mapinfo list, QNX Neutrino
13148 For QNX Neutrino only, this command displays the list of all mapinfos.
13152 @subsection Features for Debugging @sc{djgpp} Programs
13153 @cindex @sc{djgpp} debugging
13154 @cindex native @sc{djgpp} debugging
13155 @cindex MS-DOS-specific commands
13158 @sc{djgpp} is a port of the @sc{gnu} development tools to MS-DOS and
13159 MS-Windows. @sc{djgpp} programs are 32-bit protected-mode programs
13160 that use the @dfn{DPMI} (DOS Protected-Mode Interface) API to run on
13161 top of real-mode DOS systems and their emulations.
13163 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of @sc{djgpp} programs, and
13164 defines a few commands specific to the @sc{djgpp} port. This
13165 subsection describes those commands.
13170 This is a prefix of @sc{djgpp}-specific commands which print
13171 information about the target system and important OS structures.
13174 @cindex MS-DOS system info
13175 @cindex free memory information (MS-DOS)
13176 @item info dos sysinfo
13177 This command displays assorted information about the underlying
13178 platform: the CPU type and features, the OS version and flavor, the
13179 DPMI version, and the available conventional and DPMI memory.
13184 @cindex segment descriptor tables
13185 @cindex descriptor tables display
13187 @itemx info dos ldt
13188 @itemx info dos idt
13189 These 3 commands display entries from, respectively, Global, Local,
13190 and Interrupt Descriptor Tables (GDT, LDT, and IDT). The descriptor
13191 tables are data structures which store a descriptor for each segment
13192 that is currently in use. The segment's selector is an index into a
13193 descriptor table; the table entry for that index holds the
13194 descriptor's base address and limit, and its attributes and access
13197 A typical @sc{djgpp} program uses 3 segments: a code segment, a data
13198 segment (used for both data and the stack), and a DOS segment (which
13199 allows access to DOS/BIOS data structures and absolute addresses in
13200 conventional memory). However, the DPMI host will usually define
13201 additional segments in order to support the DPMI environment.
13203 @cindex garbled pointers
13204 These commands allow to display entries from the descriptor tables.
13205 Without an argument, all entries from the specified table are
13206 displayed. An argument, which should be an integer expression, means
13207 display a single entry whose index is given by the argument. For
13208 example, here's a convenient way to display information about the
13209 debugged program's data segment:
13212 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos ldt $ds}
13213 @exdent @code{0x13f: base=0x11970000 limit=0x0009ffff 32-Bit Data (Read/Write, Exp-up)}
13217 This comes in handy when you want to see whether a pointer is outside
13218 the data segment's limit (i.e.@: @dfn{garbled}).
13220 @cindex page tables display (MS-DOS)
13222 @itemx info dos pte
13223 These two commands display entries from, respectively, the Page
13224 Directory and the Page Tables. Page Directories and Page Tables are
13225 data structures which control how virtual memory addresses are mapped
13226 into physical addresses. A Page Table includes an entry for every
13227 page of memory that is mapped into the program's address space; there
13228 may be several Page Tables, each one holding up to 4096 entries. A
13229 Page Directory has up to 4096 entries, one each for every Page Table
13230 that is currently in use.
13232 Without an argument, @kbd{info dos pde} displays the entire Page
13233 Directory, and @kbd{info dos pte} displays all the entries in all of
13234 the Page Tables. An argument, an integer expression, given to the
13235 @kbd{info dos pde} command means display only that entry from the Page
13236 Directory table. An argument given to the @kbd{info dos pte} command
13237 means display entries from a single Page Table, the one pointed to by
13238 the specified entry in the Page Directory.
13240 @cindex direct memory access (DMA) on MS-DOS
13241 These commands are useful when your program uses @dfn{DMA} (Direct
13242 Memory Access), which needs physical addresses to program the DMA
13245 These commands are supported only with some DPMI servers.
13247 @cindex physical address from linear address
13248 @item info dos address-pte @var{addr}
13249 This command displays the Page Table entry for a specified linear
13250 address. The argument @var{addr} is a linear address which should
13251 already have the appropriate segment's base address added to it,
13252 because this command accepts addresses which may belong to @emph{any}
13253 segment. For example, here's how to display the Page Table entry for
13254 the page where a variable @code{i} is stored:
13257 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte __djgpp_base_address + (char *)&i}
13258 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x11a00d30:}
13259 @exdent @code{Base=0x02698000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0xd30}
13263 This says that @code{i} is stored at offset @code{0xd30} from the page
13264 whose physical base address is @code{0x02698000}, and shows all the
13265 attributes of that page.
13267 Note that you must cast the addresses of variables to a @code{char *},
13268 since otherwise the value of @code{__djgpp_base_address}, the base
13269 address of all variables and functions in a @sc{djgpp} program, will
13270 be added using the rules of C pointer arithmetics: if @code{i} is
13271 declared an @code{int}, @value{GDBN} will add 4 times the value of
13272 @code{__djgpp_base_address} to the address of @code{i}.
13274 Here's another example, it displays the Page Table entry for the
13278 @exdent @code{(@value{GDBP}) info dos address-pte *((unsigned *)&_go32_info_block + 3)}
13279 @exdent @code{Page Table entry for address 0x29110:}
13280 @exdent @code{Base=0x00029000 Dirty Acc. Not-Cached Write-Back Usr Read-Write +0x110}
13284 (The @code{+ 3} offset is because the transfer buffer's address is the
13285 3rd member of the @code{_go32_info_block} structure.) The output
13286 clearly shows that this DPMI server maps the addresses in conventional
13287 memory 1:1, i.e.@: the physical (@code{0x00029000} + @code{0x110}) and
13288 linear (@code{0x29110}) addresses are identical.
13290 This command is supported only with some DPMI servers.
13293 @cindex DOS serial data link, remote debugging
13294 In addition to native debugging, the DJGPP port supports remote
13295 debugging via a serial data link. The following commands are specific
13296 to remote serial debugging in the DJGPP port of @value{GDBN}.
13299 @kindex set com1base
13300 @kindex set com1irq
13301 @kindex set com2base
13302 @kindex set com2irq
13303 @kindex set com3base
13304 @kindex set com3irq
13305 @kindex set com4base
13306 @kindex set com4irq
13307 @item set com1base @var{addr}
13308 This command sets the base I/O port address of the @file{COM1} serial
13311 @item set com1irq @var{irq}
13312 This command sets the @dfn{Interrupt Request} (@code{IRQ}) line to use
13313 for the @file{COM1} serial port.
13315 There are similar commands @samp{set com2base}, @samp{set com3irq},
13316 etc.@: for setting the port address and the @code{IRQ} lines for the
13319 @kindex show com1base
13320 @kindex show com1irq
13321 @kindex show com2base
13322 @kindex show com2irq
13323 @kindex show com3base
13324 @kindex show com3irq
13325 @kindex show com4base
13326 @kindex show com4irq
13327 The related commands @samp{show com1base}, @samp{show com1irq} etc.@:
13328 display the current settings of the base address and the @code{IRQ}
13329 lines used by the COM ports.
13332 @kindex info serial
13333 @cindex DOS serial port status
13334 This command prints the status of the 4 DOS serial ports. For each
13335 port, it prints whether it's active or not, its I/O base address and
13336 IRQ number, whether it uses a 16550-style FIFO, its baudrate, and the
13337 counts of various errors encountered so far.
13341 @node Cygwin Native
13342 @subsection Features for Debugging MS Windows PE executables
13343 @cindex MS Windows debugging
13344 @cindex native Cygwin debugging
13345 @cindex Cygwin-specific commands
13347 @value{GDBN} supports native debugging of MS Windows programs, including
13348 DLLs with and without symbolic debugging information. There are various
13349 additional Cygwin-specific commands, described in this subsection. The
13350 subsubsection @pxref{Non-debug DLL symbols} describes working with DLLs
13351 that have no debugging symbols.
13357 This is a prefix of MS Windows specific commands which print
13358 information about the target system and important OS structures.
13360 @item info w32 selector
13361 This command displays information returned by
13362 the Win32 API @code{GetThreadSelectorEntry} function.
13363 It takes an optional argument that is evaluated to
13364 a long value to give the information about this given selector.
13365 Without argument, this command displays information
13366 about the the six segment registers.
13370 This is a Cygwin specific alias of info shared.
13372 @kindex dll-symbols
13374 This command loads symbols from a dll similarly to
13375 add-sym command but without the need to specify a base address.
13377 @kindex set new-console
13378 @item set new-console @var{mode}
13379 If @var{mode} is @code{on} the debuggee will
13380 be started in a new console on next start.
13381 If @var{mode} is @code{off}i, the debuggee will
13382 be started in the same console as the debugger.
13384 @kindex show new-console
13385 @item show new-console
13386 Displays whether a new console is used
13387 when the debuggee is started.
13389 @kindex set new-group
13390 @item set new-group @var{mode}
13391 This boolean value controls whether the debuggee should
13392 start a new group or stay in the same group as the debugger.
13393 This affects the way the Windows OS handles
13396 @kindex show new-group
13397 @item show new-group
13398 Displays current value of new-group boolean.
13400 @kindex set debugevents
13401 @item set debugevents
13402 This boolean value adds debug output concerning kernel events related
13403 to the debuggee seen by the debugger. This includes events that
13404 signal thread and process creation and exit, DLL loading and
13405 unloading, console interrupts, and debugging messages produced by the
13406 Windows @code{OutputDebugString} API call.
13408 @kindex set debugexec
13409 @item set debugexec
13410 This boolean value adds debug output concerning execute events
13411 (such as resume thread) seen by the debugger.
13413 @kindex set debugexceptions
13414 @item set debugexceptions
13415 This boolean value adds debug output concerning exceptions in the
13416 debuggee seen by the debugger.
13418 @kindex set debugmemory
13419 @item set debugmemory
13420 This boolean value adds debug output concerning debuggee memory reads
13421 and writes by the debugger.
13425 This boolean values specifies whether the debuggee is called
13426 via a shell or directly (default value is on).
13430 Displays if the debuggee will be started with a shell.
13435 * Non-debug DLL symbols:: Support for DLLs without debugging symbols
13438 @node Non-debug DLL symbols
13439 @subsubsection Support for DLLs without debugging symbols
13440 @cindex DLLs with no debugging symbols
13441 @cindex Minimal symbols and DLLs
13443 Very often on windows, some of the DLLs that your program relies on do
13444 not include symbolic debugging information (for example,
13445 @file{kernel32.dll}). When @value{GDBN} doesn't recognize any debugging
13446 symbols in a DLL, it relies on the minimal amount of symbolic
13447 information contained in the DLL's export table. This subsubsection
13448 describes working with such symbols, known internally to @value{GDBN} as
13449 ``minimal symbols''.
13451 Note that before the debugged program has started execution, no DLLs
13452 will have been loaded. The easiest way around this problem is simply to
13453 start the program --- either by setting a breakpoint or letting the
13454 program run once to completion. It is also possible to force
13455 @value{GDBN} to load a particular DLL before starting the executable ---
13456 see the shared library information in @pxref{Files} or the
13457 @code{dll-symbols} command in @pxref{Cygwin Native}. Currently,
13458 explicitly loading symbols from a DLL with no debugging information will
13459 cause the symbol names to be duplicated in @value{GDBN}'s lookup table,
13460 which may adversely affect symbol lookup performance.
13462 @subsubsection DLL name prefixes
13464 In keeping with the naming conventions used by the Microsoft debugging
13465 tools, DLL export symbols are made available with a prefix based on the
13466 DLL name, for instance @code{KERNEL32!CreateFileA}. The plain name is
13467 also entered into the symbol table, so @code{CreateFileA} is often
13468 sufficient. In some cases there will be name clashes within a program
13469 (particularly if the executable itself includes full debugging symbols)
13470 necessitating the use of the fully qualified name when referring to the
13471 contents of the DLL. Use single-quotes around the name to avoid the
13472 exclamation mark (``!'') being interpreted as a language operator.
13474 Note that the internal name of the DLL may be all upper-case, even
13475 though the file name of the DLL is lower-case, or vice-versa. Since
13476 symbols within @value{GDBN} are @emph{case-sensitive} this may cause
13477 some confusion. If in doubt, try the @code{info functions} and
13478 @code{info variables} commands or even @code{maint print msymbols} (see
13479 @pxref{Symbols}). Here's an example:
13482 (@value{GDBP}) info function CreateFileA
13483 All functions matching regular expression "CreateFileA":
13485 Non-debugging symbols:
13486 0x77e885f4 CreateFileA
13487 0x77e885f4 KERNEL32!CreateFileA
13491 (@value{GDBP}) info function !
13492 All functions matching regular expression "!":
13494 Non-debugging symbols:
13495 0x6100114c cygwin1!__assert
13496 0x61004034 cygwin1!_dll_crt0@@0
13497 0x61004240 cygwin1!dll_crt0(per_process *)
13501 @subsubsection Working with minimal symbols
13503 Symbols extracted from a DLL's export table do not contain very much
13504 type information. All that @value{GDBN} can do is guess whether a symbol
13505 refers to a function or variable depending on the linker section that
13506 contains the symbol. Also note that the actual contents of the memory
13507 contained in a DLL are not available unless the program is running. This
13508 means that you cannot examine the contents of a variable or disassemble
13509 a function within a DLL without a running program.
13511 Variables are generally treated as pointers and dereferenced
13512 automatically. For this reason, it is often necessary to prefix a
13513 variable name with the address-of operator (``&'') and provide explicit
13514 type information in the command. Here's an example of the type of
13518 (@value{GDBP}) print 'cygwin1!__argv'
13523 (@value{GDBP}) x 'cygwin1!__argv'
13524 0x10021610: "\230y\""
13527 And two possible solutions:
13530 (@value{GDBP}) print ((char **)'cygwin1!__argv')[0]
13531 $2 = 0x22fd98 "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
13535 (@value{GDBP}) x/2x &'cygwin1!__argv'
13536 0x610c0aa8 <cygwin1!__argv>: 0x10021608 0x00000000
13537 (@value{GDBP}) x/x 0x10021608
13538 0x10021608: 0x0022fd98
13539 (@value{GDBP}) x/s 0x0022fd98
13540 0x22fd98: "/cygdrive/c/mydirectory/myprogram"
13543 Setting a break point within a DLL is possible even before the program
13544 starts execution. However, under these circumstances, @value{GDBN} can't
13545 examine the initial instructions of the function in order to skip the
13546 function's frame set-up code. You can work around this by using ``*&''
13547 to set the breakpoint at a raw memory address:
13550 (@value{GDBP}) break *&'python22!PyOS_Readline'
13551 Breakpoint 1 at 0x1e04eff0
13554 The author of these extensions is not entirely convinced that setting a
13555 break point within a shared DLL like @file{kernel32.dll} is completely
13559 @subsection Commands specific to @sc{gnu} Hurd systems
13560 @cindex @sc{gnu} Hurd debugging
13562 This subsection describes @value{GDBN} commands specific to the
13563 @sc{gnu} Hurd native debugging.
13568 @kindex set signals@r{, Hurd command}
13569 @kindex set sigs@r{, Hurd command}
13570 This command toggles the state of inferior signal interception by
13571 @value{GDBN}. Mach exceptions, such as breakpoint traps, are not
13572 affected by this command. @code{sigs} is a shorthand alias for
13577 @kindex show signals@r{, Hurd command}
13578 @kindex show sigs@r{, Hurd command}
13579 Show the current state of intercepting inferior's signals.
13581 @item set signal-thread
13582 @itemx set sigthread
13583 @kindex set signal-thread
13584 @kindex set sigthread
13585 This command tells @value{GDBN} which thread is the @code{libc} signal
13586 thread. That thread is run when a signal is delivered to a running
13587 process. @code{set sigthread} is the shorthand alias of @code{set
13590 @item show signal-thread
13591 @itemx show sigthread
13592 @kindex show signal-thread
13593 @kindex show sigthread
13594 These two commands show which thread will run when the inferior is
13595 delivered a signal.
13598 @kindex set stopped@r{, Hurd command}
13599 This commands tells @value{GDBN} that the inferior process is stopped,
13600 as with the @code{SIGSTOP} signal. The stopped process can be
13601 continued by delivering a signal to it.
13604 @kindex show stopped@r{, Hurd command}
13605 This command shows whether @value{GDBN} thinks the debuggee is
13608 @item set exceptions
13609 @kindex set exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
13610 Use this command to turn off trapping of exceptions in the inferior.
13611 When exception trapping is off, neither breakpoints nor
13612 single-stepping will work. To restore the default, set exception
13615 @item show exceptions
13616 @kindex show exceptions@r{, Hurd command}
13617 Show the current state of trapping exceptions in the inferior.
13619 @item set task pause
13620 @kindex set task@r{, Hurd commands}
13621 @cindex task attributes (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
13622 @cindex pause current task (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
13623 This command toggles task suspension when @value{GDBN} has control.
13624 Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the task is suspended
13625 whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to off will take
13626 effect the next time the inferior is continued. If this option is set
13627 to off, you can use @code{set thread default pause on} or @code{set
13628 thread pause on} (see below) to pause individual threads.
13630 @item show task pause
13631 @kindex show task@r{, Hurd commands}
13632 Show the current state of task suspension.
13634 @item set task detach-suspend-count
13635 @cindex task suspend count
13636 @cindex detach from task, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13637 This command sets the suspend count the task will be left with when
13638 @value{GDBN} detaches from it.
13640 @item show task detach-suspend-count
13641 Show the suspend count the task will be left with when detaching.
13643 @item set task exception-port
13644 @itemx set task excp
13645 @cindex task exception port, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13646 This command sets the task exception port to which @value{GDBN} will
13647 forward exceptions. The argument should be the value of the @dfn{send
13648 rights} of the task. @code{set task excp} is a shorthand alias.
13650 @item set noninvasive
13651 @cindex noninvasive task options
13652 This command switches @value{GDBN} to a mode that is the least
13653 invasive as far as interfering with the inferior is concerned. This
13654 is the same as using @code{set task pause}, @code{set exceptions}, and
13655 @code{set signals} to values opposite to the defaults.
13657 @item info send-rights
13658 @itemx info receive-rights
13659 @itemx info port-rights
13660 @itemx info port-sets
13661 @itemx info dead-names
13664 @cindex send rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13665 @cindex receive rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13666 @cindex port rights, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13667 @cindex port sets, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13668 @cindex dead names, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13669 These commands display information about, respectively, send rights,
13670 receive rights, port rights, port sets, and dead names of a task.
13671 There are also shorthand aliases: @code{info ports} for @code{info
13672 port-rights} and @code{info psets} for @code{info port-sets}.
13674 @item set thread pause
13675 @kindex set thread@r{, Hurd command}
13676 @cindex thread properties, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13677 @cindex pause current thread (@sc{gnu} Hurd)
13678 This command toggles current thread suspension when @value{GDBN} has
13679 control. Setting it to on takes effect immediately, and the current
13680 thread is suspended whenever @value{GDBN} gets control. Setting it to
13681 off will take effect the next time the inferior is continued.
13682 Normally, this command has no effect, since when @value{GDBN} has
13683 control, the whole task is suspended. However, if you used @code{set
13684 task pause off} (see above), this command comes in handy to suspend
13685 only the current thread.
13687 @item show thread pause
13688 @kindex show thread@r{, Hurd command}
13689 This command shows the state of current thread suspension.
13691 @item set thread run
13692 This comamnd sets whether the current thread is allowed to run.
13694 @item show thread run
13695 Show whether the current thread is allowed to run.
13697 @item set thread detach-suspend-count
13698 @cindex thread suspend count, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13699 @cindex detach from thread, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13700 This command sets the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on a
13701 thread when detaching. This number is relative to the suspend count
13702 found by @value{GDBN} when it notices the thread; use @code{set thread
13703 takeover-suspend-count} to force it to an absolute value.
13705 @item show thread detach-suspend-count
13706 Show the suspend count @value{GDBN} will leave on the thread when
13709 @item set thread exception-port
13710 @itemx set thread excp
13711 Set the thread exception port to which to forward exceptions. This
13712 overrides the port set by @code{set task exception-port} (see above).
13713 @code{set thread excp} is the shorthand alias.
13715 @item set thread takeover-suspend-count
13716 Normally, @value{GDBN}'s thread suspend counts are relative to the
13717 value @value{GDBN} finds when it notices each thread. This command
13718 changes the suspend counts to be absolute instead.
13720 @item set thread default
13721 @itemx show thread default
13722 @cindex thread default settings, @sc{gnu} Hurd
13723 Each of the above @code{set thread} commands has a @code{set thread
13724 default} counterpart (e.g., @code{set thread default pause}, @code{set
13725 thread default exception-port}, etc.). The @code{thread default}
13726 variety of commands sets the default thread properties for all
13727 threads; you can then change the properties of individual threads with
13728 the non-default commands.
13733 @subsection QNX Neutrino
13734 @cindex QNX Neutrino
13736 @value{GDBN} provides the following commands specific to the QNX
13740 @item set debug nto-debug
13741 @kindex set debug nto-debug
13742 When set to on, enables debugging messages specific to the QNX
13745 @item show debug nto-debug
13746 @kindex show debug nto-debug
13747 Show the current state of QNX Neutrino messages.
13752 @section Embedded Operating Systems
13754 This section describes configurations involving the debugging of
13755 embedded operating systems that are available for several different
13759 * VxWorks:: Using @value{GDBN} with VxWorks
13762 @value{GDBN} includes the ability to debug programs running on
13763 various real-time operating systems.
13766 @subsection Using @value{GDBN} with VxWorks
13772 @kindex target vxworks
13773 @item target vxworks @var{machinename}
13774 A VxWorks system, attached via TCP/IP. The argument @var{machinename}
13775 is the target system's machine name or IP address.
13779 On VxWorks, @code{load} links @var{filename} dynamically on the
13780 current target system as well as adding its symbols in @value{GDBN}.
13782 @value{GDBN} enables developers to spawn and debug tasks running on networked
13783 VxWorks targets from a Unix host. Already-running tasks spawned from
13784 the VxWorks shell can also be debugged. @value{GDBN} uses code that runs on
13785 both the Unix host and on the VxWorks target. The program
13786 @code{@value{GDBP}} is installed and executed on the Unix host. (It may be
13787 installed with the name @code{vxgdb}, to distinguish it from a
13788 @value{GDBN} for debugging programs on the host itself.)
13791 @item VxWorks-timeout @var{args}
13792 @kindex vxworks-timeout
13793 All VxWorks-based targets now support the option @code{vxworks-timeout}.
13794 This option is set by the user, and @var{args} represents the number of
13795 seconds @value{GDBN} waits for responses to rpc's. You might use this if
13796 your VxWorks target is a slow software simulator or is on the far side
13797 of a thin network line.
13800 The following information on connecting to VxWorks was current when
13801 this manual was produced; newer releases of VxWorks may use revised
13804 @findex INCLUDE_RDB
13805 To use @value{GDBN} with VxWorks, you must rebuild your VxWorks kernel
13806 to include the remote debugging interface routines in the VxWorks
13807 library @file{rdb.a}. To do this, define @code{INCLUDE_RDB} in the
13808 VxWorks configuration file @file{configAll.h} and rebuild your VxWorks
13809 kernel. The resulting kernel contains @file{rdb.a}, and spawns the
13810 source debugging task @code{tRdbTask} when VxWorks is booted. For more
13811 information on configuring and remaking VxWorks, see the manufacturer's
13813 @c VxWorks, see the @cite{VxWorks Programmer's Guide}.
13815 Once you have included @file{rdb.a} in your VxWorks system image and set
13816 your Unix execution search path to find @value{GDBN}, you are ready to
13817 run @value{GDBN}. From your Unix host, run @code{@value{GDBP}} (or
13818 @code{vxgdb}, depending on your installation).
13820 @value{GDBN} comes up showing the prompt:
13827 * VxWorks Connection:: Connecting to VxWorks
13828 * VxWorks Download:: VxWorks download
13829 * VxWorks Attach:: Running tasks
13832 @node VxWorks Connection
13833 @subsubsection Connecting to VxWorks
13835 The @value{GDBN} command @code{target} lets you connect to a VxWorks target on the
13836 network. To connect to a target whose host name is ``@code{tt}'', type:
13839 (vxgdb) target vxworks tt
13843 @value{GDBN} displays messages like these:
13846 Attaching remote machine across net...
13851 @value{GDBN} then attempts to read the symbol tables of any object modules
13852 loaded into the VxWorks target since it was last booted. @value{GDBN} locates
13853 these files by searching the directories listed in the command search
13854 path (@pxref{Environment, ,Your program's environment}); if it fails
13855 to find an object file, it displays a message such as:
13858 prog.o: No such file or directory.
13861 When this happens, add the appropriate directory to the search path with
13862 the @value{GDBN} command @code{path}, and execute the @code{target}
13865 @node VxWorks Download
13866 @subsubsection VxWorks download
13868 @cindex download to VxWorks
13869 If you have connected to the VxWorks target and you want to debug an
13870 object that has not yet been loaded, you can use the @value{GDBN}
13871 @code{load} command to download a file from Unix to VxWorks
13872 incrementally. The object file given as an argument to the @code{load}
13873 command is actually opened twice: first by the VxWorks target in order
13874 to download the code, then by @value{GDBN} in order to read the symbol
13875 table. This can lead to problems if the current working directories on
13876 the two systems differ. If both systems have NFS mounted the same
13877 filesystems, you can avoid these problems by using absolute paths.
13878 Otherwise, it is simplest to set the working directory on both systems
13879 to the directory in which the object file resides, and then to reference
13880 the file by its name, without any path. For instance, a program
13881 @file{prog.o} may reside in @file{@var{vxpath}/vw/demo/rdb} in VxWorks
13882 and in @file{@var{hostpath}/vw/demo/rdb} on the host. To load this
13883 program, type this on VxWorks:
13886 -> cd "@var{vxpath}/vw/demo/rdb"
13890 Then, in @value{GDBN}, type:
13893 (vxgdb) cd @var{hostpath}/vw/demo/rdb
13894 (vxgdb) load prog.o
13897 @value{GDBN} displays a response similar to this:
13900 Reading symbol data from wherever/vw/demo/rdb/prog.o... done.
13903 You can also use the @code{load} command to reload an object module
13904 after editing and recompiling the corresponding source file. Note that
13905 this makes @value{GDBN} delete all currently-defined breakpoints,
13906 auto-displays, and convenience variables, and to clear the value
13907 history. (This is necessary in order to preserve the integrity of
13908 debugger's data structures that reference the target system's symbol
13911 @node VxWorks Attach
13912 @subsubsection Running tasks
13914 @cindex running VxWorks tasks
13915 You can also attach to an existing task using the @code{attach} command as
13919 (vxgdb) attach @var{task}
13923 where @var{task} is the VxWorks hexadecimal task ID. The task can be running
13924 or suspended when you attach to it. Running tasks are suspended at
13925 the time of attachment.
13927 @node Embedded Processors
13928 @section Embedded Processors
13930 This section goes into details specific to particular embedded
13933 @cindex send command to simulator
13934 Whenever a specific embedded processor has a simulator, @value{GDBN}
13935 allows to send an arbitrary command to the simulator.
13938 @item sim @var{command}
13939 @kindex sim@r{, a command}
13940 Send an arbitrary @var{command} string to the simulator. Consult the
13941 documentation for the specific simulator in use for information about
13942 acceptable commands.
13948 * H8/300:: Renesas H8/300
13949 * H8/500:: Renesas H8/500
13950 * M32R/D:: Renesas M32R/D
13951 * M68K:: Motorola M68K
13952 * MIPS Embedded:: MIPS Embedded
13953 * OpenRISC 1000:: OpenRisc 1000
13954 * PA:: HP PA Embedded
13957 * Sparclet:: Tsqware Sparclet
13958 * Sparclite:: Fujitsu Sparclite
13959 * ST2000:: Tandem ST2000
13960 * Z8000:: Zilog Z8000
13963 * Super-H:: Renesas Super-H
13964 * WinCE:: Windows CE child processes
13973 @item target rdi @var{dev}
13974 ARM Angel monitor, via RDI library interface to ADP protocol. You may
13975 use this target to communicate with both boards running the Angel
13976 monitor, or with the EmbeddedICE JTAG debug device.
13979 @item target rdp @var{dev}
13984 @value{GDBN} provides the following ARM-specific commands:
13987 @item set arm disassembler
13989 This commands selects from a list of disassembly styles. The
13990 @code{"std"} style is the standard style.
13992 @item show arm disassembler
13994 Show the current disassembly style.
13996 @item set arm apcs32
13997 @cindex ARM 32-bit mode
13998 This command toggles ARM operation mode between 32-bit and 26-bit.
14000 @item show arm apcs32
14001 Display the current usage of the ARM 32-bit mode.
14003 @item set arm fpu @var{fputype}
14004 This command sets the ARM floating-point unit (FPU) type. The
14005 argument @var{fputype} can be one of these:
14009 Determine the FPU type by querying the OS ABI.
14011 Software FPU, with mixed-endian doubles on little-endian ARM
14014 GCC-compiled FPA co-processor.
14016 Software FPU with pure-endian doubles.
14022 Show the current type of the FPU.
14025 This command forces @value{GDBN} to use the specified ABI.
14028 Show the currently used ABI.
14030 @item set debug arm
14031 Toggle whether to display ARM-specific debugging messages from the ARM
14032 target support subsystem.
14034 @item show debug arm
14035 Show whether ARM-specific debugging messages are enabled.
14038 The following commands are available when an ARM target is debugged
14039 using the RDI interface:
14042 @item rdilogfile @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
14044 @cindex ADP (Angel Debugger Protocol) logging
14045 Set the filename for the ADP (Angel Debugger Protocol) packet log.
14046 With an argument, sets the log file to the specified @var{file}. With
14047 no argument, show the current log file name. The default log file is
14050 @item rdilogenable @r{[}@var{arg}@r{]}
14051 @kindex rdilogenable
14052 Control logging of ADP packets. With an argument of 1 or @code{"yes"}
14053 enables logging, with an argument 0 or @code{"no"} disables it. With
14054 no arguments displays the current setting. When logging is enabled,
14055 ADP packets exchanged between @value{GDBN} and the RDI target device
14056 are logged to a file.
14058 @item set rdiromatzero
14059 @kindex set rdiromatzero
14060 @cindex ROM at zero address, RDI
14061 Tell @value{GDBN} whether the target has ROM at address 0. If on,
14062 vector catching is disabled, so that zero address can be used. If off
14063 (the default), vector catching is enabled. For this command to take
14064 effect, it needs to be invoked prior to the @code{target rdi} command.
14066 @item show rdiromatzero
14067 @kindex show rdiromatzero
14068 Show the current setting of ROM at zero address.
14070 @item set rdiheartbeat
14071 @kindex set rdiheartbeat
14072 @cindex RDI heartbeat
14073 Enable or disable RDI heartbeat packets. It is not recommended to
14074 turn on this option, since it confuses ARM and EPI JTAG interface, as
14075 well as the Angel monitor.
14077 @item show rdiheartbeat
14078 @kindex show rdiheartbeat
14079 Show the setting of RDI heartbeat packets.
14084 @subsection Renesas H8/300
14088 @kindex target hms@r{, with H8/300}
14089 @item target hms @var{dev}
14090 A Renesas SH, H8/300, or H8/500 board, attached via serial line to your host.
14091 Use special commands @code{device} and @code{speed} to control the serial
14092 line and the communications speed used.
14094 @kindex target e7000@r{, with H8/300}
14095 @item target e7000 @var{dev}
14096 E7000 emulator for Renesas H8 and SH.
14098 @kindex target sh3@r{, with H8/300}
14099 @kindex target sh3e@r{, with H8/300}
14100 @item target sh3 @var{dev}
14101 @itemx target sh3e @var{dev}
14102 Renesas SH-3 and SH-3E target systems.
14106 @cindex download to H8/300 or H8/500
14107 @cindex H8/300 or H8/500 download
14108 @cindex download to Renesas SH
14109 @cindex Renesas SH download
14110 When you select remote debugging to a Renesas SH, H8/300, or H8/500
14111 board, the @code{load} command downloads your program to the Renesas
14112 board and also opens it as the current executable target for
14113 @value{GDBN} on your host (like the @code{file} command).
14115 @value{GDBN} needs to know these things to talk to your
14116 Renesas SH, H8/300, or H8/500:
14120 that you want to use @samp{target hms}, the remote debugging interface
14121 for Renesas microprocessors, or @samp{target e7000}, the in-circuit
14122 emulator for the Renesas SH and the Renesas 300H. (@samp{target hms} is
14123 the default when @value{GDBN} is configured specifically for the Renesas SH,
14124 H8/300, or H8/500.)
14127 what serial device connects your host to your Renesas board (the first
14128 serial device available on your host is the default).
14131 what speed to use over the serial device.
14135 * Renesas Boards:: Connecting to Renesas boards.
14136 * Renesas ICE:: Using the E7000 In-Circuit Emulator.
14137 * Renesas Special:: Special @value{GDBN} commands for Renesas micros.
14140 @node Renesas Boards
14141 @subsubsection Connecting to Renesas boards
14143 @c only for Unix hosts
14145 @cindex serial device, Renesas micros
14146 Use the special @code{@value{GDBN}} command @samp{device @var{port}} if you
14147 need to explicitly set the serial device. The default @var{port} is the
14148 first available port on your host. This is only necessary on Unix
14149 hosts, where it is typically something like @file{/dev/ttya}.
14152 @cindex serial line speed, Renesas micros
14153 @code{@value{GDBN}} has another special command to set the communications
14154 speed: @samp{speed @var{bps}}. This command also is only used from Unix
14155 hosts; on DOS hosts, set the line speed as usual from outside @value{GDBN} with
14156 the DOS @code{mode} command (for instance,
14157 @w{@kbd{mode com2:9600,n,8,1,p}} for a 9600@dmn{bps} connection).
14159 The @samp{device} and @samp{speed} commands are available only when you
14160 use a Unix host to debug your Renesas microprocessor programs. If you
14162 @value{GDBN} depends on an auxiliary terminate-and-stay-resident program
14163 called @code{asynctsr} to communicate with the development board
14164 through a PC serial port. You must also use the DOS @code{mode} command
14165 to set up the serial port on the DOS side.
14167 The following sample session illustrates the steps needed to start a
14168 program under @value{GDBN} control on an H8/300. The example uses a
14169 sample H8/300 program called @file{t.x}. The procedure is the same for
14170 the Renesas SH and the H8/500.
14172 First hook up your development board. In this example, we use a
14173 board attached to serial port @code{COM2}; if you use a different serial
14174 port, substitute its name in the argument of the @code{mode} command.
14175 When you call @code{asynctsr}, the auxiliary comms program used by the
14176 debugger, you give it just the numeric part of the serial port's name;
14177 for example, @samp{asyncstr 2} below runs @code{asyncstr} on
14181 C:\H8300\TEST> asynctsr 2
14182 C:\H8300\TEST> mode com2:9600,n,8,1,p
14184 Resident portion of MODE loaded
14186 COM2: 9600, n, 8, 1, p
14191 @emph{Warning:} We have noticed a bug in PC-NFS that conflicts with
14192 @code{asynctsr}. If you also run PC-NFS on your DOS host, you may need to
14193 disable it, or even boot without it, to use @code{asynctsr} to control
14194 your development board.
14197 @kindex target hms@r{, and serial protocol}
14198 Now that serial communications are set up, and the development board is
14199 connected, you can start up @value{GDBN}. Call @code{@value{GDBN}} with
14200 the name of your program as the argument. @code{@value{GDBN}} prompts
14201 you, as usual, with the prompt @samp{(@value{GDBP})}. Use two special
14202 commands to begin your debugging session: @samp{target hms} to specify
14203 cross-debugging to the Renesas board, and the @code{load} command to
14204 download your program to the board. @code{load} displays the names of
14205 the program's sections, and a @samp{*} for each 2K of data downloaded.
14206 (If you want to refresh @value{GDBN} data on symbols or on the
14207 executable file without downloading, use the @value{GDBN} commands
14208 @code{file} or @code{symbol-file}. These commands, and @code{load}
14209 itself, are described in @ref{Files,,Commands to specify files}.)
14212 (eg-C:\H8300\TEST) @value{GDBP} t.x
14213 @value{GDBN} is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies
14214 of it under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see
14216 There is absolutely no warranty for @value{GDBN}; type "show warranty"
14218 @value{GDBN} @value{GDBVN}, Copyright 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc...
14219 (@value{GDBP}) target hms
14220 Connected to remote H8/300 HMS system.
14221 (@value{GDBP}) load t.x
14222 .text : 0x8000 .. 0xabde ***********
14223 .data : 0xabde .. 0xad30 *
14224 .stack : 0xf000 .. 0xf014 *
14227 At this point, you're ready to run or debug your program. From here on,
14228 you can use all the usual @value{GDBN} commands. The @code{break} command
14229 sets breakpoints; the @code{run} command starts your program;
14230 @code{print} or @code{x} display data; the @code{continue} command
14231 resumes execution after stopping at a breakpoint. You can use the
14232 @code{help} command at any time to find out more about @value{GDBN} commands.
14234 Remember, however, that @emph{operating system} facilities aren't
14235 available on your development board; for example, if your program hangs,
14236 you can't send an interrupt---but you can press the @sc{reset} switch!
14238 Use the @sc{reset} button on the development board
14241 to interrupt your program (don't use @kbd{ctl-C} on the DOS host---it has
14242 no way to pass an interrupt signal to the development board); and
14245 to return to the @value{GDBN} command prompt after your program finishes
14246 normally. The communications protocol provides no other way for @value{GDBN}
14247 to detect program completion.
14250 In either case, @value{GDBN} sees the effect of a @sc{reset} on the
14251 development board as a ``normal exit'' of your program.
14254 @subsubsection Using the E7000 in-circuit emulator
14256 @kindex target e7000@r{, with Renesas ICE}
14257 You can use the E7000 in-circuit emulator to develop code for either the
14258 Renesas SH or the H8/300H. Use one of these forms of the @samp{target
14259 e7000} command to connect @value{GDBN} to your E7000:
14262 @item target e7000 @var{port} @var{speed}
14263 Use this form if your E7000 is connected to a serial port. The
14264 @var{port} argument identifies what serial port to use (for example,
14265 @samp{com2}). The third argument is the line speed in bits per second
14266 (for example, @samp{9600}).
14268 @item target e7000 @var{hostname}
14269 If your E7000 is installed as a host on a TCP/IP network, you can just
14270 specify its hostname; @value{GDBN} uses @code{telnet} to connect.
14273 The following special commands are available when debugging with the
14277 @item e7000 @var{command}
14279 @cindex send command to E7000 monitor
14280 This sends the specified @var{command} to the E7000 monitor.
14282 @item ftplogin @var{machine} @var{username} @var{password} @var{dir}
14283 @kindex ftplogin@r{, E7000}
14284 This command records information for subsequent interface with the
14285 E7000 monitor via the FTP protocol: @value{GDBN} will log into the
14286 named @var{machine} using specified @var{username} and @var{password},
14287 and then chdir to the named directory @var{dir}.
14289 @item ftpload @var{file}
14290 @kindex ftpload@r{, E7000}
14291 This command uses credentials recorded by @code{ftplogin} to fetch and
14292 load the named @var{file} from the E7000 monitor.
14295 @kindex drain@r{, E7000}
14296 This command drains any pending text buffers stored on the E7000.
14298 @item set usehardbreakpoints
14299 @itemx show usehardbreakpoints
14300 @kindex set usehardbreakpoints@r{, E7000}
14301 @kindex show usehardbreakpoints@r{, E7000}
14302 @cindex hardware breakpoints, and E7000
14303 These commands set and show the use of hardware breakpoints for all
14304 breakpoints. @xref{Set Breaks, hardware-assisted breakpoint}, for
14305 more information about using hardware breakpoints selectively.
14308 @node Renesas Special
14309 @subsubsection Special @value{GDBN} commands for Renesas micros
14311 Some @value{GDBN} commands are available only for the H8/300:
14315 @kindex set machine
14316 @kindex show machine
14317 @item set machine h8300
14318 @itemx set machine h8300h
14319 Condition @value{GDBN} for one of the two variants of the H8/300
14320 architecture with @samp{set machine}. You can use @samp{show machine}
14321 to check which variant is currently in effect.
14330 @kindex set memory @var{mod}
14331 @cindex memory models, H8/500
14332 @item set memory @var{mod}
14334 Specify which H8/500 memory model (@var{mod}) you are using with
14335 @samp{set memory}; check which memory model is in effect with @samp{show
14336 memory}. The accepted values for @var{mod} are @code{small},
14337 @code{big}, @code{medium}, and @code{compact}.
14342 @subsection Renesas M32R/D and M32R/SDI
14345 @kindex target m32r
14346 @item target m32r @var{dev}
14347 Renesas M32R/D ROM monitor.
14349 @kindex target m32rsdi
14350 @item target m32rsdi @var{dev}
14351 Renesas M32R SDI server, connected via parallel port to the board.
14354 The following @value{GDBN} commands are specific to the M32R monitor:
14357 @item set download-path @var{path}
14358 @kindex set download-path
14359 @cindex find downloadable @sc{srec} files (M32R)
14360 Set the default path for finding donwloadable @sc{srec} files.
14362 @item show download-path
14363 @kindex show download-path
14364 Show the default path for downloadable @sc{srec} files.
14366 @item set board-address @var{addr}
14367 @kindex set board-address
14368 @cindex M32-EVA target board address
14369 Set the IP address for the M32R-EVA target board.
14371 @item show board-address
14372 @kindex show board-address
14373 Show the current IP address of the target board.
14375 @item set server-address @var{addr}
14376 @kindex set server-address
14377 @cindex download server address (M32R)
14378 Set the IP address for the download server, which is the @value{GDBN}'s
14381 @item show server-address
14382 @kindex show server-address
14383 Display the IP address of the download server.
14385 @item upload @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
14386 @kindex upload@r{, M32R}
14387 Upload the specified @sc{srec} @var{file} via the monitor's Ethernet
14388 upload capability. If no @var{file} argument is given, the current
14389 executable file is uploaded.
14391 @item tload @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
14392 @kindex tload@r{, M32R}
14393 Test the @code{upload} command.
14396 The following commands are available for M32R/SDI:
14401 @cindex reset SDI connection, M32R
14402 This command resets the SDI connection.
14406 This command shows the SDI connection status.
14409 @kindex debug_chaos
14410 @cindex M32R/Chaos debugging
14411 Instructs the remote that M32R/Chaos debugging is to be used.
14413 @item use_debug_dma
14414 @kindex use_debug_dma
14415 Instructs the remote to use the DEBUG_DMA method of accessing memory.
14418 @kindex use_mon_code
14419 Instructs the remote to use the MON_CODE method of accessing memory.
14422 @kindex use_ib_break
14423 Instructs the remote to set breakpoints by IB break.
14425 @item use_dbt_break
14426 @kindex use_dbt_break
14427 Instructs the remote to set breakpoints by DBT.
14433 The Motorola m68k configuration includes ColdFire support, and
14434 target command for the following ROM monitors.
14438 @kindex target abug
14439 @item target abug @var{dev}
14440 ABug ROM monitor for M68K.
14442 @kindex target cpu32bug
14443 @item target cpu32bug @var{dev}
14444 CPU32BUG monitor, running on a CPU32 (M68K) board.
14446 @kindex target dbug
14447 @item target dbug @var{dev}
14448 dBUG ROM monitor for Motorola ColdFire.
14451 @item target est @var{dev}
14452 EST-300 ICE monitor, running on a CPU32 (M68K) board.
14454 @kindex target rom68k
14455 @item target rom68k @var{dev}
14456 ROM 68K monitor, running on an M68K IDP board.
14462 @kindex target rombug
14463 @item target rombug @var{dev}
14464 ROMBUG ROM monitor for OS/9000.
14468 @node MIPS Embedded
14469 @subsection MIPS Embedded
14471 @cindex MIPS boards
14472 @value{GDBN} can use the MIPS remote debugging protocol to talk to a
14473 MIPS board attached to a serial line. This is available when
14474 you configure @value{GDBN} with @samp{--target=mips-idt-ecoff}.
14477 Use these @value{GDBN} commands to specify the connection to your target board:
14480 @item target mips @var{port}
14481 @kindex target mips @var{port}
14482 To run a program on the board, start up @code{@value{GDBP}} with the
14483 name of your program as the argument. To connect to the board, use the
14484 command @samp{target mips @var{port}}, where @var{port} is the name of
14485 the serial port connected to the board. If the program has not already
14486 been downloaded to the board, you may use the @code{load} command to
14487 download it. You can then use all the usual @value{GDBN} commands.
14489 For example, this sequence connects to the target board through a serial
14490 port, and loads and runs a program called @var{prog} through the
14494 host$ @value{GDBP} @var{prog}
14495 @value{GDBN} is free software and @dots{}
14496 (@value{GDBP}) target mips /dev/ttyb
14497 (@value{GDBP}) load @var{prog}
14501 @item target mips @var{hostname}:@var{portnumber}
14502 On some @value{GDBN} host configurations, you can specify a TCP
14503 connection (for instance, to a serial line managed by a terminal
14504 concentrator) instead of a serial port, using the syntax
14505 @samp{@var{hostname}:@var{portnumber}}.
14507 @item target pmon @var{port}
14508 @kindex target pmon @var{port}
14511 @item target ddb @var{port}
14512 @kindex target ddb @var{port}
14513 NEC's DDB variant of PMON for Vr4300.
14515 @item target lsi @var{port}
14516 @kindex target lsi @var{port}
14517 LSI variant of PMON.
14519 @kindex target r3900
14520 @item target r3900 @var{dev}
14521 Densan DVE-R3900 ROM monitor for Toshiba R3900 Mips.
14523 @kindex target array
14524 @item target array @var{dev}
14525 Array Tech LSI33K RAID controller board.
14531 @value{GDBN} also supports these special commands for MIPS targets:
14534 @item set mipsfpu double
14535 @itemx set mipsfpu single
14536 @itemx set mipsfpu none
14537 @itemx set mipsfpu auto
14538 @itemx show mipsfpu
14539 @kindex set mipsfpu
14540 @kindex show mipsfpu
14541 @cindex MIPS remote floating point
14542 @cindex floating point, MIPS remote
14543 If your target board does not support the MIPS floating point
14544 coprocessor, you should use the command @samp{set mipsfpu none} (if you
14545 need this, you may wish to put the command in your @value{GDBN} init
14546 file). This tells @value{GDBN} how to find the return value of
14547 functions which return floating point values. It also allows
14548 @value{GDBN} to avoid saving the floating point registers when calling
14549 functions on the board. If you are using a floating point coprocessor
14550 with only single precision floating point support, as on the @sc{r4650}
14551 processor, use the command @samp{set mipsfpu single}. The default
14552 double precision floating point coprocessor may be selected using
14553 @samp{set mipsfpu double}.
14555 In previous versions the only choices were double precision or no
14556 floating point, so @samp{set mipsfpu on} will select double precision
14557 and @samp{set mipsfpu off} will select no floating point.
14559 As usual, you can inquire about the @code{mipsfpu} variable with
14560 @samp{show mipsfpu}.
14562 @item set timeout @var{seconds}
14563 @itemx set retransmit-timeout @var{seconds}
14564 @itemx show timeout
14565 @itemx show retransmit-timeout
14566 @cindex @code{timeout}, MIPS protocol
14567 @cindex @code{retransmit-timeout}, MIPS protocol
14568 @kindex set timeout
14569 @kindex show timeout
14570 @kindex set retransmit-timeout
14571 @kindex show retransmit-timeout
14572 You can control the timeout used while waiting for a packet, in the MIPS
14573 remote protocol, with the @code{set timeout @var{seconds}} command. The
14574 default is 5 seconds. Similarly, you can control the timeout used while
14575 waiting for an acknowledgement of a packet with the @code{set
14576 retransmit-timeout @var{seconds}} command. The default is 3 seconds.
14577 You can inspect both values with @code{show timeout} and @code{show
14578 retransmit-timeout}. (These commands are @emph{only} available when
14579 @value{GDBN} is configured for @samp{--target=mips-idt-ecoff}.)
14581 The timeout set by @code{set timeout} does not apply when @value{GDBN}
14582 is waiting for your program to stop. In that case, @value{GDBN} waits
14583 forever because it has no way of knowing how long the program is going
14584 to run before stopping.
14586 @item set syn-garbage-limit @var{num}
14587 @kindex set syn-garbage-limit@r{, MIPS remote}
14588 @cindex synchronize with remote MIPS target
14589 Limit the maximum number of characters @value{GDBN} should ignore when
14590 it tries to synchronize with the remote target. The default is 10
14591 characters. Setting the limit to -1 means there's no limit.
14593 @item show syn-garbage-limit
14594 @kindex show syn-garbage-limit@r{, MIPS remote}
14595 Show the current limit on the number of characters to ignore when
14596 trying to synchronize with the remote system.
14598 @item set monitor-prompt @var{prompt}
14599 @kindex set monitor-prompt@r{, MIPS remote}
14600 @cindex remote monitor prompt
14601 Tell @value{GDBN} to expect the specified @var{prompt} string from the
14602 remote monitor. The default depends on the target:
14612 @item show monitor-prompt
14613 @kindex show monitor-prompt@r{, MIPS remote}
14614 Show the current strings @value{GDBN} expects as the prompt from the
14617 @item set monitor-warnings
14618 @kindex set monitor-warnings@r{, MIPS remote}
14619 Enable or disable monitor warnings about hardware breakpoints. This
14620 has effect only for the @code{lsi} target. When on, @value{GDBN} will
14621 display warning messages whose codes are returned by the @code{lsi}
14622 PMON monitor for breakpoint commands.
14624 @item show monitor-warnings
14625 @kindex show monitor-warnings@r{, MIPS remote}
14626 Show the current setting of printing monitor warnings.
14628 @item pmon @var{command}
14629 @kindex pmon@r{, MIPS remote}
14630 @cindex send PMON command
14631 This command allows sending an arbitrary @var{command} string to the
14632 monitor. The monitor must be in debug mode for this to work.
14635 @node OpenRISC 1000
14636 @subsection OpenRISC 1000
14637 @cindex OpenRISC 1000
14639 @cindex or1k boards
14640 See OR1k Architecture document (@uref{www.opencores.org}) for more information
14641 about platform and commands.
14645 @kindex target jtag
14646 @item target jtag jtag://@var{host}:@var{port}
14648 Connects to remote JTAG server.
14649 JTAG remote server can be either an or1ksim or JTAG server,
14650 connected via parallel port to the board.
14652 Example: @code{target jtag jtag://localhost:9999}
14655 @item or1ksim @var{command}
14656 If connected to @code{or1ksim} OpenRISC 1000 Architectural
14657 Simulator, proprietary commands can be executed.
14659 @kindex info or1k spr
14660 @item info or1k spr
14661 Displays spr groups.
14663 @item info or1k spr @var{group}
14664 @itemx info or1k spr @var{groupno}
14665 Displays register names in selected group.
14667 @item info or1k spr @var{group} @var{register}
14668 @itemx info or1k spr @var{register}
14669 @itemx info or1k spr @var{groupno} @var{registerno}
14670 @itemx info or1k spr @var{registerno}
14671 Shows information about specified spr register.
14674 @item spr @var{group} @var{register} @var{value}
14675 @itemx spr @var{register @var{value}}
14676 @itemx spr @var{groupno} @var{registerno @var{value}}
14677 @itemx spr @var{registerno @var{value}}
14678 Writes @var{value} to specified spr register.
14681 Some implementations of OpenRISC 1000 Architecture also have hardware trace.
14682 It is very similar to @value{GDBN} trace, except it does not interfere with normal
14683 program execution and is thus much faster. Hardware breakpoints/watchpoint
14684 triggers can be set using:
14687 Load effective address/data
14689 Store effective address/data
14691 Access effective address ($SEA or $LEA) or data ($SDATA/$LDATA)
14696 When triggered, it can capture low level data, like: @code{PC}, @code{LSEA},
14697 @code{LDATA}, @code{SDATA}, @code{READSPR}, @code{WRITESPR}, @code{INSTR}.
14699 @code{htrace} commands:
14700 @cindex OpenRISC 1000 htrace
14703 @item hwatch @var{conditional}
14704 Set hardware watchpoint on combination of Load/Store Effecive Address(es)
14705 or Data. For example:
14707 @code{hwatch ($LEA == my_var) && ($LDATA < 50) || ($SEA == my_var) && ($SDATA >= 50)}
14709 @code{hwatch ($LEA == my_var) && ($LDATA < 50) || ($SEA == my_var) && ($SDATA >= 50)}
14713 Display information about current HW trace configuration.
14715 @item htrace trigger @var{conditional}
14716 Set starting criteria for HW trace.
14718 @item htrace qualifier @var{conditional}
14719 Set acquisition qualifier for HW trace.
14721 @item htrace stop @var{conditional}
14722 Set HW trace stopping criteria.
14724 @item htrace record [@var{data}]*
14725 Selects the data to be recorded, when qualifier is met and HW trace was
14728 @item htrace enable
14729 @itemx htrace disable
14730 Enables/disables the HW trace.
14732 @item htrace rewind [@var{filename}]
14733 Clears currently recorded trace data.
14735 If filename is specified, new trace file is made and any newly collected data
14736 will be written there.
14738 @item htrace print [@var{start} [@var{len}]]
14739 Prints trace buffer, using current record configuration.
14741 @item htrace mode continuous
14742 Set continuous trace mode.
14744 @item htrace mode suspend
14745 Set suspend trace mode.
14750 @subsection PowerPC
14753 @kindex target dink32
14754 @item target dink32 @var{dev}
14755 DINK32 ROM monitor.
14757 @kindex target ppcbug
14758 @item target ppcbug @var{dev}
14759 @kindex target ppcbug1
14760 @item target ppcbug1 @var{dev}
14761 PPCBUG ROM monitor for PowerPC.
14764 @item target sds @var{dev}
14765 SDS monitor, running on a PowerPC board (such as Motorola's ADS).
14768 @cindex SDS protocol
14769 The following commands specifi to the SDS protocol are supported
14773 @item set sdstimeout @var{nsec}
14774 @kindex set sdstimeout
14775 Set the timeout for SDS protocol reads to be @var{nsec} seconds. The
14776 default is 2 seconds.
14778 @item show sdstimeout
14779 @kindex show sdstimeout
14780 Show the current value of the SDS timeout.
14782 @item sds @var{command}
14783 @kindex sds@r{, a command}
14784 Send the specified @var{command} string to the SDS monitor.
14789 @subsection HP PA Embedded
14793 @kindex target op50n
14794 @item target op50n @var{dev}
14795 OP50N monitor, running on an OKI HPPA board.
14797 @kindex target w89k
14798 @item target w89k @var{dev}
14799 W89K monitor, running on a Winbond HPPA board.
14804 @subsection Renesas SH
14808 @kindex target hms@r{, with Renesas SH}
14809 @item target hms @var{dev}
14810 A Renesas SH board attached via serial line to your host. Use special
14811 commands @code{device} and @code{speed} to control the serial line and
14812 the communications speed used.
14814 @kindex target e7000@r{, with Renesas SH}
14815 @item target e7000 @var{dev}
14816 E7000 emulator for Renesas SH.
14818 @kindex target sh3@r{, with SH}
14819 @kindex target sh3e@r{, with SH}
14820 @item target sh3 @var{dev}
14821 @item target sh3e @var{dev}
14822 Renesas SH-3 and SH-3E target systems.
14827 @subsection Tsqware Sparclet
14831 @value{GDBN} enables developers to debug tasks running on
14832 Sparclet targets from a Unix host.
14833 @value{GDBN} uses code that runs on
14834 both the Unix host and on the Sparclet target. The program
14835 @code{@value{GDBP}} is installed and executed on the Unix host.
14838 @item remotetimeout @var{args}
14839 @kindex remotetimeout
14840 @value{GDBN} supports the option @code{remotetimeout}.
14841 This option is set by the user, and @var{args} represents the number of
14842 seconds @value{GDBN} waits for responses.
14845 @cindex compiling, on Sparclet
14846 When compiling for debugging, include the options @samp{-g} to get debug
14847 information and @samp{-Ttext} to relocate the program to where you wish to
14848 load it on the target. You may also want to add the options @samp{-n} or
14849 @samp{-N} in order to reduce the size of the sections. Example:
14852 sparclet-aout-gcc prog.c -Ttext 0x12010000 -g -o prog -N
14855 You can use @code{objdump} to verify that the addresses are what you intended:
14858 sparclet-aout-objdump --headers --syms prog
14861 @cindex running, on Sparclet
14863 your Unix execution search path to find @value{GDBN}, you are ready to
14864 run @value{GDBN}. From your Unix host, run @code{@value{GDBP}}
14865 (or @code{sparclet-aout-gdb}, depending on your installation).
14867 @value{GDBN} comes up showing the prompt:
14874 * Sparclet File:: Setting the file to debug
14875 * Sparclet Connection:: Connecting to Sparclet
14876 * Sparclet Download:: Sparclet download
14877 * Sparclet Execution:: Running and debugging
14880 @node Sparclet File
14881 @subsubsection Setting file to debug
14883 The @value{GDBN} command @code{file} lets you choose with program to debug.
14886 (gdbslet) file prog
14890 @value{GDBN} then attempts to read the symbol table of @file{prog}.
14891 @value{GDBN} locates
14892 the file by searching the directories listed in the command search
14894 If the file was compiled with debug information (option "-g"), source
14895 files will be searched as well.
14896 @value{GDBN} locates
14897 the source files by searching the directories listed in the directory search
14898 path (@pxref{Environment, ,Your program's environment}).
14900 to find a file, it displays a message such as:
14903 prog: No such file or directory.
14906 When this happens, add the appropriate directories to the search paths with
14907 the @value{GDBN} commands @code{path} and @code{dir}, and execute the
14908 @code{target} command again.
14910 @node Sparclet Connection
14911 @subsubsection Connecting to Sparclet
14913 The @value{GDBN} command @code{target} lets you connect to a Sparclet target.
14914 To connect to a target on serial port ``@code{ttya}'', type:
14917 (gdbslet) target sparclet /dev/ttya
14918 Remote target sparclet connected to /dev/ttya
14919 main () at ../prog.c:3
14923 @value{GDBN} displays messages like these:
14929 @node Sparclet Download
14930 @subsubsection Sparclet download
14932 @cindex download to Sparclet
14933 Once connected to the Sparclet target,
14934 you can use the @value{GDBN}
14935 @code{load} command to download the file from the host to the target.
14936 The file name and load offset should be given as arguments to the @code{load}
14938 Since the file format is aout, the program must be loaded to the starting
14939 address. You can use @code{objdump} to find out what this value is. The load
14940 offset is an offset which is added to the VMA (virtual memory address)
14941 of each of the file's sections.
14942 For instance, if the program
14943 @file{prog} was linked to text address 0x1201000, with data at 0x12010160
14944 and bss at 0x12010170, in @value{GDBN}, type:
14947 (gdbslet) load prog 0x12010000
14948 Loading section .text, size 0xdb0 vma 0x12010000
14951 If the code is loaded at a different address then what the program was linked
14952 to, you may need to use the @code{section} and @code{add-symbol-file} commands
14953 to tell @value{GDBN} where to map the symbol table.
14955 @node Sparclet Execution
14956 @subsubsection Running and debugging
14958 @cindex running and debugging Sparclet programs
14959 You can now begin debugging the task using @value{GDBN}'s execution control
14960 commands, @code{b}, @code{step}, @code{run}, etc. See the @value{GDBN}
14961 manual for the list of commands.
14965 Breakpoint 1 at 0x12010000: file prog.c, line 3.
14967 Starting program: prog
14968 Breakpoint 1, main (argc=1, argv=0xeffff21c) at prog.c:3
14969 3 char *symarg = 0;
14971 4 char *execarg = "hello!";
14976 @subsection Fujitsu Sparclite
14980 @kindex target sparclite
14981 @item target sparclite @var{dev}
14982 Fujitsu sparclite boards, used only for the purpose of loading.
14983 You must use an additional command to debug the program.
14984 For example: target remote @var{dev} using @value{GDBN} standard
14990 @subsection Tandem ST2000
14992 @value{GDBN} may be used with a Tandem ST2000 phone switch, running Tandem's
14995 To connect your ST2000 to the host system, see the manufacturer's
14996 manual. Once the ST2000 is physically attached, you can run:
14999 target st2000 @var{dev} @var{speed}
15003 to establish it as your debugging environment. @var{dev} is normally
15004 the name of a serial device, such as @file{/dev/ttya}, connected to the
15005 ST2000 via a serial line. You can instead specify @var{dev} as a TCP
15006 connection (for example, to a serial line attached via a terminal
15007 concentrator) using the syntax @code{@var{hostname}:@var{portnumber}}.
15009 The @code{load} and @code{attach} commands are @emph{not} defined for
15010 this target; you must load your program into the ST2000 as you normally
15011 would for standalone operation. @value{GDBN} reads debugging information
15012 (such as symbols) from a separate, debugging version of the program
15013 available on your host computer.
15014 @c FIXME!! This is terribly vague; what little content is here is
15015 @c basically hearsay.
15017 @cindex ST2000 auxiliary commands
15018 These auxiliary @value{GDBN} commands are available to help you with the ST2000
15022 @item st2000 @var{command}
15023 @kindex st2000 @var{cmd}
15024 @cindex STDBUG commands (ST2000)
15025 @cindex commands to STDBUG (ST2000)
15026 Send a @var{command} to the STDBUG monitor. See the manufacturer's
15027 manual for available commands.
15030 @cindex connect (to STDBUG)
15031 Connect the controlling terminal to the STDBUG command monitor. When
15032 you are done interacting with STDBUG, typing either of two character
15033 sequences gets you back to the @value{GDBN} command prompt:
15034 @kbd{@key{RET}~.} (Return, followed by tilde and period) or
15035 @kbd{@key{RET}~@key{C-d}} (Return, followed by tilde and control-D).
15039 @subsection Zilog Z8000
15042 @cindex simulator, Z8000
15043 @cindex Zilog Z8000 simulator
15045 When configured for debugging Zilog Z8000 targets, @value{GDBN} includes
15048 For the Z8000 family, @samp{target sim} simulates either the Z8002 (the
15049 unsegmented variant of the Z8000 architecture) or the Z8001 (the
15050 segmented variant). The simulator recognizes which architecture is
15051 appropriate by inspecting the object code.
15054 @item target sim @var{args}
15056 @kindex target sim@r{, with Z8000}
15057 Debug programs on a simulated CPU. If the simulator supports setup
15058 options, specify them via @var{args}.
15062 After specifying this target, you can debug programs for the simulated
15063 CPU in the same style as programs for your host computer; use the
15064 @code{file} command to load a new program image, the @code{run} command
15065 to run your program, and so on.
15067 As well as making available all the usual machine registers
15068 (@pxref{Registers, ,Registers}), the Z8000 simulator provides three
15069 additional items of information as specially named registers:
15074 Counts clock-ticks in the simulator.
15077 Counts instructions run in the simulator.
15080 Execution time in 60ths of a second.
15084 You can refer to these values in @value{GDBN} expressions with the usual
15085 conventions; for example, @w{@samp{b fputc if $cycles>5000}} sets a
15086 conditional breakpoint that suspends only after at least 5000
15087 simulated clock ticks.
15090 @subsection Atmel AVR
15093 When configured for debugging the Atmel AVR, @value{GDBN} supports the
15094 following AVR-specific commands:
15097 @item info io_registers
15098 @kindex info io_registers@r{, AVR}
15099 @cindex I/O registers (Atmel AVR)
15100 This command displays information about the AVR I/O registers. For
15101 each register, @value{GDBN} prints its number and value.
15108 When configured for debugging CRIS, @value{GDBN} provides the
15109 following CRIS-specific commands:
15112 @item set cris-version @var{ver}
15113 @cindex CRIS version
15114 Set the current CRIS version to @var{ver}, either @samp{10} or @samp{32}.
15115 The CRIS version affects register names and sizes. This command is useful in
15116 case autodetection of the CRIS version fails.
15118 @item show cris-version
15119 Show the current CRIS version.
15121 @item set cris-dwarf2-cfi
15122 @cindex DWARF-2 CFI and CRIS
15123 Set the usage of DWARF-2 CFI for CRIS debugging. The default is @samp{on}.
15124 Change to @samp{off} when using @code{gcc-cris} whose version is below
15127 @item show cris-dwarf2-cfi
15128 Show the current state of using DWARF-2 CFI.
15130 @item set cris-mode @var{mode}
15132 Set the current CRIS mode to @var{mode}. It should only be changed when
15133 debugging in guru mode, in which case it should be set to
15134 @samp{guru} (the default is @samp{normal}).
15136 @item show cris-mode
15137 Show the current CRIS mode.
15141 @subsection Renesas Super-H
15144 For the Renesas Super-H processor, @value{GDBN} provides these
15149 @kindex regs@r{, Super-H}
15150 Show the values of all Super-H registers.
15154 @subsection Windows CE
15157 The following commands are available for Windows CE:
15160 @item set remotedirectory @var{dir}
15161 @kindex set remotedirectory
15162 Tell @value{GDBN} to upload files from the named directory @var{dir}.
15163 The default is @file{/gdb}, i.e.@: the root directory on the current
15166 @item show remotedirectory
15167 @kindex show remotedirectory
15168 Show the current value of the upload directory.
15170 @item set remoteupload @var{method}
15171 @kindex set remoteupload
15172 Set the method used to upload files to remote device. Valid values
15173 for @var{method} are @samp{always}, @samp{newer}, and @samp{never}.
15174 The default is @samp{newer}.
15176 @item show remoteupload
15177 @kindex show remoteupload
15178 Show the current setting of the upload method.
15180 @item set remoteaddhost
15181 @kindex set remoteaddhost
15182 Tell @value{GDBN} whether to add this host to the remote stub's
15183 arguments when you debug over a network.
15185 @item show remoteaddhost
15186 @kindex show remoteaddhost
15187 Show whether to add this host to remote stub's arguments when
15188 debugging over a network.
15192 @node Architectures
15193 @section Architectures
15195 This section describes characteristics of architectures that affect
15196 all uses of @value{GDBN} with the architecture, both native and cross.
15203 * HPPA:: HP PA architecture
15207 @subsection x86 Architecture-specific issues.
15210 @item set struct-convention @var{mode}
15211 @kindex set struct-convention
15212 @cindex struct return convention
15213 @cindex struct/union returned in registers
15214 Set the convention used by the inferior to return @code{struct}s and
15215 @code{union}s from functions to @var{mode}. Possible values of
15216 @var{mode} are @code{"pcc"}, @code{"reg"}, and @code{"default"} (the
15217 default). @code{"default"} or @code{"pcc"} means that @code{struct}s
15218 are returned on the stack, while @code{"reg"} means that a
15219 @code{struct} or a @code{union} whose size is 1, 2, 4, or 8 bytes will
15220 be returned in a register.
15222 @item show struct-convention
15223 @kindex show struct-convention
15224 Show the current setting of the convention to return @code{struct}s
15233 @kindex set rstack_high_address
15234 @cindex AMD 29K register stack
15235 @cindex register stack, AMD29K
15236 @item set rstack_high_address @var{address}
15237 On AMD 29000 family processors, registers are saved in a separate
15238 @dfn{register stack}. There is no way for @value{GDBN} to determine the
15239 extent of this stack. Normally, @value{GDBN} just assumes that the
15240 stack is ``large enough''. This may result in @value{GDBN} referencing
15241 memory locations that do not exist. If necessary, you can get around
15242 this problem by specifying the ending address of the register stack with
15243 the @code{set rstack_high_address} command. The argument should be an
15244 address, which you probably want to precede with @samp{0x} to specify in
15247 @kindex show rstack_high_address
15248 @item show rstack_high_address
15249 Display the current limit of the register stack, on AMD 29000 family
15257 See the following section.
15262 @cindex stack on Alpha
15263 @cindex stack on MIPS
15264 @cindex Alpha stack
15266 Alpha- and MIPS-based computers use an unusual stack frame, which
15267 sometimes requires @value{GDBN} to search backward in the object code to
15268 find the beginning of a function.
15270 @cindex response time, MIPS debugging
15271 To improve response time (especially for embedded applications, where
15272 @value{GDBN} may be restricted to a slow serial line for this search)
15273 you may want to limit the size of this search, using one of these
15277 @cindex @code{heuristic-fence-post} (Alpha, MIPS)
15278 @item set heuristic-fence-post @var{limit}
15279 Restrict @value{GDBN} to examining at most @var{limit} bytes in its
15280 search for the beginning of a function. A value of @var{0} (the
15281 default) means there is no limit. However, except for @var{0}, the
15282 larger the limit the more bytes @code{heuristic-fence-post} must search
15283 and therefore the longer it takes to run. You should only need to use
15284 this command when debugging a stripped executable.
15286 @item show heuristic-fence-post
15287 Display the current limit.
15291 These commands are available @emph{only} when @value{GDBN} is configured
15292 for debugging programs on Alpha or MIPS processors.
15294 Several MIPS-specific commands are available when debugging MIPS
15298 @item set mips saved-gpreg-size @var{size}
15299 @kindex set mips saved-gpreg-size
15300 @cindex MIPS GP register size on stack
15301 Set the size of MIPS general-purpose registers saved on the stack.
15302 The argument @var{size} can be one of the following:
15306 32-bit GP registers
15308 64-bit GP registers
15310 Use the target's default setting or autodetect the saved size from the
15311 information contained in the executable. This is the default
15314 @item show mips saved-gpreg-size
15315 @kindex show mips saved-gpreg-size
15316 Show the current size of MIPS GP registers on the stack.
15318 @item set mips stack-arg-size @var{size}
15319 @kindex set mips stack-arg-size
15320 @cindex MIPS stack space for arguments
15321 Set the amount of stack space reserved for arguments to functions.
15322 The argument can be one of @code{"32"}, @code{"64"} or @code{"auto"}
15325 @item set mips abi @var{arg}
15326 @kindex set mips abi
15327 @cindex set ABI for MIPS
15328 Tell @value{GDBN} which MIPS ABI is used by the inferior. Possible
15329 values of @var{arg} are:
15333 The default ABI associated with the current binary (this is the
15344 @item show mips abi
15345 @kindex show mips abi
15346 Show the MIPS ABI used by @value{GDBN} to debug the inferior.
15349 @itemx show mipsfpu
15350 @xref{MIPS Embedded, set mipsfpu}.
15352 @item set mips mask-address @var{arg}
15353 @kindex set mips mask-address
15354 @cindex MIPS addresses, masking
15355 This command determines whether the most-significant 32 bits of 64-bit
15356 MIPS addresses are masked off. The argument @var{arg} can be
15357 @samp{on}, @samp{off}, or @samp{auto}. The latter is the default
15358 setting, which lets @value{GDBN} determine the correct value.
15360 @item show mips mask-address
15361 @kindex show mips mask-address
15362 Show whether the upper 32 bits of MIPS addresses are masked off or
15365 @item set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
15366 @kindex set remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
15367 This command controls compatibility with 64-bit MIPS targets that
15368 transfer data in 32-bit quantities. If you have an old MIPS 64 target
15369 that transfers 32 bits for some registers, like @sc{sr} and @sc{fsr},
15370 and 64 bits for other registers, set this option to @samp{on}.
15372 @item show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
15373 @kindex show remote-mips64-transfers-32bit-regs
15374 Show the current setting of compatibility with older MIPS 64 targets.
15376 @item set debug mips
15377 @kindex set debug mips
15378 This command turns on and off debugging messages for the MIPS-specific
15379 target code in @value{GDBN}.
15381 @item show debug mips
15382 @kindex show debug mips
15383 Show the current setting of MIPS debugging messages.
15389 @cindex HPPA support
15391 When @value{GDBN} is debugging te HP PA architecture, it provides the
15392 following special commands:
15395 @item set debug hppa
15396 @kindex set debug hppa
15397 THis command determines whether HPPA architecture specific debugging
15398 messages are to be displayed.
15400 @item show debug hppa
15401 Show whether HPPA debugging messages are displayed.
15403 @item maint print unwind @var{address}
15404 @kindex maint print unwind@r{, HPPA}
15405 This command displays the contents of the unwind table entry at the
15406 given @var{address}.
15411 @node Controlling GDB
15412 @chapter Controlling @value{GDBN}
15414 You can alter the way @value{GDBN} interacts with you by using the
15415 @code{set} command. For commands controlling how @value{GDBN} displays
15416 data, see @ref{Print Settings, ,Print settings}. Other settings are
15421 * Editing:: Command editing
15422 * Command History:: Command history
15423 * Screen Size:: Screen size
15424 * Numbers:: Numbers
15425 * ABI:: Configuring the current ABI
15426 * Messages/Warnings:: Optional warnings and messages
15427 * Debugging Output:: Optional messages about internal happenings
15435 @value{GDBN} indicates its readiness to read a command by printing a string
15436 called the @dfn{prompt}. This string is normally @samp{(@value{GDBP})}. You
15437 can change the prompt string with the @code{set prompt} command. For
15438 instance, when debugging @value{GDBN} with @value{GDBN}, it is useful to change
15439 the prompt in one of the @value{GDBN} sessions so that you can always tell
15440 which one you are talking to.
15442 @emph{Note:} @code{set prompt} does not add a space for you after the
15443 prompt you set. This allows you to set a prompt which ends in a space
15444 or a prompt that does not.
15448 @item set prompt @var{newprompt}
15449 Directs @value{GDBN} to use @var{newprompt} as its prompt string henceforth.
15451 @kindex show prompt
15453 Prints a line of the form: @samp{Gdb's prompt is: @var{your-prompt}}
15457 @section Command editing
15459 @cindex command line editing
15461 @value{GDBN} reads its input commands via the @dfn{Readline} interface. This
15462 @sc{gnu} library provides consistent behavior for programs which provide a
15463 command line interface to the user. Advantages are @sc{gnu} Emacs-style
15464 or @dfn{vi}-style inline editing of commands, @code{csh}-like history
15465 substitution, and a storage and recall of command history across
15466 debugging sessions.
15468 You may control the behavior of command line editing in @value{GDBN} with the
15469 command @code{set}.
15472 @kindex set editing
15475 @itemx set editing on
15476 Enable command line editing (enabled by default).
15478 @item set editing off
15479 Disable command line editing.
15481 @kindex show editing
15483 Show whether command line editing is enabled.
15486 @xref{Command Line Editing}, for more details about the Readline
15487 interface. Users unfamiliar with @sc{gnu} Emacs or @code{vi} are
15488 encouraged to read that chapter.
15490 @node Command History
15491 @section Command history
15492 @cindex command history
15494 @value{GDBN} can keep track of the commands you type during your
15495 debugging sessions, so that you can be certain of precisely what
15496 happened. Use these commands to manage the @value{GDBN} command
15499 @value{GDBN} uses the @sc{gnu} History library, a part of the Readline
15500 package, to provide the history facility. @xref{Using History
15501 Interactively}, for the detailed description of the History library.
15503 To issue a command to @value{GDBN} without affecting certain aspects of
15504 the state which is seen by users, prefix it with @samp{server }. This
15505 means that this command will not affect the command history, nor will it
15506 affect @value{GDBN}'s notion of which command to repeat if @key{RET} is
15507 pressed on a line by itself.
15509 @cindex @code{server}, command prefix
15510 The server prefix does not affect the recording of values into the value
15511 history; to print a value without recording it into the value history,
15512 use the @code{output} command instead of the @code{print} command.
15514 Here is the description of @value{GDBN} commands related to command
15518 @cindex history substitution
15519 @cindex history file
15520 @kindex set history filename
15521 @cindex @env{GDBHISTFILE}, environment variable
15522 @item set history filename @var{fname}
15523 Set the name of the @value{GDBN} command history file to @var{fname}.
15524 This is the file where @value{GDBN} reads an initial command history
15525 list, and where it writes the command history from this session when it
15526 exits. You can access this list through history expansion or through
15527 the history command editing characters listed below. This file defaults
15528 to the value of the environment variable @code{GDBHISTFILE}, or to
15529 @file{./.gdb_history} (@file{./_gdb_history} on MS-DOS) if this variable
15532 @cindex save command history
15533 @kindex set history save
15534 @item set history save
15535 @itemx set history save on
15536 Record command history in a file, whose name may be specified with the
15537 @code{set history filename} command. By default, this option is disabled.
15539 @item set history save off
15540 Stop recording command history in a file.
15542 @cindex history size
15543 @kindex set history size
15544 @cindex @env{HISTSIZE}, environment variable
15545 @item set history size @var{size}
15546 Set the number of commands which @value{GDBN} keeps in its history list.
15547 This defaults to the value of the environment variable
15548 @code{HISTSIZE}, or to 256 if this variable is not set.
15551 History expansion assigns special meaning to the character @kbd{!}.
15552 @xref{Event Designators}, for more details.
15554 @cindex history expansion, turn on/off
15555 Since @kbd{!} is also the logical not operator in C, history expansion
15556 is off by default. If you decide to enable history expansion with the
15557 @code{set history expansion on} command, you may sometimes need to
15558 follow @kbd{!} (when it is used as logical not, in an expression) with
15559 a space or a tab to prevent it from being expanded. The readline
15560 history facilities do not attempt substitution on the strings
15561 @kbd{!=} and @kbd{!(}, even when history expansion is enabled.
15563 The commands to control history expansion are:
15566 @item set history expansion on
15567 @itemx set history expansion
15568 @kindex set history expansion
15569 Enable history expansion. History expansion is off by default.
15571 @item set history expansion off
15572 Disable history expansion.
15575 @kindex show history
15577 @itemx show history filename
15578 @itemx show history save
15579 @itemx show history size
15580 @itemx show history expansion
15581 These commands display the state of the @value{GDBN} history parameters.
15582 @code{show history} by itself displays all four states.
15587 @kindex show commands
15588 @cindex show last commands
15589 @cindex display command history
15590 @item show commands
15591 Display the last ten commands in the command history.
15593 @item show commands @var{n}
15594 Print ten commands centered on command number @var{n}.
15596 @item show commands +
15597 Print ten commands just after the commands last printed.
15601 @section Screen size
15602 @cindex size of screen
15603 @cindex pauses in output
15605 Certain commands to @value{GDBN} may produce large amounts of
15606 information output to the screen. To help you read all of it,
15607 @value{GDBN} pauses and asks you for input at the end of each page of
15608 output. Type @key{RET} when you want to continue the output, or @kbd{q}
15609 to discard the remaining output. Also, the screen width setting
15610 determines when to wrap lines of output. Depending on what is being
15611 printed, @value{GDBN} tries to break the line at a readable place,
15612 rather than simply letting it overflow onto the following line.
15614 Normally @value{GDBN} knows the size of the screen from the terminal
15615 driver software. For example, on Unix @value{GDBN} uses the termcap data base
15616 together with the value of the @code{TERM} environment variable and the
15617 @code{stty rows} and @code{stty cols} settings. If this is not correct,
15618 you can override it with the @code{set height} and @code{set
15625 @kindex show height
15626 @item set height @var{lpp}
15628 @itemx set width @var{cpl}
15630 These @code{set} commands specify a screen height of @var{lpp} lines and
15631 a screen width of @var{cpl} characters. The associated @code{show}
15632 commands display the current settings.
15634 If you specify a height of zero lines, @value{GDBN} does not pause during
15635 output no matter how long the output is. This is useful if output is to a
15636 file or to an editor buffer.
15638 Likewise, you can specify @samp{set width 0} to prevent @value{GDBN}
15639 from wrapping its output.
15641 @item set pagination on
15642 @itemx set pagination off
15643 @kindex set pagination
15644 Turn the output pagination on or off; the default is on. Turning
15645 pagination off is the alternative to @code{set height 0}.
15647 @item show pagination
15648 @kindex show pagination
15649 Show the current pagination mode.
15654 @cindex number representation
15655 @cindex entering numbers
15657 You can always enter numbers in octal, decimal, or hexadecimal in
15658 @value{GDBN} by the usual conventions: octal numbers begin with
15659 @samp{0}, decimal numbers end with @samp{.}, and hexadecimal numbers
15660 begin with @samp{0x}. Numbers that neither begin with @samp{0} or
15661 @samp{0x}, nor end with a @samp{.} are, by default, entered in base
15662 10; likewise, the default display for numbers---when no particular
15663 format is specified---is base 10. You can change the default base for
15664 both input and output with the commands described below.
15667 @kindex set input-radix
15668 @item set input-radix @var{base}
15669 Set the default base for numeric input. Supported choices
15670 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. @var{base} must itself be
15671 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix; for
15675 set input-radix 012
15676 set input-radix 10.
15677 set input-radix 0xa
15681 sets the input base to decimal. On the other hand, @samp{set input-radix 10}
15682 leaves the input radix unchanged, no matter what it was, since
15683 @samp{10}, being without any leading or trailing signs of its base, is
15684 interpreted in the current radix. Thus, if the current radix is 16,
15685 @samp{10} is interpreted in hex, i.e.@: as 16 decimal, which doesn't
15688 @kindex set output-radix
15689 @item set output-radix @var{base}
15690 Set the default base for numeric display. Supported choices
15691 for @var{base} are decimal 8, 10, or 16. @var{base} must itself be
15692 specified either unambiguously or using the current input radix.
15694 @kindex show input-radix
15695 @item show input-radix
15696 Display the current default base for numeric input.
15698 @kindex show output-radix
15699 @item show output-radix
15700 Display the current default base for numeric display.
15702 @item set radix @r{[}@var{base}@r{]}
15706 These commands set and show the default base for both input and output
15707 of numbers. @code{set radix} sets the radix of input and output to
15708 the same base; without an argument, it resets the radix back to its
15709 default value of 10.
15714 @section Configuring the current ABI
15716 @value{GDBN} can determine the @dfn{ABI} (Application Binary Interface) of your
15717 application automatically. However, sometimes you need to override its
15718 conclusions. Use these commands to manage @value{GDBN}'s view of the
15725 One @value{GDBN} configuration can debug binaries for multiple operating
15726 system targets, either via remote debugging or native emulation.
15727 @value{GDBN} will autodetect the @dfn{OS ABI} (Operating System ABI) in use,
15728 but you can override its conclusion using the @code{set osabi} command.
15729 One example where this is useful is in debugging of binaries which use
15730 an alternate C library (e.g.@: @sc{uClibc} for @sc{gnu}/Linux) which does
15731 not have the same identifying marks that the standard C library for your
15736 Show the OS ABI currently in use.
15739 With no argument, show the list of registered available OS ABI's.
15741 @item set osabi @var{abi}
15742 Set the current OS ABI to @var{abi}.
15745 @cindex float promotion
15747 Generally, the way that an argument of type @code{float} is passed to a
15748 function depends on whether the function is prototyped. For a prototyped
15749 (i.e.@: ANSI/ISO style) function, @code{float} arguments are passed unchanged,
15750 according to the architecture's convention for @code{float}. For unprototyped
15751 (i.e.@: K&R style) functions, @code{float} arguments are first promoted to type
15752 @code{double} and then passed.
15754 Unfortunately, some forms of debug information do not reliably indicate whether
15755 a function is prototyped. If @value{GDBN} calls a function that is not marked
15756 as prototyped, it consults @kbd{set coerce-float-to-double}.
15759 @kindex set coerce-float-to-double
15760 @item set coerce-float-to-double
15761 @itemx set coerce-float-to-double on
15762 Arguments of type @code{float} will be promoted to @code{double} when passed
15763 to an unprototyped function. This is the default setting.
15765 @item set coerce-float-to-double off
15766 Arguments of type @code{float} will be passed directly to unprototyped
15769 @kindex show coerce-float-to-double
15770 @item show coerce-float-to-double
15771 Show the current setting of promoting @code{float} to @code{double}.
15775 @kindex show cp-abi
15776 @value{GDBN} needs to know the ABI used for your program's C@t{++}
15777 objects. The correct C@t{++} ABI depends on which C@t{++} compiler was
15778 used to build your application. @value{GDBN} only fully supports
15779 programs with a single C@t{++} ABI; if your program contains code using
15780 multiple C@t{++} ABI's or if @value{GDBN} can not identify your
15781 program's ABI correctly, you can tell @value{GDBN} which ABI to use.
15782 Currently supported ABI's include ``gnu-v2'', for @code{g++} versions
15783 before 3.0, ``gnu-v3'', for @code{g++} versions 3.0 and later, and
15784 ``hpaCC'' for the HP ANSI C@t{++} compiler. Other C@t{++} compilers may
15785 use the ``gnu-v2'' or ``gnu-v3'' ABI's as well. The default setting is
15790 Show the C@t{++} ABI currently in use.
15793 With no argument, show the list of supported C@t{++} ABI's.
15795 @item set cp-abi @var{abi}
15796 @itemx set cp-abi auto
15797 Set the current C@t{++} ABI to @var{abi}, or return to automatic detection.
15800 @node Messages/Warnings
15801 @section Optional warnings and messages
15803 @cindex verbose operation
15804 @cindex optional warnings
15805 By default, @value{GDBN} is silent about its inner workings. If you are
15806 running on a slow machine, you may want to use the @code{set verbose}
15807 command. This makes @value{GDBN} tell you when it does a lengthy
15808 internal operation, so you will not think it has crashed.
15810 Currently, the messages controlled by @code{set verbose} are those
15811 which announce that the symbol table for a source file is being read;
15812 see @code{symbol-file} in @ref{Files, ,Commands to specify files}.
15815 @kindex set verbose
15816 @item set verbose on
15817 Enables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
15819 @item set verbose off
15820 Disables @value{GDBN} output of certain informational messages.
15822 @kindex show verbose
15824 Displays whether @code{set verbose} is on or off.
15827 By default, if @value{GDBN} encounters bugs in the symbol table of an
15828 object file, it is silent; but if you are debugging a compiler, you may
15829 find this information useful (@pxref{Symbol Errors, ,Errors reading
15834 @kindex set complaints
15835 @item set complaints @var{limit}
15836 Permits @value{GDBN} to output @var{limit} complaints about each type of
15837 unusual symbols before becoming silent about the problem. Set
15838 @var{limit} to zero to suppress all complaints; set it to a large number
15839 to prevent complaints from being suppressed.
15841 @kindex show complaints
15842 @item show complaints
15843 Displays how many symbol complaints @value{GDBN} is permitted to produce.
15847 By default, @value{GDBN} is cautious, and asks what sometimes seems to be a
15848 lot of stupid questions to confirm certain commands. For example, if
15849 you try to run a program which is already running:
15853 The program being debugged has been started already.
15854 Start it from the beginning? (y or n)
15857 If you are willing to unflinchingly face the consequences of your own
15858 commands, you can disable this ``feature'':
15862 @kindex set confirm
15864 @cindex confirmation
15865 @cindex stupid questions
15866 @item set confirm off
15867 Disables confirmation requests.
15869 @item set confirm on
15870 Enables confirmation requests (the default).
15872 @kindex show confirm
15874 Displays state of confirmation requests.
15878 @node Debugging Output
15879 @section Optional messages about internal happenings
15880 @cindex optional debugging messages
15882 @value{GDBN} has commands that enable optional debugging messages from
15883 various @value{GDBN} subsystems; normally these commands are of
15884 interest to @value{GDBN} maintainers, or when reporting a bug. This
15885 section documents those commands.
15888 @kindex set exec-done-display
15889 @item set exec-done-display
15890 Turns on or off the notification of asynchronous commands'
15891 completion. When on, @value{GDBN} will print a message when an
15892 asynchronous command finishes its execution. The default is off.
15893 @kindex show exec-done-display
15894 @item show exec-done-display
15895 Displays the current setting of asynchronous command completion
15898 @cindex gdbarch debugging info
15899 @cindex architecture debugging info
15900 @item set debug arch
15901 Turns on or off display of gdbarch debugging info. The default is off
15903 @item show debug arch
15904 Displays the current state of displaying gdbarch debugging info.
15905 @item set debug aix-thread
15906 @cindex AIX threads
15907 Display debugging messages about inner workings of the AIX thread
15909 @item show debug aix-thread
15910 Show the current state of AIX thread debugging info display.
15911 @item set debug event
15912 @cindex event debugging info
15913 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} event debugging info. The
15915 @item show debug event
15916 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} event debugging
15918 @item set debug expression
15919 @cindex expression debugging info
15920 Turns on or off display of debugging info about @value{GDBN}
15921 expression parsing. The default is off.
15922 @item show debug expression
15923 Displays the current state of displaying debugging info about
15924 @value{GDBN} expression parsing.
15925 @item set debug frame
15926 @cindex frame debugging info
15927 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} frame debugging info. The
15929 @item show debug frame
15930 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} frame debugging
15932 @item set debug infrun
15933 @cindex inferior debugging info
15934 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} debugging info for running the inferior.
15935 The default is off. @file{infrun.c} contains GDB's runtime state machine used
15936 for implementing operations such as single-stepping the inferior.
15937 @item show debug infrun
15938 Displays the current state of @value{GDBN} inferior debugging.
15939 @item set debug lin-lwp
15940 @cindex @sc{gnu}/Linux LWP debug messages
15941 @cindex Linux lightweight processes
15942 Turns on or off debugging messages from the Linux LWP debug support.
15943 @item show debug lin-lwp
15944 Show the current state of Linux LWP debugging messages.
15945 @item set debug observer
15946 @cindex observer debugging info
15947 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} observer debugging. This
15948 includes info such as the notification of observable events.
15949 @item show debug observer
15950 Displays the current state of observer debugging.
15951 @item set debug overload
15952 @cindex C@t{++} overload debugging info
15953 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload debugging
15954 info. This includes info such as ranking of functions, etc. The default
15956 @item show debug overload
15957 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} C@t{++} overload
15959 @cindex packets, reporting on stdout
15960 @cindex serial connections, debugging
15961 @item set debug remote
15962 Turns on or off display of reports on all packets sent back and forth across
15963 the serial line to the remote machine. The info is printed on the
15964 @value{GDBN} standard output stream. The default is off.
15965 @item show debug remote
15966 Displays the state of display of remote packets.
15967 @item set debug serial
15968 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} serial debugging info. The
15970 @item show debug serial
15971 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} serial debugging
15973 @item set debug solib-frv
15974 @cindex FR-V shared-library debugging
15975 Turns on or off debugging messages for FR-V shared-library code.
15976 @item show debug solib-frv
15977 Display the current state of FR-V shared-library code debugging
15979 @item set debug target
15980 @cindex target debugging info
15981 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} target debugging info. This info
15982 includes what is going on at the target level of GDB, as it happens. The
15983 default is 0. Set it to 1 to track events, and to 2 to also track the
15984 value of large memory transfers. Changes to this flag do not take effect
15985 until the next time you connect to a target or use the @code{run} command.
15986 @item show debug target
15987 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} target debugging
15989 @item set debugvarobj
15990 @cindex variable object debugging info
15991 Turns on or off display of @value{GDBN} variable object debugging
15992 info. The default is off.
15993 @item show debugvarobj
15994 Displays the current state of displaying @value{GDBN} variable object
15999 @chapter Canned Sequences of Commands
16001 Aside from breakpoint commands (@pxref{Break Commands, ,Breakpoint
16002 command lists}), @value{GDBN} provides two ways to store sequences of
16003 commands for execution as a unit: user-defined commands and command
16007 * Define:: How to define your own commands
16008 * Hooks:: Hooks for user-defined commands
16009 * Command Files:: How to write scripts of commands to be stored in a file
16010 * Output:: Commands for controlled output
16014 @section User-defined commands
16016 @cindex user-defined command
16017 @cindex arguments, to user-defined commands
16018 A @dfn{user-defined command} is a sequence of @value{GDBN} commands to
16019 which you assign a new name as a command. This is done with the
16020 @code{define} command. User commands may accept up to 10 arguments
16021 separated by whitespace. Arguments are accessed within the user command
16022 via @code{$arg0@dots{}$arg9}. A trivial example:
16026 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
16031 To execute the command use:
16038 This defines the command @code{adder}, which prints the sum of
16039 its three arguments. Note the arguments are text substitutions, so they may
16040 reference variables, use complex expressions, or even perform inferior
16043 @cindex argument count in user-defined commands
16044 @cindex how many arguments (user-defined commands)
16045 In addition, @code{$argc} may be used to find out how many arguments have
16046 been passed. This expands to a number in the range 0@dots{}10.
16051 print $arg0 + $arg1
16054 print $arg0 + $arg1 + $arg2
16062 @item define @var{commandname}
16063 Define a command named @var{commandname}. If there is already a command
16064 by that name, you are asked to confirm that you want to redefine it.
16066 The definition of the command is made up of other @value{GDBN} command lines,
16067 which are given following the @code{define} command. The end of these
16068 commands is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
16071 @kindex end@r{ (user-defined commands)}
16072 @item document @var{commandname}
16073 Document the user-defined command @var{commandname}, so that it can be
16074 accessed by @code{help}. The command @var{commandname} must already be
16075 defined. This command reads lines of documentation just as @code{define}
16076 reads the lines of the command definition, ending with @code{end}.
16077 After the @code{document} command is finished, @code{help} on command
16078 @var{commandname} displays the documentation you have written.
16080 You may use the @code{document} command again to change the
16081 documentation of a command. Redefining the command with @code{define}
16082 does not change the documentation.
16084 @kindex dont-repeat
16085 @cindex don't repeat command
16087 Used inside a user-defined command, this tells @value{GDBN} that this
16088 command should not be repeated when the user hits @key{RET}
16089 (@pxref{Command Syntax, repeat last command}).
16091 @kindex help user-defined
16092 @item help user-defined
16093 List all user-defined commands, with the first line of the documentation
16098 @itemx show user @var{commandname}
16099 Display the @value{GDBN} commands used to define @var{commandname} (but
16100 not its documentation). If no @var{commandname} is given, display the
16101 definitions for all user-defined commands.
16103 @cindex infinite recursion in user-defined commands
16104 @kindex show max-user-call-depth
16105 @kindex set max-user-call-depth
16106 @item show max-user-call-depth
16107 @itemx set max-user-call-depth
16108 The value of @code{max-user-call-depth} controls how many recursion
16109 levels are allowed in user-defined commands before GDB suspects an
16110 infinite recursion and aborts the command.
16113 In addition to the above commands, user-defined commands frequently
16114 use control flow commands, described in @ref{Command Files}.
16116 When user-defined commands are executed, the
16117 commands of the definition are not printed. An error in any command
16118 stops execution of the user-defined command.
16120 If used interactively, commands that would ask for confirmation proceed
16121 without asking when used inside a user-defined command. Many @value{GDBN}
16122 commands that normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the
16123 messages when used in a user-defined command.
16126 @section User-defined command hooks
16127 @cindex command hooks
16128 @cindex hooks, for commands
16129 @cindex hooks, pre-command
16132 You may define @dfn{hooks}, which are a special kind of user-defined
16133 command. Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined
16134 command @samp{hook-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments)
16135 before that command.
16137 @cindex hooks, post-command
16139 A hook may also be defined which is run after the command you executed.
16140 Whenever you run the command @samp{foo}, if the user-defined command
16141 @samp{hookpost-foo} exists, it is executed (with no arguments) after
16142 that command. Post-execution hooks may exist simultaneously with
16143 pre-execution hooks, for the same command.
16145 It is valid for a hook to call the command which it hooks. If this
16146 occurs, the hook is not re-executed, thereby avoiding infinite recursion.
16148 @c It would be nice if hookpost could be passed a parameter indicating
16149 @c if the command it hooks executed properly or not. FIXME!
16151 @kindex stop@r{, a pseudo-command}
16152 In addition, a pseudo-command, @samp{stop} exists. Defining
16153 (@samp{hook-stop}) makes the associated commands execute every time
16154 execution stops in your program: before breakpoint commands are run,
16155 displays are printed, or the stack frame is printed.
16157 For example, to ignore @code{SIGALRM} signals while
16158 single-stepping, but treat them normally during normal execution,
16163 handle SIGALRM nopass
16167 handle SIGALRM pass
16170 define hook-continue
16171 handle SIGLARM pass
16175 As a further example, to hook at the begining and end of the @code{echo}
16176 command, and to add extra text to the beginning and end of the message,
16184 define hookpost-echo
16188 (@value{GDBP}) echo Hello World
16189 <<<---Hello World--->>>
16194 You can define a hook for any single-word command in @value{GDBN}, but
16195 not for command aliases; you should define a hook for the basic command
16196 name, e.g.@: @code{backtrace} rather than @code{bt}.
16197 @c FIXME! So how does Joe User discover whether a command is an alias
16199 If an error occurs during the execution of your hook, execution of
16200 @value{GDBN} commands stops and @value{GDBN} issues a prompt
16201 (before the command that you actually typed had a chance to run).
16203 If you try to define a hook which does not match any known command, you
16204 get a warning from the @code{define} command.
16206 @node Command Files
16207 @section Command files
16209 @cindex command files
16210 @cindex scripting commands
16211 A command file for @value{GDBN} is a text file made of lines that are
16212 @value{GDBN} commands. Comments (lines starting with @kbd{#}) may
16213 also be included. An empty line in a command file does nothing; it
16214 does not mean to repeat the last command, as it would from the
16217 You can request the execution of a command file with the @code{source}
16222 @cindex execute commands from a file
16223 @item source @var{filename}
16224 Execute the command file @var{filename}.
16227 The lines in a command file are generally executed sequentially,
16228 unless the order of execution is changed by one of the
16229 @emph{flow-control commands} described below. The commands are not
16230 printed as they are executed. An error in any command terminates
16231 execution of the command file and control is returned to the console.
16233 @value{GDBN} searches for @var{filename} in the current directory and then
16234 on the search path (specified with the @samp{directory} command).
16236 Commands that would ask for confirmation if used interactively proceed
16237 without asking when used in a command file. Many @value{GDBN} commands that
16238 normally print messages to say what they are doing omit the messages
16239 when called from command files.
16241 @value{GDBN} also accepts command input from standard input. In this
16242 mode, normal output goes to standard output and error output goes to
16243 standard error. Errors in a command file supplied on standard input do
16244 not terminate execution of the command file---execution continues with
16248 gdb < cmds > log 2>&1
16251 (The syntax above will vary depending on the shell used.) This example
16252 will execute commands from the file @file{cmds}. All output and errors
16253 would be directed to @file{log}.
16255 Since commands stored on command files tend to be more general than
16256 commands typed interactively, they frequently need to deal with
16257 complicated situations, such as different or unexpected values of
16258 variables and symbols, changes in how the program being debugged is
16259 built, etc. @value{GDBN} provides a set of flow-control commands to
16260 deal with these complexities. Using these commands, you can write
16261 complex scripts that loop over data structures, execute commands
16262 conditionally, etc.
16269 This command allows to include in your script conditionally executed
16270 commands. The @code{if} command takes a single argument, which is an
16271 expression to evaluate. It is followed by a series of commands that
16272 are executed only if the expression is true (its value is nonzero).
16273 There can then optionally be an @code{else} line, followed by a series
16274 of commands that are only executed if the expression was false. The
16275 end of the list is marked by a line containing @code{end}.
16279 This command allows to write loops. Its syntax is similar to
16280 @code{if}: the command takes a single argument, which is an expression
16281 to evaluate, and must be followed by the commands to execute, one per
16282 line, terminated by an @code{end}. These commands are called the
16283 @dfn{body} of the loop. The commands in the body of @code{while} are
16284 executed repeatedly as long as the expression evaluates to true.
16288 This command exits the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included.
16289 Execution of the script continues after that @code{while}s @code{end}
16292 @kindex loop_continue
16293 @item loop_continue
16294 This command skips the execution of the rest of the body of commands
16295 in the @code{while} loop in whose body it is included. Execution
16296 branches to the beginning of the @code{while} loop, where it evaluates
16297 the controlling expression.
16299 @kindex end@r{ (if/else/while commands)}
16301 Terminate the block of commands that are the body of @code{if},
16302 @code{else}, or @code{while} flow-control commands.
16307 @section Commands for controlled output
16309 During the execution of a command file or a user-defined command, normal
16310 @value{GDBN} output is suppressed; the only output that appears is what is
16311 explicitly printed by the commands in the definition. This section
16312 describes three commands useful for generating exactly the output you
16317 @item echo @var{text}
16318 @c I do not consider backslash-space a standard C escape sequence
16319 @c because it is not in ANSI.
16320 Print @var{text}. Nonprinting characters can be included in
16321 @var{text} using C escape sequences, such as @samp{\n} to print a
16322 newline. @strong{No newline is printed unless you specify one.}
16323 In addition to the standard C escape sequences, a backslash followed
16324 by a space stands for a space. This is useful for displaying a
16325 string with spaces at the beginning or the end, since leading and
16326 trailing spaces are otherwise trimmed from all arguments.
16327 To print @samp{@w{ }and foo =@w{ }}, use the command
16328 @samp{echo \@w{ }and foo = \@w{ }}.
16330 A backslash at the end of @var{text} can be used, as in C, to continue
16331 the command onto subsequent lines. For example,
16334 echo This is some text\n\
16335 which is continued\n\
16336 onto several lines.\n
16339 produces the same output as
16342 echo This is some text\n
16343 echo which is continued\n
16344 echo onto several lines.\n
16348 @item output @var{expression}
16349 Print the value of @var{expression} and nothing but that value: no
16350 newlines, no @samp{$@var{nn} = }. The value is not entered in the
16351 value history either. @xref{Expressions, ,Expressions}, for more information
16354 @item output/@var{fmt} @var{expression}
16355 Print the value of @var{expression} in format @var{fmt}. You can use
16356 the same formats as for @code{print}. @xref{Output Formats,,Output
16357 formats}, for more information.
16360 @item printf @var{string}, @var{expressions}@dots{}
16361 Print the values of the @var{expressions} under the control of
16362 @var{string}. The @var{expressions} are separated by commas and may be
16363 either numbers or pointers. Their values are printed as specified by
16364 @var{string}, exactly as if your program were to execute the C
16366 @c FIXME: the above implies that at least all ANSI C formats are
16367 @c supported, but it isn't true: %E and %G don't work (or so it seems).
16368 @c Either this is a bug, or the manual should document what formats are
16372 printf (@var{string}, @var{expressions}@dots{});
16375 For example, you can print two values in hex like this:
16378 printf "foo, bar-foo = 0x%x, 0x%x\n", foo, bar-foo
16381 The only backslash-escape sequences that you can use in the format
16382 string are the simple ones that consist of backslash followed by a
16387 @chapter Command Interpreters
16388 @cindex command interpreters
16390 @value{GDBN} supports multiple command interpreters, and some command
16391 infrastructure to allow users or user interface writers to switch
16392 between interpreters or run commands in other interpreters.
16394 @value{GDBN} currently supports two command interpreters, the console
16395 interpreter (sometimes called the command-line interpreter or @sc{cli})
16396 and the machine interface interpreter (or @sc{gdb/mi}). This manual
16397 describes both of these interfaces in great detail.
16399 By default, @value{GDBN} will start with the console interpreter.
16400 However, the user may choose to start @value{GDBN} with another
16401 interpreter by specifying the @option{-i} or @option{--interpreter}
16402 startup options. Defined interpreters include:
16406 @cindex console interpreter
16407 The traditional console or command-line interpreter. This is the most often
16408 used interpreter with @value{GDBN}. With no interpreter specified at runtime,
16409 @value{GDBN} will use this interpreter.
16412 @cindex mi interpreter
16413 The newest @sc{gdb/mi} interface (currently @code{mi2}). Used primarily
16414 by programs wishing to use @value{GDBN} as a backend for a debugger GUI
16415 or an IDE. For more information, see @ref{GDB/MI, ,The @sc{gdb/mi}
16419 @cindex mi2 interpreter
16420 The current @sc{gdb/mi} interface.
16423 @cindex mi1 interpreter
16424 The @sc{gdb/mi} interface included in @value{GDBN} 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3.
16428 @cindex invoke another interpreter
16429 The interpreter being used by @value{GDBN} may not be dynamically
16430 switched at runtime. Although possible, this could lead to a very
16431 precarious situation. Consider an IDE using @sc{gdb/mi}. If a user
16432 enters the command "interpreter-set console" in a console view,
16433 @value{GDBN} would switch to using the console interpreter, rendering
16434 the IDE inoperable!
16436 @kindex interpreter-exec
16437 Although you may only choose a single interpreter at startup, you may execute
16438 commands in any interpreter from the current interpreter using the appropriate
16439 command. If you are running the console interpreter, simply use the
16440 @code{interpreter-exec} command:
16443 interpreter-exec mi "-data-list-register-names"
16446 @sc{gdb/mi} has a similar command, although it is only available in versions of
16447 @value{GDBN} which support @sc{gdb/mi} version 2 (or greater).
16450 @chapter @value{GDBN} Text User Interface
16452 @cindex Text User Interface
16455 * TUI Overview:: TUI overview
16456 * TUI Keys:: TUI key bindings
16457 * TUI Single Key Mode:: TUI single key mode
16458 * TUI Commands:: TUI specific commands
16459 * TUI Configuration:: TUI configuration variables
16462 The @value{GDBN} Text User Interface, TUI in short, is a terminal
16463 interface which uses the @code{curses} library to show the source
16464 file, the assembly output, the program registers and @value{GDBN}
16465 commands in separate text windows.
16467 The TUI is enabled by invoking @value{GDBN} using either
16469 @samp{gdbtui} or @samp{gdb -tui}.
16472 @section TUI overview
16474 The TUI has two display modes that can be switched while
16479 A curses (or TUI) mode in which it displays several text
16480 windows on the terminal.
16483 A standard mode which corresponds to the @value{GDBN} configured without
16487 In the TUI mode, @value{GDBN} can display several text window
16492 This window is the @value{GDBN} command window with the @value{GDBN}
16493 prompt and the @value{GDBN} outputs. The @value{GDBN} input is still
16494 managed using readline but through the TUI. The @emph{command}
16495 window is always visible.
16498 The source window shows the source file of the program. The current
16499 line as well as active breakpoints are displayed in this window.
16502 The assembly window shows the disassembly output of the program.
16505 This window shows the processor registers. It detects when
16506 a register is changed and when this is the case, registers that have
16507 changed are highlighted.
16511 The source and assembly windows show the current program position
16512 by highlighting the current line and marking them with the @samp{>} marker.
16513 Breakpoints are also indicated with two markers. A first one
16514 indicates the breakpoint type:
16518 Breakpoint which was hit at least once.
16521 Breakpoint which was never hit.
16524 Hardware breakpoint which was hit at least once.
16527 Hardware breakpoint which was never hit.
16531 The second marker indicates whether the breakpoint is enabled or not:
16535 Breakpoint is enabled.
16538 Breakpoint is disabled.
16542 The source, assembly and register windows are attached to the thread
16543 and the frame position. They are updated when the current thread
16544 changes, when the frame changes or when the program counter changes.
16545 These three windows are arranged by the TUI according to several
16546 layouts. The layout defines which of these three windows are visible.
16547 The following layouts are available:
16557 source and assembly
16560 source and registers
16563 assembly and registers
16567 On top of the command window a status line gives various information
16568 concerning the current process begin debugged. The status line is
16569 updated when the information it shows changes. The following fields
16574 Indicates the current gdb target
16575 (@pxref{Targets, ,Specifying a Debugging Target}).
16578 Gives information about the current process or thread number.
16579 When no process is being debugged, this field is set to @code{No process}.
16582 Gives the current function name for the selected frame.
16583 The name is demangled if demangling is turned on (@pxref{Print Settings}).
16584 When there is no symbol corresponding to the current program counter
16585 the string @code{??} is displayed.
16588 Indicates the current line number for the selected frame.
16589 When the current line number is not known the string @code{??} is displayed.
16592 Indicates the current program counter address.
16597 @section TUI Key Bindings
16598 @cindex TUI key bindings
16600 The TUI installs several key bindings in the readline keymaps
16601 (@pxref{Command Line Editing}).
16602 They allow to leave or enter in the TUI mode or they operate
16603 directly on the TUI layout and windows. The TUI also provides
16604 a @emph{SingleKey} keymap which binds several keys directly to
16605 @value{GDBN} commands. The following key bindings
16606 are installed for both TUI mode and the @value{GDBN} standard mode.
16615 Enter or leave the TUI mode. When the TUI mode is left,
16616 the curses window management is left and @value{GDBN} operates using
16617 its standard mode writing on the terminal directly. When the TUI
16618 mode is entered, the control is given back to the curses windows.
16619 The screen is then refreshed.
16623 Use a TUI layout with only one window. The layout will
16624 either be @samp{source} or @samp{assembly}. When the TUI mode
16625 is not active, it will switch to the TUI mode.
16627 Think of this key binding as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 1} binding.
16631 Use a TUI layout with at least two windows. When the current
16632 layout shows already two windows, a next layout with two windows is used.
16633 When a new layout is chosen, one window will always be common to the
16634 previous layout and the new one.
16636 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x 2} binding.
16640 Change the active window. The TUI associates several key bindings
16641 (like scrolling and arrow keys) to the active window. This command
16642 gives the focus to the next TUI window.
16644 Think of it as the Emacs @kbd{C-x o} binding.
16648 Use the TUI @emph{SingleKey} keymap that binds single key to gdb commands
16649 (@pxref{TUI Single Key Mode}).
16653 The following key bindings are handled only by the TUI mode:
16658 Scroll the active window one page up.
16662 Scroll the active window one page down.
16666 Scroll the active window one line up.
16670 Scroll the active window one line down.
16674 Scroll the active window one column left.
16678 Scroll the active window one column right.
16682 Refresh the screen.
16686 In the TUI mode, the arrow keys are used by the active window
16687 for scrolling. This means they are available for readline when the
16688 active window is the command window. When the command window
16689 does not have the focus, it is necessary to use other readline
16690 key bindings such as @key{C-p}, @key{C-n}, @key{C-b} and @key{C-f}.
16692 @node TUI Single Key Mode
16693 @section TUI Single Key Mode
16694 @cindex TUI single key mode
16696 The TUI provides a @emph{SingleKey} mode in which it installs a particular
16697 key binding in the readline keymaps to connect single keys to
16701 @kindex c @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16705 @kindex d @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16709 @kindex f @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16713 @kindex n @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16717 @kindex q @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16719 exit the @emph{SingleKey} mode.
16721 @kindex r @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16725 @kindex s @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16729 @kindex u @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16733 @kindex v @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16737 @kindex w @r{(SingleKey TUI key)}
16743 Other keys temporarily switch to the @value{GDBN} command prompt.
16744 The key that was pressed is inserted in the editing buffer so that
16745 it is possible to type most @value{GDBN} commands without interaction
16746 with the TUI @emph{SingleKey} mode. Once the command is entered the TUI
16747 @emph{SingleKey} mode is restored. The only way to permanently leave
16748 this mode is by hitting @key{q} or @samp{@key{C-x} @key{s}}.
16752 @section TUI specific commands
16753 @cindex TUI commands
16755 The TUI has specific commands to control the text windows.
16756 These commands are always available, that is they do not depend on
16757 the current terminal mode in which @value{GDBN} runs. When @value{GDBN}
16758 is in the standard mode, using these commands will automatically switch
16764 List and give the size of all displayed windows.
16768 Display the next layout.
16771 Display the previous layout.
16774 Display the source window only.
16777 Display the assembly window only.
16780 Display the source and assembly window.
16783 Display the register window together with the source or assembly window.
16785 @item focus next | prev | src | asm | regs | split
16787 Set the focus to the named window.
16788 This command allows to change the active window so that scrolling keys
16789 can be affected to another window.
16793 Refresh the screen. This is similar to using @key{C-L} key.
16795 @item tui reg float
16797 Show the floating point registers in the register window.
16799 @item tui reg general
16800 Show the general registers in the register window.
16803 Show the next register group. The list of register groups as well as
16804 their order is target specific. The predefined register groups are the
16805 following: @code{general}, @code{float}, @code{system}, @code{vector},
16806 @code{all}, @code{save}, @code{restore}.
16808 @item tui reg system
16809 Show the system registers in the register window.
16813 Update the source window and the current execution point.
16815 @item winheight @var{name} +@var{count}
16816 @itemx winheight @var{name} -@var{count}
16818 Change the height of the window @var{name} by @var{count}
16819 lines. Positive counts increase the height, while negative counts
16823 @kindex tabset @var{nchars}
16824 Set the width of tab stops to be @var{nchars} characters.
16828 @node TUI Configuration
16829 @section TUI configuration variables
16830 @cindex TUI configuration variables
16832 The TUI has several configuration variables that control the
16833 appearance of windows on the terminal.
16836 @item set tui border-kind @var{kind}
16837 @kindex set tui border-kind
16838 Select the border appearance for the source, assembly and register windows.
16839 The possible values are the following:
16842 Use a space character to draw the border.
16845 Use ascii characters + - and | to draw the border.
16848 Use the Alternate Character Set to draw the border. The border is
16849 drawn using character line graphics if the terminal supports them.
16853 @item set tui active-border-mode @var{mode}
16854 @kindex set tui active-border-mode
16855 Select the attributes to display the border of the active window.
16856 The possible values are @code{normal}, @code{standout}, @code{reverse},
16857 @code{half}, @code{half-standout}, @code{bold} and @code{bold-standout}.
16859 @item set tui border-mode @var{mode}
16860 @kindex set tui border-mode
16861 Select the attributes to display the border of other windows.
16862 The @var{mode} can be one of the following:
16865 Use normal attributes to display the border.
16871 Use reverse video mode.
16874 Use half bright mode.
16876 @item half-standout
16877 Use half bright and standout mode.
16880 Use extra bright or bold mode.
16882 @item bold-standout
16883 Use extra bright or bold and standout mode.
16890 @chapter Using @value{GDBN} under @sc{gnu} Emacs
16893 @cindex @sc{gnu} Emacs
16894 A special interface allows you to use @sc{gnu} Emacs to view (and
16895 edit) the source files for the program you are debugging with
16898 To use this interface, use the command @kbd{M-x gdb} in Emacs. Give the
16899 executable file you want to debug as an argument. This command starts
16900 @value{GDBN} as a subprocess of Emacs, with input and output through a newly
16901 created Emacs buffer.
16902 @c (Do not use the @code{-tui} option to run @value{GDBN} from Emacs.)
16904 Using @value{GDBN} under Emacs is just like using @value{GDBN} normally except for two
16909 All ``terminal'' input and output goes through the Emacs buffer.
16912 This applies both to @value{GDBN} commands and their output, and to the input
16913 and output done by the program you are debugging.
16915 This is useful because it means that you can copy the text of previous
16916 commands and input them again; you can even use parts of the output
16919 All the facilities of Emacs' Shell mode are available for interacting
16920 with your program. In particular, you can send signals the usual
16921 way---for example, @kbd{C-c C-c} for an interrupt, @kbd{C-c C-z} for a
16926 @value{GDBN} displays source code through Emacs.
16929 Each time @value{GDBN} displays a stack frame, Emacs automatically finds the
16930 source file for that frame and puts an arrow (@samp{=>}) at the
16931 left margin of the current line. Emacs uses a separate buffer for
16932 source display, and splits the screen to show both your @value{GDBN} session
16935 Explicit @value{GDBN} @code{list} or search commands still produce output as
16936 usual, but you probably have no reason to use them from Emacs.
16938 If you specify an absolute file name when prompted for the @kbd{M-x
16939 gdb} argument, then Emacs sets your current working directory to where
16940 your program resides. If you only specify the file name, then Emacs
16941 sets your current working directory to to the directory associated
16942 with the previous buffer. In this case, @value{GDBN} may find your
16943 program by searching your environment's @code{PATH} variable, but on
16944 some operating systems it might not find the source. So, although the
16945 @value{GDBN} input and output session proceeds normally, the auxiliary
16946 buffer does not display the current source and line of execution.
16948 The initial working directory of @value{GDBN} is printed on the top
16949 line of the @value{GDBN} I/O buffer and this serves as a default for
16950 the commands that specify files for @value{GDBN} to operate
16951 on. @xref{Files, ,Commands to specify files}.
16953 By default, @kbd{M-x gdb} calls the program called @file{gdb}. If you
16954 need to call @value{GDBN} by a different name (for example, if you
16955 keep several configurations around, with different names) you can
16956 customize the Emacs variable @code{gud-gdb-command-name} to run the
16959 In the @value{GDBN} I/O buffer, you can use these special Emacs commands in
16960 addition to the standard Shell mode commands:
16964 Describe the features of Emacs' @value{GDBN} Mode.
16967 Execute to another source line, like the @value{GDBN} @code{step} command; also
16968 update the display window to show the current file and location.
16971 Execute to next source line in this function, skipping all function
16972 calls, like the @value{GDBN} @code{next} command. Then update the display window
16973 to show the current file and location.
16976 Execute one instruction, like the @value{GDBN} @code{stepi} command; update
16977 display window accordingly.
16980 Execute until exit from the selected stack frame, like the @value{GDBN}
16981 @code{finish} command.
16984 Continue execution of your program, like the @value{GDBN} @code{continue}
16988 Go up the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument
16989 (@pxref{Arguments, , Numeric Arguments, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}),
16990 like the @value{GDBN} @code{up} command.
16993 Go down the number of frames indicated by the numeric argument, like the
16994 @value{GDBN} @code{down} command.
16997 In any source file, the Emacs command @kbd{C-x SPC} (@code{gud-break})
16998 tells @value{GDBN} to set a breakpoint on the source line point is on.
17000 If you type @kbd{M-x speedbar}, then Emacs displays a separate frame which
17001 shows a backtrace when the @value{GDBN} I/O buffer is current. Move
17002 point to any frame in the stack and type @key{RET} to make it become the
17003 current frame and display the associated source in the source buffer.
17004 Alternatively, click @kbd{Mouse-2} to make the selected frame become the
17007 If you accidentally delete the source-display buffer, an easy way to get
17008 it back is to type the command @code{f} in the @value{GDBN} buffer, to
17009 request a frame display; when you run under Emacs, this recreates
17010 the source buffer if necessary to show you the context of the current
17013 The source files displayed in Emacs are in ordinary Emacs buffers
17014 which are visiting the source files in the usual way. You can edit
17015 the files with these buffers if you wish; but keep in mind that @value{GDBN}
17016 communicates with Emacs in terms of line numbers. If you add or
17017 delete lines from the text, the line numbers that @value{GDBN} knows cease
17018 to correspond properly with the code.
17020 The description given here is for GNU Emacs version 21.3 and a more
17021 detailed description of its interaction with @value{GDBN} is given in
17022 the Emacs manual (@pxref{Debuggers,,, Emacs, The @sc{gnu} Emacs Manual}).
17024 @c The following dropped because Epoch is nonstandard. Reactivate
17025 @c if/when v19 does something similar. ---doc@cygnus.com 19dec1990
17027 @kindex Emacs Epoch environment
17031 Version 18 of @sc{gnu} Emacs has a built-in window system
17032 called the @code{epoch}
17033 environment. Users of this environment can use a new command,
17034 @code{inspect} which performs identically to @code{print} except that
17035 each value is printed in its own window.
17040 @chapter The @sc{gdb/mi} Interface
17042 @unnumberedsec Function and Purpose
17044 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, its purpose
17045 @sc{gdb/mi} is a line based machine oriented text interface to
17046 @value{GDBN} and is activated by specifying using the
17047 @option{--interpreter} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}). It
17048 is specifically intended to support the development of systems which
17049 use the debugger as just one small component of a larger system.
17051 This chapter is a specification of the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. It is written
17052 in the form of a reference manual.
17054 Note that @sc{gdb/mi} is still under construction, so some of the
17055 features described below are incomplete and subject to change.
17057 @unnumberedsec Notation and Terminology
17059 @cindex notational conventions, for @sc{gdb/mi}
17060 This chapter uses the following notation:
17064 @code{|} separates two alternatives.
17067 @code{[ @var{something} ]} indicates that @var{something} is optional:
17068 it may or may not be given.
17071 @code{( @var{group} )*} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
17072 may repeat zero or more times.
17075 @code{( @var{group} )+} means that @var{group} inside the parentheses
17076 may repeat one or more times.
17079 @code{"@var{string}"} means a literal @var{string}.
17083 @heading Dependencies
17086 @heading Acknowledgments
17088 In alphabetic order: Andrew Cagney, Fernando Nasser, Stan Shebs and
17092 * GDB/MI Command Syntax::
17093 * GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI::
17094 * GDB/MI Output Records::
17095 * GDB/MI Command Description Format::
17096 * GDB/MI Breakpoint Table Commands::
17097 * GDB/MI Data Manipulation::
17098 * GDB/MI Program Control::
17099 * GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands::
17101 * GDB/MI Kod Commands::
17102 * GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands::
17103 * GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands::
17105 * GDB/MI Stack Manipulation::
17106 * GDB/MI Symbol Query::
17107 * GDB/MI Target Manipulation::
17108 * GDB/MI Thread Commands::
17109 * GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands::
17110 * GDB/MI Variable Objects::
17113 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
17114 @node GDB/MI Command Syntax
17115 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Syntax
17118 * GDB/MI Input Syntax::
17119 * GDB/MI Output Syntax::
17120 * GDB/MI Simple Examples::
17123 @node GDB/MI Input Syntax
17124 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Input Syntax
17126 @cindex input syntax for @sc{gdb/mi}
17127 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, input syntax
17129 @item @var{command} @expansion{}
17130 @code{@var{cli-command} | @var{mi-command}}
17132 @item @var{cli-command} @expansion{}
17133 @code{[ @var{token} ] @var{cli-command} @var{nl}}, where
17134 @var{cli-command} is any existing @value{GDBN} CLI command.
17136 @item @var{mi-command} @expansion{}
17137 @code{[ @var{token} ] "-" @var{operation} ( " " @var{option} )*
17138 @code{[} " --" @code{]} ( " " @var{parameter} )* @var{nl}}
17140 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
17141 "any sequence of digits"
17143 @item @var{option} @expansion{}
17144 @code{"-" @var{parameter} [ " " @var{parameter} ]}
17146 @item @var{parameter} @expansion{}
17147 @code{@var{non-blank-sequence} | @var{c-string}}
17149 @item @var{operation} @expansion{}
17150 @emph{any of the operations described in this chapter}
17152 @item @var{non-blank-sequence} @expansion{}
17153 @emph{anything, provided it doesn't contain special characters such as
17154 "-", @var{nl}, """ and of course " "}
17156 @item @var{c-string} @expansion{}
17157 @code{""" @var{seven-bit-iso-c-string-content} """}
17159 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
17168 The CLI commands are still handled by the @sc{mi} interpreter; their
17169 output is described below.
17172 The @code{@var{token}}, when present, is passed back when the command
17176 Some @sc{mi} commands accept optional arguments as part of the parameter
17177 list. Each option is identified by a leading @samp{-} (dash) and may be
17178 followed by an optional argument parameter. Options occur first in the
17179 parameter list and can be delimited from normal parameters using
17180 @samp{--} (this is useful when some parameters begin with a dash).
17187 We want easy access to the existing CLI syntax (for debugging).
17190 We want it to be easy to spot a @sc{mi} operation.
17193 @node GDB/MI Output Syntax
17194 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax
17196 @cindex output syntax of @sc{gdb/mi}
17197 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, output syntax
17198 The output from @sc{gdb/mi} consists of zero or more out-of-band records
17199 followed, optionally, by a single result record. This result record
17200 is for the most recent command. The sequence of output records is
17201 terminated by @samp{(@value{GDBP})}.
17203 If an input command was prefixed with a @code{@var{token}} then the
17204 corresponding output for that command will also be prefixed by that same
17208 @item @var{output} @expansion{}
17209 @code{( @var{out-of-band-record} )* [ @var{result-record} ] "(@value{GDBP})" @var{nl}}
17211 @item @var{result-record} @expansion{}
17212 @code{ [ @var{token} ] "^" @var{result-class} ( "," @var{result} )* @var{nl}}
17214 @item @var{out-of-band-record} @expansion{}
17215 @code{@var{async-record} | @var{stream-record}}
17217 @item @var{async-record} @expansion{}
17218 @code{@var{exec-async-output} | @var{status-async-output} | @var{notify-async-output}}
17220 @item @var{exec-async-output} @expansion{}
17221 @code{[ @var{token} ] "*" @var{async-output}}
17223 @item @var{status-async-output} @expansion{}
17224 @code{[ @var{token} ] "+" @var{async-output}}
17226 @item @var{notify-async-output} @expansion{}
17227 @code{[ @var{token} ] "=" @var{async-output}}
17229 @item @var{async-output} @expansion{}
17230 @code{@var{async-class} ( "," @var{result} )* @var{nl}}
17232 @item @var{result-class} @expansion{}
17233 @code{"done" | "running" | "connected" | "error" | "exit"}
17235 @item @var{async-class} @expansion{}
17236 @code{"stopped" | @var{others}} (where @var{others} will be added
17237 depending on the needs---this is still in development).
17239 @item @var{result} @expansion{}
17240 @code{ @var{variable} "=" @var{value}}
17242 @item @var{variable} @expansion{}
17243 @code{ @var{string} }
17245 @item @var{value} @expansion{}
17246 @code{ @var{const} | @var{tuple} | @var{list} }
17248 @item @var{const} @expansion{}
17249 @code{@var{c-string}}
17251 @item @var{tuple} @expansion{}
17252 @code{ "@{@}" | "@{" @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "@}" }
17254 @item @var{list} @expansion{}
17255 @code{ "[]" | "[" @var{value} ( "," @var{value} )* "]" | "["
17256 @var{result} ( "," @var{result} )* "]" }
17258 @item @var{stream-record} @expansion{}
17259 @code{@var{console-stream-output} | @var{target-stream-output} | @var{log-stream-output}}
17261 @item @var{console-stream-output} @expansion{}
17262 @code{"~" @var{c-string}}
17264 @item @var{target-stream-output} @expansion{}
17265 @code{"@@" @var{c-string}}
17267 @item @var{log-stream-output} @expansion{}
17268 @code{"&" @var{c-string}}
17270 @item @var{nl} @expansion{}
17273 @item @var{token} @expansion{}
17274 @emph{any sequence of digits}.
17282 All output sequences end in a single line containing a period.
17285 The @code{@var{token}} is from the corresponding request. If an execution
17286 command is interrupted by the @samp{-exec-interrupt} command, the
17287 @var{token} associated with the @samp{*stopped} message is the one of the
17288 original execution command, not the one of the interrupt command.
17291 @cindex status output in @sc{gdb/mi}
17292 @var{status-async-output} contains on-going status information about the
17293 progress of a slow operation. It can be discarded. All status output is
17294 prefixed by @samp{+}.
17297 @cindex async output in @sc{gdb/mi}
17298 @var{exec-async-output} contains asynchronous state change on the target
17299 (stopped, started, disappeared). All async output is prefixed by
17303 @cindex notify output in @sc{gdb/mi}
17304 @var{notify-async-output} contains supplementary information that the
17305 client should handle (e.g., a new breakpoint information). All notify
17306 output is prefixed by @samp{=}.
17309 @cindex console output in @sc{gdb/mi}
17310 @var{console-stream-output} is output that should be displayed as is in the
17311 console. It is the textual response to a CLI command. All the console
17312 output is prefixed by @samp{~}.
17315 @cindex target output in @sc{gdb/mi}
17316 @var{target-stream-output} is the output produced by the target program.
17317 All the target output is prefixed by @samp{@@}.
17320 @cindex log output in @sc{gdb/mi}
17321 @var{log-stream-output} is output text coming from @value{GDBN}'s internals, for
17322 instance messages that should be displayed as part of an error log. All
17323 the log output is prefixed by @samp{&}.
17326 @cindex list output in @sc{gdb/mi}
17327 New @sc{gdb/mi} commands should only output @var{lists} containing
17333 @xref{GDB/MI Stream Records, , @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records}, for more
17334 details about the various output records.
17336 @node GDB/MI Simple Examples
17337 @subsection Simple Examples of @sc{gdb/mi} Interaction
17338 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, simple examples
17340 This subsection presents several simple examples of interaction using
17341 the @sc{gdb/mi} interface. In these examples, @samp{->} means that the
17342 following line is passed to @sc{gdb/mi} as input, while @samp{<-} means
17343 the output received from @sc{gdb/mi}.
17345 @subsubheading Target Stop
17346 @c Ummm... There is no "-stop" command. This assumes async, no?
17347 Here's an example of stopping the inferior process:
17358 <- *stop,reason="stop",address="0x123",source="a.c:123"
17362 @subsubheading Simple CLI Command
17364 Here's an example of a simple CLI command being passed through
17365 @sc{gdb/mi} and on to the CLI.
17375 @subsubheading Command With Side Effects
17378 -> -symbol-file xyz.exe
17379 <- *breakpoint,nr="3",address="0x123",source="a.c:123"
17383 @subsubheading A Bad Command
17385 Here's what happens if you pass a non-existent command:
17389 <- ^error,msg="Undefined MI command: rubbish"
17393 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
17394 @node GDB/MI Compatibility with CLI
17395 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Compatibility with CLI
17397 @cindex compatibility, @sc{gdb/mi} and CLI
17398 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, compatibility with CLI
17399 To help users familiar with @value{GDBN}'s existing CLI interface, @sc{gdb/mi}
17400 accepts existing CLI commands. As specified by the syntax, such
17401 commands can be directly entered into the @sc{gdb/mi} interface and @value{GDBN} will
17404 This mechanism is provided as an aid to developers of @sc{gdb/mi}
17405 clients and not as a reliable interface into the CLI. Since the command
17406 is being interpreteted in an environment that assumes @sc{gdb/mi}
17407 behaviour, the exact output of such commands is likely to end up being
17408 an un-supported hybrid of @sc{gdb/mi} and CLI output.
17410 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
17411 @node GDB/MI Output Records
17412 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Output Records
17415 * GDB/MI Result Records::
17416 * GDB/MI Stream Records::
17417 * GDB/MI Out-of-band Records::
17420 @node GDB/MI Result Records
17421 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Result Records
17423 @cindex result records in @sc{gdb/mi}
17424 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, result records
17425 In addition to a number of out-of-band notifications, the response to a
17426 @sc{gdb/mi} command includes one of the following result indications:
17430 @item "^done" [ "," @var{results} ]
17431 The synchronous operation was successful, @code{@var{results}} are the return
17436 @c Is this one correct? Should it be an out-of-band notification?
17437 The asynchronous operation was successfully started. The target is
17440 @item "^error" "," @var{c-string}
17442 The operation failed. The @code{@var{c-string}} contains the corresponding
17446 @node GDB/MI Stream Records
17447 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Stream Records
17449 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, stream records
17450 @cindex stream records in @sc{gdb/mi}
17451 @value{GDBN} internally maintains a number of output streams: the console, the
17452 target, and the log. The output intended for each of these streams is
17453 funneled through the @sc{gdb/mi} interface using @dfn{stream records}.
17455 Each stream record begins with a unique @dfn{prefix character} which
17456 identifies its stream (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, , @sc{gdb/mi} Output
17457 Syntax}). In addition to the prefix, each stream record contains a
17458 @code{@var{string-output}}. This is either raw text (with an implicit new
17459 line) or a quoted C string (which does not contain an implicit newline).
17462 @item "~" @var{string-output}
17463 The console output stream contains text that should be displayed in the
17464 CLI console window. It contains the textual responses to CLI commands.
17466 @item "@@" @var{string-output}
17467 The target output stream contains any textual output from the running
17470 @item "&" @var{string-output}
17471 The log stream contains debugging messages being produced by @value{GDBN}'s
17475 @node GDB/MI Out-of-band Records
17476 @subsection @sc{gdb/mi} Out-of-band Records
17478 @cindex out-of-band records in @sc{gdb/mi}
17479 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, out-of-band records
17480 @dfn{Out-of-band} records are used to notify the @sc{gdb/mi} client of
17481 additional changes that have occurred. Those changes can either be a
17482 consequence of @sc{gdb/mi} (e.g., a breakpoint modified) or a result of
17483 target activity (e.g., target stopped).
17485 The following is a preliminary list of possible out-of-band records.
17486 In particular, the @var{exec-async-output} records.
17489 @item *stopped,reason="@var{reason}"
17492 @var{reason} can be one of the following:
17495 @item breakpoint-hit
17496 A breakpoint was reached.
17497 @item watchpoint-trigger
17498 A watchpoint was triggered.
17499 @item read-watchpoint-trigger
17500 A read watchpoint was triggered.
17501 @item access-watchpoint-trigger
17502 An access watchpoint was triggered.
17503 @item function-finished
17504 An -exec-finish or similar CLI command was accomplished.
17505 @item location-reached
17506 An -exec-until or similar CLI command was accomplished.
17507 @item watchpoint-scope
17508 A watchpoint has gone out of scope.
17509 @item end-stepping-range
17510 An -exec-next, -exec-next-instruction, -exec-step, -exec-step-instruction or
17511 similar CLI command was accomplished.
17512 @item exited-signalled
17513 The inferior exited because of a signal.
17515 The inferior exited.
17516 @item exited-normally
17517 The inferior exited normally.
17518 @item signal-received
17519 A signal was received by the inferior.
17523 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
17524 @node GDB/MI Command Description Format
17525 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Command Description Format
17527 The remaining sections describe blocks of commands. Each block of
17528 commands is laid out in a fashion similar to this section.
17530 Note the the line breaks shown in the examples are here only for
17531 readability. They don't appear in the real output.
17532 Also note that the commands with a non-available example (N.A.@:) are
17533 not yet implemented.
17535 @subheading Motivation
17537 The motivation for this collection of commands.
17539 @subheading Introduction
17541 A brief introduction to this collection of commands as a whole.
17543 @subheading Commands
17545 For each command in the block, the following is described:
17547 @subsubheading Synopsis
17550 -command @var{args}@dots{}
17553 @subsubheading Result
17555 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
17557 The corresponding @value{GDBN} CLI command(s), if any.
17559 @subsubheading Example
17561 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
17562 @node GDB/MI Breakpoint Table Commands
17563 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Breakpoint table commands
17565 @cindex breakpoint commands for @sc{gdb/mi}
17566 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, breakpoint commands
17567 This section documents @sc{gdb/mi} commands for manipulating
17570 @subheading The @code{-break-after} Command
17571 @findex -break-after
17573 @subsubheading Synopsis
17576 -break-after @var{number} @var{count}
17579 The breakpoint number @var{number} is not in effect until it has been
17580 hit @var{count} times. To see how this is reflected in the output of
17581 the @samp{-break-list} command, see the description of the
17582 @samp{-break-list} command below.
17584 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
17586 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ignore}.
17588 @subsubheading Example
17593 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x000100d0",file="hello.c",
17594 fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",line="5",times="0"@}
17601 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
17602 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
17603 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
17604 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
17605 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
17606 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
17607 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
17608 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
17609 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
17610 line="5",times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
17615 @subheading The @code{-break-catch} Command
17616 @findex -break-catch
17618 @subheading The @code{-break-commands} Command
17619 @findex -break-commands
17623 @subheading The @code{-break-condition} Command
17624 @findex -break-condition
17626 @subsubheading Synopsis
17629 -break-condition @var{number} @var{expr}
17632 Breakpoint @var{number} will stop the program only if the condition in
17633 @var{expr} is true. The condition becomes part of the
17634 @samp{-break-list} output (see the description of the @samp{-break-list}
17637 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
17639 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{condition}.
17641 @subsubheading Example
17645 -break-condition 1 1
17649 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
17650 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
17651 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
17652 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
17653 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
17654 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
17655 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
17656 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
17657 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
17658 line="5",cond="1",times="0",ignore="3"@}]@}
17662 @subheading The @code{-break-delete} Command
17663 @findex -break-delete
17665 @subsubheading Synopsis
17668 -break-delete ( @var{breakpoint} )+
17671 Delete the breakpoint(s) whose number(s) are specified in the argument
17672 list. This is obviously reflected in the breakpoint list.
17674 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} command
17676 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{delete}.
17678 @subsubheading Example
17686 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
17687 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
17688 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
17689 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
17690 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
17691 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
17692 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
17697 @subheading The @code{-break-disable} Command
17698 @findex -break-disable
17700 @subsubheading Synopsis
17703 -break-disable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
17706 Disable the named @var{breakpoint}(s). The field @samp{enabled} in the
17707 break list is now set to @samp{n} for the named @var{breakpoint}(s).
17709 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
17711 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disable}.
17713 @subsubheading Example
17721 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
17722 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
17723 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
17724 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
17725 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
17726 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
17727 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
17728 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="n",
17729 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
17730 line="5",times="0"@}]@}
17734 @subheading The @code{-break-enable} Command
17735 @findex -break-enable
17737 @subsubheading Synopsis
17740 -break-enable ( @var{breakpoint} )+
17743 Enable (previously disabled) @var{breakpoint}(s).
17745 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
17747 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{enable}.
17749 @subsubheading Example
17757 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
17758 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
17759 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
17760 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
17761 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
17762 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
17763 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
17764 body=[bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
17765 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
17766 line="5",times="0"@}]@}
17770 @subheading The @code{-break-info} Command
17771 @findex -break-info
17773 @subsubheading Synopsis
17776 -break-info @var{breakpoint}
17780 Get information about a single breakpoint.
17782 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} command
17784 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break @var{breakpoint}}.
17786 @subsubheading Example
17789 @subheading The @code{-break-insert} Command
17790 @findex -break-insert
17792 @subsubheading Synopsis
17795 -break-insert [ -t ] [ -h ] [ -r ]
17796 [ -c @var{condition} ] [ -i @var{ignore-count} ]
17797 [ -p @var{thread} ] [ @var{line} | @var{addr} ]
17801 If specified, @var{line}, can be one of:
17808 @item filename:linenum
17809 @item filename:function
17813 The possible optional parameters of this command are:
17817 Insert a temporary breakpoint.
17819 Insert a hardware breakpoint.
17820 @item -c @var{condition}
17821 Make the breakpoint conditional on @var{condition}.
17822 @item -i @var{ignore-count}
17823 Initialize the @var{ignore-count}.
17825 Insert a regular breakpoint in all the functions whose names match the
17826 given regular expression. Other flags are not applicable to regular
17830 @subsubheading Result
17832 The result is in the form:
17835 ^done,bkpt=@{number="@var{number}",type="@var{type}",disp="del"|"keep",
17836 enabled="y"|"n",addr="@var{hex}",func="@var{funcname}",file="@var{filename}",
17837 fullname="@var{full_filename}",line="@var{lineno}",times="@var{times}"@}
17841 where @var{number} is the @value{GDBN} number for this breakpoint,
17842 @var{funcname} is the name of the function where the breakpoint was
17843 inserted, @var{filename} is the name of the source file which contains
17844 this function, @var{lineno} is the source line number within that file
17845 and @var{times} the number of times that the breakpoint has been hit
17846 (always 0 for -break-insert but may be greater for -break-info or -break-list
17847 which use the same output).
17849 Note: this format is open to change.
17850 @c An out-of-band breakpoint instead of part of the result?
17852 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
17854 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{break}, @samp{tbreak},
17855 @samp{hbreak}, @samp{thbreak}, and @samp{rbreak}.
17857 @subsubheading Example
17862 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",
17863 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="4",times="0"@}
17865 -break-insert -t foo
17866 ^done,bkpt=@{number="2",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c",
17867 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,line="11",times="0"@}
17870 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
17871 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
17872 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
17873 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
17874 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
17875 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
17876 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
17877 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
17878 addr="0x0001072c", func="main",file="recursive2.c",
17879 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c,"line="4",times="0"@},
17880 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="del",enabled="y",
17881 addr="0x00010774",func="foo",file="recursive2.c",
17882 fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",times="0"@}]@}
17884 -break-insert -r foo.*
17885 ~int foo(int, int);
17886 ^done,bkpt=@{number="3",addr="0x00010774",file="recursive2.c,
17887 "fullname="/home/foo/recursive2.c",line="11",times="0"@}
17891 @subheading The @code{-break-list} Command
17892 @findex -break-list
17894 @subsubheading Synopsis
17900 Displays the list of inserted breakpoints, showing the following fields:
17904 number of the breakpoint
17906 type of the breakpoint: @samp{breakpoint} or @samp{watchpoint}
17908 should the breakpoint be deleted or disabled when it is hit: @samp{keep}
17911 is the breakpoint enabled or no: @samp{y} or @samp{n}
17913 memory location at which the breakpoint is set
17915 logical location of the breakpoint, expressed by function name, file
17918 number of times the breakpoint has been hit
17921 If there are no breakpoints or watchpoints, the @code{BreakpointTable}
17922 @code{body} field is an empty list.
17924 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
17926 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info break}.
17928 @subsubheading Example
17933 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
17934 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
17935 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
17936 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
17937 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
17938 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
17939 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
17940 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
17941 addr="0x000100d0",func="main",file="hello.c",line="5",times="0"@},
17942 bkpt=@{number="2",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
17943 addr="0x00010114",func="foo",file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/hello.c",
17944 line="13",times="0"@}]@}
17948 Here's an example of the result when there are no breakpoints:
17953 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="0",nr_cols="6",
17954 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
17955 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
17956 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
17957 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
17958 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
17959 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
17964 @subheading The @code{-break-watch} Command
17965 @findex -break-watch
17967 @subsubheading Synopsis
17970 -break-watch [ -a | -r ]
17973 Create a watchpoint. With the @samp{-a} option it will create an
17974 @dfn{access} watchpoint, i.e. a watchpoint that triggers either on a
17975 read from or on a write to the memory location. With the @samp{-r}
17976 option, the watchpoint created is a @dfn{read} watchpoint, i.e. it will
17977 trigger only when the memory location is accessed for reading. Without
17978 either of the options, the watchpoint created is a regular watchpoint,
17979 i.e. it will trigger when the memory location is accessed for writing.
17980 @xref{Set Watchpoints, , Setting watchpoints}.
17982 Note that @samp{-break-list} will report a single list of watchpoints and
17983 breakpoints inserted.
17985 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
17987 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{watch}, @samp{awatch}, and
17990 @subsubheading Example
17992 Setting a watchpoint on a variable in the @code{main} function:
17997 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@}
18001 ^done,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="x"@},
18002 value=@{old="-268439212",new="55"@},
18003 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
18004 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="5"@}
18008 Setting a watchpoint on a variable local to a function. @value{GDBN} will stop
18009 the program execution twice: first for the variable changing value, then
18010 for the watchpoint going out of scope.
18015 ^done,wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@}
18019 ^done,reason="watchpoint-trigger",
18020 wpt=@{number="5",exp="C"@},value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
18021 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
18022 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
18023 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13"@}
18027 ^done,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="5",
18028 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
18029 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
18030 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
18031 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
18035 Listing breakpoints and watchpoints, at different points in the program
18036 execution. Note that once the watchpoint goes out of scope, it is
18042 ^done,wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@}
18045 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
18046 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
18047 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
18048 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
18049 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
18050 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
18051 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
18052 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
18053 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
18054 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
18055 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c"line="8",times="1"@},
18056 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
18057 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",times="0"@}]@}
18061 ^done,reason="watchpoint-trigger",wpt=@{number="2",exp="C"@},
18062 value=@{old="-276895068",new="3"@},
18063 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
18064 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
18065 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="13"@}
18068 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="2",nr_cols="6",
18069 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
18070 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
18071 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
18072 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
18073 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
18074 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
18075 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
18076 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
18077 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
18078 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",times="1"@},
18079 bkpt=@{number="2",type="watchpoint",disp="keep",
18080 enabled="y",addr="",what="C",times="-5"@}]@}
18084 ^done,reason="watchpoint-scope",wpnum="2",
18085 frame=@{func="callee3",args=[@{name="strarg",
18086 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
18087 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
18088 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
18091 ^done,BreakpointTable=@{nr_rows="1",nr_cols="6",
18092 hdr=[@{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="number",colhdr="Num"@},
18093 @{width="14",alignment="-1",col_name="type",colhdr="Type"@},
18094 @{width="4",alignment="-1",col_name="disp",colhdr="Disp"@},
18095 @{width="3",alignment="-1",col_name="enabled",colhdr="Enb"@},
18096 @{width="10",alignment="-1",col_name="addr",colhdr="Address"@},
18097 @{width="40",alignment="2",col_name="what",colhdr="What"@}],
18098 body=[bkpt=@{number="1",type="breakpoint",disp="keep",enabled="y",
18099 addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
18100 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
18101 fullname="/home/foo/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8",
18106 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
18107 @node GDB/MI Data Manipulation
18108 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Data Manipulation
18110 @cindex data manipulation, in @sc{gdb/mi}
18111 @cindex @sc{gdb/mi}, data manipulation
18112 This section describes the @sc{gdb/mi} commands that manipulate data:
18113 examine memory and registers, evaluate expressions, etc.
18115 @c REMOVED FROM THE INTERFACE.
18116 @c @subheading -data-assign
18117 @c Change the value of a program variable. Plenty of side effects.
18118 @c @subsubheading GDB command
18120 @c @subsubheading Example
18123 @subheading The @code{-data-disassemble} Command
18124 @findex -data-disassemble
18126 @subsubheading Synopsis
18130 [ -s @var{start-addr} -e @var{end-addr} ]
18131 | [ -f @var{filename} -l @var{linenum} [ -n @var{lines} ] ]
18139 @item @var{start-addr}
18140 is the beginning address (or @code{$pc})
18141 @item @var{end-addr}
18143 @item @var{filename}
18144 is the name of the file to disassemble
18145 @item @var{linenum}
18146 is the line number to disassemble around
18148 is the the number of disassembly lines to be produced. If it is -1,
18149 the whole function will be disassembled, in case no @var{end-addr} is
18150 specified. If @var{end-addr} is specified as a non-zero value, and
18151 @var{lines} is lower than the number of disassembly lines between
18152 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only @var{lines} lines are
18153 displayed; if @var{lines} is higher than the number of lines between
18154 @var{start-addr} and @var{end-addr}, only the lines up to @var{end-addr}
18157 is either 0 (meaning only disassembly) or 1 (meaning mixed source and
18161 @subsubheading Result
18163 The output for each instruction is composed of four fields:
18172 Note that whatever included in the instruction field, is not manipulated
18173 directely by @sc{gdb/mi}, i.e. it is not possible to adjust its format.
18175 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18177 There's no direct mapping from this command to the CLI.
18179 @subsubheading Example
18181 Disassemble from the current value of @code{$pc} to @code{$pc + 20}:
18185 -data-disassemble -s $pc -e "$pc + 20" -- 0
18188 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
18189 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
18190 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
18191 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
18192 @{address="0x000107c8",func-name="main",offset="12",
18193 inst="or %o2, 0x140, %o1\t! 0x11940 <_lib_version+8>"@},
18194 @{address="0x000107cc",func-name="main",offset="16",
18195 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
18196 @{address="0x000107d0",func-name="main",offset="20",
18197 inst="or %o2, 0x168, %o4\t! 0x11968 <_lib_version+48>"@}]
18201 Disassemble the whole @code{main} function. Line 32 is part of
18205 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -- 0
18207 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
18208 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
18209 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
18210 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
18211 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
18212 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@},
18214 @{address="0x0001081c",func-name="main",offset="96",inst="ret "@},
18215 @{address="0x00010820",func-name="main",offset="100",inst="restore "@}]
18219 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main}:
18223 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 0
18225 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
18226 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@},
18227 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
18228 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
18229 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
18230 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]
18234 Disassemble 3 instructions from the start of @code{main} in mixed mode:
18238 -data-disassemble -f basics.c -l 32 -n 3 -- 1
18240 src_and_asm_line=@{line="31",
18241 file="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb/ \
18242 testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line_asm_insn=[
18243 @{address="0x000107bc",func-name="main",offset="0",
18244 inst="save %sp, -112, %sp"@}]@},
18245 src_and_asm_line=@{line="32",
18246 file="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb/ \
18247 testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line_asm_insn=[
18248 @{address="0x000107c0",func-name="main",offset="4",
18249 inst="mov 2, %o0"@},
18250 @{address="0x000107c4",func-name="main",offset="8",
18251 inst="sethi %hi(0x11800), %o2"@}]@}]
18256 @subheading The @code{-data-evaluate-expression} Command
18257 @findex -data-evaluate-expression
18259 @subsubheading Synopsis
18262 -data-evaluate-expression @var{expr}
18265 Evaluate @var{expr} as an expression. The expression could contain an
18266 inferior function call. The function call will execute synchronously.
18267 If the expression contains spaces, it must be enclosed in double quotes.
18269 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18271 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{print}, @samp{output}, and
18272 @samp{call}. In @code{gdbtk} only, there's a corresponding
18273 @samp{gdb_eval} command.
18275 @subsubheading Example
18277 In the following example, the numbers that precede the commands are the
18278 @dfn{tokens} described in @ref{GDB/MI Command Syntax, ,@sc{gdb/mi}
18279 Command Syntax}. Notice how @sc{gdb/mi} returns the same tokens in its
18283 211-data-evaluate-expression A
18286 311-data-evaluate-expression &A
18287 311^done,value="0xefffeb7c"
18289 411-data-evaluate-expression A+3
18292 511-data-evaluate-expression "A + 3"
18298 @subheading The @code{-data-list-changed-registers} Command
18299 @findex -data-list-changed-registers
18301 @subsubheading Synopsis
18304 -data-list-changed-registers
18307 Display a list of the registers that have changed.
18309 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18311 @value{GDBN} doesn't have a direct analog for this command; @code{gdbtk}
18312 has the corresponding command @samp{gdb_changed_register_list}.
18314 @subsubheading Example
18316 On a PPC MBX board:
18324 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",bkptno="1",frame=@{func="main",
18325 args=[],file="try.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="5"@}
18327 -data-list-changed-registers
18328 ^done,changed-registers=["0","1","2","4","5","6","7","8","9",
18329 "10","11","13","14","15","16","17","18","19","20","21","22","23",
18330 "24","25","26","27","28","30","31","64","65","66","67","69"]
18335 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-names} Command
18336 @findex -data-list-register-names
18338 @subsubheading Synopsis
18341 -data-list-register-names [ ( @var{regno} )+ ]
18344 Show a list of register names for the current target. If no arguments
18345 are given, it shows a list of the names of all the registers. If
18346 integer numbers are given as arguments, it will print a list of the
18347 names of the registers corresponding to the arguments. To ensure
18348 consistency between a register name and its number, the output list may
18349 include empty register names.
18351 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18353 @value{GDBN} does not have a command which corresponds to
18354 @samp{-data-list-register-names}. In @code{gdbtk} there is a
18355 corresponding command @samp{gdb_regnames}.
18357 @subsubheading Example
18359 For the PPC MBX board:
18362 -data-list-register-names
18363 ^done,register-names=["r0","r1","r2","r3","r4","r5","r6","r7",
18364 "r8","r9","r10","r11","r12","r13","r14","r15","r16","r17","r18",
18365 "r19","r20","r21","r22","r23","r24","r25","r26","r27","r28","r29",
18366 "r30","r31","f0","f1","f2","f3","f4","f5","f6","f7","f8","f9",
18367 "f10","f11","f12","f13","f14","f15","f16","f17","f18","f19","f20",
18368 "f21","f22","f23","f24","f25","f26","f27","f28","f29","f30","f31",
18369 "", "pc","ps","cr","lr","ctr","xer"]
18371 -data-list-register-names 1 2 3
18372 ^done,register-names=["r1","r2","r3"]
18376 @subheading The @code{-data-list-register-values} Command
18377 @findex -data-list-register-values
18379 @subsubheading Synopsis
18382 -data-list-register-values @var{fmt} [ ( @var{regno} )*]
18385 Display the registers' contents. @var{fmt} is the format according to
18386 which the registers' contents are to be returned, followed by an optional
18387 list of numbers specifying the registers to display. A missing list of
18388 numbers indicates that the contents of all the registers must be returned.
18390 Allowed formats for @var{fmt} are:
18407 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18409 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{info reg}, @samp{info
18410 all-reg}, and (in @code{gdbtk}) @samp{gdb_fetch_registers}.
18412 @subsubheading Example
18414 For a PPC MBX board (note: line breaks are for readability only, they
18415 don't appear in the actual output):
18419 -data-list-register-values r 64 65
18420 ^done,register-values=[@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
18421 @{number="65",value="0x00029002"@}]
18423 -data-list-register-values x
18424 ^done,register-values=[@{number="0",value="0xfe0043c8"@},
18425 @{number="1",value="0x3fff88"@},@{number="2",value="0xfffffffe"@},
18426 @{number="3",value="0x0"@},@{number="4",value="0xa"@},
18427 @{number="5",value="0x3fff68"@},@{number="6",value="0x3fff58"@},
18428 @{number="7",value="0xfe011e98"@},@{number="8",value="0x2"@},
18429 @{number="9",value="0xfa202820"@},@{number="10",value="0xfa202808"@},
18430 @{number="11",value="0x1"@},@{number="12",value="0x0"@},
18431 @{number="13",value="0x4544"@},@{number="14",value="0xffdfffff"@},
18432 @{number="15",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="16",value="0xfffffeff"@},
18433 @{number="17",value="0xefffffed"@},@{number="18",value="0xfffffffe"@},
18434 @{number="19",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="20",value="0xffffffff"@},
18435 @{number="21",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="22",value="0xfffffff7"@},
18436 @{number="23",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="24",value="0xffffffff"@},
18437 @{number="25",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="26",value="0xfffffffb"@},
18438 @{number="27",value="0xffffffff"@},@{number="28",value="0xf7bfffff"@},
18439 @{number="29",value="0x0"@},@{number="30",value="0xfe010000"@},
18440 @{number="31",value="0x0"@},@{number="32",value="0x0"@},
18441 @{number="33",value="0x0"@},@{number="34",value="0x0"@},
18442 @{number="35",value="0x0"@},@{number="36",value="0x0"@},
18443 @{number="37",value="0x0"@},@{number="38",value="0x0"@},
18444 @{number="39",value="0x0"@},@{number="40",value="0x0"@},
18445 @{number="41",value="0x0"@},@{number="42",value="0x0"@},
18446 @{number="43",value="0x0"@},@{number="44",value="0x0"@},
18447 @{number="45",value="0x0"@},@{number="46",value="0x0"@},
18448 @{number="47",value="0x0"@},@{number="48",value="0x0"@},
18449 @{number="49",value="0x0"@},@{number="50",value="0x0"@},
18450 @{number="51",value="0x0"@},@{number="52",value="0x0"@},
18451 @{number="53",value="0x0"@},@{number="54",value="0x0"@},
18452 @{number="55",value="0x0"@},@{number="56",value="0x0"@},
18453 @{number="57",value="0x0"@},@{number="58",value="0x0"@},
18454 @{number="59",value="0x0"@},@{number="60",value="0x0"@},
18455 @{number="61",value="0x0"@},@{number="62",value="0x0"@},
18456 @{number="63",value="0x0"@},@{number="64",value="0xfe00a300"@},
18457 @{number="65",value="0x29002"@},@{number="66",value="0x202f04b5"@},
18458 @{number="67",value="0xfe0043b0"@},@{number="68",value="0xfe00b3e4"@},
18459 @{number="69",value="0x20002b03"@}]
18464 @subheading The @code{-data-read-memory} Command
18465 @findex -data-read-memory
18467 @subsubheading Synopsis
18470 -data-read-memory [ -o @var{byte-offset} ]
18471 @var{address} @var{word-format} @var{word-size}
18472 @var{nr-rows} @var{nr-cols} [ @var{aschar} ]
18479 @item @var{address}
18480 An expression specifying the address of the first memory word to be
18481 read. Complex expressions containing embedded white space should be
18482 quoted using the C convention.
18484 @item @var{word-format}
18485 The format to be used to print the memory words. The notation is the
18486 same as for @value{GDBN}'s @code{print} command (@pxref{Output Formats,
18489 @item @var{word-size}
18490 The size of each memory word in bytes.
18492 @item @var{nr-rows}
18493 The number of rows in the output table.
18495 @item @var{nr-cols}
18496 The number of columns in the output table.
18499 If present, indicates that each row should include an @sc{ascii} dump. The
18500 value of @var{aschar} is used as a padding character when a byte is not a
18501 member of the printable @sc{ascii} character set (printable @sc{ascii}
18502 characters are those whose code is between 32 and 126, inclusively).
18504 @item @var{byte-offset}
18505 An offset to add to the @var{address} before fetching memory.
18508 This command displays memory contents as a table of @var{nr-rows} by
18509 @var{nr-cols} words, each word being @var{word-size} bytes. In total,
18510 @code{@var{nr-rows} * @var{nr-cols} * @var{word-size}} bytes are read
18511 (returned as @samp{total-bytes}). Should less than the requested number
18512 of bytes be returned by the target, the missing words are identified
18513 using @samp{N/A}. The number of bytes read from the target is returned
18514 in @samp{nr-bytes} and the starting address used to read memory in
18517 The address of the next/previous row or page is available in
18518 @samp{next-row} and @samp{prev-row}, @samp{next-page} and
18521 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18523 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{x}. @code{gdbtk} has
18524 @samp{gdb_get_mem} memory read command.
18526 @subsubheading Example
18528 Read six bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+6} but then offset by
18529 @code{-6} bytes. Format as three rows of two columns. One byte per
18530 word. Display each word in hex.
18534 9-data-read-memory -o -6 -- bytes+6 x 1 3 2
18535 9^done,addr="0x00001390",nr-bytes="6",total-bytes="6",
18536 next-row="0x00001396",prev-row="0x0000138e",next-page="0x00001396",
18537 prev-page="0x0000138a",memory=[
18538 @{addr="0x00001390",data=["0x00","0x01"]@},
18539 @{addr="0x00001392",data=["0x02","0x03"]@},
18540 @{addr="0x00001394",data=["0x04","0x05"]@}]
18544 Read two bytes of memory starting at address @code{shorts + 64} and
18545 display as a single word formatted in decimal.
18549 5-data-read-memory shorts+64 d 2 1 1
18550 5^done,addr="0x00001510",nr-bytes="2",total-bytes="2",
18551 next-row="0x00001512",prev-row="0x0000150e",
18552 next-page="0x00001512",prev-page="0x0000150e",memory=[
18553 @{addr="0x00001510",data=["128"]@}]
18557 Read thirty two bytes of memory starting at @code{bytes+16} and format
18558 as eight rows of four columns. Include a string encoding with @samp{x}
18559 used as the non-printable character.
18563 4-data-read-memory bytes+16 x 1 8 4 x
18564 4^done,addr="0x000013a0",nr-bytes="32",total-bytes="32",
18565 next-row="0x000013c0",prev-row="0x0000139c",
18566 next-page="0x000013c0",prev-page="0x00001380",memory=[
18567 @{addr="0x000013a0",data=["0x10","0x11","0x12","0x13"],ascii="xxxx"@},
18568 @{addr="0x000013a4",data=["0x14","0x15","0x16","0x17"],ascii="xxxx"@},
18569 @{addr="0x000013a8",data=["0x18","0x19","0x1a","0x1b"],ascii="xxxx"@},
18570 @{addr="0x000013ac",data=["0x1c","0x1d","0x1e","0x1f"],ascii="xxxx"@},
18571 @{addr="0x000013b0",data=["0x20","0x21","0x22","0x23"],ascii=" !\"#"@},
18572 @{addr="0x000013b4",data=["0x24","0x25","0x26","0x27"],ascii="$%&'"@},
18573 @{addr="0x000013b8",data=["0x28","0x29","0x2a","0x2b"],ascii="()*+"@},
18574 @{addr="0x000013bc",data=["0x2c","0x2d","0x2e","0x2f"],ascii=",-./"@}]
18578 @subheading The @code{-display-delete} Command
18579 @findex -display-delete
18581 @subsubheading Synopsis
18584 -display-delete @var{number}
18587 Delete the display @var{number}.
18589 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18591 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{delete display}.
18593 @subsubheading Example
18597 @subheading The @code{-display-disable} Command
18598 @findex -display-disable
18600 @subsubheading Synopsis
18603 -display-disable @var{number}
18606 Disable display @var{number}.
18608 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18610 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disable display}.
18612 @subsubheading Example
18616 @subheading The @code{-display-enable} Command
18617 @findex -display-enable
18619 @subsubheading Synopsis
18622 -display-enable @var{number}
18625 Enable display @var{number}.
18627 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18629 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{enable display}.
18631 @subsubheading Example
18635 @subheading The @code{-display-insert} Command
18636 @findex -display-insert
18638 @subsubheading Synopsis
18641 -display-insert @var{expression}
18644 Display @var{expression} every time the program stops.
18646 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18648 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{display}.
18650 @subsubheading Example
18654 @subheading The @code{-display-list} Command
18655 @findex -display-list
18657 @subsubheading Synopsis
18663 List the displays. Do not show the current values.
18665 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18667 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info display}.
18669 @subsubheading Example
18673 @subheading The @code{-environment-cd} Command
18674 @findex -environment-cd
18676 @subsubheading Synopsis
18679 -environment-cd @var{pathdir}
18682 Set @value{GDBN}'s working directory.
18684 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18686 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{cd}.
18688 @subsubheading Example
18692 -environment-cd /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
18698 @subheading The @code{-environment-directory} Command
18699 @findex -environment-directory
18701 @subsubheading Synopsis
18704 -environment-directory [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
18707 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for source files.
18708 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the default
18709 search path. If directories @var{pathdir} are supplied in addition to the
18710 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
18712 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
18713 multiple directories in a single command
18714 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
18715 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
18716 If blanks are needed as
18717 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
18718 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
18719 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-seperator
18720 character must not be used
18721 in any directory name.
18722 If no directories are specified, the current search path is displayed.
18724 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18726 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{dir}.
18728 @subsubheading Example
18732 -environment-directory /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb
18733 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
18735 -environment-directory ""
18736 ^done,source-path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb:$cdir:$cwd"
18738 -environment-directory -r /home/jjohnstn/src/gdb /usr/src
18739 ^done,source-path="/home/jjohnstn/src/gdb:/usr/src:$cdir:$cwd"
18741 -environment-directory -r
18742 ^done,source-path="$cdir:$cwd"
18747 @subheading The @code{-environment-path} Command
18748 @findex -environment-path
18750 @subsubheading Synopsis
18753 -environment-path [ -r ] [ @var{pathdir} ]+
18756 Add directories @var{pathdir} to beginning of search path for object files.
18757 If the @samp{-r} option is used, the search path is reset to the original
18758 search path that existed at gdb start-up. If directories @var{pathdir} are
18759 supplied in addition to the
18760 @samp{-r} option, the search path is first reset and then addition
18762 Multiple directories may be specified, separated by blanks. Specifying
18763 multiple directories in a single command
18764 results in the directories added to the beginning of the
18765 search path in the same order they were presented in the command.
18766 If blanks are needed as
18767 part of a directory name, double-quotes should be used around
18768 the name. In the command output, the path will show up separated
18769 by the system directory-separator character. The directory-seperator
18770 character must not be used
18771 in any directory name.
18772 If no directories are specified, the current path is displayed.
18775 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18777 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{path}.
18779 @subsubheading Example
18784 ^done,path="/usr/bin"
18786 -environment-path /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb /bin
18787 ^done,path="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/ppc-eabi/gdb:/bin:/usr/bin"
18789 -environment-path -r /usr/local/bin
18790 ^done,path="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin"
18795 @subheading The @code{-environment-pwd} Command
18796 @findex -environment-pwd
18798 @subsubheading Synopsis
18804 Show the current working directory.
18806 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} command
18808 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{pwd}.
18810 @subsubheading Example
18815 ^done,cwd="/kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/flathead-dev/devo/gdb"
18819 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
18820 @node GDB/MI Program Control
18821 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Program control
18823 @subsubheading Program termination
18825 As a result of execution, the inferior program can run to completion, if
18826 it doesn't encounter any breakpoints. In this case the output will
18827 include an exit code, if the program has exited exceptionally.
18829 @subsubheading Examples
18832 Program exited normally:
18840 *stopped,reason="exited-normally"
18845 Program exited exceptionally:
18853 *stopped,reason="exited",exit-code="01"
18857 Another way the program can terminate is if it receives a signal such as
18858 @code{SIGINT}. In this case, @sc{gdb/mi} displays this:
18862 *stopped,reason="exited-signalled",signal-name="SIGINT",
18863 signal-meaning="Interrupt"
18867 @subheading The @code{-exec-abort} Command
18868 @findex -exec-abort
18870 @subsubheading Synopsis
18876 Kill the inferior running program.
18878 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18880 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{kill}.
18882 @subsubheading Example
18886 @subheading The @code{-exec-arguments} Command
18887 @findex -exec-arguments
18889 @subsubheading Synopsis
18892 -exec-arguments @var{args}
18895 Set the inferior program arguments, to be used in the next
18898 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18900 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set args}.
18902 @subsubheading Example
18905 Don't have one around.
18908 @subheading The @code{-exec-continue} Command
18909 @findex -exec-continue
18911 @subsubheading Synopsis
18917 Asynchronous command. Resumes the execution of the inferior program
18918 until a breakpoint is encountered, or until the inferior exits.
18920 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18922 The corresponding @value{GDBN} corresponding is @samp{continue}.
18924 @subsubheading Example
18931 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",bkptno="2",frame=@{func="foo",args=[],
18932 file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",line="13"@}
18937 @subheading The @code{-exec-finish} Command
18938 @findex -exec-finish
18940 @subsubheading Synopsis
18946 Asynchronous command. Resumes the execution of the inferior program
18947 until the current function is exited. Displays the results returned by
18950 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
18952 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{finish}.
18954 @subsubheading Example
18956 Function returning @code{void}.
18963 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
18964 file="hello.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/hello.c",line="7"@}
18968 Function returning other than @code{void}. The name of the internal
18969 @value{GDBN} variable storing the result is printed, together with the
18976 *stopped,reason="function-finished",frame=@{addr="0x000107b0",func="foo",
18977 args=[@{name="a",value="1"],@{name="b",value="9"@}@},
18978 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
18979 gdb-result-var="$1",return-value="0"
18984 @subheading The @code{-exec-interrupt} Command
18985 @findex -exec-interrupt
18987 @subsubheading Synopsis
18993 Asynchronous command. Interrupts the background execution of the target.
18994 Note how the token associated with the stop message is the one for the
18995 execution command that has been interrupted. The token for the interrupt
18996 itself only appears in the @samp{^done} output. If the user is trying to
18997 interrupt a non-running program, an error message will be printed.
18999 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19001 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interrupt}.
19003 @subsubheading Example
19014 111*stopped,signal-name="SIGINT",signal-meaning="Interrupt",
19015 frame=@{addr="0x00010140",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
19016 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="13"@}
19021 ^error,msg="mi_cmd_exec_interrupt: Inferior not executing."
19026 @subheading The @code{-exec-next} Command
19029 @subsubheading Synopsis
19035 Asynchronous command. Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping
19036 when the beginning of the next source line is reached.
19038 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19040 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{next}.
19042 @subsubheading Example
19048 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="8",file="hello.c"
19053 @subheading The @code{-exec-next-instruction} Command
19054 @findex -exec-next-instruction
19056 @subsubheading Synopsis
19059 -exec-next-instruction
19062 Asynchronous command. Executes one machine instruction. If the
19063 instruction is a function call continues until the function returns. If
19064 the program stops at an instruction in the middle of a source line, the
19065 address will be printed as well.
19067 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19069 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{nexti}.
19071 @subsubheading Example
19075 -exec-next-instruction
19079 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
19080 addr="0x000100d4",line="5",file="hello.c"
19085 @subheading The @code{-exec-return} Command
19086 @findex -exec-return
19088 @subsubheading Synopsis
19094 Makes current function return immediately. Doesn't execute the inferior.
19095 Displays the new current frame.
19097 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19099 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{return}.
19101 @subsubheading Example
19105 200-break-insert callee4
19106 200^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x00010734",
19107 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@}
19112 000*stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",bkptno="1",
19113 frame=@{func="callee4",args=[],
19114 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
19115 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@}
19121 111^done,frame=@{level="0",func="callee3",
19122 args=[@{name="strarg",
19123 value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}],
19124 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
19125 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="18"@}
19130 @subheading The @code{-exec-run} Command
19133 @subsubheading Synopsis
19139 Asynchronous command. Starts execution of the inferior from the
19140 beginning. The inferior executes until either a breakpoint is
19141 encountered or the program exits.
19143 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19145 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{run}.
19147 @subsubheading Example
19152 ^done,bkpt=@{number="1",addr="0x0001072c",file="recursive2.c",line="4"@}
19157 *stopped,reason="breakpoint-hit",bkptno="1",
19158 frame=@{func="main",args=[],file="recursive2.c",
19159 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4"@}
19164 @subheading The @code{-exec-show-arguments} Command
19165 @findex -exec-show-arguments
19167 @subsubheading Synopsis
19170 -exec-show-arguments
19173 Print the arguments of the program.
19175 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19177 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show args}.
19179 @subsubheading Example
19182 @c @subheading -exec-signal
19184 @subheading The @code{-exec-step} Command
19187 @subsubheading Synopsis
19193 Asynchronous command. Resumes execution of the inferior program, stopping
19194 when the beginning of the next source line is reached, if the next
19195 source line is not a function call. If it is, stop at the first
19196 instruction of the called function.
19198 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19200 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{step}.
19202 @subsubheading Example
19204 Stepping into a function:
19210 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
19211 frame=@{func="foo",args=[@{name="a",value="10"@},
19212 @{name="b",value="0"@}],file="recursive2.c",
19213 fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11"@}
19223 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",line="14",file="recursive2.c"
19228 @subheading The @code{-exec-step-instruction} Command
19229 @findex -exec-step-instruction
19231 @subsubheading Synopsis
19234 -exec-step-instruction
19237 Asynchronous command. Resumes the inferior which executes one machine
19238 instruction. The output, once @value{GDBN} has stopped, will vary depending on
19239 whether we have stopped in the middle of a source line or not. In the
19240 former case, the address at which the program stopped will be printed as
19243 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19245 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{stepi}.
19247 @subsubheading Example
19251 -exec-step-instruction
19255 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
19256 frame=@{func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
19257 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10"@}
19259 -exec-step-instruction
19263 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",
19264 frame=@{addr="0x000100f4",func="foo",args=[],file="try.c",
19265 fullname="/home/foo/bar/try.c",line="10"@}
19270 @subheading The @code{-exec-until} Command
19271 @findex -exec-until
19273 @subsubheading Synopsis
19276 -exec-until [ @var{location} ]
19279 Asynchronous command. Executes the inferior until the @var{location}
19280 specified in the argument is reached. If there is no argument, the inferior
19281 executes until a source line greater than the current one is reached.
19282 The reason for stopping in this case will be @samp{location-reached}.
19284 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19286 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{until}.
19288 @subsubheading Example
19292 -exec-until recursive2.c:6
19296 *stopped,reason="location-reached",frame=@{func="main",args=[],
19297 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="6"@}
19302 @subheading -file-clear
19303 Is this going away????
19307 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-and-symbols} Command
19308 @findex -file-exec-and-symbols
19310 @subsubheading Synopsis
19313 -file-exec-and-symbols @var{file}
19316 Specify the executable file to be debugged. This file is the one from
19317 which the symbol table is also read. If no file is specified, the
19318 command clears the executable and symbol information. If breakpoints
19319 are set when using this command with no arguments, @value{GDBN} will produce
19320 error messages. Otherwise, no output is produced, except a completion
19323 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19325 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{file}.
19327 @subsubheading Example
19331 -file-exec-and-symbols /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
19337 @subheading The @code{-file-exec-file} Command
19338 @findex -file-exec-file
19340 @subsubheading Synopsis
19343 -file-exec-file @var{file}
19346 Specify the executable file to be debugged. Unlike
19347 @samp{-file-exec-and-symbols}, the symbol table is @emph{not} read
19348 from this file. If used without argument, @value{GDBN} clears the information
19349 about the executable file. No output is produced, except a completion
19352 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19354 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{exec-file}.
19356 @subsubheading Example
19360 -file-exec-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
19366 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-sections} Command
19367 @findex -file-list-exec-sections
19369 @subsubheading Synopsis
19372 -file-list-exec-sections
19375 List the sections of the current executable file.
19377 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19379 The @value{GDBN} command @samp{info file} shows, among the rest, the same
19380 information as this command. @code{gdbtk} has a corresponding command
19381 @samp{gdb_load_info}.
19383 @subsubheading Example
19387 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-file} Command
19388 @findex -file-list-exec-source-file
19390 @subsubheading Synopsis
19393 -file-list-exec-source-file
19396 List the line number, the current source file, and the absolute path
19397 to the current source file for the current executable.
19399 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19401 There's no @value{GDBN} command which directly corresponds to this one.
19403 @subsubheading Example
19407 123-file-list-exec-source-file
19408 123^done,line="1",file="foo.c",fullname="/home/bar/foo.c"
19413 @subheading The @code{-file-list-exec-source-files} Command
19414 @findex -file-list-exec-source-files
19416 @subsubheading Synopsis
19419 -file-list-exec-source-files
19422 List the source files for the current executable.
19424 It will always output the filename, but only when GDB can find the absolute
19425 file name of a source file, will it output the fullname.
19427 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19429 There's no @value{GDBN} command which directly corresponds to this one.
19430 @code{gdbtk} has an analogous command @samp{gdb_listfiles}.
19432 @subsubheading Example
19435 -file-list-exec-source-files
19437 @{file=foo.c,fullname=/home/foo.c@},
19438 @{file=/home/bar.c,fullname=/home/bar.c@},
19439 @{file=gdb_could_not_find_fullpath.c@}]
19443 @subheading The @code{-file-list-shared-libraries} Command
19444 @findex -file-list-shared-libraries
19446 @subsubheading Synopsis
19449 -file-list-shared-libraries
19452 List the shared libraries in the program.
19454 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19456 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info shared}.
19458 @subsubheading Example
19462 @subheading The @code{-file-list-symbol-files} Command
19463 @findex -file-list-symbol-files
19465 @subsubheading Synopsis
19468 -file-list-symbol-files
19473 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19475 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info file} (part of it).
19477 @subsubheading Example
19481 @subheading The @code{-file-symbol-file} Command
19482 @findex -file-symbol-file
19484 @subsubheading Synopsis
19487 -file-symbol-file @var{file}
19490 Read symbol table info from the specified @var{file} argument. When
19491 used without arguments, clears @value{GDBN}'s symbol table info. No output is
19492 produced, except for a completion notification.
19494 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19496 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{symbol-file}.
19498 @subsubheading Example
19502 -file-symbol-file /kwikemart/marge/ezannoni/TRUNK/mbx/hello.mbx
19507 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
19508 @node GDB/MI Miscellaneous Commands
19509 @section Miscellaneous @value{GDBN} commands in @sc{gdb/mi}
19511 @c @subheading -gdb-complete
19513 @subheading The @code{-gdb-exit} Command
19516 @subsubheading Synopsis
19522 Exit @value{GDBN} immediately.
19524 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19526 Approximately corresponds to @samp{quit}.
19528 @subsubheading Example
19535 @subheading The @code{-gdb-set} Command
19538 @subsubheading Synopsis
19544 Set an internal @value{GDBN} variable.
19545 @c IS THIS A DOLLAR VARIABLE? OR SOMETHING LIKE ANNOTATE ?????
19547 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19549 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set}.
19551 @subsubheading Example
19561 @subheading The @code{-gdb-show} Command
19564 @subsubheading Synopsis
19570 Show the current value of a @value{GDBN} variable.
19572 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} command
19574 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show}.
19576 @subsubheading Example
19585 @c @subheading -gdb-source
19588 @subheading The @code{-gdb-version} Command
19589 @findex -gdb-version
19591 @subsubheading Synopsis
19597 Show version information for @value{GDBN}. Used mostly in testing.
19599 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19601 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command. @value{GDBN} by default shows this
19602 information when you start an interactive session.
19604 @subsubheading Example
19606 @c This example modifies the actual output from GDB to avoid overfull
19612 ~Copyright 2000 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
19613 ~GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License, and
19614 ~you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it under
19615 ~ certain conditions.
19616 ~Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
19617 ~There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty" for
19619 ~This GDB was configured as
19620 "--host=sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1 --target=ppc-eabi".
19625 @subheading The @code{-interpreter-exec} Command
19626 @findex -interpreter-exec
19628 @subheading Synopsis
19631 -interpreter-exec @var{interpreter} @var{command}
19634 Execute the specified @var{command} in the given @var{interpreter}.
19636 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
19638 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{interpreter-exec}.
19640 @subheading Example
19644 -interpreter-exec console "break main"
19645 &"During symbol reading, couldn't parse type; debugger out of date?.\n"
19646 &"During symbol reading, bad structure-type format.\n"
19647 ~"Breakpoint 1 at 0x8074fc6: file ../../src/gdb/main.c, line 743.\n"
19652 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-set} Command
19653 @findex -inferior-tty-set
19655 @subheading Synopsis
19658 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
19661 Set terminal for future runs of the program being debugged.
19663 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
19665 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{set inferior-tty /dev/pts/1}.
19667 @subheading Example
19671 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
19676 @subheading The @code{-inferior-tty-show} Command
19677 @findex -inferior-tty-show
19679 @subheading Synopsis
19685 Show terminal for future runs of program being debugged.
19687 @subheading @value{GDBN} Command
19689 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{show inferior-tty}.
19691 @subheading Example
19695 -inferior-tty-set /dev/pts/1
19699 ^done,inferior_tty_terminal="/dev/pts/1"
19704 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
19705 @node GDB/MI Kod Commands
19706 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Kod Commands
19708 The Kod commands are not implemented.
19710 @c @subheading -kod-info
19712 @c @subheading -kod-list
19714 @c @subheading -kod-list-object-types
19716 @c @subheading -kod-show
19718 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
19719 @node GDB/MI Memory Overlay Commands
19720 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Memory Overlay Commands
19722 The memory overlay commands are not implemented.
19724 @c @subheading -overlay-auto
19726 @c @subheading -overlay-list-mapping-state
19728 @c @subheading -overlay-list-overlays
19730 @c @subheading -overlay-map
19732 @c @subheading -overlay-off
19734 @c @subheading -overlay-on
19736 @c @subheading -overlay-unmap
19738 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
19739 @node GDB/MI Signal Handling Commands
19740 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Signal Handling Commands
19742 Signal handling commands are not implemented.
19744 @c @subheading -signal-handle
19746 @c @subheading -signal-list-handle-actions
19748 @c @subheading -signal-list-signal-types
19752 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
19753 @node GDB/MI Stack Manipulation
19754 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Stack Manipulation Commands
19757 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-frame} Command
19758 @findex -stack-info-frame
19760 @subsubheading Synopsis
19766 Get info on the selected frame.
19768 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19770 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info frame} or @samp{frame}
19771 (without arguments).
19773 @subsubheading Example
19778 ^done,frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
19779 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
19780 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17"@}
19784 @subheading The @code{-stack-info-depth} Command
19785 @findex -stack-info-depth
19787 @subsubheading Synopsis
19790 -stack-info-depth [ @var{max-depth} ]
19793 Return the depth of the stack. If the integer argument @var{max-depth}
19794 is specified, do not count beyond @var{max-depth} frames.
19796 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19798 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
19800 @subsubheading Example
19802 For a stack with frame levels 0 through 11:
19809 -stack-info-depth 4
19812 -stack-info-depth 12
19815 -stack-info-depth 11
19818 -stack-info-depth 13
19823 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-arguments} Command
19824 @findex -stack-list-arguments
19826 @subsubheading Synopsis
19829 -stack-list-arguments @var{show-values}
19830 [ @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
19833 Display a list of the arguments for the frames between @var{low-frame}
19834 and @var{high-frame} (inclusive). If @var{low-frame} and
19835 @var{high-frame} are not provided, list the arguments for the whole call
19838 The @var{show-values} argument must have a value of 0 or 1. A value of
19839 0 means that only the names of the arguments are listed, a value of 1
19840 means that both names and values of the arguments are printed.
19842 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19844 @value{GDBN} does not have an equivalent command. @code{gdbtk} has a
19845 @samp{gdb_get_args} command which partially overlaps with the
19846 functionality of @samp{-stack-list-arguments}.
19848 @subsubheading Example
19855 frame=@{level="0",addr="0x00010734",func="callee4",
19856 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
19857 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="8"@},
19858 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x0001076c",func="callee3",
19859 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
19860 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="17"@},
19861 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x0001078c",func="callee2",
19862 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
19863 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="22"@},
19864 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107b4",func="callee1",
19865 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
19866 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="27"@},
19867 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107e0",func="main",
19868 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",
19869 fullname="/home/foo/bar/devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.mi/basics.c",line="32"@}]
19871 -stack-list-arguments 0
19874 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
19875 frame=@{level="1",args=[name="strarg"]@},
19876 frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@},
19877 frame=@{level="3",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg",name="fltarg"]@},
19878 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
19880 -stack-list-arguments 1
19883 frame=@{level="0",args=[]@},
19885 args=[@{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
19886 frame=@{level="2",args=[
19887 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
19888 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@},
19889 @{frame=@{level="3",args=[
19890 @{name="intarg",value="2"@},
19891 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@},
19892 @{name="fltarg",value="3.5"@}]@},
19893 frame=@{level="4",args=[]@}]
19895 -stack-list-arguments 0 2 2
19896 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",args=[name="intarg",name="strarg"]@}]
19898 -stack-list-arguments 1 2 2
19899 ^done,stack-args=[frame=@{level="2",
19900 args=[@{name="intarg",value="2"@},
19901 @{name="strarg",value="0x11940 \"A string argument.\""@}]@}]
19905 @c @subheading -stack-list-exception-handlers
19908 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-frames} Command
19909 @findex -stack-list-frames
19911 @subsubheading Synopsis
19914 -stack-list-frames [ @var{low-frame} @var{high-frame} ]
19917 List the frames currently on the stack. For each frame it displays the
19922 The frame number, 0 being the topmost frame, i.e. the innermost function.
19924 The @code{$pc} value for that frame.
19928 File name of the source file where the function lives.
19930 Line number corresponding to the @code{$pc}.
19933 If invoked without arguments, this command prints a backtrace for the
19934 whole stack. If given two integer arguments, it shows the frames whose
19935 levels are between the two arguments (inclusive). If the two arguments
19936 are equal, it shows the single frame at the corresponding level.
19938 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
19940 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{backtrace} and @samp{where}.
19942 @subsubheading Example
19944 Full stack backtrace:
19950 [frame=@{level="0",addr="0x0001076c",func="foo",
19951 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="11"@},
19952 frame=@{level="1",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19953 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19954 frame=@{level="2",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19955 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19956 frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19957 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19958 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19959 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19960 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19961 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19962 frame=@{level="6",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19963 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19964 frame=@{level="7",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19965 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19966 frame=@{level="8",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19967 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19968 frame=@{level="9",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19969 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19970 frame=@{level="10",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19971 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19972 frame=@{level="11",addr="0x00010738",func="main",
19973 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="4"@}]
19977 Show frames between @var{low_frame} and @var{high_frame}:
19981 -stack-list-frames 3 5
19983 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19984 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19985 frame=@{level="4",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19986 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@},
19987 frame=@{level="5",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19988 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@}]
19992 Show a single frame:
19996 -stack-list-frames 3 3
19998 [frame=@{level="3",addr="0x000107a4",func="foo",
19999 file="recursive2.c",fullname="/home/foo/bar/recursive2.c",line="14"@}]
20004 @subheading The @code{-stack-list-locals} Command
20005 @findex -stack-list-locals
20007 @subsubheading Synopsis
20010 -stack-list-locals @var{print-values}
20013 Display the local variable names for the selected frame. If
20014 @var{print-values} is 0 or @code{--no-values}, print only the names of
20015 the variables; if it is 1 or @code{--all-values}, print also their
20016 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values}, print the name,
20017 type and value for simple data types and the name and type for arrays,
20018 structures and unions. In this last case, a frontend can immediately
20019 display the value of simple data types and create variable objects for
20020 other data types when the the user wishes to explore their values in
20023 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20025 @samp{info locals} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_get_locals} in @code{gdbtk}.
20027 @subsubheading Example
20031 -stack-list-locals 0
20032 ^done,locals=[name="A",name="B",name="C"]
20034 -stack-list-locals --all-values
20035 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",value="1"@},@{name="B",value="2"@},
20036 @{name="C",value="@{1, 2, 3@}"@}]
20037 -stack-list-locals --simple-values
20038 ^done,locals=[@{name="A",type="int",value="1"@},
20039 @{name="B",type="int",value="2"@},@{name="C",type="int [3]"@}]
20044 @subheading The @code{-stack-select-frame} Command
20045 @findex -stack-select-frame
20047 @subsubheading Synopsis
20050 -stack-select-frame @var{framenum}
20053 Change the selected frame. Select a different frame @var{framenum} on
20056 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20058 The corresponding @value{GDBN} commands are @samp{frame}, @samp{up},
20059 @samp{down}, @samp{select-frame}, @samp{up-silent}, and @samp{down-silent}.
20061 @subsubheading Example
20065 -stack-select-frame 2
20070 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
20071 @node GDB/MI Symbol Query
20072 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Symbol Query Commands
20075 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-address} Command
20076 @findex -symbol-info-address
20078 @subsubheading Synopsis
20081 -symbol-info-address @var{symbol}
20084 Describe where @var{symbol} is stored.
20086 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20088 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info address}.
20090 @subsubheading Example
20094 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-file} Command
20095 @findex -symbol-info-file
20097 @subsubheading Synopsis
20103 Show the file for the symbol.
20105 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20107 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command. @code{gdbtk} has
20108 @samp{gdb_find_file}.
20110 @subsubheading Example
20114 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-function} Command
20115 @findex -symbol-info-function
20117 @subsubheading Synopsis
20120 -symbol-info-function
20123 Show which function the symbol lives in.
20125 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20127 @samp{gdb_get_function} in @code{gdbtk}.
20129 @subsubheading Example
20133 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-line} Command
20134 @findex -symbol-info-line
20136 @subsubheading Synopsis
20142 Show the core addresses of the code for a source line.
20144 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20146 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info line}.
20147 @code{gdbtk} has the @samp{gdb_get_line} and @samp{gdb_get_file} commands.
20149 @subsubheading Example
20153 @subheading The @code{-symbol-info-symbol} Command
20154 @findex -symbol-info-symbol
20156 @subsubheading Synopsis
20159 -symbol-info-symbol @var{addr}
20162 Describe what symbol is at location @var{addr}.
20164 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20166 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info symbol}.
20168 @subsubheading Example
20172 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-functions} Command
20173 @findex -symbol-list-functions
20175 @subsubheading Synopsis
20178 -symbol-list-functions
20181 List the functions in the executable.
20183 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20185 @samp{info functions} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_listfunc} and
20186 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
20188 @subsubheading Example
20192 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-lines} Command
20193 @findex -symbol-list-lines
20195 @subsubheading Synopsis
20198 -symbol-list-lines @var{filename}
20201 Print the list of lines that contain code and their associated program
20202 addresses for the given source filename. The entries are sorted in
20203 ascending PC order.
20205 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20207 There is no corresponding @value{GDBN} command.
20209 @subsubheading Example
20212 -symbol-list-lines basics.c
20213 ^done,lines=[@{pc="0x08048554",line="7"@},@{pc="0x0804855a",line="8"@}]
20218 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-types} Command
20219 @findex -symbol-list-types
20221 @subsubheading Synopsis
20227 List all the type names.
20229 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20231 The corresponding commands are @samp{info types} in @value{GDBN},
20232 @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
20234 @subsubheading Example
20238 @subheading The @code{-symbol-list-variables} Command
20239 @findex -symbol-list-variables
20241 @subsubheading Synopsis
20244 -symbol-list-variables
20247 List all the global and static variable names.
20249 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20251 @samp{info variables} in @value{GDBN}, @samp{gdb_search} in @code{gdbtk}.
20253 @subsubheading Example
20257 @subheading The @code{-symbol-locate} Command
20258 @findex -symbol-locate
20260 @subsubheading Synopsis
20266 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20268 @samp{gdb_loc} in @code{gdbtk}.
20270 @subsubheading Example
20274 @subheading The @code{-symbol-type} Command
20275 @findex -symbol-type
20277 @subsubheading Synopsis
20280 -symbol-type @var{variable}
20283 Show type of @var{variable}.
20285 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20287 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{ptype}, @code{gdbtk} has
20288 @samp{gdb_obj_variable}.
20290 @subsubheading Example
20294 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
20295 @node GDB/MI Target Manipulation
20296 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Target Manipulation Commands
20299 @subheading The @code{-target-attach} Command
20300 @findex -target-attach
20302 @subsubheading Synopsis
20305 -target-attach @var{pid} | @var{file}
20308 Attach to a process @var{pid} or a file @var{file} outside of @value{GDBN}.
20310 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} command
20312 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{attach}.
20314 @subsubheading Example
20318 @subheading The @code{-target-compare-sections} Command
20319 @findex -target-compare-sections
20321 @subsubheading Synopsis
20324 -target-compare-sections [ @var{section} ]
20327 Compare data of section @var{section} on target to the exec file.
20328 Without the argument, all sections are compared.
20330 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20332 The @value{GDBN} equivalent is @samp{compare-sections}.
20334 @subsubheading Example
20338 @subheading The @code{-target-detach} Command
20339 @findex -target-detach
20341 @subsubheading Synopsis
20347 Disconnect from the remote target. There's no output.
20349 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} command
20351 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{detach}.
20353 @subsubheading Example
20363 @subheading The @code{-target-disconnect} Command
20364 @findex -target-disconnect
20366 @subsubheading Synopsis
20372 Disconnect from the remote target. There's no output.
20374 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} command
20376 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{disconnect}.
20378 @subsubheading Example
20388 @subheading The @code{-target-download} Command
20389 @findex -target-download
20391 @subsubheading Synopsis
20397 Loads the executable onto the remote target.
20398 It prints out an update message every half second, which includes the fields:
20402 The name of the section.
20404 The size of what has been sent so far for that section.
20406 The size of the section.
20408 The total size of what was sent so far (the current and the previous sections).
20410 The size of the overall executable to download.
20414 Each message is sent as status record (@pxref{GDB/MI Output Syntax, ,
20415 @sc{gdb/mi} Output Syntax}).
20417 In addition, it prints the name and size of the sections, as they are
20418 downloaded. These messages include the following fields:
20422 The name of the section.
20424 The size of the section.
20426 The size of the overall executable to download.
20430 At the end, a summary is printed.
20432 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20434 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{load}.
20436 @subsubheading Example
20438 Note: each status message appears on a single line. Here the messages
20439 have been broken down so that they can fit onto a page.
20444 +download,@{section=".text",section-size="6668",total-size="9880"@}
20445 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="512",section-size="6668",
20446 total-sent="512",total-size="9880"@}
20447 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1024",section-size="6668",
20448 total-sent="1024",total-size="9880"@}
20449 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="1536",section-size="6668",
20450 total-sent="1536",total-size="9880"@}
20451 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2048",section-size="6668",
20452 total-sent="2048",total-size="9880"@}
20453 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="2560",section-size="6668",
20454 total-sent="2560",total-size="9880"@}
20455 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3072",section-size="6668",
20456 total-sent="3072",total-size="9880"@}
20457 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="3584",section-size="6668",
20458 total-sent="3584",total-size="9880"@}
20459 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4096",section-size="6668",
20460 total-sent="4096",total-size="9880"@}
20461 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="4608",section-size="6668",
20462 total-sent="4608",total-size="9880"@}
20463 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5120",section-size="6668",
20464 total-sent="5120",total-size="9880"@}
20465 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="5632",section-size="6668",
20466 total-sent="5632",total-size="9880"@}
20467 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6144",section-size="6668",
20468 total-sent="6144",total-size="9880"@}
20469 +download,@{section=".text",section-sent="6656",section-size="6668",
20470 total-sent="6656",total-size="9880"@}
20471 +download,@{section=".init",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
20472 +download,@{section=".fini",section-size="28",total-size="9880"@}
20473 +download,@{section=".data",section-size="3156",total-size="9880"@}
20474 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="512",section-size="3156",
20475 total-sent="7236",total-size="9880"@}
20476 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1024",section-size="3156",
20477 total-sent="7748",total-size="9880"@}
20478 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="1536",section-size="3156",
20479 total-sent="8260",total-size="9880"@}
20480 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2048",section-size="3156",
20481 total-sent="8772",total-size="9880"@}
20482 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="2560",section-size="3156",
20483 total-sent="9284",total-size="9880"@}
20484 +download,@{section=".data",section-sent="3072",section-size="3156",
20485 total-sent="9796",total-size="9880"@}
20486 ^done,address="0x10004",load-size="9880",transfer-rate="6586",
20492 @subheading The @code{-target-exec-status} Command
20493 @findex -target-exec-status
20495 @subsubheading Synopsis
20498 -target-exec-status
20501 Provide information on the state of the target (whether it is running or
20502 not, for instance).
20504 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20506 There's no equivalent @value{GDBN} command.
20508 @subsubheading Example
20512 @subheading The @code{-target-list-available-targets} Command
20513 @findex -target-list-available-targets
20515 @subsubheading Synopsis
20518 -target-list-available-targets
20521 List the possible targets to connect to.
20523 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20525 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{help target}.
20527 @subsubheading Example
20531 @subheading The @code{-target-list-current-targets} Command
20532 @findex -target-list-current-targets
20534 @subsubheading Synopsis
20537 -target-list-current-targets
20540 Describe the current target.
20542 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20544 The corresponding information is printed by @samp{info file} (among
20547 @subsubheading Example
20551 @subheading The @code{-target-list-parameters} Command
20552 @findex -target-list-parameters
20554 @subsubheading Synopsis
20557 -target-list-parameters
20562 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20566 @subsubheading Example
20570 @subheading The @code{-target-select} Command
20571 @findex -target-select
20573 @subsubheading Synopsis
20576 -target-select @var{type} @var{parameters @dots{}}
20579 Connect @value{GDBN} to the remote target. This command takes two args:
20583 The type of target, for instance @samp{async}, @samp{remote}, etc.
20584 @item @var{parameters}
20585 Device names, host names and the like. @xref{Target Commands, ,
20586 Commands for managing targets}, for more details.
20589 The output is a connection notification, followed by the address at
20590 which the target program is, in the following form:
20593 ^connected,addr="@var{address}",func="@var{function name}",
20594 args=[@var{arg list}]
20597 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20599 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{target}.
20601 @subsubheading Example
20605 -target-select async /dev/ttya
20606 ^connected,addr="0xfe00a300",func="??",args=[]
20610 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
20611 @node GDB/MI Thread Commands
20612 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Thread Commands
20615 @subheading The @code{-thread-info} Command
20616 @findex -thread-info
20618 @subsubheading Synopsis
20624 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} command
20628 @subsubheading Example
20632 @subheading The @code{-thread-list-all-threads} Command
20633 @findex -thread-list-all-threads
20635 @subsubheading Synopsis
20638 -thread-list-all-threads
20641 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20643 The equivalent @value{GDBN} command is @samp{info threads}.
20645 @subsubheading Example
20649 @subheading The @code{-thread-list-ids} Command
20650 @findex -thread-list-ids
20652 @subsubheading Synopsis
20658 Produces a list of the currently known @value{GDBN} thread ids. At the
20659 end of the list it also prints the total number of such threads.
20661 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20663 Part of @samp{info threads} supplies the same information.
20665 @subsubheading Example
20667 No threads present, besides the main process:
20672 ^done,thread-ids=@{@},number-of-threads="0"
20682 ^done,thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
20683 number-of-threads="3"
20688 @subheading The @code{-thread-select} Command
20689 @findex -thread-select
20691 @subsubheading Synopsis
20694 -thread-select @var{threadnum}
20697 Make @var{threadnum} the current thread. It prints the number of the new
20698 current thread, and the topmost frame for that thread.
20700 @subsubheading @value{GDBN} Command
20702 The corresponding @value{GDBN} command is @samp{thread}.
20704 @subsubheading Example
20711 *stopped,reason="end-stepping-range",thread-id="2",line="187",
20712 file="../../../devo/gdb/testsuite/gdb.threads/linux-dp.c"
20716 thread-ids=@{thread-id="3",thread-id="2",thread-id="1"@},
20717 number-of-threads="3"
20720 ^done,new-thread-id="3",
20721 frame=@{level="0",func="vprintf",
20722 args=[@{name="format",value="0x8048e9c \"%*s%c %d %c\\n\""@},
20723 @{name="arg",value="0x2"@}],file="vprintf.c",line="31"@}
20727 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
20728 @node GDB/MI Tracepoint Commands
20729 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Tracepoint Commands
20731 The tracepoint commands are not yet implemented.
20733 @c @subheading -trace-actions
20735 @c @subheading -trace-delete
20737 @c @subheading -trace-disable
20739 @c @subheading -trace-dump
20741 @c @subheading -trace-enable
20743 @c @subheading -trace-exists
20745 @c @subheading -trace-find
20747 @c @subheading -trace-frame-number
20749 @c @subheading -trace-info
20751 @c @subheading -trace-insert
20753 @c @subheading -trace-list
20755 @c @subheading -trace-pass-count
20757 @c @subheading -trace-save
20759 @c @subheading -trace-start
20761 @c @subheading -trace-stop
20764 @c %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% SECTION %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
20765 @node GDB/MI Variable Objects
20766 @section @sc{gdb/mi} Variable Objects
20769 @subheading Motivation for Variable Objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
20771 For the implementation of a variable debugger window (locals, watched
20772 expressions, etc.), we are proposing the adaptation of the existing code
20773 used by @code{Insight}.
20775 The two main reasons for that are:
20779 It has been proven in practice (it is already on its second generation).
20782 It will shorten development time (needless to say how important it is
20786 The original interface was designed to be used by Tcl code, so it was
20787 slightly changed so it could be used through @sc{gdb/mi}. This section
20788 describes the @sc{gdb/mi} operations that will be available and gives some
20789 hints about their use.
20791 @emph{Note}: In addition to the set of operations described here, we
20792 expect the @sc{gui} implementation of a variable window to require, at
20793 least, the following operations:
20796 @item @code{-gdb-show} @code{output-radix}
20797 @item @code{-stack-list-arguments}
20798 @item @code{-stack-list-locals}
20799 @item @code{-stack-select-frame}
20802 @subheading Introduction to Variable Objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
20804 @cindex variable objects in @sc{gdb/mi}
20805 The basic idea behind variable objects is the creation of a named object
20806 to represent a variable, an expression, a memory location or even a CPU
20807 register. For each object created, a set of operations is available for
20808 examining or changing its properties.
20810 Furthermore, complex data types, such as C structures, are represented
20811 in a tree format. For instance, the @code{struct} type variable is the
20812 root and the children will represent the struct members. If a child
20813 is itself of a complex type, it will also have children of its own.
20814 Appropriate language differences are handled for C, C@t{++} and Java.
20816 When returning the actual values of the objects, this facility allows
20817 for the individual selection of the display format used in the result
20818 creation. It can be chosen among: binary, decimal, hexadecimal, octal
20819 and natural. Natural refers to a default format automatically
20820 chosen based on the variable type (like decimal for an @code{int}, hex
20821 for pointers, etc.).
20823 The following is the complete set of @sc{gdb/mi} operations defined to
20824 access this functionality:
20826 @multitable @columnfractions .4 .6
20827 @item @strong{Operation}
20828 @tab @strong{Description}
20830 @item @code{-var-create}
20831 @tab create a variable object
20832 @item @code{-var-delete}
20833 @tab delete the variable object and its children
20834 @item @code{-var-set-format}
20835 @tab set the display format of this variable
20836 @item @code{-var-show-format}
20837 @tab show the display format of this variable
20838 @item @code{-var-info-num-children}
20839 @tab tells how many children this object has
20840 @item @code{-var-list-children}
20841 @tab return a list of the object's children
20842 @item @code{-var-info-type}
20843 @tab show the type of this variable object
20844 @item @code{-var-info-expression}
20845 @tab print what this variable object represents
20846 @item @code{-var-show-attributes}
20847 @tab is this variable editable? does it exist here?
20848 @item @code{-var-evaluate-expression}
20849 @tab get the value of this variable
20850 @item @code{-var-assign}
20851 @tab set the value of this variable
20852 @item @code{-var-update}
20853 @tab update the variable and its children
20856 In the next subsection we describe each operation in detail and suggest
20857 how it can be used.
20859 @subheading Description And Use of Operations on Variable Objects
20861 @subheading The @code{-var-create} Command
20862 @findex -var-create
20864 @subsubheading Synopsis
20867 -var-create @{@var{name} | "-"@}
20868 @{@var{frame-addr} | "*"@} @var{expression}
20871 This operation creates a variable object, which allows the monitoring of
20872 a variable, the result of an expression, a memory cell or a CPU
20875 The @var{name} parameter is the string by which the object can be
20876 referenced. It must be unique. If @samp{-} is specified, the varobj
20877 system will generate a string ``varNNNNNN'' automatically. It will be
20878 unique provided that one does not specify @var{name} on that format.
20879 The command fails if a duplicate name is found.
20881 The frame under which the expression should be evaluated can be
20882 specified by @var{frame-addr}. A @samp{*} indicates that the current
20883 frame should be used.
20885 @var{expression} is any expression valid on the current language set (must not
20886 begin with a @samp{*}), or one of the following:
20890 @samp{*@var{addr}}, where @var{addr} is the address of a memory cell
20893 @samp{*@var{addr}-@var{addr}} --- a memory address range (TBD)
20896 @samp{$@var{regname}} --- a CPU register name
20899 @subsubheading Result
20901 This operation returns the name, number of children and the type of the
20902 object created. Type is returned as a string as the ones generated by
20903 the @value{GDBN} CLI:
20906 name="@var{name}",numchild="N",type="@var{type}"
20910 @subheading The @code{-var-delete} Command
20911 @findex -var-delete
20913 @subsubheading Synopsis
20916 -var-delete @var{name}
20919 Deletes a previously created variable object and all of its children.
20921 Returns an error if the object @var{name} is not found.
20924 @subheading The @code{-var-set-format} Command
20925 @findex -var-set-format
20927 @subsubheading Synopsis
20930 -var-set-format @var{name} @var{format-spec}
20933 Sets the output format for the value of the object @var{name} to be
20936 The syntax for the @var{format-spec} is as follows:
20939 @var{format-spec} @expansion{}
20940 @{binary | decimal | hexadecimal | octal | natural@}
20944 @subheading The @code{-var-show-format} Command
20945 @findex -var-show-format
20947 @subsubheading Synopsis
20950 -var-show-format @var{name}
20953 Returns the format used to display the value of the object @var{name}.
20956 @var{format} @expansion{}
20961 @subheading The @code{-var-info-num-children} Command
20962 @findex -var-info-num-children
20964 @subsubheading Synopsis
20967 -var-info-num-children @var{name}
20970 Returns the number of children of a variable object @var{name}:
20977 @subheading The @code{-var-list-children} Command
20978 @findex -var-list-children
20980 @subsubheading Synopsis
20983 -var-list-children [@var{print-values}] @var{name}
20985 @anchor{-var-list-children}
20987 Return a list of the children of the specified variable object and
20988 create variable objects for them, if they do not already exist. With
20989 a single argument or if @var{print-values} has a value for of 0 or
20990 @code{--no-values}, print only the names of the variables; if
20991 @var{print-values} is 1 or @code{--all-values}, also print their
20992 values; and if it is 2 or @code{--simple-values} print the name and
20993 value for simple data types and just the name for arrays, structures
20996 @subsubheading Example
21000 -var-list-children n
21001 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[@{name=@var{name},
21002 numchild=@var{n},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
21004 -var-list-children --all-values n
21005 ^done,numchild=@var{n},children=[@{name=@var{name},
21006 numchild=@var{n},value=@var{value},type=@var{type}@},@r{(repeats N times)}]
21010 @subheading The @code{-var-info-type} Command
21011 @findex -var-info-type
21013 @subsubheading Synopsis
21016 -var-info-type @var{name}
21019 Returns the type of the specified variable @var{name}. The type is
21020 returned as a string in the same format as it is output by the
21024 type=@var{typename}
21028 @subheading The @code{-var-info-expression} Command
21029 @findex -var-info-expression
21031 @subsubheading Synopsis
21034 -var-info-expression @var{name}
21037 Returns what is represented by the variable object @var{name}:
21040 lang=@var{lang-spec},exp=@var{expression}
21044 where @var{lang-spec} is @code{@{"C" | "C++" | "Java"@}}.
21046 @subheading The @code{-var-show-attributes} Command
21047 @findex -var-show-attributes
21049 @subsubheading Synopsis
21052 -var-show-attributes @var{name}
21055 List attributes of the specified variable object @var{name}:
21058 status=@var{attr} [ ( ,@var{attr} )* ]
21062 where @var{attr} is @code{@{ @{ editable | noneditable @} | TBD @}}.
21064 @subheading The @code{-var-evaluate-expression} Command
21065 @findex -var-evaluate-expression
21067 @subsubheading Synopsis
21070 -var-evaluate-expression @var{name}
21073 Evaluates the expression that is represented by the specified variable
21074 object and returns its value as a string in the current format specified
21081 Note that one must invoke @code{-var-list-children} for a variable
21082 before the value of a child variable can be evaluated.
21084 @subheading The @code{-var-assign} Command
21085 @findex -var-assign
21087 @subsubheading Synopsis
21090 -var-assign @var{name} @var{expression}
21093 Assigns the value of @var{expression} to the variable object specified
21094 by @var{name}. The object must be @samp{editable}. If the variable's
21095 value is altered by the assign, the variable will show up in any
21096 subsequent @code{-var-update} list.
21098 @subsubheading Example
21106 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",in_scope="true",type_changed="false"@}]
21110 @subheading The @code{-var-update} Command
21111 @findex -var-update
21113 @subsubheading Synopsis
21116 -var-update [@var{print-values}] @{@var{name} | "*"@}
21119 Update the value of the variable object @var{name} by evaluating its
21120 expression after fetching all the new values from memory or registers.
21121 A @samp{*} causes all existing variable objects to be updated. The
21122 option @var{print-values} determines whether names both and values, or
21123 just names are printed in the manner described for
21124 @code{-var-list-children} (@pxref{-var-list-children}).
21126 @subsubheading Example
21133 -var-update --all-values var1
21134 ^done,changelist=[@{name="var1",value="3",in_scope="true",
21135 type_changed="false"@}]
21140 @chapter @value{GDBN} Annotations
21142 This chapter describes annotations in @value{GDBN}. Annotations were
21143 designed to interface @value{GDBN} to graphical user interfaces or other
21144 similar programs which want to interact with @value{GDBN} at a
21145 relatively high level.
21147 The annotation mechanism has largely been superseeded by @sc{gdb/mi}
21151 This is Edition @value{EDITION}, @value{DATE}.
21155 * Annotations Overview:: What annotations are; the general syntax.
21156 * Prompting:: Annotations marking @value{GDBN}'s need for input.
21157 * Errors:: Annotations for error messages.
21158 * Invalidation:: Some annotations describe things now invalid.
21159 * Annotations for Running::
21160 Whether the program is running, how it stopped, etc.
21161 * Source Annotations:: Annotations describing source code.
21164 @node Annotations Overview
21165 @section What is an Annotation?
21166 @cindex annotations
21168 Annotations start with a newline character, two @samp{control-z}
21169 characters, and the name of the annotation. If there is no additional
21170 information associated with this annotation, the name of the annotation
21171 is followed immediately by a newline. If there is additional
21172 information, the name of the annotation is followed by a space, the
21173 additional information, and a newline. The additional information
21174 cannot contain newline characters.
21176 Any output not beginning with a newline and two @samp{control-z}
21177 characters denotes literal output from @value{GDBN}. Currently there is
21178 no need for @value{GDBN} to output a newline followed by two
21179 @samp{control-z} characters, but if there was such a need, the
21180 annotations could be extended with an @samp{escape} annotation which
21181 means those three characters as output.
21183 The annotation @var{level}, which is specified using the
21184 @option{--annotate} command line option (@pxref{Mode Options}), controls
21185 how much information @value{GDBN} prints together with its prompt,
21186 values of expressions, source lines, and other types of output. Level 0
21187 is for no anntations, level 1 is for use when @value{GDBN} is run as a
21188 subprocess of @sc{gnu} Emacs, level 3 is the maximum annotation suitable
21189 for programs that control @value{GDBN}, and level 2 annotations have
21190 been made obsolete (@pxref{Limitations, , Limitations of the Annotation
21191 Interface, annotate, GDB's Obsolete Annotations}).
21194 @kindex set annotate
21195 @item set annotate @var{level}
21196 The @value{GDBN} command @code{set annotate} sets the level of
21197 annotations to the specified @var{level}.
21199 @item show annotate
21200 @kindex show annotate
21201 Show the current annotation level.
21204 This chapter describes level 3 annotations.
21206 A simple example of starting up @value{GDBN} with annotations is:
21209 $ @kbd{gdb --annotate=3}
21211 Copyright 2003 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
21212 GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License,
21213 and you are welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it
21214 under certain conditions.
21215 Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
21216 There is absolutely no warranty for GDB. Type "show warranty"
21218 This GDB was configured as "i386-pc-linux-gnu"
21229 Here @samp{quit} is input to @value{GDBN}; the rest is output from
21230 @value{GDBN}. The three lines beginning @samp{^Z^Z} (where @samp{^Z}
21231 denotes a @samp{control-z} character) are annotations; the rest is
21232 output from @value{GDBN}.
21235 @section Annotation for @value{GDBN} Input
21237 @cindex annotations for prompts
21238 When @value{GDBN} prompts for input, it annotates this fact so it is possible
21239 to know when to send output, when the output from a given command is
21242 Different kinds of input each have a different @dfn{input type}. Each
21243 input type has three annotations: a @code{pre-} annotation, which
21244 denotes the beginning of any prompt which is being output, a plain
21245 annotation, which denotes the end of the prompt, and then a @code{post-}
21246 annotation which denotes the end of any echo which may (or may not) be
21247 associated with the input. For example, the @code{prompt} input type
21248 features the following annotations:
21256 The input types are
21261 @findex post-prompt
21263 When @value{GDBN} is prompting for a command (the main @value{GDBN} prompt).
21265 @findex pre-commands
21267 @findex post-commands
21269 When @value{GDBN} prompts for a set of commands, like in the @code{commands}
21270 command. The annotations are repeated for each command which is input.
21272 @findex pre-overload-choice
21273 @findex overload-choice
21274 @findex post-overload-choice
21275 @item overload-choice
21276 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to select between various overloaded functions.
21282 When @value{GDBN} wants the user to confirm a potentially dangerous operation.
21284 @findex pre-prompt-for-continue
21285 @findex prompt-for-continue
21286 @findex post-prompt-for-continue
21287 @item prompt-for-continue
21288 When @value{GDBN} is asking the user to press return to continue. Note: Don't
21289 expect this to work well; instead use @code{set height 0} to disable
21290 prompting. This is because the counting of lines is buggy in the
21291 presence of annotations.
21296 @cindex annotations for errors, warnings and interrupts
21303 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an interrupt.
21310 This annotation occurs right before @value{GDBN} responds to an error.
21312 Quit and error annotations indicate that any annotations which @value{GDBN} was
21313 in the middle of may end abruptly. For example, if a
21314 @code{value-history-begin} annotation is followed by a @code{error}, one
21315 cannot expect to receive the matching @code{value-history-end}. One
21316 cannot expect not to receive it either, however; an error annotation
21317 does not necessarily mean that @value{GDBN} is immediately returning all the way
21320 @findex error-begin
21321 A quit or error annotation may be preceded by
21327 Any output between that and the quit or error annotation is the error
21330 Warning messages are not yet annotated.
21331 @c If we want to change that, need to fix warning(), type_error(),
21332 @c range_error(), and possibly other places.
21335 @section Invalidation Notices
21337 @cindex annotations for invalidation messages
21338 The following annotations say that certain pieces of state may have
21342 @findex frames-invalid
21343 @item ^Z^Zframes-invalid
21345 The frames (for example, output from the @code{backtrace} command) may
21348 @findex breakpoints-invalid
21349 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoints-invalid
21351 The breakpoints may have changed. For example, the user just added or
21352 deleted a breakpoint.
21355 @node Annotations for Running
21356 @section Running the Program
21357 @cindex annotations for running programs
21361 When the program starts executing due to a @value{GDBN} command such as
21362 @code{step} or @code{continue},
21368 is output. When the program stops,
21374 is output. Before the @code{stopped} annotation, a variety of
21375 annotations describe how the program stopped.
21379 @item ^Z^Zexited @var{exit-status}
21380 The program exited, and @var{exit-status} is the exit status (zero for
21381 successful exit, otherwise nonzero).
21384 @findex signal-name
21385 @findex signal-name-end
21386 @findex signal-string
21387 @findex signal-string-end
21388 @item ^Z^Zsignalled
21389 The program exited with a signal. After the @code{^Z^Zsignalled}, the
21390 annotation continues:
21396 ^Z^Zsignal-name-end
21400 ^Z^Zsignal-string-end
21405 where @var{name} is the name of the signal, such as @code{SIGILL} or
21406 @code{SIGSEGV}, and @var{string} is the explanation of the signal, such
21407 as @code{Illegal Instruction} or @code{Segmentation fault}.
21408 @var{intro-text}, @var{middle-text}, and @var{end-text} are for the
21409 user's benefit and have no particular format.
21413 The syntax of this annotation is just like @code{signalled}, but @value{GDBN} is
21414 just saying that the program received the signal, not that it was
21415 terminated with it.
21418 @item ^Z^Zbreakpoint @var{number}
21419 The program hit breakpoint number @var{number}.
21422 @item ^Z^Zwatchpoint @var{number}
21423 The program hit watchpoint number @var{number}.
21426 @node Source Annotations
21427 @section Displaying Source
21428 @cindex annotations for source display
21431 The following annotation is used instead of displaying source code:
21434 ^Z^Zsource @var{filename}:@var{line}:@var{character}:@var{middle}:@var{addr}
21437 where @var{filename} is an absolute file name indicating which source
21438 file, @var{line} is the line number within that file (where 1 is the
21439 first line in the file), @var{character} is the character position
21440 within the file (where 0 is the first character in the file) (for most
21441 debug formats this will necessarily point to the beginning of a line),
21442 @var{middle} is @samp{middle} if @var{addr} is in the middle of the
21443 line, or @samp{beg} if @var{addr} is at the beginning of the line, and
21444 @var{addr} is the address in the target program associated with the
21445 source which is being displayed. @var{addr} is in the form @samp{0x}
21446 followed by one or more lowercase hex digits (note that this does not
21447 depend on the language).
21450 @chapter Reporting Bugs in @value{GDBN}
21451 @cindex bugs in @value{GDBN}
21452 @cindex reporting bugs in @value{GDBN}
21454 Your bug reports play an essential role in making @value{GDBN} reliable.
21456 Reporting a bug may help you by bringing a solution to your problem, or it
21457 may not. But in any case the principal function of a bug report is to help
21458 the entire community by making the next version of @value{GDBN} work better. Bug
21459 reports are your contribution to the maintenance of @value{GDBN}.
21461 In order for a bug report to serve its purpose, you must include the
21462 information that enables us to fix the bug.
21465 * Bug Criteria:: Have you found a bug?
21466 * Bug Reporting:: How to report bugs
21470 @section Have you found a bug?
21471 @cindex bug criteria
21473 If you are not sure whether you have found a bug, here are some guidelines:
21476 @cindex fatal signal
21477 @cindex debugger crash
21478 @cindex crash of debugger
21480 If the debugger gets a fatal signal, for any input whatever, that is a
21481 @value{GDBN} bug. Reliable debuggers never crash.
21483 @cindex error on valid input
21485 If @value{GDBN} produces an error message for valid input, that is a
21486 bug. (Note that if you're cross debugging, the problem may also be
21487 somewhere in the connection to the target.)
21489 @cindex invalid input
21491 If @value{GDBN} does not produce an error message for invalid input,
21492 that is a bug. However, you should note that your idea of
21493 ``invalid input'' might be our idea of ``an extension'' or ``support
21494 for traditional practice''.
21497 If you are an experienced user of debugging tools, your suggestions
21498 for improvement of @value{GDBN} are welcome in any case.
21501 @node Bug Reporting
21502 @section How to report bugs
21503 @cindex bug reports
21504 @cindex @value{GDBN} bugs, reporting
21506 A number of companies and individuals offer support for @sc{gnu} products.
21507 If you obtained @value{GDBN} from a support organization, we recommend you
21508 contact that organization first.
21510 You can find contact information for many support companies and
21511 individuals in the file @file{etc/SERVICE} in the @sc{gnu} Emacs
21513 @c should add a web page ref...
21515 In any event, we also recommend that you submit bug reports for
21516 @value{GDBN}. The prefered method is to submit them directly using
21517 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/bugs/, @value{GDBN}'s Bugs web
21518 page}. Alternatively, the @email{bug-gdb@@gnu.org, e-mail gateway} can
21521 @strong{Do not send bug reports to @samp{info-gdb}, or to
21522 @samp{help-gdb}, or to any newsgroups.} Most users of @value{GDBN} do
21523 not want to receive bug reports. Those that do have arranged to receive
21526 The mailing list @samp{bug-gdb} has a newsgroup @samp{gnu.gdb.bug} which
21527 serves as a repeater. The mailing list and the newsgroup carry exactly
21528 the same messages. Often people think of posting bug reports to the
21529 newsgroup instead of mailing them. This appears to work, but it has one
21530 problem which can be crucial: a newsgroup posting often lacks a mail
21531 path back to the sender. Thus, if we need to ask for more information,
21532 we may be unable to reach you. For this reason, it is better to send
21533 bug reports to the mailing list.
21535 The fundamental principle of reporting bugs usefully is this:
21536 @strong{report all the facts}. If you are not sure whether to state a
21537 fact or leave it out, state it!
21539 Often people omit facts because they think they know what causes the
21540 problem and assume that some details do not matter. Thus, you might
21541 assume that the name of the variable you use in an example does not matter.
21542 Well, probably it does not, but one cannot be sure. Perhaps the bug is a
21543 stray memory reference which happens to fetch from the location where that
21544 name is stored in memory; perhaps, if the name were different, the contents
21545 of that location would fool the debugger into doing the right thing despite
21546 the bug. Play it safe and give a specific, complete example. That is the
21547 easiest thing for you to do, and the most helpful.
21549 Keep in mind that the purpose of a bug report is to enable us to fix the
21550 bug. It may be that the bug has been reported previously, but neither
21551 you nor we can know that unless your bug report is complete and
21554 Sometimes people give a few sketchy facts and ask, ``Does this ring a
21555 bell?'' Those bug reports are useless, and we urge everyone to
21556 @emph{refuse to respond to them} except to chide the sender to report
21559 To enable us to fix the bug, you should include all these things:
21563 The version of @value{GDBN}. @value{GDBN} announces it if you start
21564 with no arguments; you can also print it at any time using @code{show
21567 Without this, we will not know whether there is any point in looking for
21568 the bug in the current version of @value{GDBN}.
21571 The type of machine you are using, and the operating system name and
21575 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile @value{GDBN}---e.g.@:
21576 ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1''.
21579 What compiler (and its version) was used to compile the program you are
21580 debugging---e.g.@: ``@value{GCC}--2.8.1'', or ``HP92453-01 A.10.32.03 HP
21581 C Compiler''. For GCC, you can say @code{gcc --version} to get this
21582 information; for other compilers, see the documentation for those
21586 The command arguments you gave the compiler to compile your example and
21587 observe the bug. For example, did you use @samp{-O}? To guarantee
21588 you will not omit something important, list them all. A copy of the
21589 Makefile (or the output from make) is sufficient.
21591 If we were to try to guess the arguments, we would probably guess wrong
21592 and then we might not encounter the bug.
21595 A complete input script, and all necessary source files, that will
21599 A description of what behavior you observe that you believe is
21600 incorrect. For example, ``It gets a fatal signal.''
21602 Of course, if the bug is that @value{GDBN} gets a fatal signal, then we
21603 will certainly notice it. But if the bug is incorrect output, we might
21604 not notice unless it is glaringly wrong. You might as well not give us
21605 a chance to make a mistake.
21607 Even if the problem you experience is a fatal signal, you should still
21608 say so explicitly. Suppose something strange is going on, such as, your
21609 copy of @value{GDBN} is out of synch, or you have encountered a bug in
21610 the C library on your system. (This has happened!) Your copy might
21611 crash and ours would not. If you told us to expect a crash, then when
21612 ours fails to crash, we would know that the bug was not happening for
21613 us. If you had not told us to expect a crash, then we would not be able
21614 to draw any conclusion from our observations.
21617 @cindex recording a session script
21618 To collect all this information, you can use a session recording program
21619 such as @command{script}, which is available on many Unix systems.
21620 Just run your @value{GDBN} session inside @command{script} and then
21621 include the @file{typescript} file with your bug report.
21623 Another way to record a @value{GDBN} session is to run @value{GDBN}
21624 inside Emacs and then save the entire buffer to a file.
21627 If you wish to suggest changes to the @value{GDBN} source, send us context
21628 diffs. If you even discuss something in the @value{GDBN} source, refer to
21629 it by context, not by line number.
21631 The line numbers in our development sources will not match those in your
21632 sources. Your line numbers would convey no useful information to us.
21636 Here are some things that are not necessary:
21640 A description of the envelope of the bug.
21642 Often people who encounter a bug spend a lot of time investigating
21643 which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which
21644 changes will not affect it.
21646 This is often time consuming and not very useful, because the way we
21647 will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger
21648 with breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples.
21649 We recommend that you save your time for something else.
21651 Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report @emph{instead}
21652 of the original one, that is a convenience for us. Errors in the
21653 output will be easier to spot, running under the debugger will take
21654 less time, and so on.
21656 However, simplification is not vital; if you do not want to do this,
21657 report the bug anyway and send us the entire test case you used.
21660 A patch for the bug.
21662 A patch for the bug does help us if it is a good one. But do not omit
21663 the necessary information, such as the test case, on the assumption that
21664 a patch is all we need. We might see problems with your patch and decide
21665 to fix the problem another way, or we might not understand it at all.
21667 Sometimes with a program as complicated as @value{GDBN} it is very hard to
21668 construct an example that will make the program follow a certain path
21669 through the code. If you do not send us the example, we will not be able
21670 to construct one, so we will not be able to verify that the bug is fixed.
21672 And if we cannot understand what bug you are trying to fix, or why your
21673 patch should be an improvement, we will not install it. A test case will
21674 help us to understand.
21677 A guess about what the bug is or what it depends on.
21679 Such guesses are usually wrong. Even we cannot guess right about such
21680 things without first using the debugger to find the facts.
21683 @c The readline documentation is distributed with the readline code
21684 @c and consists of the two following files:
21686 @c inc-hist.texinfo
21687 @c Use -I with makeinfo to point to the appropriate directory,
21688 @c environment var TEXINPUTS with TeX.
21689 @include rluser.texinfo
21690 @include inc-hist.texinfo
21693 @node Formatting Documentation
21694 @appendix Formatting Documentation
21696 @cindex @value{GDBN} reference card
21697 @cindex reference card
21698 The @value{GDBN} 4 release includes an already-formatted reference card, ready
21699 for printing with PostScript or Ghostscript, in the @file{gdb}
21700 subdirectory of the main source directory@footnote{In
21701 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/refcard.ps} of the version @value{GDBVN}
21702 release.}. If you can use PostScript or Ghostscript with your printer,
21703 you can print the reference card immediately with @file{refcard.ps}.
21705 The release also includes the source for the reference card. You
21706 can format it, using @TeX{}, by typing:
21712 The @value{GDBN} reference card is designed to print in @dfn{landscape}
21713 mode on US ``letter'' size paper;
21714 that is, on a sheet 11 inches wide by 8.5 inches
21715 high. You will need to specify this form of printing as an option to
21716 your @sc{dvi} output program.
21718 @cindex documentation
21720 All the documentation for @value{GDBN} comes as part of the machine-readable
21721 distribution. The documentation is written in Texinfo format, which is
21722 a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both
21723 on-line information and a printed manual. You can use one of the Info
21724 formatting commands to create the on-line version of the documentation
21725 and @TeX{} (or @code{texi2roff}) to typeset the printed version.
21727 @value{GDBN} includes an already formatted copy of the on-line Info
21728 version of this manual in the @file{gdb} subdirectory. The main Info
21729 file is @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/gdb.info}, and it refers to
21730 subordinate files matching @samp{gdb.info*} in the same directory. If
21731 necessary, you can print out these files, or read them with any editor;
21732 but they are easier to read using the @code{info} subsystem in @sc{gnu}
21733 Emacs or the standalone @code{info} program, available as part of the
21734 @sc{gnu} Texinfo distribution.
21736 If you want to format these Info files yourself, you need one of the
21737 Info formatting programs, such as @code{texinfo-format-buffer} or
21740 If you have @code{makeinfo} installed, and are in the top level
21741 @value{GDBN} source directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, in the case of
21742 version @value{GDBVN}), you can make the Info file by typing:
21749 If you want to typeset and print copies of this manual, you need @TeX{},
21750 a program to print its @sc{dvi} output files, and @file{texinfo.tex}, the
21751 Texinfo definitions file.
21753 @TeX{} is a typesetting program; it does not print files directly, but
21754 produces output files called @sc{dvi} files. To print a typeset
21755 document, you need a program to print @sc{dvi} files. If your system
21756 has @TeX{} installed, chances are it has such a program. The precise
21757 command to use depends on your system; @kbd{lpr -d} is common; another
21758 (for PostScript devices) is @kbd{dvips}. The @sc{dvi} print command may
21759 require a file name without any extension or a @samp{.dvi} extension.
21761 @TeX{} also requires a macro definitions file called
21762 @file{texinfo.tex}. This file tells @TeX{} how to typeset a document
21763 written in Texinfo format. On its own, @TeX{} cannot either read or
21764 typeset a Texinfo file. @file{texinfo.tex} is distributed with GDB
21765 and is located in the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}/texinfo}
21768 If you have @TeX{} and a @sc{dvi} printer program installed, you can
21769 typeset and print this manual. First switch to the the @file{gdb}
21770 subdirectory of the main source directory (for example, to
21771 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb}) and type:
21777 Then give @file{gdb.dvi} to your @sc{dvi} printing program.
21779 @node Installing GDB
21780 @appendix Installing @value{GDBN}
21781 @cindex configuring @value{GDBN}
21782 @cindex installation
21783 @cindex configuring @value{GDBN}, and source tree subdirectories
21785 @value{GDBN} comes with a @code{configure} script that automates the process
21786 of preparing @value{GDBN} for installation; you can then use @code{make} to
21787 build the @code{gdb} program.
21789 @c irrelevant in info file; it's as current as the code it lives with.
21790 @footnote{If you have a more recent version of @value{GDBN} than @value{GDBVN},
21791 look at the @file{README} file in the sources; we may have improved the
21792 installation procedures since publishing this manual.}
21795 The @value{GDBN} distribution includes all the source code you need for
21796 @value{GDBN} in a single directory, whose name is usually composed by
21797 appending the version number to @samp{gdb}.
21799 For example, the @value{GDBN} version @value{GDBVN} distribution is in the
21800 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory. That directory contains:
21803 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure @r{(and supporting files)}
21804 script for configuring @value{GDBN} and all its supporting libraries
21806 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb
21807 the source specific to @value{GDBN} itself
21809 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/bfd
21810 source for the Binary File Descriptor library
21812 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/include
21813 @sc{gnu} include files
21815 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/libiberty
21816 source for the @samp{-liberty} free software library
21818 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/opcodes
21819 source for the library of opcode tables and disassemblers
21821 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/readline
21822 source for the @sc{gnu} command-line interface
21824 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/glob
21825 source for the @sc{gnu} filename pattern-matching subroutine
21827 @item gdb-@value{GDBVN}/mmalloc
21828 source for the @sc{gnu} memory-mapped malloc package
21831 The simplest way to configure and build @value{GDBN} is to run @code{configure}
21832 from the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory, which in
21833 this example is the @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} directory.
21835 First switch to the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} source directory
21836 if you are not already in it; then run @code{configure}. Pass the
21837 identifier for the platform on which @value{GDBN} will run as an
21843 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
21844 ./configure @var{host}
21849 where @var{host} is an identifier such as @samp{sun4} or
21850 @samp{decstation}, that identifies the platform where @value{GDBN} will run.
21851 (You can often leave off @var{host}; @code{configure} tries to guess the
21852 correct value by examining your system.)
21854 Running @samp{configure @var{host}} and then running @code{make} builds the
21855 @file{bfd}, @file{readline}, @file{mmalloc}, and @file{libiberty}
21856 libraries, then @code{gdb} itself. The configured source files, and the
21857 binaries, are left in the corresponding source directories.
21860 @code{configure} is a Bourne-shell (@code{/bin/sh}) script; if your
21861 system does not recognize this automatically when you run a different
21862 shell, you may need to run @code{sh} on it explicitly:
21865 sh configure @var{host}
21868 If you run @code{configure} from a directory that contains source
21869 directories for multiple libraries or programs, such as the
21870 @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} source directory for version @value{GDBVN}, @code{configure}
21871 creates configuration files for every directory level underneath (unless
21872 you tell it not to, with the @samp{--norecursion} option).
21874 You should run the @code{configure} script from the top directory in the
21875 source tree, the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory. If you run
21876 @code{configure} from one of the subdirectories, you will configure only
21877 that subdirectory. That is usually not what you want. In particular,
21878 if you run the first @code{configure} from the @file{gdb} subdirectory
21879 of the @file{gdb-@var{version-number}} directory, you will omit the
21880 configuration of @file{bfd}, @file{readline}, and other sibling
21881 directories of the @file{gdb} subdirectory. This leads to build errors
21882 about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
21884 You can install @code{@value{GDBP}} anywhere; it has no hardwired paths.
21885 However, you should make sure that the shell on your path (named by
21886 the @samp{SHELL} environment variable) is publicly readable. Remember
21887 that @value{GDBN} uses the shell to start your program---some systems refuse to
21888 let @value{GDBN} debug child processes whose programs are not readable.
21891 * Separate Objdir:: Compiling @value{GDBN} in another directory
21892 * Config Names:: Specifying names for hosts and targets
21893 * Configure Options:: Summary of options for configure
21896 @node Separate Objdir
21897 @section Compiling @value{GDBN} in another directory
21899 If you want to run @value{GDBN} versions for several host or target machines,
21900 you need a different @code{gdb} compiled for each combination of
21901 host and target. @code{configure} is designed to make this easy by
21902 allowing you to generate each configuration in a separate subdirectory,
21903 rather than in the source directory. If your @code{make} program
21904 handles the @samp{VPATH} feature (@sc{gnu} @code{make} does), running
21905 @code{make} in each of these directories builds the @code{gdb}
21906 program specified there.
21908 To build @code{gdb} in a separate directory, run @code{configure}
21909 with the @samp{--srcdir} option to specify where to find the source.
21910 (You also need to specify a path to find @code{configure}
21911 itself from your working directory. If the path to @code{configure}
21912 would be the same as the argument to @samp{--srcdir}, you can leave out
21913 the @samp{--srcdir} option; it is assumed.)
21915 For example, with version @value{GDBVN}, you can build @value{GDBN} in a
21916 separate directory for a Sun 4 like this:
21920 cd gdb-@value{GDBVN}
21923 ../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/configure sun4
21928 When @code{configure} builds a configuration using a remote source
21929 directory, it creates a tree for the binaries with the same structure
21930 (and using the same names) as the tree under the source directory. In
21931 the example, you'd find the Sun 4 library @file{libiberty.a} in the
21932 directory @file{gdb-sun4/libiberty}, and @value{GDBN} itself in
21933 @file{gdb-sun4/gdb}.
21935 Make sure that your path to the @file{configure} script has just one
21936 instance of @file{gdb} in it. If your path to @file{configure} looks
21937 like @file{../gdb-@value{GDBVN}/gdb/configure}, you are configuring only
21938 one subdirectory of @value{GDBN}, not the whole package. This leads to
21939 build errors about missing include files such as @file{bfd/bfd.h}.
21941 One popular reason to build several @value{GDBN} configurations in separate
21942 directories is to configure @value{GDBN} for cross-compiling (where
21943 @value{GDBN} runs on one machine---the @dfn{host}---while debugging
21944 programs that run on another machine---the @dfn{target}).
21945 You specify a cross-debugging target by
21946 giving the @samp{--target=@var{target}} option to @code{configure}.
21948 When you run @code{make} to build a program or library, you must run
21949 it in a configured directory---whatever directory you were in when you
21950 called @code{configure} (or one of its subdirectories).
21952 The @code{Makefile} that @code{configure} generates in each source
21953 directory also runs recursively. If you type @code{make} in a source
21954 directory such as @file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}} (or in a separate configured
21955 directory configured with @samp{--srcdir=@var{dirname}/gdb-@value{GDBVN}}), you
21956 will build all the required libraries, and then build GDB.
21958 When you have multiple hosts or targets configured in separate
21959 directories, you can run @code{make} on them in parallel (for example,
21960 if they are NFS-mounted on each of the hosts); they will not interfere
21964 @section Specifying names for hosts and targets
21966 The specifications used for hosts and targets in the @code{configure}
21967 script are based on a three-part naming scheme, but some short predefined
21968 aliases are also supported. The full naming scheme encodes three pieces
21969 of information in the following pattern:
21972 @var{architecture}-@var{vendor}-@var{os}
21975 For example, you can use the alias @code{sun4} as a @var{host} argument,
21976 or as the value for @var{target} in a @code{--target=@var{target}}
21977 option. The equivalent full name is @samp{sparc-sun-sunos4}.
21979 The @code{configure} script accompanying @value{GDBN} does not provide
21980 any query facility to list all supported host and target names or
21981 aliases. @code{configure} calls the Bourne shell script
21982 @code{config.sub} to map abbreviations to full names; you can read the
21983 script, if you wish, or you can use it to test your guesses on
21984 abbreviations---for example:
21987 % sh config.sub i386-linux
21989 % sh config.sub alpha-linux
21990 alpha-unknown-linux-gnu
21991 % sh config.sub hp9k700
21993 % sh config.sub sun4
21994 sparc-sun-sunos4.1.1
21995 % sh config.sub sun3
21996 m68k-sun-sunos4.1.1
21997 % sh config.sub i986v
21998 Invalid configuration `i986v': machine `i986v' not recognized
22002 @code{config.sub} is also distributed in the @value{GDBN} source
22003 directory (@file{gdb-@value{GDBVN}}, for version @value{GDBVN}).
22005 @node Configure Options
22006 @section @code{configure} options
22008 Here is a summary of the @code{configure} options and arguments that
22009 are most often useful for building @value{GDBN}. @code{configure} also has
22010 several other options not listed here. @inforef{What Configure
22011 Does,,configure.info}, for a full explanation of @code{configure}.
22014 configure @r{[}--help@r{]}
22015 @r{[}--prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
22016 @r{[}--exec-prefix=@var{dir}@r{]}
22017 @r{[}--srcdir=@var{dirname}@r{]}
22018 @r{[}--norecursion@r{]} @r{[}--rm@r{]}
22019 @r{[}--target=@var{target}@r{]}
22024 You may introduce options with a single @samp{-} rather than
22025 @samp{--} if you prefer; but you may abbreviate option names if you use
22030 Display a quick summary of how to invoke @code{configure}.
22032 @item --prefix=@var{dir}
22033 Configure the source to install programs and files under directory
22036 @item --exec-prefix=@var{dir}
22037 Configure the source to install programs under directory
22040 @c avoid splitting the warning from the explanation:
22042 @item --srcdir=@var{dirname}
22043 @strong{Warning: using this option requires @sc{gnu} @code{make}, or another
22044 @code{make} that implements the @code{VPATH} feature.}@*
22045 Use this option to make configurations in directories separate from the
22046 @value{GDBN} source directories. Among other things, you can use this to
22047 build (or maintain) several configurations simultaneously, in separate
22048 directories. @code{configure} writes configuration specific files in
22049 the current directory, but arranges for them to use the source in the
22050 directory @var{dirname}. @code{configure} creates directories under
22051 the working directory in parallel to the source directories below
22054 @item --norecursion
22055 Configure only the directory level where @code{configure} is executed; do not
22056 propagate configuration to subdirectories.
22058 @item --target=@var{target}
22059 Configure @value{GDBN} for cross-debugging programs running on the specified
22060 @var{target}. Without this option, @value{GDBN} is configured to debug
22061 programs that run on the same machine (@var{host}) as @value{GDBN} itself.
22063 There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available targets.
22065 @item @var{host} @dots{}
22066 Configure @value{GDBN} to run on the specified @var{host}.
22068 There is no convenient way to generate a list of all available hosts.
22071 There are many other options available as well, but they are generally
22072 needed for special purposes only.
22074 @node Maintenance Commands
22075 @appendix Maintenance Commands
22076 @cindex maintenance commands
22077 @cindex internal commands
22079 In addition to commands intended for @value{GDBN} users, @value{GDBN}
22080 includes a number of commands intended for @value{GDBN} developers,
22081 that are not documented elsewhere in this manual. These commands are
22082 provided here for reference. (For commands that turn on debugging
22083 messages, see @ref{Debugging Output}.)
22086 @kindex maint agent
22087 @item maint agent @var{expression}
22088 Translate the given @var{expression} into remote agent bytecodes.
22089 This command is useful for debugging the Agent Expression mechanism
22090 (@pxref{Agent Expressions}).
22092 @kindex maint info breakpoints
22093 @item @anchor{maint info breakpoints}maint info breakpoints
22094 Using the same format as @samp{info breakpoints}, display both the
22095 breakpoints you've set explicitly, and those @value{GDBN} is using for
22096 internal purposes. Internal breakpoints are shown with negative
22097 breakpoint numbers. The type column identifies what kind of breakpoint
22102 Normal, explicitly set breakpoint.
22105 Normal, explicitly set watchpoint.
22108 Internal breakpoint, used to handle correctly stepping through
22109 @code{longjmp} calls.
22111 @item longjmp resume
22112 Internal breakpoint at the target of a @code{longjmp}.
22115 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{until} command.
22118 Temporary internal breakpoint used by the @value{GDBN} @code{finish} command.
22121 Shared library events.
22125 @kindex maint check-symtabs
22126 @item maint check-symtabs
22127 Check the consistency of psymtabs and symtabs.
22129 @kindex maint cplus first_component
22130 @item maint cplus first_component @var{name}
22131 Print the first C@t{++} class/namespace component of @var{name}.
22133 @kindex maint cplus namespace
22134 @item maint cplus namespace
22135 Print the list of possible C@t{++} namespaces.
22137 @kindex maint demangle
22138 @item maint demangle @var{name}
22139 Demangle a C@t{++} or Objective-C manled @var{name}.
22141 @kindex maint deprecate
22142 @kindex maint undeprecate
22143 @cindex deprecated commands
22144 @item maint deprecate @var{command} @r{[}@var{replacement}@r{]}
22145 @itemx maint undeprecate @var{command}
22146 Deprecate or undeprecate the named @var{command}. Deprecated commands
22147 cause @value{GDBN} to issue a warning when you use them. The optional
22148 argument @var{replacement} says which newer command should be used in
22149 favor of the deprecated one; if it is given, @value{GDBN} will mention
22150 the replacement as part of the warning.
22152 @kindex maint dump-me
22153 @item maint dump-me
22154 @cindex @code{SIGQUIT} signal, dump core of @value{GDBN}
22155 Cause a fatal signal in the debugger and force it to dump its core.
22156 This is supported only on systems which support aborting a program
22157 with the @code{SIGQUIT} signal.
22159 @kindex maint internal-error
22160 @kindex maint internal-warning
22161 @item maint internal-error @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
22162 @itemx maint internal-warning @r{[}@var{message-text}@r{]}
22163 Cause @value{GDBN} to call the internal function @code{internal_error}
22164 or @code{internal_warning} and hence behave as though an internal error
22165 or internal warning has been detected. In addition to reporting the
22166 internal problem, these functions give the user the opportunity to
22167 either quit @value{GDBN} or create a core file of the current
22168 @value{GDBN} session.
22170 These commands take an optional parameter @var{message-text} that is
22171 used as the text of the error or warning message.
22173 Here's an example of using @code{indernal-error}:
22176 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint internal-error testing, 1, 2}
22177 @dots{}/maint.c:121: internal-error: testing, 1, 2
22178 A problem internal to GDB has been detected. Further
22179 debugging may prove unreliable.
22180 Quit this debugging session? (y or n) @kbd{n}
22181 Create a core file? (y or n) @kbd{n}
22185 @kindex maint packet
22186 @item maint packet @var{text}
22187 If @value{GDBN} is talking to an inferior via the serial protocol,
22188 then this command sends the string @var{text} to the inferior, and
22189 displays the response packet. @value{GDBN} supplies the initial
22190 @samp{$} character, the terminating @samp{#} character, and the
22193 @kindex maint print architecture
22194 @item maint print architecture @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
22195 Print the entire architecture configuration. The optional argument
22196 @var{file} names the file where the output goes.
22198 @kindex maint print dummy-frames
22199 @item maint print dummy-frames
22200 Prints the contents of @value{GDBN}'s internal dummy-frame stack.
22203 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{b add}
22205 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{print add(2,3)}
22206 Breakpoint 2, add (a=2, b=3) at @dots{}
22208 The program being debugged stopped while in a function called from GDB.
22210 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print dummy-frames}
22211 0x1a57c80: pc=0x01014068 fp=0x0200bddc sp=0x0200bdd6
22212 top=0x0200bdd4 id=@{stack=0x200bddc,code=0x101405c@}
22213 call_lo=0x01014000 call_hi=0x01014001
22217 Takes an optional file parameter.
22219 @kindex maint print registers
22220 @kindex maint print raw-registers
22221 @kindex maint print cooked-registers
22222 @kindex maint print register-groups
22223 @item maint print registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
22224 @itemx maint print raw-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
22225 @itemx maint print cooked-registers @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
22226 @itemx maint print register-groups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
22227 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register data structures.
22229 The command @code{maint print raw-registers} includes the contents of
22230 the raw register cache; the command @code{maint print cooked-registers}
22231 includes the (cooked) value of all registers; and the command
22232 @code{maint print register-groups} includes the groups that each
22233 register is a member of. @xref{Registers,, Registers, gdbint,
22234 @value{GDBN} Internals}.
22236 These commands take an optional parameter, a file name to which to
22237 write the information.
22239 @kindex maint print reggroups
22240 @item maint print reggroups @r{[}@var{file}@r{]}
22241 Print @value{GDBN}'s internal register group data structures. The
22242 optional argument @var{file} tells to what file to write the
22245 The register groups info looks like this:
22248 (@value{GDBP}) @kbd{maint print reggroups}
22261 This command forces @value{GDBN} to flush its internal register cache.
22263 @kindex maint print objfiles
22264 @cindex info for known object files
22265 @item maint print objfiles
22266 Print a dump of all known object files. For each object file, this
22267 command prints its name, address in memory, and all of its psymtabs
22270 @kindex maint print statistics
22271 @cindex bcache statistics
22272 @item maint print statistics
22273 This command prints, for each object file in the program, various data
22274 about that object file followed by the byte cache (@dfn{bcache})
22275 statistics for the object file. The objfile data includes the number
22276 of minimal, partical, full, and stabs symbols, the number of types
22277 defined by the objfile, the number of as yet unexpanded psym tables,
22278 the number of line tables and string tables, and the amount of memory
22279 used by the various tables. The bcache statistics include the counts,
22280 sizes, and counts of duplicates of all and unique objects, max,
22281 average, and median entry size, total memory used and its overhead and
22282 savings, and various measures of the hash table size and chain
22285 @kindex maint print type
22286 @cindex type chain of a data type
22287 @item maint print type @var{expr}
22288 Print the type chain for a type specified by @var{expr}. The argument
22289 can be either a type name or a symbol. If it is a symbol, the type of
22290 that symbol is described. The type chain produced by this command is
22291 a recursive definition of the data type as stored in @value{GDBN}'s
22292 data structures, including its flags and contained types.
22294 @kindex maint set dwarf2 max-cache-age
22295 @kindex maint show dwarf2 max-cache-age
22296 @item maint set dwarf2 max-cache-age
22297 @itemx maint show dwarf2 max-cache-age
22298 Control the DWARF 2 compilation unit cache.
22300 @cindex DWARF 2 compilation units cache
22301 In object files with inter-compilation-unit references, such as those
22302 produced by the GCC option @samp{-feliminate-dwarf2-dups}, the DWARF 2
22303 reader needs to frequently refer to previously read compilation units.
22304 This setting controls how long a compilation unit will remain in the
22305 cache if it is not referenced. A higher limit means that cached
22306 compilation units will be stored in memory longer, and more total
22307 memory will be used. Setting it to zero disables caching, which will
22308 slow down @value{GDBN} startup, but reduce memory consumption.
22310 @kindex maint set profile
22311 @kindex maint show profile
22312 @cindex profiling GDB
22313 @item maint set profile
22314 @itemx maint show profile
22315 Control profiling of @value{GDBN}.
22317 Profiling will be disabled until you use the @samp{maint set profile}
22318 command to enable it. When you enable profiling, the system will begin
22319 collecting timing and execution count data; when you disable profiling or
22320 exit @value{GDBN}, the results will be written to a log file. Remember that
22321 if you use profiling, @value{GDBN} will overwrite the profiling log file
22322 (often called @file{gmon.out}). If you have a record of important profiling
22323 data in a @file{gmon.out} file, be sure to move it to a safe location.
22325 Configuring with @samp{--enable-profiling} arranges for @value{GDBN} to be
22326 compiled with the @samp{-pg} compiler option.
22328 @kindex maint show-debug-regs
22329 @cindex x86 hardware debug registers
22330 @item maint show-debug-regs
22331 Control whether to show variables that mirror the x86 hardware debug
22332 registers. Use @code{ON} to enable, @code{OFF} to disable. If
22333 enabled, the debug registers values are shown when GDB inserts or
22334 removes a hardware breakpoint or watchpoint, and when the inferior
22335 triggers a hardware-assisted breakpoint or watchpoint.
22337 @kindex maint space
22338 @cindex memory used by commands
22340 Control whether to display memory usage for each command. If set to a
22341 nonzero value, @value{GDBN} will display how much memory each command
22342 took, following the command's own output. This can also be requested
22343 by invoking @value{GDBN} with the @option{--statistics} command-line
22344 switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
22347 @cindex time of command execution
22349 Control whether to display the execution time for each command. If
22350 set to a nonzero value, @value{GDBN} will display how much time it
22351 took to execute each command, following the command's own output.
22352 This can also be requested by invoking @value{GDBN} with the
22353 @option{--statistics} command-line switch (@pxref{Mode Options}).
22355 @kindex maint translate-address
22356 @item maint translate-address @r{[}@var{section}@r{]} @var{addr}
22357 Find the symbol stored at the location specified by the address
22358 @var{addr} and an optional section name @var{section}. If found,
22359 @value{GDBN} prints the name of the closest symbol and an offset from
22360 the symbol's location to the specified address. This is similar to
22361 the @code{info address} command (@pxref{Symbols}), except that this
22362 command also allows to find symbols in other sections.
22366 The following command is useful for non-interactive invocations of
22367 @value{GDBN}, such as in the test suite.
22370 @item set watchdog @var{nsec}
22371 @kindex set watchdog
22372 @cindex watchdog timer
22373 @cindex timeout for commands
22374 Set the maximum number of seconds @value{GDBN} will wait for the
22375 target operation to finish. If this time expires, @value{GDBN}
22376 reports and error and the command is aborted.
22378 @item show watchdog
22379 Show the current setting of the target wait timeout.
22382 @node Remote Protocol
22383 @appendix @value{GDBN} Remote Serial Protocol
22388 * Stop Reply Packets::
22389 * General Query Packets::
22390 * Register Packet Format::
22391 * Tracepoint Packets::
22394 * File-I/O remote protocol extension::
22400 There may be occasions when you need to know something about the
22401 protocol---for example, if there is only one serial port to your target
22402 machine, you might want your program to do something special if it
22403 recognizes a packet meant for @value{GDBN}.
22405 In the examples below, @samp{->} and @samp{<-} are used to indicate
22406 transmitted and received data respectfully.
22408 @cindex protocol, @value{GDBN} remote serial
22409 @cindex serial protocol, @value{GDBN} remote
22410 @cindex remote serial protocol
22411 All @value{GDBN} commands and responses (other than acknowledgments) are
22412 sent as a @var{packet}. A @var{packet} is introduced with the character
22413 @samp{$}, the actual @var{packet-data}, and the terminating character
22414 @samp{#} followed by a two-digit @var{checksum}:
22417 @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
22421 @cindex checksum, for @value{GDBN} remote
22423 The two-digit @var{checksum} is computed as the modulo 256 sum of all
22424 characters between the leading @samp{$} and the trailing @samp{#} (an
22425 eight bit unsigned checksum).
22427 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0 the protocol
22428 specification also included an optional two-digit @var{sequence-id}:
22431 @code{$}@var{sequence-id}@code{:}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
22434 @cindex sequence-id, for @value{GDBN} remote
22436 That @var{sequence-id} was appended to the acknowledgment. @value{GDBN}
22437 has never output @var{sequence-id}s. Stubs that handle packets added
22438 since @value{GDBN} 5.0 must not accept @var{sequence-id}.
22440 @cindex acknowledgment, for @value{GDBN} remote
22441 When either the host or the target machine receives a packet, the first
22442 response expected is an acknowledgment: either @samp{+} (to indicate
22443 the package was received correctly) or @samp{-} (to request
22447 -> @code{$}@var{packet-data}@code{#}@var{checksum}
22452 The host (@value{GDBN}) sends @var{command}s, and the target (the
22453 debugging stub incorporated in your program) sends a @var{response}. In
22454 the case of step and continue @var{command}s, the response is only sent
22455 when the operation has completed (the target has again stopped).
22457 @var{packet-data} consists of a sequence of characters with the
22458 exception of @samp{#} and @samp{$} (see @samp{X} packet for additional
22461 Fields within the packet should be separated using @samp{,} @samp{;} or
22462 @cindex remote protocol, field separator
22463 @samp{:}. Except where otherwise noted all numbers are represented in
22464 @sc{hex} with leading zeros suppressed.
22466 Implementors should note that prior to @value{GDBN} 5.0, the character
22467 @samp{:} could not appear as the third character in a packet (as it
22468 would potentially conflict with the @var{sequence-id}).
22470 Response @var{data} can be run-length encoded to save space. A @samp{*}
22471 means that the next character is an @sc{ascii} encoding giving a repeat count
22472 which stands for that many repetitions of the character preceding the
22473 @samp{*}. The encoding is @code{n+29}, yielding a printable character
22474 where @code{n >=3} (which is where rle starts to win). The printable
22475 characters @samp{$}, @samp{#}, @samp{+} and @samp{-} or with a numeric
22476 value greater than 126 should not be used.
22483 means the same as "0000".
22485 The error response returned for some packets includes a two character
22486 error number. That number is not well defined.
22488 For any @var{command} not supported by the stub, an empty response
22489 (@samp{$#00}) should be returned. That way it is possible to extend the
22490 protocol. A newer @value{GDBN} can tell if a packet is supported based
22493 A stub is required to support the @samp{g}, @samp{G}, @samp{m}, @samp{M},
22494 @samp{c}, and @samp{s} @var{command}s. All other @var{command}s are
22500 The following table provides a complete list of all currently defined
22501 @var{command}s and their corresponding response @var{data}.
22502 @xref{File-I/O remote protocol extension}, for details about the File
22503 I/O extension of the remote protocol.
22505 Each packet's description has a template showing the packet's overall
22506 syntax, followed by an explanation of the packet's meaning. We
22507 include spaces in some of the templates for clarity; these are not
22508 part of the packet's syntax. No @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to
22509 separate its components. For example, a template like @samp{foo
22510 @var{bar} @var{baz}} describes a packet beginning with the three ASCII
22511 bytes @samp{foo}, followed by a @var{bar}, followed directly by a
22512 @var{baz}. GDB does not transmit a space character between the
22513 @samp{foo} and the @var{bar}, or between the @var{bar} and the
22516 Note that all packet forms beginning with an upper- or lower-case
22517 letter, other than those described here, are reserved for future use.
22519 Here are the packet descriptions.
22524 @cindex @samp{!} packet
22525 Enable extended mode. In extended mode, the remote server is made
22526 persistent. The @samp{R} packet is used to restart the program being
22532 The remote target both supports and has enabled extended mode.
22536 @cindex @samp{?} packet
22537 Indicate the reason the target halted. The reply is the same as for
22541 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
22543 @item A @var{arglen},@var{argnum},@var{arg},@dots{}
22544 @cindex @samp{A} packet
22545 Initialized @code{argv[]} array passed into program. @var{arglen}
22546 specifies the number of bytes in the hex encoded byte stream
22547 @var{arg}. See @code{gdbserver} for more details.
22552 The arguments were set.
22558 @cindex @samp{b} packet
22559 (Don't use this packet; its behavior is not well-defined.)
22560 Change the serial line speed to @var{baud}.
22562 JTC: @emph{When does the transport layer state change? When it's
22563 received, or after the ACK is transmitted. In either case, there are
22564 problems if the command or the acknowledgment packet is dropped.}
22566 Stan: @emph{If people really wanted to add something like this, and get
22567 it working for the first time, they ought to modify ser-unix.c to send
22568 some kind of out-of-band message to a specially-setup stub and have the
22569 switch happen "in between" packets, so that from remote protocol's point
22570 of view, nothing actually happened.}
22572 @item B @var{addr},@var{mode}
22573 @cindex @samp{B} packet
22574 Set (@var{mode} is @samp{S}) or clear (@var{mode} is @samp{C}) a
22575 breakpoint at @var{addr}.
22577 Don't use this packet. Use the @samp{Z} and @samp{z} packets instead
22578 (@pxref{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}).
22581 @cindex @samp{c} packet
22582 Continue. @var{addr} is address to resume. If @var{addr} is omitted,
22583 resume at current address.
22586 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
22588 @item C @var{sig};@var{addr}
22589 @cindex @samp{C} packet
22590 Continue with signal @var{sig} (hex signal number). If
22591 @samp{;@var{addr}} is omitted, resume at same address.
22594 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
22597 @cindex @samp{d} packet
22600 Don't use this packet; instead, define a general set packet
22601 (@pxref{General Query Packets}).
22604 @cindex @samp{D} packet
22605 Detach @value{GDBN} from the remote system. Sent to the remote target
22606 before @value{GDBN} disconnects via the @code{detach} command.
22616 @item F @var{RC},@var{EE},@var{CF};@var{XX}
22617 @cindex @samp{F} packet
22618 A reply from @value{GDBN} to an @samp{F} packet sent by the target.
22619 This is part of the File-I/O protocol extension. @xref{File-I/O
22620 remote protocol extension}, for the specification.
22623 @anchor{read registers packet}
22624 @cindex @samp{g} packet
22625 Read general registers.
22629 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
22630 Each byte of register data is described by two hex digits. The bytes
22631 with the register are transmitted in target byte order. The size of
22632 each register and their position within the @samp{g} packet are
22633 determined by the @value{GDBN} internal macros
22634 @code{DEPRECATED_REGISTER_RAW_SIZE} and @code{REGISTER_NAME} macros. The
22635 specification of several standard @samp{g} packets is specified below.
22640 @item G @var{XX@dots{}}
22641 @cindex @samp{G} packet
22642 Write general registers. @xref{read registers packet}, for a
22643 description of the @var{XX@dots{}} data.
22653 @item H @var{c} @var{t}
22654 @cindex @samp{H} packet
22655 Set thread for subsequent operations (@samp{m}, @samp{M}, @samp{g},
22656 @samp{G}, et.al.). @var{c} depends on the operation to be performed: it
22657 should be @samp{c} for step and continue operations, @samp{g} for other
22658 operations. The thread designator @var{t} may be @samp{-1}, meaning all
22659 the threads, a thread number, or @samp{0} which means pick any thread.
22670 @c 'H': How restrictive (or permissive) is the thread model. If a
22671 @c thread is selected and stopped, are other threads allowed
22672 @c to continue to execute? As I mentioned above, I think the
22673 @c semantics of each command when a thread is selected must be
22674 @c described. For example:
22676 @c 'g': If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
22677 @c selected, returns the register block from that thread;
22678 @c otherwise returns current registers.
22680 @c 'G' If the stub supports threads and a specific thread is
22681 @c selected, sets the registers of the register block of
22682 @c that thread; otherwise sets current registers.
22684 @item i @r{[}@var{addr}@r{[},@var{nnn}@r{]]}
22685 @anchor{cycle step packet}
22686 @cindex @samp{i} packet
22687 Step the remote target by a single clock cycle. If @samp{,@var{nnn}} is
22688 present, cycle step @var{nnn} cycles. If @var{addr} is present, cycle
22689 step starting at that address.
22692 @cindex @samp{I} packet
22693 Signal, then cycle step. @xref{step with signal packet}. @xref{cycle
22697 @cindex @samp{k} packet
22700 FIXME: @emph{There is no description of how to operate when a specific
22701 thread context has been selected (i.e.@: does 'k' kill only that
22704 @item m @var{addr},@var{length}
22705 @cindex @samp{m} packet
22706 Read @var{length} bytes of memory starting at address @var{addr}.
22707 Note that @var{addr} may not be aligned to any particular boundary.
22709 The stub need not use any particular size or alignment when gathering
22710 data from memory for the response; even if @var{addr} is word-aligned
22711 and @var{length} is a multiple of the word size, the stub is free to
22712 use byte accesses, or not. For this reason, this packet may not be
22713 suitable for accessing memory-mapped I/O devices.
22714 @cindex alignment of remote memory accesses
22715 @cindex size of remote memory accesses
22716 @cindex memory, alignment and size of remote accesses
22720 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
22721 Memory contents; each byte is transmitted as a two-digit hexidecimal
22722 number. The reply may contain fewer bytes than requested if the
22723 server was able to read only part of the region of memory.
22728 @item M @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
22729 @cindex @samp{M} packet
22730 Write @var{length} bytes of memory starting at address @var{addr}.
22731 @var{XX@dots{}} is the data; each byte is transmitted as a two-digit
22732 hexidecimal number.
22739 for an error (this includes the case where only part of the data was
22744 @cindex @samp{p} packet
22745 Read the value of register @var{n}; @var{n} is in hex.
22746 @xref{read registers packet}, for a description of how the returned
22747 register value is encoded.
22751 @item @var{XX@dots{}}
22752 the register's value
22756 Indicating an unrecognized @var{query}.
22759 @item P @var{n@dots{}}=@var{r@dots{}}
22760 @anchor{write register packet}
22761 @cindex @samp{P} packet
22762 Write register @var{n@dots{}} with value @var{r@dots{}}. The register
22763 number @var{n} is in hexidecimal, and @var{r@dots{}} contains two hex
22764 digits for each byte in the register (target byte order).
22774 @item q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
22775 @itemx Q @var{name} @var{params}@dots{}
22776 @cindex @samp{q} packet
22777 @cindex @samp{Q} packet
22778 General query (@samp{q}) and set (@samp{Q}). These packets are
22779 described fully in @ref{General Query Packets}.
22782 @cindex @samp{r} packet
22783 Reset the entire system.
22785 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{R} packet instead.
22788 @cindex @samp{R} packet
22789 Restart the program being debugged. @var{XX}, while needed, is ignored.
22790 This packet is only available in extended mode.
22792 The @samp{R} packet has no reply.
22795 @cindex @samp{s} packet
22796 Single step. @var{addr} is the address at which to resume. If
22797 @var{addr} is omitted, resume at same address.
22800 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
22802 @item S @var{sig};@var{addr}
22803 @anchor{step with signal packet}
22804 @cindex @samp{S} packet
22805 Step with signal. This is analogous to the @samp{C} packet, but
22806 requests a single-step, rather than a normal resumption of execution.
22809 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
22811 @item t @var{addr}:@var{PP},@var{MM}
22812 @cindex @samp{t} packet
22813 Search backwards starting at address @var{addr} for a match with pattern
22814 @var{PP} and mask @var{MM}. @var{PP} and @var{MM} are 4 bytes.
22815 @var{addr} must be at least 3 digits.
22818 @cindex @samp{T} packet
22819 Find out if the thread XX is alive.
22824 thread is still alive
22830 Packets starting with @samp{v} are identified by a multi-letter name,
22831 up to the first @samp{;} or @samp{?} (or the end of the packet).
22833 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@r{[}:@var{tid}@r{]]}@dots{}
22834 @cindex @samp{vCont} packet
22835 Resume the inferior, specifying different actions for each thread.
22836 If an action is specified with no @var{tid}, then it is applied to any
22837 threads that don't have a specific action specified; if no default action is
22838 specified then other threads should remain stopped. Specifying multiple
22839 default actions is an error; specifying no actions is also an error.
22840 Thread IDs are specified in hexadecimal. Currently supported actions are:
22846 Continue with signal @var{sig}. @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
22850 Step with signal @var{sig}. @var{sig} should be two hex digits.
22853 The optional @var{addr} argument normally associated with these packets is
22854 not supported in @samp{vCont}.
22857 @xref{Stop Reply Packets}, for the reply specifications.
22860 @cindex @samp{vCont?} packet
22861 Request a list of actions supporetd by the @samp{vCont} packet.
22865 @item vCont@r{[};@var{action}@dots{}@r{]}
22866 The @samp{vCont} packet is supported. Each @var{action} is a supported
22867 command in the @samp{vCont} packet.
22869 The @samp{vCont} packet is not supported.
22872 @item X @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
22874 @cindex @samp{X} packet
22875 Write data to memory, where the data is transmitted in binary.
22876 @var{addr} is address, @var{length} is number of bytes,
22877 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is binary data. The bytes @code{0x23}
22878 (@sc{ascii} @samp{#}), @code{0x24} (@sc{ascii} @samp{$}), and
22879 @code{0x7d} (@sc{ascii} @samp{@}}) are escaped using @code{0x7d}
22880 (@sc{ascii} @samp{@}}), and then XORed with @code{0x20}. For example,
22881 the byte @code{0x7d} would be transmitted as the two bytes @code{0x7d
22892 @item z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{length}
22893 @itemx Z @var{type},@var{addr},@var{length}
22894 @anchor{insert breakpoint or watchpoint packet}
22895 @cindex @samp{z} packet
22896 @cindex @samp{Z} packets
22897 Insert (@samp{Z}) or remove (@samp{z}) a @var{type} breakpoint or
22898 watchpoint starting at address @var{address} and covering the next
22899 @var{length} bytes.
22901 Each breakpoint and watchpoint packet @var{type} is documented
22904 @emph{Implementation notes: A remote target shall return an empty string
22905 for an unrecognized breakpoint or watchpoint packet @var{type}. A
22906 remote target shall support either both or neither of a given
22907 @samp{Z@var{type}@dots{}} and @samp{z@var{type}@dots{}} packet pair. To
22908 avoid potential problems with duplicate packets, the operations should
22909 be implemented in an idempotent way.}
22911 @item z0,@var{addr},@var{length}
22912 @itemx Z0,@var{addr},@var{length}
22913 @cindex @samp{z0} packet
22914 @cindex @samp{Z0} packet
22915 Insert (@samp{Z0}) or remove (@samp{z0}) a memory breakpoint at address
22916 @var{addr} of size @var{length}.
22918 A memory breakpoint is implemented by replacing the instruction at
22919 @var{addr} with a software breakpoint or trap instruction. The
22920 @var{length} is used by targets that indicates the size of the
22921 breakpoint (in bytes) that should be inserted (e.g., the @sc{arm} and
22922 @sc{mips} can insert either a 2 or 4 byte breakpoint).
22924 @emph{Implementation note: It is possible for a target to copy or move
22925 code that contains memory breakpoints (e.g., when implementing
22926 overlays). The behavior of this packet, in the presence of such a
22927 target, is not defined.}
22939 @item z1,@var{addr},@var{length}
22940 @itemx Z1,@var{addr},@var{length}
22941 @cindex @samp{z1} packet
22942 @cindex @samp{Z1} packet
22943 Insert (@samp{Z1}) or remove (@samp{z1}) a hardware breakpoint at
22944 address @var{addr} of size @var{length}.
22946 A hardware breakpoint is implemented using a mechanism that is not
22947 dependant on being able to modify the target's memory.
22949 @emph{Implementation note: A hardware breakpoint is not affected by code
22962 @item z2,@var{addr},@var{length}
22963 @itemx Z2,@var{addr},@var{length}
22964 @cindex @samp{z2} packet
22965 @cindex @samp{Z2} packet
22966 Insert (@samp{Z2}) or remove (@samp{z2}) a write watchpoint.
22978 @item z3,@var{addr},@var{length}
22979 @itemx Z3,@var{addr},@var{length}
22980 @cindex @samp{z3} packet
22981 @cindex @samp{Z3} packet
22982 Insert (@samp{Z3}) or remove (@samp{z3}) a read watchpoint.
22994 @item z4,@var{addr},@var{length}
22995 @itemx Z4,@var{addr},@var{length}
22996 @cindex @samp{z4} packet
22997 @cindex @samp{Z4} packet
22998 Insert (@samp{Z4}) or remove (@samp{z4}) an access watchpoint.
23012 @node Stop Reply Packets
23013 @section Stop Reply Packets
23014 @cindex stop reply packets
23016 The @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}, @samp{s} and @samp{?} packets can
23017 receive any of the below as a reply. In the case of the @samp{C},
23018 @samp{c}, @samp{S} and @samp{s} packets, that reply is only returned
23019 when the target halts. In the below the exact meaning of @dfn{signal
23020 number} is poorly defined. In general one of the UNIX signal
23021 numbering conventions is used.
23023 As in the description of request packets, we include spaces in the
23024 reply templates for clarity; these are not part of the reply packet's
23025 syntax. No @value{GDBN} stop reply packet uses spaces to separate its
23031 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexidecimal
23034 @item T @var{AA} @var{n1}:@var{r1};@var{n2}:@var{r2};@dots{}
23035 @cindex @samp{T} packet reply
23036 The program received signal number @var{AA} (a two-digit hexidecimal
23037 number). Single-step and breakpoint traps are reported this way. The
23038 @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pairs give the values of important registers or
23042 If @var{n} is a hexidecimal number, it is a register number, and the
23043 corresponding @var{r} gives that register's value. @var{r} is a
23044 series of bytes in target byte order, with each byte given by a
23045 two-digit hex number.
23047 If @var{n} is @samp{thread}, then @var{r} is the thread process ID, in
23050 If @var{n} is @samp{watch}, @samp{rwatch}, or @samp{awatch}, then the
23051 packet indicates a watchpoint hit, and @var{r} is the data address, in
23054 Otherwise, @value{GDBN} should ignore this @samp{@var{n}:@var{r}} pair
23055 and go on to the next; this allows us to extend the protocol in the
23060 The process exited, and @var{AA} is the exit status. This is only
23061 applicable to certain targets.
23064 The process terminated with signal @var{AA}.
23066 @item O @var{XX}@dots{}
23067 @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data, to be
23068 written as the program's console output. This can happen at any time
23069 while the program is running and the debugger should continue to wait
23070 for @samp{W}, @samp{T}, etc.
23072 @item F @var{call-id},@var{parameter}@dots{}
23073 @var{call-id} is the identifier which says which host system call should
23074 be called. This is just the name of the function. Translation into the
23075 correct system call is only applicable as it's defined in @value{GDBN}.
23076 @xref{File-I/O remote protocol extension}, for a list of implemented
23079 @samp{@var{parameter}@dots{}} is a list of parameters as defined for
23080 this very system call.
23082 The target replies with this packet when it expects @value{GDBN} to
23083 call a host system call on behalf of the target. @value{GDBN} replies
23084 with an appropriate @samp{F} packet and keeps up waiting for the next
23085 reply packet from the target. The latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S}
23086 or @samp{s} action is expected to be continued. @xref{File-I/O remote
23087 protocol extension}, for more details.
23091 @node General Query Packets
23092 @section General Query Packets
23093 @cindex remote query requests
23095 Packets starting with @samp{q} are @dfn{general query packets};
23096 packets starting with @samp{Q} are @dfn{general set packets}. General
23097 query and set packets are a semi-unified form for retrieving and
23098 sending information to and from the stub.
23100 The initial letter of a query or set packet is followed by a name
23101 indicating what sort of thing the packet applies to. For example,
23102 @value{GDBN} may use a @samp{qSymbol} packet to exchange symbol
23103 definitions with the stub. These packet names follow some
23108 The name must not contain commas, colons or semicolons.
23110 Most @value{GDBN} query and set packets have a leading upper case
23113 The names of custom vendor packets should use a company prefix, in
23114 lower case, followed by a period. For example, packets designed at
23115 the Acme Corporation might begin with @samp{qacme.foo} (for querying
23116 foos) or @samp{Qacme.bar} (for setting bars).
23119 A query or set packet may optionally be followed by a @samp{,} or
23120 @samp{;} separated list. Stubs must be careful to match the full
23121 packet name, in case packet names have common prefixes.
23123 Like the descriptions of the other packets, each description here
23124 has a template showing the packet's overall syntax, followed by an
23125 explanation of the packet's meaning. We include spaces in some of the
23126 templates for clarity; these are not part of the packet's syntax. No
23127 @value{GDBN} packet uses spaces to separate its components.
23129 Here are the currently defined query and set packets:
23134 @cindex current thread, remote request
23135 @cindex @samp{qC} packet
23136 Return the current thread id.
23141 Where @var{pid} is an unsigned hexidecimal process id.
23142 @item @r{(anything else)}
23143 Any other reply implies the old pid.
23146 @item qCRC:@var{addr},@var{length}
23147 @cindex CRC of memory block, remote request
23148 @cindex @samp{qCRC} packet
23149 Compute the CRC checksum of a block of memory.
23153 An error (such as memory fault)
23154 @item C @var{crc32}
23155 The specified memory region's checksum is @var{crc32}.
23159 @itemx qsThreadInfo
23160 @cindex list active threads, remote request
23161 @cindex @samp{qfThreadInfo} packet
23162 @cindex @samp{qsThreadInfo} packet
23163 Obtain a list of all active thread ids from the target (OS). Since there
23164 may be too many active threads to fit into one reply packet, this query
23165 works iteratively: it may require more than one query/reply sequence to
23166 obtain the entire list of threads. The first query of the sequence will
23167 be the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query; subsequent queries in the
23168 sequence will be the @samp{qsThreadInfo} query.
23170 NOTE: This packet replaces the @samp{qL} query (see below).
23176 @item m @var{id},@var{id}@dots{}
23177 a comma-separated list of thread ids
23179 (lower case letter @samp{L}) denotes end of list.
23182 In response to each query, the target will reply with a list of one or
23183 more thread ids, in big-endian unsigned hex, separated by commas.
23184 @value{GDBN} will respond to each reply with a request for more thread
23185 ids (using the @samp{qs} form of the query), until the target responds
23186 with @samp{l} (lower-case el, for @dfn{last}).
23188 @item qGetTLSAddr:@var{thread-id},@var{offset},@var{lm}
23189 @cindex get thread-local storage address, remote request
23190 @cindex @samp{qGetTLSAddr} packet
23191 Fetch the address associated with thread local storage specified
23192 by @var{thread-id}, @var{offset}, and @var{lm}.
23194 @var{thread-id} is the (big endian, hex encoded) thread id associated with the
23195 thread for which to fetch the TLS address.
23197 @var{offset} is the (big endian, hex encoded) offset associated with the
23198 thread local variable. (This offset is obtained from the debug
23199 information associated with the variable.)
23201 @var{lm} is the (big endian, hex encoded) OS/ABI specific encoding of the
23202 the load module associated with the thread local storage. For example,
23203 a @sc{gnu}/Linux system will pass the link map address of the shared
23204 object associated with the thread local storage under consideration.
23205 Other operating environments may choose to represent the load module
23206 differently, so the precise meaning of this parameter will vary.
23210 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
23211 Hex encoded (big endian) bytes representing the address of the thread
23212 local storage requested.
23215 An error occurred. @var{nn} are hex digits.
23218 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qGetTLSAddr} is not supported by the stub.
23221 Use of this request packet is controlled by the @code{set remote
23222 get-thread-local-storage-address} command (@pxref{Remote
23223 configuration, set remote get-thread-local-storage-address}).
23225 @item qL @var{startflag} @var{threadcount} @var{nextthread}
23226 Obtain thread information from RTOS. Where: @var{startflag} (one hex
23227 digit) is one to indicate the first query and zero to indicate a
23228 subsequent query; @var{threadcount} (two hex digits) is the maximum
23229 number of threads the response packet can contain; and @var{nextthread}
23230 (eight hex digits), for subsequent queries (@var{startflag} is zero), is
23231 returned in the response as @var{argthread}.
23233 Don't use this packet; use the @samp{qfThreadInfo} query instead (see above).
23237 @item qM @var{count} @var{done} @var{argthread} @var{thread}@dots{}
23238 Where: @var{count} (two hex digits) is the number of threads being
23239 returned; @var{done} (one hex digit) is zero to indicate more threads
23240 and one indicates no further threads; @var{argthreadid} (eight hex
23241 digits) is @var{nextthread} from the request packet; @var{thread}@dots{}
23242 is a sequence of thread IDs from the target. @var{threadid} (eight hex
23243 digits). See @code{remote.c:parse_threadlist_response()}.
23247 @cindex section offsets, remote request
23248 @cindex @samp{qOffsets} packet
23249 Get section offsets that the target used when re-locating the downloaded
23250 image. @emph{Note: while a @code{Bss} offset is included in the
23251 response, @value{GDBN} ignores this and instead applies the @code{Data}
23252 offset to the @code{Bss} section.}
23256 @item Text=@var{xxx};Data=@var{yyy};Bss=@var{zzz}
23259 @item qP @var{mode} @var{threadid}
23260 @cindex thread information, remote request
23261 @cindex @samp{qP} packet
23262 Returns information on @var{threadid}. Where: @var{mode} is a hex
23263 encoded 32 bit mode; @var{threadid} is a hex encoded 64 bit thread ID.
23265 Reply: see @code{remote.c:remote_unpack_thread_info_response()}.
23267 @item qPart:@var{object}:read:@var{annex}:@var{offset},@var{length}
23268 @cindex read special object, remote request
23269 @cindex @samp{qPart} packet
23270 Read uninterpreted bytes from the target's special data area
23271 identified by the keyword @var{object}. Request @var{length} bytes
23272 starting at @var{offset} bytes into the data. The content and
23273 encoding of @var{annex} is specific to the object; it can supply
23274 additional details about what data to access.
23276 Here are the specific requests of this form defined so far. All
23277 @samp{qPart:@var{object}:read:@dots{}} requests use the same reply
23278 formats, listed below.
23281 @item qPart:auxv:read::@var{offset},@var{length}
23282 Access the target's @dfn{auxiliary vector}. @xref{OS Information,
23283 auxiliary vector}, and see @ref{Remote configuration,
23284 read-aux-vector-packet}. Note @var{annex} must be empty.
23290 The @var{offset} in the request is at the end of the data.
23291 There is no more data to be read.
23293 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
23294 Hex encoded data bytes read.
23295 This may be fewer bytes than the @var{length} in the request.
23298 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
23301 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered reading the data.
23302 @var{nn} is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
23305 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} or @var{annex} string was not
23306 recognized by the stub.
23309 @item qPart:@var{object}:write:@var{annex}:@var{offset}:@var{data}@dots{}
23310 @cindex write data into object, remote request
23311 Write uninterpreted bytes into the target's special data area
23312 identified by the keyword @var{object}, starting at @var{offset} bytes
23313 into the data. @samp{@var{data}@dots{}} is the hex-encoded data to be
23314 written. The content and encoding of @var{annex} is specific to the
23315 object; it can supply additional details about what data to access.
23317 No requests of this form are presently in use. This specification
23318 serves as a placeholder to document the common format that new
23319 specific request specifications ought to use.
23324 @var{nn} (hex encoded) is the number of bytes written.
23325 This may be fewer bytes than supplied in the request.
23328 The request was malformed, or @var{annex} was invalid.
23331 The offset was invalid, or there was an error encountered writing the data.
23332 @var{nn} is a hex-encoded @code{errno} value.
23335 An empty reply indicates the @var{object} or @var{annex} string was not
23336 recognized by the stub, or that the object does not support writing.
23339 @item qPart:@var{object}:@var{operation}:@dots{}
23340 Requests of this form may be added in the future. When a stub does
23341 not recognize the @var{object} keyword, or its support for
23342 @var{object} does not recognize the @var{operation} keyword, the stub
23343 must respond with an empty packet.
23345 @item qRcmd,@var{command}
23346 @cindex execute remote command, remote request
23347 @cindex @samp{qRcmd} packet
23348 @var{command} (hex encoded) is passed to the local interpreter for
23349 execution. Invalid commands should be reported using the output
23350 string. Before the final result packet, the target may also respond
23351 with a number of intermediate @samp{O@var{output}} console output
23352 packets. @emph{Implementors should note that providing access to a
23353 stubs's interpreter may have security implications}.
23358 A command response with no output.
23360 A command response with the hex encoded output string @var{OUTPUT}.
23362 Indicate a badly formed request.
23364 An empty reply indicates that @samp{qRcmd} is not recognized.
23368 @cindex symbol lookup, remote request
23369 @cindex @samp{qSymbol} packet
23370 Notify the target that @value{GDBN} is prepared to serve symbol lookup
23371 requests. Accept requests from the target for the values of symbols.
23376 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
23377 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
23378 The target requests the value of symbol @var{sym_name} (hex encoded).
23379 @value{GDBN} may provide the value by using the
23380 @samp{qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}} message, described
23384 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_value}:@var{sym_name}
23385 Set the value of @var{sym_name} to @var{sym_value}.
23387 @var{sym_name} (hex encoded) is the name of a symbol whose value the
23388 target has previously requested.
23390 @var{sym_value} (hex) is the value for symbol @var{sym_name}. If
23391 @value{GDBN} cannot supply a value for @var{sym_name}, then this field
23397 The target does not need to look up any (more) symbols.
23398 @item qSymbol:@var{sym_name}
23399 The target requests the value of a new symbol @var{sym_name} (hex
23400 encoded). @value{GDBN} will continue to supply the values of symbols
23401 (if available), until the target ceases to request them.
23406 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
23408 @item qThreadExtraInfo,@var{id}
23409 @cindex thread attributes info, remote request
23410 @cindex @samp{qThreadExtraInfo} packet
23411 Obtain a printable string description of a thread's attributes from
23412 the target OS. @var{id} is a thread-id in big-endian hex. This
23413 string may contain anything that the target OS thinks is interesting
23414 for @value{GDBN} to tell the user about the thread. The string is
23415 displayed in @value{GDBN}'s @code{info threads} display. Some
23416 examples of possible thread extra info strings are @samp{Runnable}, or
23417 @samp{Blocked on Mutex}.
23421 @item @var{XX}@dots{}
23422 Where @samp{@var{XX}@dots{}} is a hex encoding of @sc{ascii} data,
23423 comprising the printable string containing the extra information about
23424 the thread's attributes.
23432 @xref{Tracepoint Packets}.
23436 @node Register Packet Format
23437 @section Register Packet Format
23439 The following @code{g}/@code{G} packets have previously been defined.
23440 In the below, some thirty-two bit registers are transferred as
23441 sixty-four bits. Those registers should be zero/sign extended (which?)
23442 to fill the space allocated. Register bytes are transfered in target
23443 byte order. The two nibbles within a register byte are transfered
23444 most-significant - least-significant.
23450 All registers are transfered as thirty-two bit quantities in the order:
23451 32 general-purpose; sr; lo; hi; bad; cause; pc; 32 floating-point
23452 registers; fsr; fir; fp.
23456 All registers are transfered as sixty-four bit quantities (including
23457 thirty-two bit registers such as @code{sr}). The ordering is the same
23462 @node Tracepoint Packets
23463 @section Tracepoint Packets
23464 @cindex tracepoint packets
23465 @cindex packets, tracepoint
23467 Here we describe the packets @value{GDBN} uses to implement
23468 tracepoints (@pxref{Tracepoints}).
23472 @item QTDP:@var{n}:@var{addr}:@var{ena}:@var{step}:@var{pass}@r{[}-@r{]}
23473 Create a new tracepoint, number @var{n}, at @var{addr}. If @var{ena}
23474 is @samp{E}, then the tracepoint is enabled; if it is @samp{D}, then
23475 the tracepoint is disabled. @var{step} is the tracepoint's step
23476 count, and @var{pass} is its pass count. If the trailing @samp{-} is
23477 present, further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow to specify this
23478 tracepoint's actions.
23483 The packet was understood and carried out.
23485 The packet was not recognized.
23488 @item QTDP:-@var{n}:@var{addr}:@r{[}S@r{]}@var{action}@dots{}@r{[}-@r{]}
23489 Define actions to be taken when a tracepoint is hit. @var{n} and
23490 @var{addr} must be the same as in the initial @samp{QTDP} packet for
23491 this tracepoint. This packet may only be sent immediately after
23492 another @samp{QTDP} packet that ended with a @samp{-}. If the
23493 trailing @samp{-} is present, further @samp{QTDP} packets will follow,
23494 specifying more actions for this tracepoint.
23496 In the series of action packets for a given tracepoint, at most one
23497 can have an @samp{S} before its first @var{action}. If such a packet
23498 is sent, it and the following packets define ``while-stepping''
23499 actions. Any prior packets define ordinary actions --- that is, those
23500 taken when the tracepoint is first hit. If no action packet has an
23501 @samp{S}, then all the packets in the series specify ordinary
23502 tracepoint actions.
23504 The @samp{@var{action}@dots{}} portion of the packet is a series of
23505 actions, concatenated without separators. Each action has one of the
23511 Collect the registers whose bits are set in @var{mask}. @var{mask} is
23512 a hexidecimal number whose @var{i}'th bit is set if register number
23513 @var{i} should be collected. (The least significant bit is numbered
23514 zero.) Note that @var{mask} may be any number of digits long; it may
23515 not fit in a 32-bit word.
23517 @item M @var{basereg},@var{offset},@var{len}
23518 Collect @var{len} bytes of memory starting at the address in register
23519 number @var{basereg}, plus @var{offset}. If @var{basereg} is
23520 @samp{-1}, then the range has a fixed address: @var{offset} is the
23521 address of the lowest byte to collect. The @var{basereg},
23522 @var{offset}, and @var{len} parameters are all unsigned hexidecimal
23523 values (the @samp{-1} value for @var{basereg} is a special case).
23525 @item X @var{len},@var{expr}
23526 Evaluate @var{expr}, whose length is @var{len}, and collect memory as
23527 it directs. @var{expr} is an agent expression, as described in
23528 @ref{Agent Expressions}. Each byte of the expression is encoded as a
23529 two-digit hex number in the packet; @var{len} is the number of bytes
23530 in the expression (and thus one-half the number of hex digits in the
23535 Any number of actions may be packed together in a single @samp{QTDP}
23536 packet, as long as the packet does not exceed the maximum packet
23537 length (400 bytes, for many stubs). There may be only one @samp{R}
23538 action per tracepoint, and it must precede any @samp{M} or @samp{X}
23539 actions. Any registers referred to by @samp{M} and @samp{X} actions
23540 must be collected by a preceding @samp{R} action. (The
23541 ``while-stepping'' actions are treated as if they were attached to a
23542 separate tracepoint, as far as these restrictions are concerned.)
23547 The packet was understood and carried out.
23549 The packet was not recognized.
23552 @item QTFrame:@var{n}
23553 Select the @var{n}'th tracepoint frame from the buffer, and use the
23554 register and memory contents recorded there to answer subsequent
23555 request packets from @value{GDBN}.
23557 A successful reply from the stub indicates that the stub has found the
23558 requested frame. The response is a series of parts, concatenated
23559 without separators, describing the frame we selected. Each part has
23560 one of the following forms:
23564 The selected frame is number @var{n} in the trace frame buffer;
23565 @var{f} is a hexidecimal number. If @var{f} is @samp{-1}, then there
23566 was no frame matching the criteria in the request packet.
23569 The selected trace frame records a hit of tracepoint number @var{t};
23570 @var{t} is a hexidecimal number.
23574 @item QTFrame:pc:@var{addr}
23575 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
23576 currently selected frame whose PC is @var{addr};
23577 @var{addr} is a hexidecimal number.
23579 @item QTFrame:tdp:@var{t}
23580 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
23581 currently selected frame that is a hit of tracepoint @var{t}; @var{t}
23582 is a hexidecimal number.
23584 @item QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}
23585 Like @samp{QTFrame:@var{n}}, but select the first tracepoint frame after the
23586 currently selected frame whose PC is between @var{start} (inclusive)
23587 and @var{end} (exclusive); @var{start} and @var{end} are hexidecimal
23590 @item QTFrame:outside:@var{start}:@var{end}
23591 Like @samp{QTFrame:range:@var{start}:@var{end}}, but select the first
23592 frame @emph{outside} the given range of addresses.
23595 Begin the tracepoint experiment. Begin collecting data from tracepoint
23596 hits in the trace frame buffer.
23599 End the tracepoint experiment. Stop collecting trace frames.
23602 Clear the table of tracepoints, and empty the trace frame buffer.
23604 @item QTro:@var{start1},@var{end1}:@var{start2},@var{end2}:@dots{}
23605 Establish the given ranges of memory as ``transparent''. The stub
23606 will answer requests for these ranges from memory's current contents,
23607 if they were not collected as part of the tracepoint hit.
23609 @value{GDBN} uses this to mark read-only regions of memory, like those
23610 containing program code. Since these areas never change, they should
23611 still have the same contents they did when the tracepoint was hit, so
23612 there's no reason for the stub to refuse to provide their contents.
23615 Ask the stub if there is a trace experiment running right now.
23620 There is no trace experiment running.
23622 There is a trace experiment running.
23629 @section Interrupts
23630 @cindex interrupts (remote protocol)
23632 When a program on the remote target is running, @value{GDBN} may
23633 attempt to interrupt it by sending a @samp{Ctrl-C} or a @code{BREAK},
23634 control of which is specified via @value{GDBN}'s @samp{remotebreak}
23635 setting (@pxref{set remotebreak}).
23637 The precise meaning of @code{BREAK} is defined by the transport
23638 mechanism and may, in fact, be undefined. @value{GDBN} does
23639 not currently define a @code{BREAK} mechanism for any of the network
23642 @samp{Ctrl-C}, on the other hand, is defined and implemented for all
23643 transport mechanisms. It is represented by sending the single byte
23644 @code{0x03} without any of the usual packet overhead described in
23645 the Overview section (@pxref{Overview}). When a @code{0x03} byte is
23646 transmitted as part of a packet, it is considered to be packet data
23647 and does @emph{not} represent an interrupt. E.g., an @samp{X} packet
23648 (@pxref{X packet}, used for binary downloads, may include an unescaped
23649 @code{0x03} as part of its packet.
23651 Stubs are not required to recognize these interrupt mechanisms and the
23652 precise meaning associated with receipt of the interrupt is
23653 implementation defined. If the stub is successful at interrupting the
23654 running program, it is expected that it will send one of the Stop
23655 Reply Packets (@pxref{Stop Reply Packets}) to @value{GDBN} as a result
23656 of successfully stopping the program. Interrupts received while the
23657 program is stopped will be discarded.
23662 Example sequence of a target being re-started. Notice how the restart
23663 does not get any direct output:
23668 @emph{target restarts}
23671 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
23675 Example sequence of a target being stepped by a single instruction:
23678 -> @code{G1445@dots{}}
23683 <- @code{T001:1234123412341234}
23687 <- @code{1455@dots{}}
23691 @node File-I/O remote protocol extension
23692 @section File-I/O remote protocol extension
23693 @cindex File-I/O remote protocol extension
23696 * File-I/O Overview::
23697 * Protocol basics::
23698 * The F request packet::
23699 * The F reply packet::
23700 * Memory transfer::
23701 * The Ctrl-C message::
23703 * The isatty call::
23704 * The system call::
23705 * List of supported calls::
23706 * Protocol specific representation of datatypes::
23708 * File-I/O Examples::
23711 @node File-I/O Overview
23712 @subsection File-I/O Overview
23713 @cindex file-i/o overview
23715 The @dfn{File I/O remote protocol extension} (short: File-I/O) allows the
23716 target to use the host's file system and console I/O when calling various
23717 system calls. System calls on the target system are translated into a
23718 remote protocol packet to the host system which then performs the needed
23719 actions and returns with an adequate response packet to the target system.
23720 This simulates file system operations even on targets that lack file systems.
23722 The protocol is defined host- and target-system independent. It uses
23723 its own independent representation of datatypes and values. Both,
23724 @value{GDBN} and the target's @value{GDBN} stub are responsible for
23725 translating the system dependent values into the unified protocol values
23726 when data is transmitted.
23728 The communication is synchronous. A system call is possible only
23729 when GDB is waiting for the @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s}
23730 packets. While @value{GDBN} handles the request for a system call,
23731 the target is stopped to allow deterministic access to the target's
23732 memory. Therefore File-I/O is not interuptible by target signals. It
23733 is possible to interrupt File-I/O by a user interrupt (Ctrl-C), though.
23735 The target's request to perform a host system call does not finish
23736 the latest @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} action. That means,
23737 after finishing the system call, the target returns to continuing the
23738 previous activity (continue, step). No additional continue or step
23739 request from @value{GDBN} is required.
23742 (@value{GDBP}) continue
23743 <- target requests 'system call X'
23744 target is stopped, @value{GDBN} executes system call
23745 -> GDB returns result
23746 ... target continues, GDB returns to wait for the target
23747 <- target hits breakpoint and sends a Txx packet
23750 The protocol is only used for files on the host file system and
23751 for I/O on the console. Character or block special devices, pipes,
23752 named pipes or sockets or any other communication method on the host
23753 system are not supported by this protocol.
23755 @node Protocol basics
23756 @subsection Protocol basics
23757 @cindex protocol basics, file-i/o
23759 The File-I/O protocol uses the @code{F} packet, as request as well
23760 as as reply packet. Since a File-I/O system call can only occur when
23761 @value{GDBN} is waiting for the continuing or stepping target, the
23762 File-I/O request is a reply that @value{GDBN} has to expect as a result
23763 of a former @samp{C}, @samp{c}, @samp{S} or @samp{s} packet.
23764 This @code{F} packet contains all information needed to allow @value{GDBN}
23765 to call the appropriate host system call:
23769 A unique identifier for the requested system call.
23772 All parameters to the system call. Pointers are given as addresses
23773 in the target memory address space. Pointers to strings are given as
23774 pointer/length pair. Numerical values are given as they are.
23775 Numerical control values are given in a protocol specific representation.
23779 At that point @value{GDBN} has to perform the following actions.
23783 If parameter pointer values are given, which point to data needed as input
23784 to a system call, @value{GDBN} requests this data from the target with a
23785 standard @code{m} packet request. This additional communication has to be
23786 expected by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{m}
23790 @value{GDBN} translates all value from protocol representation to host
23791 representation as needed. Datatypes are coerced into the host types.
23794 @value{GDBN} calls the system call
23797 It then coerces datatypes back to protocol representation.
23800 If pointer parameters in the request packet point to buffer space in which
23801 a system call is expected to copy data to, the data is transmitted to the
23802 target using a @code{M} or @code{X} packet. This packet has to be expected
23803 by the target implementation and is handled as any other @code{M} or @code{X}
23808 Eventually @value{GDBN} replies with another @code{F} packet which contains all
23809 necessary information for the target to continue. This at least contains
23816 @code{errno}, if has been changed by the system call.
23823 After having done the needed type and value coercion, the target continues
23824 the latest continue or step action.
23826 @node The F request packet
23827 @subsection The @code{F} request packet
23828 @cindex file-i/o request packet
23829 @cindex @code{F} request packet
23831 The @code{F} request packet has the following format:
23836 @code{F}@var{call-id}@code{,}@var{parameter@dots{}}
23839 @var{call-id} is the identifier to indicate the host system call to be called.
23840 This is just the name of the function.
23842 @var{parameter@dots{}} are the parameters to the system call.
23846 Parameters are hexadecimal integer values, either the real values in case
23847 of scalar datatypes, as pointers to target buffer space in case of compound
23848 datatypes and unspecified memory areas or as pointer/length pairs in case
23849 of string parameters. These are appended to the call-id, each separated
23850 from its predecessor by a comma. All values are transmitted in ASCII
23851 string representation, pointer/length pairs separated by a slash.
23853 @node The F reply packet
23854 @subsection The @code{F} reply packet
23855 @cindex file-i/o reply packet
23856 @cindex @code{F} reply packet
23858 The @code{F} reply packet has the following format:
23863 @code{F}@var{retcode}@code{,}@var{errno}@code{,}@var{Ctrl-C flag}@code{;}@var{call specific attachment}
23866 @var{retcode} is the return code of the system call as hexadecimal value.
23868 @var{errno} is the errno set by the call, in protocol specific representation.
23869 This parameter can be omitted if the call was successful.
23871 @var{Ctrl-C flag} is only send if the user requested a break. In this
23872 case, @var{errno} must be send as well, even if the call was successful.
23873 The @var{Ctrl-C flag} itself consists of the character 'C':
23880 or, if the call was interupted before the host call has been performed:
23887 assuming 4 is the protocol specific representation of @code{EINTR}.
23891 @node Memory transfer
23892 @subsection Memory transfer
23893 @cindex memory transfer, in file-i/o protocol
23895 Structured data which is transferred using a memory read or write as e.g.@:
23896 a @code{struct stat} is expected to be in a protocol specific format with
23897 all scalar multibyte datatypes being big endian. This should be done by
23898 the target before the @code{F} packet is sent resp.@: by @value{GDBN} before
23899 it transfers memory to the target. Transferred pointers to structured
23900 data should point to the already coerced data at any time.
23902 @node The Ctrl-C message
23903 @subsection The Ctrl-C message
23904 @cindex ctrl-c message, in file-i/o protocol
23906 A special case is, if the @var{Ctrl-C flag} is set in the @value{GDBN}
23907 reply packet. In this case the target should behave, as if it had
23908 gotten a break message. The meaning for the target is ``system call
23909 interupted by @code{SIGINT}''. Consequentially, the target should actually stop
23910 (as with a break message) and return to @value{GDBN} with a @code{T02}
23911 packet. In this case, it's important for the target to know, in which
23912 state the system call was interrupted. Since this action is by design
23913 not an atomic operation, we have to differ between two cases:
23917 The system call hasn't been performed on the host yet.
23920 The system call on the host has been finished.
23924 These two states can be distinguished by the target by the value of the
23925 returned @code{errno}. If it's the protocol representation of @code{EINTR}, the system
23926 call hasn't been performed. This is equivalent to the @code{EINTR} handling
23927 on POSIX systems. In any other case, the target may presume that the
23928 system call has been finished --- successful or not --- and should behave
23929 as if the break message arrived right after the system call.
23931 @value{GDBN} must behave reliable. If the system call has not been called
23932 yet, @value{GDBN} may send the @code{F} reply immediately, setting @code{EINTR} as
23933 @code{errno} in the packet. If the system call on the host has been finished
23934 before the user requests a break, the full action must be finshed by
23935 @value{GDBN}. This requires sending @code{M} or @code{X} packets as they fit.
23936 The @code{F} packet may only be send when either nothing has happened
23937 or the full action has been completed.
23940 @subsection Console I/O
23941 @cindex console i/o as part of file-i/o
23943 By default and if not explicitely closed by the target system, the file
23944 descriptors 0, 1 and 2 are connected to the @value{GDBN} console. Output
23945 on the @value{GDBN} console is handled as any other file output operation
23946 (@code{write(1, @dots{})} or @code{write(2, @dots{})}). Console input is handled
23947 by @value{GDBN} so that after the target read request from file descriptor
23948 0 all following typing is buffered until either one of the following
23953 The user presses @kbd{Ctrl-C}. The behaviour is as explained above, the
23955 system call is treated as finished.
23958 The user presses @kbd{Enter}. This is treated as end of input with a trailing
23962 The user presses @kbd{Ctrl-D}. This is treated as end of input. No trailing
23963 character, especially no Ctrl-D is appended to the input.
23967 If the user has typed more characters as fit in the buffer given to
23968 the read call, the trailing characters are buffered in @value{GDBN} until
23969 either another @code{read(0, @dots{})} is requested by the target or debugging
23970 is stopped on users request.
23972 @node The isatty call
23973 @subsection The @samp{isatty} function call
23974 @cindex isatty call, file-i/o protocol
23976 A special case in this protocol is the library call @code{isatty} which
23977 is implemented as its own call inside of this protocol. It returns
23978 1 to the target if the file descriptor given as parameter is attached
23979 to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise. Implementing through system calls
23980 would require implementing @code{ioctl} and would be more complex than
23983 @node The system call
23984 @subsection The @samp{system} function call
23985 @cindex system call, file-i/o protocol
23987 The other special case in this protocol is the @code{system} call which
23988 is implemented as its own call, too. @value{GDBN} is taking over the full
23989 task of calling the necessary host calls to perform the @code{system}
23990 call. The return value of @code{system} is simplified before it's returned
23991 to the target. Basically, the only signal transmitted back is @code{EINTR}
23992 in case the user pressed @kbd{Ctrl-C}. Otherwise the return value consists
23993 entirely of the exit status of the called command.
23995 Due to security concerns, the @code{system} call is by default refused
23996 by @value{GDBN}. The user has to allow this call explicitly with the
23997 @kbd{set remote system-call-allowed 1} command.
24000 @item set remote system-call-allowed
24001 @kindex set remote system-call-allowed
24002 Control whether to allow the @code{system} calls in the File I/O
24003 protocol for the remote target. The default is zero (disabled).
24005 @item show remote system-call-allowed
24006 @kindex show remote system-call-allowed
24007 Show the current setting of system calls for the remote File I/O
24011 @node List of supported calls
24012 @subsection List of supported calls
24013 @cindex list of supported file-i/o calls
24030 @unnumberedsubsubsec open
24031 @cindex open, file-i/o system call
24035 int open(const char *pathname, int flags);
24036 int open(const char *pathname, int flags, mode_t mode);
24039 Fopen,pathptr/len,flags,mode
24043 @code{flags} is the bitwise or of the following values:
24047 If the file does not exist it will be created. The host
24048 rules apply as far as file ownership and time stamps
24052 When used with O_CREAT, if the file already exists it is
24053 an error and open() fails.
24056 If the file already exists and the open mode allows
24057 writing (O_RDWR or O_WRONLY is given) it will be
24058 truncated to length 0.
24061 The file is opened in append mode.
24064 The file is opened for reading only.
24067 The file is opened for writing only.
24070 The file is opened for reading and writing.
24073 Each other bit is silently ignored.
24078 @code{mode} is the bitwise or of the following values:
24082 User has read permission.
24085 User has write permission.
24088 Group has read permission.
24091 Group has write permission.
24094 Others have read permission.
24097 Others have write permission.
24100 Each other bit is silently ignored.
24105 @exdent Return value:
24106 open returns the new file descriptor or -1 if an error
24114 pathname already exists and O_CREAT and O_EXCL were used.
24117 pathname refers to a directory.
24120 The requested access is not allowed.
24123 pathname was too long.
24126 A directory component in pathname does not exist.
24129 pathname refers to a device, pipe, named pipe or socket.
24132 pathname refers to a file on a read-only filesystem and
24133 write access was requested.
24136 pathname is an invalid pointer value.
24139 No space on device to create the file.
24142 The process already has the maximum number of files open.
24145 The limit on the total number of files open on the system
24149 The call was interrupted by the user.
24153 @unnumberedsubsubsec close
24154 @cindex close, file-i/o system call
24163 @exdent Return value:
24164 close returns zero on success, or -1 if an error occurred.
24171 fd isn't a valid open file descriptor.
24174 The call was interrupted by the user.
24178 @unnumberedsubsubsec read
24179 @cindex read, file-i/o system call
24183 int read(int fd, void *buf, unsigned int count);
24186 Fread,fd,bufptr,count
24188 @exdent Return value:
24189 On success, the number of bytes read is returned.
24190 Zero indicates end of file. If count is zero, read
24191 returns zero as well. On error, -1 is returned.
24198 fd is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
24202 buf is an invalid pointer value.
24205 The call was interrupted by the user.
24209 @unnumberedsubsubsec write
24210 @cindex write, file-i/o system call
24214 int write(int fd, const void *buf, unsigned int count);
24217 Fwrite,fd,bufptr,count
24219 @exdent Return value:
24220 On success, the number of bytes written are returned.
24221 Zero indicates nothing was written. On error, -1
24229 fd is not a valid file descriptor or is not open for
24233 buf is an invalid pointer value.
24236 An attempt was made to write a file that exceeds the
24237 host specific maximum file size allowed.
24240 No space on device to write the data.
24243 The call was interrupted by the user.
24247 @unnumberedsubsubsec lseek
24248 @cindex lseek, file-i/o system call
24252 long lseek (int fd, long offset, int flag);
24255 Flseek,fd,offset,flag
24258 @code{flag} is one of:
24262 The offset is set to offset bytes.
24265 The offset is set to its current location plus offset
24269 The offset is set to the size of the file plus offset
24274 @exdent Return value:
24275 On success, the resulting unsigned offset in bytes from
24276 the beginning of the file is returned. Otherwise, a
24277 value of -1 is returned.
24284 fd is not a valid open file descriptor.
24287 fd is associated with the @value{GDBN} console.
24290 flag is not a proper value.
24293 The call was interrupted by the user.
24297 @unnumberedsubsubsec rename
24298 @cindex rename, file-i/o system call
24302 int rename(const char *oldpath, const char *newpath);
24305 Frename,oldpathptr/len,newpathptr/len
24307 @exdent Return value:
24308 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
24315 newpath is an existing directory, but oldpath is not a
24319 newpath is a non-empty directory.
24322 oldpath or newpath is a directory that is in use by some
24326 An attempt was made to make a directory a subdirectory
24330 A component used as a directory in oldpath or new
24331 path is not a directory. Or oldpath is a directory
24332 and newpath exists but is not a directory.
24335 oldpathptr or newpathptr are invalid pointer values.
24338 No access to the file or the path of the file.
24342 oldpath or newpath was too long.
24345 A directory component in oldpath or newpath does not exist.
24348 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
24351 The device containing the file has no room for the new
24355 The call was interrupted by the user.
24359 @unnumberedsubsubsec unlink
24360 @cindex unlink, file-i/o system call
24364 int unlink(const char *pathname);
24367 Funlink,pathnameptr/len
24369 @exdent Return value:
24370 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
24377 No access to the file or the path of the file.
24380 The system does not allow unlinking of directories.
24383 The file pathname cannot be unlinked because it's
24384 being used by another process.
24387 pathnameptr is an invalid pointer value.
24390 pathname was too long.
24393 A directory component in pathname does not exist.
24396 A component of the path is not a directory.
24399 The file is on a read-only filesystem.
24402 The call was interrupted by the user.
24406 @unnumberedsubsubsec stat/fstat
24407 @cindex fstat, file-i/o system call
24408 @cindex stat, file-i/o system call
24412 int stat(const char *pathname, struct stat *buf);
24413 int fstat(int fd, struct stat *buf);
24416 Fstat,pathnameptr/len,bufptr
24419 @exdent Return value:
24420 On success, zero is returned. On error, -1 is returned.
24427 fd is not a valid open file.
24430 A directory component in pathname does not exist or the
24431 path is an empty string.
24434 A component of the path is not a directory.
24437 pathnameptr is an invalid pointer value.
24440 No access to the file or the path of the file.
24443 pathname was too long.
24446 The call was interrupted by the user.
24450 @unnumberedsubsubsec gettimeofday
24451 @cindex gettimeofday, file-i/o system call
24455 int gettimeofday(struct timeval *tv, void *tz);
24458 Fgettimeofday,tvptr,tzptr
24460 @exdent Return value:
24461 On success, 0 is returned, -1 otherwise.
24468 tz is a non-NULL pointer.
24471 tvptr and/or tzptr is an invalid pointer value.
24475 @unnumberedsubsubsec isatty
24476 @cindex isatty, file-i/o system call
24480 int isatty(int fd);
24485 @exdent Return value:
24486 Returns 1 if fd refers to the @value{GDBN} console, 0 otherwise.
24493 The call was interrupted by the user.
24497 @unnumberedsubsubsec system
24498 @cindex system, file-i/o system call
24502 int system(const char *command);
24505 Fsystem,commandptr/len
24507 @exdent Return value:
24508 The value returned is -1 on error and the return status
24509 of the command otherwise. Only the exit status of the
24510 command is returned, which is extracted from the hosts
24511 system return value by calling WEXITSTATUS(retval).
24512 In case /bin/sh could not be executed, 127 is returned.
24519 The call was interrupted by the user.
24522 @node Protocol specific representation of datatypes
24523 @subsection Protocol specific representation of datatypes
24524 @cindex protocol specific representation of datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
24527 * Integral datatypes::
24533 @node Integral datatypes
24534 @unnumberedsubsubsec Integral datatypes
24535 @cindex integral datatypes, in file-i/o protocol
24537 The integral datatypes used in the system calls are
24540 int@r{,} unsigned int@r{,} long@r{,} unsigned long@r{,} mode_t @r{and} time_t
24543 @code{Int}, @code{unsigned int}, @code{mode_t} and @code{time_t} are
24544 implemented as 32 bit values in this protocol.
24546 @code{Long} and @code{unsigned long} are implemented as 64 bit types.
24548 @xref{Limits}, for corresponding MIN and MAX values (similar to those
24549 in @file{limits.h}) to allow range checking on host and target.
24551 @code{time_t} datatypes are defined as seconds since the Epoch.
24553 All integral datatypes transferred as part of a memory read or write of a
24554 structured datatype e.g.@: a @code{struct stat} have to be given in big endian
24557 @node Pointer values
24558 @unnumberedsubsubsec Pointer values
24559 @cindex pointer values, in file-i/o protocol
24561 Pointers to target data are transmitted as they are. An exception
24562 is made for pointers to buffers for which the length isn't
24563 transmitted as part of the function call, namely strings. Strings
24564 are transmitted as a pointer/length pair, both as hex values, e.g.@:
24571 which is a pointer to data of length 18 bytes at position 0x1aaf.
24572 The length is defined as the full string length in bytes, including
24573 the trailing null byte. Example:
24576 ``hello, world'' at address 0x123456
24587 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct stat
24588 @cindex struct stat, in file-i/o protocol
24590 The buffer of type struct stat used by the target and @value{GDBN} is defined
24595 unsigned int st_dev; /* device */
24596 unsigned int st_ino; /* inode */
24597 mode_t st_mode; /* protection */
24598 unsigned int st_nlink; /* number of hard links */
24599 unsigned int st_uid; /* user ID of owner */
24600 unsigned int st_gid; /* group ID of owner */
24601 unsigned int st_rdev; /* device type (if inode device) */
24602 unsigned long st_size; /* total size, in bytes */
24603 unsigned long st_blksize; /* blocksize for filesystem I/O */
24604 unsigned long st_blocks; /* number of blocks allocated */
24605 time_t st_atime; /* time of last access */
24606 time_t st_mtime; /* time of last modification */
24607 time_t st_ctime; /* time of last change */
24611 The integral datatypes are conforming to the definitions given in the
24612 approriate section (see @ref{Integral datatypes}, for details) so this
24613 structure is of size 64 bytes.
24615 The values of several fields have a restricted meaning and/or
24622 st_ino: No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
24624 st_mode: Valid mode bits are described in Appendix C. Any other
24625 bits have currently no meaning for the target.
24627 st_uid: No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
24629 st_gid: No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
24631 st_rdev: No valid meaning for the target. Transmitted unchanged.
24633 st_atime, st_mtime, st_ctime:
24634 These values have a host and file system dependent
24635 accuracy. Especially on Windows hosts the file systems
24636 don't support exact timing values.
24639 The target gets a struct stat of the above representation and is
24640 responsible to coerce it to the target representation before
24643 Note that due to size differences between the host and target
24644 representation of stat members, these members could eventually
24645 get truncated on the target.
24647 @node struct timeval
24648 @unnumberedsubsubsec struct timeval
24649 @cindex struct timeval, in file-i/o protocol
24651 The buffer of type struct timeval used by the target and @value{GDBN}
24652 is defined as follows:
24656 time_t tv_sec; /* second */
24657 long tv_usec; /* microsecond */
24661 The integral datatypes are conforming to the definitions given in the
24662 approriate section (see @ref{Integral datatypes}, for details) so this
24663 structure is of size 8 bytes.
24666 @subsection Constants
24667 @cindex constants, in file-i/o protocol
24669 The following values are used for the constants inside of the
24670 protocol. @value{GDBN} and target are resposible to translate these
24671 values before and after the call as needed.
24682 @unnumberedsubsubsec Open flags
24683 @cindex open flags, in file-i/o protocol
24685 All values are given in hexadecimal representation.
24697 @node mode_t values
24698 @unnumberedsubsubsec mode_t values
24699 @cindex mode_t values, in file-i/o protocol
24701 All values are given in octal representation.
24718 @unnumberedsubsubsec Errno values
24719 @cindex errno values, in file-i/o protocol
24721 All values are given in decimal representation.
24746 EUNKNOWN is used as a fallback error value if a host system returns
24747 any error value not in the list of supported error numbers.
24750 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lseek flags
24751 @cindex lseek flags, in file-i/o protocol
24760 @unnumberedsubsubsec Limits
24761 @cindex limits, in file-i/o protocol
24763 All values are given in decimal representation.
24766 INT_MIN -2147483648
24768 UINT_MAX 4294967295
24769 LONG_MIN -9223372036854775808
24770 LONG_MAX 9223372036854775807
24771 ULONG_MAX 18446744073709551615
24774 @node File-I/O Examples
24775 @subsection File-I/O Examples
24776 @cindex file-i/o examples
24778 Example sequence of a write call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
24779 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be written:
24782 <- @code{Fwrite,3,1234,6}
24783 @emph{request memory read from target}
24786 @emph{return "6 bytes written"}
24790 Example sequence of a read call, file descriptor 3, buffer is at target
24791 address 0x1234, 6 bytes should be read:
24794 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
24795 @emph{request memory write to target}
24796 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
24797 @emph{return "6 bytes read"}
24801 Example sequence of a read call, call fails on the host due to invalid
24802 file descriptor (EBADF):
24805 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
24809 Example sequence of a read call, user presses Ctrl-C before syscall on
24813 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
24818 Example sequence of a read call, user presses Ctrl-C after syscall on
24822 <- @code{Fread,3,1234,6}
24823 -> @code{X1234,6:XXXXXX}
24827 @include agentexpr.texi
24841 % I think something like @colophon should be in texinfo. In the
24843 \long\def\colophon{\hbox to0pt{}\vfill
24844 \centerline{The body of this manual is set in}
24845 \centerline{\fontname\tenrm,}
24846 \centerline{with headings in {\bf\fontname\tenbf}}
24847 \centerline{and examples in {\tt\fontname\tentt}.}
24848 \centerline{{\it\fontname\tenit\/},}
24849 \centerline{{\bf\fontname\tenbf}, and}
24850 \centerline{{\sl\fontname\tensl\/}}
24851 \centerline{are used for emphasis.}\vfill}
24853 % Blame: doc@cygnus.com, 1991.