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This is gdb.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.8 from
../.././gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo.
INFO-DIR-SECTION Software development
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Gdb: (gdb). The GNU debugger.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
This file documents the GNU debugger GDB.
This is the Ninth Edition, of `Debugging with GDB: the GNU
Source-Level Debugger' for GDB Version 6.8.
Copyright (C) 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,
1998,
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
Invariant Sections being "Free Software" and "Free Software Needs Free
Documentation", with the Front-Cover Texts being "A GNU Manual," and
with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below.
(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: "You are free to copy and modify
this GNU Manual. Buying copies from GNU Press supports the FSF in
developing GNU and promoting software freedom."

File: gdb.info, Node: Automatic Overlay Debugging, Next: Overlay Sample Program, Prev: Overlay Commands, Up: Overlays
11.3 Automatic Overlay Debugging
================================
GDB can automatically track which overlays are mapped and which are
not, given some simple co-operation from the overlay manager in the
inferior. If you enable automatic overlay debugging with the `overlay
auto' command (*note Overlay Commands::), GDB looks in the inferior's
memory for certain variables describing the current state of the
overlays.
Here are the variables your overlay manager must define to support
GDB's automatic overlay debugging:
`_ovly_table':
This variable must be an array of the following structures:
struct
{
/* The overlay's mapped address. */
unsigned long vma;
/* The size of the overlay, in bytes. */
unsigned long size;
/* The overlay's load address. */
unsigned long lma;
/* Non-zero if the overlay is currently mapped;
zero otherwise. */
unsigned long mapped;
}
`_novlys':
This variable must be a four-byte signed integer, holding the total
number of elements in `_ovly_table'.
To decide whether a particular overlay is mapped or not, GDB looks
for an entry in `_ovly_table' whose `vma' and `lma' members equal the
VMA and LMA of the overlay's section in the executable file. When GDB
finds a matching entry, it consults the entry's `mapped' member to
determine whether the overlay is currently mapped.
In addition, your overlay manager may define a function called
`_ovly_debug_event'. If this function is defined, GDB will silently
set a breakpoint there. If the overlay manager then calls this
function whenever it has changed the overlay table, this will enable
GDB to accurately keep track of which overlays are in program memory,
and update any breakpoints that may be set in overlays. This will
allow breakpoints to work even if the overlays are kept in ROM or other
non-writable memory while they are not being executed.

File: gdb.info, Node: Overlay Sample Program, Prev: Automatic Overlay Debugging, Up: Overlays
11.4 Overlay Sample Program
===========================
When linking a program which uses overlays, you must place the overlays
at their load addresses, while relocating them to run at their mapped
addresses. To do this, you must write a linker script (*note Overlay
Description: (ld.info)Overlay Description.). Unfortunately, since
linker scripts are specific to a particular host system, target
architecture, and target memory layout, this manual cannot provide
portable sample code demonstrating GDB's overlay support.
However, the GDB source distribution does contain an overlaid
program, with linker scripts for a few systems, as part of its test
suite. The program consists of the following files from
`gdb/testsuite/gdb.base':
`overlays.c'
The main program file.
`ovlymgr.c'
A simple overlay manager, used by `overlays.c'.
`foo.c'
`bar.c'
`baz.c'
`grbx.c'
Overlay modules, loaded and used by `overlays.c'.
`d10v.ld'
`m32r.ld'
Linker scripts for linking the test program on the `d10v-elf' and
`m32r-elf' targets.
You can build the test program using the `d10v-elf' GCC
cross-compiler like this:
$ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c overlays.c
$ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c ovlymgr.c
$ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c foo.c
$ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c bar.c
$ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c baz.c
$ d10v-elf-gcc -g -c grbx.c
$ d10v-elf-gcc -g overlays.o ovlymgr.o foo.o bar.o \
baz.o grbx.o -Wl,-Td10v.ld -o overlays
The build process is identical for any other architecture, except
that you must substitute the appropriate compiler and linker script for
the target system for `d10v-elf-gcc' and `d10v.ld'.

File: gdb.info, Node: Languages, Next: Symbols, Prev: Overlays, Up: Top
12 Using GDB with Different Languages
*************************************
Although programming languages generally have common aspects, they are
rarely expressed in the same manner. For instance, in ANSI C,
dereferencing a pointer `p' is accomplished by `*p', but in Modula-2,
it is accomplished by `p^'. Values can also be represented (and
displayed) differently. Hex numbers in C appear as `0x1ae', while in
Modula-2 they appear as `1AEH'.
Language-specific information is built into GDB for some languages,
allowing you to express operations like the above in your program's
native language, and allowing GDB to output values in a manner
consistent with the syntax of your program's native language. The
language you use to build expressions is called the "working language".
* Menu:
* Setting:: Switching between source languages
* Show:: Displaying the language
* Checks:: Type and range checks
* Supported Languages:: Supported languages
* Unsupported Languages:: Unsupported languages

File: gdb.info, Node: Setting, Next: Show, Up: Languages
12.1 Switching Between Source Languages
=======================================
There are two ways to control the working language--either have GDB set
it automatically, or select it manually yourself. You can use the `set
language' command for either purpose. On startup, GDB defaults to
setting the language automatically. The working language is used to
determine how expressions you type are interpreted, how values are
printed, etc.
In addition to the working language, every source file that GDB
knows about has its own working language. For some object file
formats, the compiler might indicate which language a particular source
file is in. However, most of the time GDB infers the language from the
name of the file. The language of a source file controls whether C++
names are demangled--this way `backtrace' can show each frame
appropriately for its own language. There is no way to set the
language of a source file from within GDB, but you can set the language
associated with a filename extension. *Note Displaying the Language:
Show.
This is most commonly a problem when you use a program, such as
`cfront' or `f2c', that generates C but is written in another language.
In that case, make the program use `#line' directives in its C output;
that way GDB will know the correct language of the source code of the
original program, and will display that source code, not the generated
C code.
* Menu:
* Filenames:: Filename extensions and languages.
* Manually:: Setting the working language manually
* Automatically:: Having GDB infer the source language

File: gdb.info, Node: Filenames, Next: Manually, Up: Setting
12.1.1 List of Filename Extensions and Languages
------------------------------------------------
If a source file name ends in one of the following extensions, then GDB
infers that its language is the one indicated.
`.ada'
`.ads'
`.adb'
`.a'
Ada source file.
`.c'
C source file
`.C'
`.cc'
`.cp'
`.cpp'
`.cxx'
`.c++'
C++ source file
`.m'
Objective-C source file
`.f'
`.F'
Fortran source file
`.mod'
Modula-2 source file
`.s'
`.S'
Assembler source file. This actually behaves almost like C, but
GDB does not skip over function prologues when stepping.
In addition, you may set the language associated with a filename
extension. *Note Displaying the Language: Show.

File: gdb.info, Node: Manually, Next: Automatically, Prev: Filenames, Up: Setting
12.1.2 Setting the Working Language
-----------------------------------
If you allow GDB to set the language automatically, expressions are
interpreted the same way in your debugging session and your program.
If you wish, you may set the language manually. To do this, issue
the command `set language LANG', where LANG is the name of a language,
such as `c' or `modula-2'. For a list of the supported languages, type
`set language'.
Setting the language manually prevents GDB from updating the working
language automatically. This can lead to confusion if you try to debug
a program when the working language is not the same as the source
language, when an expression is acceptable to both languages--but means
different things. For instance, if the current source file were
written in C, and GDB was parsing Modula-2, a command such as:
print a = b + c
might not have the effect you intended. In C, this means to add `b'
and `c' and place the result in `a'. The result printed would be the
value of `a'. In Modula-2, this means to compare `a' to the result of
`b+c', yielding a `BOOLEAN' value.

File: gdb.info, Node: Automatically, Prev: Manually, Up: Setting
12.1.3 Having GDB Infer the Source Language
-------------------------------------------
To have GDB set the working language automatically, use `set language
local' or `set language auto'. GDB then infers the working language.
That is, when your program stops in a frame (usually by encountering a
breakpoint), GDB sets the working language to the language recorded for
the function in that frame. If the language for a frame is unknown
(that is, if the function or block corresponding to the frame was
defined in a source file that does not have a recognized extension),
the current working language is not changed, and GDB issues a warning.
This may not seem necessary for most programs, which are written
entirely in one source language. However, program modules and libraries
written in one source language can be used by a main program written in
a different source language. Using `set language auto' in this case
frees you from having to set the working language manually.

File: gdb.info, Node: Show, Next: Checks, Prev: Setting, Up: Languages
12.2 Displaying the Language
============================
The following commands help you find out which language is the working
language, and also what language source files were written in.
`show language'
Display the current working language. This is the language you
can use with commands such as `print' to build and compute
expressions that may involve variables in your program.
`info frame'
Display the source language for this frame. This language becomes
the working language if you use an identifier from this frame.
*Note Information about a Frame: Frame Info, to identify the other
information listed here.
`info source'
Display the source language of this source file. *Note Examining
the Symbol Table: Symbols, to identify the other information
listed here.
In unusual circumstances, you may have source files with extensions
not in the standard list. You can then set the extension associated
with a language explicitly:
`set extension-language EXT LANGUAGE'
Tell GDB that source files with extension EXT are to be assumed as
written in the source language LANGUAGE.
`info extensions'
List all the filename extensions and the associated languages.

File: gdb.info, Node: Checks, Next: Supported Languages, Prev: Show, Up: Languages
12.3 Type and Range Checking
============================
_Warning:_ In this release, the GDB commands for type and range
checking are included, but they do not yet have any effect. This
section documents the intended facilities.
Some languages are designed to guard you against making seemingly
common errors through a series of compile- and run-time checks. These
include checking the type of arguments to functions and operators, and
making sure mathematical overflows are caught at run time. Checks such
as these help to ensure a program's correctness once it has been
compiled by eliminating type mismatches, and providing active checks
for range errors when your program is running.
GDB can check for conditions like the above if you wish. Although
GDB does not check the statements in your program, it can check
expressions entered directly into GDB for evaluation via the `print'
command, for example. As with the working language, GDB can also
decide whether or not to check automatically based on your program's
source language. *Note Supported Languages: Supported Languages, for
the default settings of supported languages.
* Menu:
* Type Checking:: An overview of type checking
* Range Checking:: An overview of range checking

File: gdb.info, Node: Type Checking, Next: Range Checking, Up: Checks
12.3.1 An Overview of Type Checking
-----------------------------------
Some languages, such as Modula-2, are strongly typed, meaning that the
arguments to operators and functions have to be of the correct type,
otherwise an error occurs. These checks prevent type mismatch errors
from ever causing any run-time problems. For example,
1 + 2 => 3
but
error--> 1 + 2.3
The second example fails because the `CARDINAL' 1 is not
type-compatible with the `REAL' 2.3.
For the expressions you use in GDB commands, you can tell the GDB
type checker to skip checking; to treat any mismatches as errors and
abandon the expression; or to only issue warnings when type mismatches
occur, but evaluate the expression anyway. When you choose the last of
these, GDB evaluates expressions like the second example above, but
also issues a warning.
Even if you turn type checking off, there may be other reasons
related to type that prevent GDB from evaluating an expression. For
instance, GDB does not know how to add an `int' and a `struct foo'.
These particular type errors have nothing to do with the language in
use, and usually arise from expressions, such as the one described
above, which make little sense to evaluate anyway.
Each language defines to what degree it is strict about type. For
instance, both Modula-2 and C require the arguments to arithmetical
operators to be numbers. In C, enumerated types and pointers can be
represented as numbers, so that they are valid arguments to mathematical
operators. *Note Supported Languages: Supported Languages, for further
details on specific languages.
GDB provides some additional commands for controlling the type
checker:
`set check type auto'
Set type checking on or off based on the current working language.
*Note Supported Languages: Supported Languages, for the default
settings for each language.
`set check type on'
`set check type off'
Set type checking on or off, overriding the default setting for the
current working language. Issue a warning if the setting does not
match the language default. If any type mismatches occur in
evaluating an expression while type checking is on, GDB prints a
message and aborts evaluation of the expression.
`set check type warn'
Cause the type checker to issue warnings, but to always attempt to
evaluate the expression. Evaluating the expression may still be
impossible for other reasons. For example, GDB cannot add numbers
and structures.
`show type'
Show the current setting of the type checker, and whether or not
GDB is setting it automatically.

File: gdb.info, Node: Range Checking, Prev: Type Checking, Up: Checks
12.3.2 An Overview of Range Checking
------------------------------------
In some languages (such as Modula-2), it is an error to exceed the
bounds of a type; this is enforced with run-time checks. Such range
checking is meant to ensure program correctness by making sure
computations do not overflow, or indices on an array element access do
not exceed the bounds of the array.
For expressions you use in GDB commands, you can tell GDB to treat
range errors in one of three ways: ignore them, always treat them as
errors and abandon the expression, or issue warnings but evaluate the
expression anyway.
A range error can result from numerical overflow, from exceeding an
array index bound, or when you type a constant that is not a member of
any type. Some languages, however, do not treat overflows as an error.
In many implementations of C, mathematical overflow causes the result
to "wrap around" to lower values--for example, if M is the largest
integer value, and S is the smallest, then
M + 1 => S
This, too, is specific to individual languages, and in some cases
specific to individual compilers or machines. *Note Supported
Languages: Supported Languages, for further details on specific
languages.
GDB provides some additional commands for controlling the range
checker:
`set check range auto'
Set range checking on or off based on the current working language.
*Note Supported Languages: Supported Languages, for the default
settings for each language.
`set check range on'
`set check range off'
Set range checking on or off, overriding the default setting for
the current working language. A warning is issued if the setting
does not match the language default. If a range error occurs and
range checking is on, then a message is printed and evaluation of
the expression is aborted.
`set check range warn'
Output messages when the GDB range checker detects a range error,
but attempt to evaluate the expression anyway. Evaluating the
expression may still be impossible for other reasons, such as
accessing memory that the process does not own (a typical example
from many Unix systems).
`show range'
Show the current setting of the range checker, and whether or not
it is being set automatically by GDB.

File: gdb.info, Node: Supported Languages, Next: Unsupported Languages, Prev: Checks, Up: Languages
12.4 Supported Languages
========================
GDB supports C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran, Java, Pascal, assembly,
Modula-2, and Ada. Some GDB features may be used in expressions
regardless of the language you use: the GDB `@' and `::' operators, and
the `{type}addr' construct (*note Expressions: Expressions.) can be
used with the constructs of any supported language.
The following sections detail to what degree each source language is
supported by GDB. These sections are not meant to be language
tutorials or references, but serve only as a reference guide to what the
GDB expression parser accepts, and what input and output formats should
look like for different languages. There are many good books written
on each of these languages; please look to these for a language
reference or tutorial.
* Menu:
* C:: C and C++
* Objective-C:: Objective-C
* Fortran:: Fortran
* Pascal:: Pascal
* Modula-2:: Modula-2
* Ada:: Ada

File: gdb.info, Node: C, Next: Objective-C, Up: Supported Languages
12.4.1 C and C++
----------------
Since C and C++ are so closely related, many features of GDB apply to
both languages. Whenever this is the case, we discuss those languages
together.
The C++ debugging facilities are jointly implemented by the C++
compiler and GDB. Therefore, to debug your C++ code effectively, you
must compile your C++ programs with a supported C++ compiler, such as
GNU `g++', or the HP ANSI C++ compiler (`aCC').
For best results when using GNU C++, use the DWARF 2 debugging
format; if it doesn't work on your system, try the stabs+ debugging
format. You can select those formats explicitly with the `g++'
command-line options `-gdwarf-2' and `-gstabs+'. *Note Options for
Debugging Your Program or GCC: (gcc.info)Debugging Options.
* Menu:
* C Operators:: C and C++ operators
* C Constants:: C and C++ constants
* C Plus Plus Expressions:: C++ expressions
* C Defaults:: Default settings for C and C++
* C Checks:: C and C++ type and range checks
* Debugging C:: GDB and C
* Debugging C Plus Plus:: GDB features for C++
* Decimal Floating Point:: Numbers in Decimal Floating Point format

File: gdb.info, Node: C Operators, Next: C Constants, Up: C
12.4.1.1 C and C++ Operators
............................
Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
`+' is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are often
defined on groups of types.
For the purposes of C and C++, the following definitions hold:
* _Integral types_ include `int' with any of its storage-class
specifiers; `char'; `enum'; and, for C++, `bool'.
* _Floating-point types_ include `float', `double', and `long
double' (if supported by the target platform).
* _Pointer types_ include all types defined as `(TYPE *)'.
* _Scalar types_ include all of the above.
The following operators are supported. They are listed here in order
of increasing precedence:
`,'
The comma or sequencing operator. Expressions in a
comma-separated list are evaluated from left to right, with the
result of the entire expression being the last expression
evaluated.
`='
Assignment. The value of an assignment expression is the value
assigned. Defined on scalar types.
`OP='
Used in an expression of the form `A OP= B', and translated to
`A = A OP B'. `OP=' and `=' have the same precedence. OP is any
one of the operators `|', `^', `&', `<<', `>>', `+', `-', `*',
`/', `%'.
`?:'
The ternary operator. `A ? B : C' can be thought of as: if A
then B else C. A should be of an integral type.
`||'
Logical OR. Defined on integral types.
`&&'
Logical AND. Defined on integral types.
`|'
Bitwise OR. Defined on integral types.
`^'
Bitwise exclusive-OR. Defined on integral types.
`&'
Bitwise AND. Defined on integral types.
`==, !='
Equality and inequality. Defined on scalar types. The value of
these expressions is 0 for false and non-zero for true.
`<, >, <=, >='
Less than, greater than, less than or equal, greater than or equal.
Defined on scalar types. The value of these expressions is 0 for
false and non-zero for true.
`<<, >>'
left shift, and right shift. Defined on integral types.
`@'
The GDB "artificial array" operator (*note Expressions:
Expressions.).
`+, -'
Addition and subtraction. Defined on integral types,
floating-point types and pointer types.
`*, /, %'
Multiplication, division, and modulus. Multiplication and
division are defined on integral and floating-point types.
Modulus is defined on integral types.
`++, --'
Increment and decrement. When appearing before a variable, the
operation is performed before the variable is used in an
expression; when appearing after it, the variable's value is used
before the operation takes place.
`*'
Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types. Same precedence
as `++'.
`&'
Address operator. Defined on variables. Same precedence as `++'.
For debugging C++, GDB implements a use of `&' beyond what is
allowed in the C++ language itself: you can use `&(&REF)' to
examine the address where a C++ reference variable (declared with
`&REF') is stored.
`-'
Negative. Defined on integral and floating-point types. Same
precedence as `++'.
`!'
Logical negation. Defined on integral types. Same precedence as
`++'.
`~'
Bitwise complement operator. Defined on integral types. Same
precedence as `++'.
`., ->'
Structure member, and pointer-to-structure member. For
convenience, GDB regards the two as equivalent, choosing whether
to dereference a pointer based on the stored type information.
Defined on `struct' and `union' data.
`.*, ->*'
Dereferences of pointers to members.
`[]'
Array indexing. `A[I]' is defined as `*(A+I)'. Same precedence
as `->'.
`()'
Function parameter list. Same precedence as `->'.
`::'
C++ scope resolution operator. Defined on `struct', `union', and
`class' types.
`::'
Doubled colons also represent the GDB scope operator (*note
Expressions: Expressions.). Same precedence as `::', above.
If an operator is redefined in the user code, GDB usually attempts
to invoke the redefined version instead of using the operator's
predefined meaning.

File: gdb.info, Node: C Constants, Next: C Plus Plus Expressions, Prev: C Operators, Up: C
12.4.1.2 C and C++ Constants
............................
GDB allows you to express the constants of C and C++ in the following
ways:
* Integer constants are a sequence of digits. Octal constants are
specified by a leading `0' (i.e. zero), and hexadecimal constants
by a leading `0x' or `0X'. Constants may also end with a letter
`l', specifying that the constant should be treated as a `long'
value.
* Floating point constants are a sequence of digits, followed by a
decimal point, followed by a sequence of digits, and optionally
followed by an exponent. An exponent is of the form:
`e[[+]|-]NNN', where NNN is another sequence of digits. The `+'
is optional for positive exponents. A floating-point constant may
also end with a letter `f' or `F', specifying that the constant
should be treated as being of the `float' (as opposed to the
default `double') type; or with a letter `l' or `L', which
specifies a `long double' constant.
* Enumerated constants consist of enumerated identifiers, or their
integral equivalents.
* Character constants are a single character surrounded by single
quotes (`''), or a number--the ordinal value of the corresponding
character (usually its ASCII value). Within quotes, the single
character may be represented by a letter or by "escape sequences",
which are of the form `\NNN', where NNN is the octal representation
of the character's ordinal value; or of the form `\X', where `X'
is a predefined special character--for example, `\n' for newline.
* String constants are a sequence of character constants surrounded
by double quotes (`"'). Any valid character constant (as described
above) may appear. Double quotes within the string must be
preceded by a backslash, so for instance `"a\"b'c"' is a string of
five characters.
* Pointer constants are an integral value. You can also write
pointers to constants using the C operator `&'.
* Array constants are comma-separated lists surrounded by braces `{'
and `}'; for example, `{1,2,3}' is a three-element array of
integers, `{{1,2}, {3,4}, {5,6}}' is a three-by-two array, and
`{&"hi", &"there", &"fred"}' is a three-element array of pointers.

File: gdb.info, Node: C Plus Plus Expressions, Next: C Defaults, Prev: C Constants, Up: C
12.4.1.3 C++ Expressions
........................
GDB expression handling can interpret most C++ expressions.
_Warning:_ GDB can only debug C++ code if you use the proper
compiler and the proper debug format. Currently, GDB works best
when debugging C++ code that is compiled with GCC 2.95.3 or with
GCC 3.1 or newer, using the options `-gdwarf-2' or `-gstabs+'.
DWARF 2 is preferred over stabs+. Most configurations of GCC emit
either DWARF 2 or stabs+ as their default debug format, so you
usually don't need to specify a debug format explicitly. Other
compilers and/or debug formats are likely to work badly or not at
all when using GDB to debug C++ code.
1. Member function calls are allowed; you can use expressions like
count = aml->GetOriginal(x, y)
2. While a member function is active (in the selected stack frame),
your expressions have the same namespace available as the member
function; that is, GDB allows implicit references to the class
instance pointer `this' following the same rules as C++.
3. You can call overloaded functions; GDB resolves the function call
to the right definition, with some restrictions. GDB does not
perform overload resolution involving user-defined type
conversions, calls to constructors, or instantiations of templates
that do not exist in the program. It also cannot handle ellipsis
argument lists or default arguments.
It does perform integral conversions and promotions, floating-point
promotions, arithmetic conversions, pointer conversions,
conversions of class objects to base classes, and standard
conversions such as those of functions or arrays to pointers; it
requires an exact match on the number of function arguments.
Overload resolution is always performed, unless you have specified
`set overload-resolution off'. *Note GDB Features for C++:
Debugging C Plus Plus.
You must specify `set overload-resolution off' in order to use an
explicit function signature to call an overloaded function, as in
p 'foo(char,int)'('x', 13)
The GDB command-completion facility can simplify this; see *Note
Command Completion: Completion.
4. GDB understands variables declared as C++ references; you can use
them in expressions just as you do in C++ source--they are
automatically dereferenced.
In the parameter list shown when GDB displays a frame, the values
of reference variables are not displayed (unlike other variables);
this avoids clutter, since references are often used for large
structures. The _address_ of a reference variable is always
shown, unless you have specified `set print address off'.
5. GDB supports the C++ name resolution operator `::'--your
expressions can use it just as expressions in your program do.
Since one scope may be defined in another, you can use `::'
repeatedly if necessary, for example in an expression like
`SCOPE1::SCOPE2::NAME'. GDB also allows resolving name scope by
reference to source files, in both C and C++ debugging (*note
Program Variables: Variables.).
In addition, when used with HP's C++ compiler, GDB supports calling
virtual functions correctly, printing out virtual bases of objects,
calling functions in a base subobject, casting objects, and invoking
user-defined operators.

File: gdb.info, Node: C Defaults, Next: C Checks, Prev: C Plus Plus Expressions, Up: C
12.4.1.4 C and C++ Defaults
...........................
If you allow GDB to set type and range checking automatically, they
both default to `off' whenever the working language changes to C or
C++. This happens regardless of whether you or GDB selects the working
language.
If you allow GDB to set the language automatically, it recognizes
source files whose names end with `.c', `.C', or `.cc', etc, and when
GDB enters code compiled from one of these files, it sets the working
language to C or C++. *Note Having GDB Infer the Source Language:
Automatically, for further details.

File: gdb.info, Node: C Checks, Next: Debugging C, Prev: C Defaults, Up: C
12.4.1.5 C and C++ Type and Range Checks
........................................
By default, when GDB parses C or C++ expressions, type checking is not
used. However, if you turn type checking on, GDB considers two
variables type equivalent if:
* The two variables are structured and have the same structure,
union, or enumerated tag.
* The two variables have the same type name, or types that have been
declared equivalent through `typedef'.
Range checking, if turned on, is done on mathematical operations.
Array indices are not checked, since they are often used to index a
pointer that is not itself an array.

File: gdb.info, Node: Debugging C, Next: Debugging C Plus Plus, Prev: C Checks, Up: C
12.4.1.6 GDB and C
..................
The `set print union' and `show print union' commands apply to the
`union' type. When set to `on', any `union' that is inside a `struct'
or `class' is also printed. Otherwise, it appears as `{...}'.
The `@' operator aids in the debugging of dynamic arrays, formed
with pointers and a memory allocation function. *Note Expressions:
Expressions.

File: gdb.info, Node: Debugging C Plus Plus, Next: Decimal Floating Point, Prev: Debugging C, Up: C
12.4.1.7 GDB Features for C++
.............................
Some GDB commands are particularly useful with C++, and some are
designed specifically for use with C++. Here is a summary:
`breakpoint menus'
When you want a breakpoint in a function whose name is overloaded,
GDB breakpoint menus help you specify which function definition
you want. *Note Breakpoint Menus: Breakpoint Menus.
`rbreak REGEX'
Setting breakpoints using regular expressions is helpful for
setting breakpoints on overloaded functions that are not members
of any special classes. *Note Setting Breakpoints: Set Breaks.
`catch throw'
`catch catch'
Debug C++ exception handling using these commands. *Note Setting
Catchpoints: Set Catchpoints.
`ptype TYPENAME'
Print inheritance relationships as well as other information for
type TYPENAME. *Note Examining the Symbol Table: Symbols.
`set print demangle'
`show print demangle'
`set print asm-demangle'
`show print asm-demangle'
Control whether C++ symbols display in their source form, both when
displaying code as C++ source and when displaying disassemblies.
*Note Print Settings: Print Settings.
`set print object'
`show print object'
Choose whether to print derived (actual) or declared types of
objects. *Note Print Settings: Print Settings.
`set print vtbl'
`show print vtbl'
Control the format for printing virtual function tables. *Note
Print Settings: Print Settings. (The `vtbl' commands do not work
on programs compiled with the HP ANSI C++ compiler (`aCC').)
`set overload-resolution on'
Enable overload resolution for C++ expression evaluation. The
default is on. For overloaded functions, GDB evaluates the
arguments and searches for a function whose signature matches the
argument types, using the standard C++ conversion rules (see *Note
C++ Expressions: C Plus Plus Expressions, for details). If it
cannot find a match, it emits a message.
`set overload-resolution off'
Disable overload resolution for C++ expression evaluation. For
overloaded functions that are not class member functions, GDB
chooses the first function of the specified name that it finds in
the symbol table, whether or not its arguments are of the correct
type. For overloaded functions that are class member functions,
GDB searches for a function whose signature _exactly_ matches the
argument types.
`show overload-resolution'
Show the current setting of overload resolution.
`Overloaded symbol names'
You can specify a particular definition of an overloaded symbol,
using the same notation that is used to declare such symbols in
C++: type `SYMBOL(TYPES)' rather than just SYMBOL. You can also
use the GDB command-line word completion facilities to list the
available choices, or to finish the type list for you. *Note
Command Completion: Completion, for details on how to do this.

File: gdb.info, Node: Decimal Floating Point, Prev: Debugging C Plus Plus, Up: C
12.4.1.8 Decimal Floating Point format
......................................
GDB can examine, set and perform computations with numbers in decimal
floating point format, which in the C language correspond to the
`_Decimal32', `_Decimal64' and `_Decimal128' types as specified by the
extension to support decimal floating-point arithmetic.
There are two encodings in use, depending on the architecture: BID
(Binary Integer Decimal) for x86 and x86-64, and DPD (Densely Packed
Decimal) for PowerPC. GDB will use the appropriate encoding for the
configured target.
Because of a limitation in `libdecnumber', the library used by GDB
to manipulate decimal floating point numbers, it is not possible to
convert (using a cast, for example) integers wider than 32-bit to
decimal float.
In addition, in order to imitate GDB's behaviour with binary floating
point computations, error checking in decimal float operations ignores
underflow, overflow and divide by zero exceptions.
In the PowerPC architecture, GDB provides a set of pseudo-registers
to inspect `_Decimal128' values stored in floating point registers. See
*Note PowerPC: PowerPC. for more details.

File: gdb.info, Node: Objective-C, Next: Fortran, Prev: C, Up: Supported Languages
12.4.2 Objective-C
------------------
This section provides information about some commands and command
options that are useful for debugging Objective-C code. See also *Note
info classes: Symbols, and *Note info selectors: Symbols, for a few
more commands specific to Objective-C support.
* Menu:
* Method Names in Commands::
* The Print Command with Objective-C::

File: gdb.info, Node: Method Names in Commands, Next: The Print Command with Objective-C, Up: Objective-C
12.4.2.1 Method Names in Commands
.................................
The following commands have been extended to accept Objective-C method
names as line specifications:
* `clear'
* `break'
* `info line'
* `jump'
* `list'
A fully qualified Objective-C method name is specified as
-[CLASS METHODNAME]
where the minus sign is used to indicate an instance method and a
plus sign (not shown) is used to indicate a class method. The class
name CLASS and method name METHODNAME are enclosed in brackets, similar
to the way messages are specified in Objective-C source code. For
example, to set a breakpoint at the `create' instance method of class
`Fruit' in the program currently being debugged, enter:
break -[Fruit create]
To list ten program lines around the `initialize' class method,
enter:
list +[NSText initialize]
In the current version of GDB, the plus or minus sign is required.
In future versions of GDB, the plus or minus sign will be optional, but
you can use it to narrow the search. It is also possible to specify
just a method name:
break create
You must specify the complete method name, including any colons. If
your program's source files contain more than one `create' method,
you'll be presented with a numbered list of classes that implement that
method. Indicate your choice by number, or type `0' to exit if none
apply.
As another example, to clear a breakpoint established at the
`makeKeyAndOrderFront:' method of the `NSWindow' class, enter:
clear -[NSWindow makeKeyAndOrderFront:]

File: gdb.info, Node: The Print Command with Objective-C, Prev: Method Names in Commands, Up: Objective-C
12.4.2.2 The Print Command With Objective-C
...........................................
The print command has also been extended to accept methods. For
example:
print -[OBJECT hash]
will tell GDB to send the `hash' message to OBJECT and print the
result. Also, an additional command has been added, `print-object' or
`po' for short, which is meant to print the description of an object.
However, this command may only work with certain Objective-C libraries
that have a particular hook function, `_NSPrintForDebugger', defined.

File: gdb.info, Node: Fortran, Next: Pascal, Prev: Objective-C, Up: Supported Languages
12.4.3 Fortran
--------------
GDB can be used to debug programs written in Fortran, but it currently
supports only the features of Fortran 77 language.
Some Fortran compilers (GNU Fortran 77 and Fortran 95 compilers
among them) append an underscore to the names of variables and
functions. When you debug programs compiled by those compilers, you
will need to refer to variables and functions with a trailing
underscore.
* Menu:
* Fortran Operators:: Fortran operators and expressions
* Fortran Defaults:: Default settings for Fortran
* Special Fortran Commands:: Special GDB commands for Fortran

File: gdb.info, Node: Fortran Operators, Next: Fortran Defaults, Up: Fortran
12.4.3.1 Fortran Operators and Expressions
..........................................
Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
`+' is defined on numbers, but not on characters or other non-
arithmetic types. Operators are often defined on groups of types.
`**'
The exponentiation operator. It raises the first operand to the
power of the second one.
`:'
The range operator. Normally used in the form of array(low:high)
to represent a section of array.

File: gdb.info, Node: Fortran Defaults, Next: Special Fortran Commands, Prev: Fortran Operators, Up: Fortran
12.4.3.2 Fortran Defaults
.........................
Fortran symbols are usually case-insensitive, so GDB by default uses
case-insensitive matches for Fortran symbols. You can change that with
the `set case-insensitive' command, see *Note Symbols::, for the
details.

File: gdb.info, Node: Special Fortran Commands, Prev: Fortran Defaults, Up: Fortran
12.4.3.3 Special Fortran Commands
.................................
GDB has some commands to support Fortran-specific features, such as
displaying common blocks.
`info common [COMMON-NAME]'
This command prints the values contained in the Fortran `COMMON'
block whose name is COMMON-NAME. With no argument, the names of
all `COMMON' blocks visible at the current program location are
printed.

File: gdb.info, Node: Pascal, Next: Modula-2, Prev: Fortran, Up: Supported Languages
12.4.4 Pascal
-------------
Debugging Pascal programs which use sets, subranges, file variables, or
nested functions does not currently work. GDB does not support
entering expressions, printing values, or similar features using Pascal
syntax.
The Pascal-specific command `set print pascal_static-members'
controls whether static members of Pascal objects are displayed. *Note
pascal_static-members: Print Settings.

File: gdb.info, Node: Modula-2, Next: Ada, Prev: Pascal, Up: Supported Languages
12.4.5 Modula-2
---------------
The extensions made to GDB to support Modula-2 only support output from
the GNU Modula-2 compiler (which is currently being developed). Other
Modula-2 compilers are not currently supported, and attempting to debug
executables produced by them is most likely to give an error as GDB
reads in the executable's symbol table.
* Menu:
* M2 Operators:: Built-in operators
* Built-In Func/Proc:: Built-in functions and procedures
* M2 Constants:: Modula-2 constants
* M2 Types:: Modula-2 types
* M2 Defaults:: Default settings for Modula-2
* Deviations:: Deviations from standard Modula-2
* M2 Checks:: Modula-2 type and range checks
* M2 Scope:: The scope operators `::' and `.'
* GDB/M2:: GDB and Modula-2

File: gdb.info, Node: M2 Operators, Next: Built-In Func/Proc, Up: Modula-2
12.4.5.1 Operators
..................
Operators must be defined on values of specific types. For instance,
`+' is defined on numbers, but not on structures. Operators are often
defined on groups of types. For the purposes of Modula-2, the
following definitions hold:
* _Integral types_ consist of `INTEGER', `CARDINAL', and their
subranges.
* _Character types_ consist of `CHAR' and its subranges.
* _Floating-point types_ consist of `REAL'.
* _Pointer types_ consist of anything declared as `POINTER TO TYPE'.
* _Scalar types_ consist of all of the above.
* _Set types_ consist of `SET' and `BITSET' types.
* _Boolean types_ consist of `BOOLEAN'.
The following operators are supported, and appear in order of
increasing precedence:
`,'
Function argument or array index separator.
`:='
Assignment. The value of VAR `:=' VALUE is VALUE.
`<, >'
Less than, greater than on integral, floating-point, or enumerated
types.
`<=, >='
Less than or equal to, greater than or equal to on integral,
floating-point and enumerated types, or set inclusion on set
types. Same precedence as `<'.
`=, <>, #'
Equality and two ways of expressing inequality, valid on scalar
types. Same precedence as `<'. In GDB scripts, only `<>' is
available for inequality, since `#' conflicts with the script
comment character.
`IN'
Set membership. Defined on set types and the types of their
members. Same precedence as `<'.
`OR'
Boolean disjunction. Defined on boolean types.
`AND, &'
Boolean conjunction. Defined on boolean types.
`@'
The GDB "artificial array" operator (*note Expressions:
Expressions.).
`+, -'
Addition and subtraction on integral and floating-point types, or
union and difference on set types.
`*'
Multiplication on integral and floating-point types, or set
intersection on set types.
`/'
Division on floating-point types, or symmetric set difference on
set types. Same precedence as `*'.
`DIV, MOD'
Integer division and remainder. Defined on integral types. Same
precedence as `*'.
`-'
Negative. Defined on `INTEGER' and `REAL' data.
`^'
Pointer dereferencing. Defined on pointer types.
`NOT'
Boolean negation. Defined on boolean types. Same precedence as
`^'.
`.'
`RECORD' field selector. Defined on `RECORD' data. Same
precedence as `^'.
`[]'
Array indexing. Defined on `ARRAY' data. Same precedence as `^'.
`()'
Procedure argument list. Defined on `PROCEDURE' objects. Same
precedence as `^'.
`::, .'
GDB and Modula-2 scope operators.
_Warning:_ Set expressions and their operations are not yet
supported, so GDB treats the use of the operator `IN', or the use
of operators `+', `-', `*', `/', `=', , `<>', `#', `<=', and `>='
on sets as an error.

File: gdb.info, Node: Built-In Func/Proc, Next: M2 Constants, Prev: M2 Operators, Up: Modula-2
12.4.5.2 Built-in Functions and Procedures
..........................................
Modula-2 also makes available several built-in procedures and functions.
In describing these, the following metavariables are used:
A
represents an `ARRAY' variable.
C
represents a `CHAR' constant or variable.
I
represents a variable or constant of integral type.
M
represents an identifier that belongs to a set. Generally used in
the same function with the metavariable S. The type of S should
be `SET OF MTYPE' (where MTYPE is the type of M).
N
represents a variable or constant of integral or floating-point
type.
R
represents a variable or constant of floating-point type.
T
represents a type.
V
represents a variable.
X
represents a variable or constant of one of many types. See the
explanation of the function for details.
All Modula-2 built-in procedures also return a result, described
below.
`ABS(N)'
Returns the absolute value of N.
`CAP(C)'
If C is a lower case letter, it returns its upper case equivalent,
otherwise it returns its argument.
`CHR(I)'
Returns the character whose ordinal value is I.
`DEC(V)'
Decrements the value in the variable V by one. Returns the new
value.
`DEC(V,I)'
Decrements the value in the variable V by I. Returns the new
value.
`EXCL(M,S)'
Removes the element M from the set S. Returns the new set.
`FLOAT(I)'
Returns the floating point equivalent of the integer I.
`HIGH(A)'
Returns the index of the last member of A.
`INC(V)'
Increments the value in the variable V by one. Returns the new
value.
`INC(V,I)'
Increments the value in the variable V by I. Returns the new
value.
`INCL(M,S)'
Adds the element M to the set S if it is not already there.
Returns the new set.
`MAX(T)'
Returns the maximum value of the type T.
`MIN(T)'
Returns the minimum value of the type T.
`ODD(I)'
Returns boolean TRUE if I is an odd number.
`ORD(X)'
Returns the ordinal value of its argument. For example, the
ordinal value of a character is its ASCII value (on machines
supporting the ASCII character set). X must be of an ordered
type, which include integral, character and enumerated types.
`SIZE(X)'
Returns the size of its argument. X can be a variable or a type.
`TRUNC(R)'
Returns the integral part of R.
`TSIZE(X)'
Returns the size of its argument. X can be a variable or a type.
`VAL(T,I)'
Returns the member of the type T whose ordinal value is I.
_Warning:_ Sets and their operations are not yet supported, so
GDB treats the use of procedures `INCL' and `EXCL' as an error.

File: gdb.info, Node: M2 Constants, Next: M2 Types, Prev: Built-In Func/Proc, Up: Modula-2
12.4.5.3 Constants
..................
GDB allows you to express the constants of Modula-2 in the following
ways:
* Integer constants are simply a sequence of digits. When used in an
expression, a constant is interpreted to be type-compatible with
the rest of the expression. Hexadecimal integers are specified by
a trailing `H', and octal integers by a trailing `B'.
* Floating point constants appear as a sequence of digits, followed
by a decimal point and another sequence of digits. An optional
exponent can then be specified, in the form `E[+|-]NNN', where
`[+|-]NNN' is the desired exponent. All of the digits of the
floating point constant must be valid decimal (base 10) digits.
* Character constants consist of a single character enclosed by a
pair of like quotes, either single (`'') or double (`"'). They may
also be expressed by their ordinal value (their ASCII value,
usually) followed by a `C'.
* String constants consist of a sequence of characters enclosed by a
pair of like quotes, either single (`'') or double (`"'). Escape
sequences in the style of C are also allowed. *Note C and C++
Constants: C Constants, for a brief explanation of escape
sequences.
* Enumerated constants consist of an enumerated identifier.
* Boolean constants consist of the identifiers `TRUE' and `FALSE'.
* Pointer constants consist of integral values only.
* Set constants are not yet supported.

File: gdb.info, Node: M2 Types, Next: M2 Defaults, Prev: M2 Constants, Up: Modula-2
12.4.5.4 Modula-2 Types
.......................
Currently GDB can print the following data types in Modula-2 syntax:
array types, record types, set types, pointer types, procedure types,
enumerated types, subrange types and base types. You can also print
the contents of variables declared using these type. This section
gives a number of simple source code examples together with sample GDB
sessions.
The first example contains the following section of code:
VAR
s: SET OF CHAR ;
r: [20..40] ;
and you can request GDB to interrogate the type and value of `r' and
`s'.
(gdb) print s
{'A'..'C', 'Z'}
(gdb) ptype s
SET OF CHAR
(gdb) print r
21
(gdb) ptype r
[20..40]
Likewise if your source code declares `s' as:
VAR
s: SET ['A'..'Z'] ;
then you may query the type of `s' by:
(gdb) ptype s
type = SET ['A'..'Z']
Note that at present you cannot interactively manipulate set
expressions using the debugger.
The following example shows how you might declare an array in
Modula-2 and how you can interact with GDB to print its type and
contents:
VAR
s: ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR ;
(gdb) ptype s
ARRAY [-10..10] OF CHAR
Note that the array handling is not yet complete and although the
type is printed correctly, expression handling still assumes that all
arrays have a lower bound of zero and not `-10' as in the example above.
Here are some more type related Modula-2 examples:
TYPE
colour = (blue, red, yellow, green) ;
t = [blue..yellow] ;
VAR
s: t ;
BEGIN
s := blue ;
The GDB interaction shows how you can query the data type and value of
a variable.
(gdb) print s
$1 = blue
(gdb) ptype t
type = [blue..yellow]
In this example a Modula-2 array is declared and its contents
displayed. Observe that the contents are written in the same way as
their `C' counterparts.
VAR
s: ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
BEGIN
s[1] := 1 ;
(gdb) print s
$1 = {1, 0, 0, 0, 0}
(gdb) ptype s
type = ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
The Modula-2 language interface to GDB also understands pointer
types as shown in this example:
VAR
s: POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL ;
BEGIN
NEW(s) ;
s^[1] := 1 ;
and you can request that GDB describes the type of `s'.
(gdb) ptype s
type = POINTER TO ARRAY [1..5] OF CARDINAL
GDB handles compound types as we can see in this example. Here we
combine array types, record types, pointer types and subrange types:
TYPE
foo = RECORD
f1: CARDINAL ;
f2: CHAR ;
f3: myarray ;
END ;
myarray = ARRAY myrange OF CARDINAL ;
myrange = [-2..2] ;
VAR
s: POINTER TO ARRAY myrange OF foo ;
and you can ask GDB to describe the type of `s' as shown below.
(gdb) ptype s
type = POINTER TO ARRAY [-2..2] OF foo = RECORD
f1 : CARDINAL;
f2 : CHAR;
f3 : ARRAY [-2..2] OF CARDINAL;
END

File: gdb.info, Node: M2 Defaults, Next: Deviations, Prev: M2 Types, Up: Modula-2
12.4.5.5 Modula-2 Defaults
..........................
If type and range checking are set automatically by GDB, they both
default to `on' whenever the working language changes to Modula-2.
This happens regardless of whether you or GDB selected the working
language.
If you allow GDB to set the language automatically, then entering
code compiled from a file whose name ends with `.mod' sets the working
language to Modula-2. *Note Having GDB Infer the Source Language:
Automatically, for further details.

File: gdb.info, Node: Deviations, Next: M2 Checks, Prev: M2 Defaults, Up: Modula-2
12.4.5.6 Deviations from Standard Modula-2
..........................................
A few changes have been made to make Modula-2 programs easier to debug.
This is done primarily via loosening its type strictness:
* Unlike in standard Modula-2, pointer constants can be formed by
integers. This allows you to modify pointer variables during
debugging. (In standard Modula-2, the actual address contained in
a pointer variable is hidden from you; it can only be modified
through direct assignment to another pointer variable or
expression that returned a pointer.)
* C escape sequences can be used in strings and characters to
represent non-printable characters. GDB prints out strings with
these escape sequences embedded. Single non-printable characters
are printed using the `CHR(NNN)' format.
* The assignment operator (`:=') returns the value of its right-hand
argument.
* All built-in procedures both modify _and_ return their argument.

File: gdb.info, Node: M2 Checks, Next: M2 Scope, Prev: Deviations, Up: Modula-2
12.4.5.7 Modula-2 Type and Range Checks
.......................................
_Warning:_ in this release, GDB does not yet perform type or range
checking.
GDB considers two Modula-2 variables type equivalent if:
* They are of types that have been declared equivalent via a `TYPE
T1 = T2' statement
* They have been declared on the same line. (Note: This is true of
the GNU Modula-2 compiler, but it may not be true of other
compilers.)
As long as type checking is enabled, any attempt to combine variables
whose types are not equivalent is an error.
Range checking is done on all mathematical operations, assignment,
array index bounds, and all built-in functions and procedures.

File: gdb.info, Node: M2 Scope, Next: GDB/M2, Prev: M2 Checks, Up: Modula-2
12.4.5.8 The Scope Operators `::' and `.'
.........................................
There are a few subtle differences between the Modula-2 scope operator
(`.') and the GDB scope operator (`::'). The two have similar syntax:
MODULE . ID
SCOPE :: ID
where SCOPE is the name of a module or a procedure, MODULE the name of
a module, and ID is any declared identifier within your program, except
another module.
Using the `::' operator makes GDB search the scope specified by
SCOPE for the identifier ID. If it is not found in the specified
scope, then GDB searches all scopes enclosing the one specified by
SCOPE.
Using the `.' operator makes GDB search the current scope for the
identifier specified by ID that was imported from the definition module
specified by MODULE. With this operator, it is an error if the
identifier ID was not imported from definition module MODULE, or if ID
is not an identifier in MODULE.

File: gdb.info, Node: GDB/M2, Prev: M2 Scope, Up: Modula-2
12.4.5.9 GDB and Modula-2
.........................
Some GDB commands have little use when debugging Modula-2 programs.
Five subcommands of `set print' and `show print' apply specifically to
C and C++: `vtbl', `demangle', `asm-demangle', `object', and `union'.
The first four apply to C++, and the last to the C `union' type, which
has no direct analogue in Modula-2.
The `@' operator (*note Expressions: Expressions.), while available
with any language, is not useful with Modula-2. Its intent is to aid
the debugging of "dynamic arrays", which cannot be created in Modula-2
as they can in C or C++. However, because an address can be specified
by an integral constant, the construct `{TYPE}ADREXP' is still useful.
In GDB scripts, the Modula-2 inequality operator `#' is interpreted
as the beginning of a comment. Use `<>' instead.

File: gdb.info, Node: Ada, Prev: Modula-2, Up: Supported Languages
12.4.6 Ada
----------
The extensions made to GDB for Ada only support output from the GNU Ada
(GNAT) compiler. Other Ada compilers are not currently supported, and
attempting to debug executables produced by them is most likely to be
difficult.
* Menu:
* Ada Mode Intro:: General remarks on the Ada syntax
and semantics supported by Ada mode
in GDB.
* Omissions from Ada:: Restrictions on the Ada expression syntax.
* Additions to Ada:: Extensions of the Ada expression syntax.
* Stopping Before Main Program:: Debugging the program during elaboration.
* Ada Glitches:: Known peculiarities of Ada mode.

File: gdb.info, Node: Ada Mode Intro, Next: Omissions from Ada, Up: Ada
12.4.6.1 Introduction
.....................
The Ada mode of GDB supports a fairly large subset of Ada expression
syntax, with some extensions. The philosophy behind the design of this
subset is
* That GDB should provide basic literals and access to operations for
arithmetic, dereferencing, field selection, indexing, and
subprogram calls, leaving more sophisticated computations to
subprograms written into the program (which therefore may be
called from GDB).
* That type safety and strict adherence to Ada language restrictions
are not particularly important to the GDB user.
* That brevity is important to the GDB user.
Thus, for brevity, the debugger acts as if there were implicit
`with' and `use' clauses in effect for all user-written packages,
making it unnecessary to fully qualify most names with their packages,
regardless of context. Where this causes ambiguity, GDB asks the
user's intent.
The debugger will start in Ada mode if it detects an Ada main
program. As for other languages, it will enter Ada mode when stopped
in a program that was translated from an Ada source file.
While in Ada mode, you may use `-' for comments. This is useful
mostly for documenting command files. The standard GDB comment (`#')
still works at the beginning of a line in Ada mode, but not in the
middle (to allow based literals).
The debugger supports limited overloading. Given a subprogram call
in which the function symbol has multiple definitions, it will use the
number of actual parameters and some information about their types to
attempt to narrow the set of definitions. It also makes very limited
use of context, preferring procedures to functions in the context of
the `call' command, and functions to procedures elsewhere.

File: gdb.info, Node: Omissions from Ada, Next: Additions to Ada, Prev: Ada Mode Intro, Up: Ada
12.4.6.2 Omissions from Ada
...........................
Here are the notable omissions from the subset:
* Only a subset of the attributes are supported:
- 'First, 'Last, and 'Length on array objects (not on types
and subtypes).
- 'Min and 'Max.
- 'Pos and 'Val.
- 'Tag.
- 'Range on array objects (not subtypes), but only as the right
operand of the membership (`in') operator.
- 'Access, 'Unchecked_Access, and 'Unrestricted_Access (a GNAT
extension).
- 'Address.
* The names in `Characters.Latin_1' are not available and
concatenation is not implemented. Thus, escape characters in
strings are not currently available.
* Equality tests (`=' and `/=') on arrays test for bitwise equality
of representations. They will generally work correctly for
strings and arrays whose elements have integer or enumeration
types. They may not work correctly for arrays whose element types
have user-defined equality, for arrays of real values (in
particular, IEEE-conformant floating point, because of negative
zeroes and NaNs), and for arrays whose elements contain unused
bits with indeterminate values.
* The other component-by-component array operations (`and', `or',
`xor', `not', and relational tests other than equality) are not
implemented.
* There is limited support for array and record aggregates. They are
permitted only on the right sides of assignments, as in these
examples:
set An_Array := (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
set An_Array := (1, others => 0)
set An_Array := (0|4 => 1, 1..3 => 2, 5 => 6)
set A_2D_Array := ((1, 2, 3), (4, 5, 6), (7, 8, 9))
set A_Record := (1, "Peter", True);
set A_Record := (Name => "Peter", Id => 1, Alive => True)
Changing a discriminant's value by assigning an aggregate has an
undefined effect if that discriminant is used within the record.
However, you can first modify discriminants by directly assigning
to them (which normally would not be allowed in Ada), and then
performing an aggregate assignment. For example, given a variable
`A_Rec' declared to have a type such as:
type Rec (Len : Small_Integer := 0) is record
Id : Integer;
Vals : IntArray (1 .. Len);
end record;
you can assign a value with a different size of `Vals' with two
assignments:
set A_Rec.Len := 4
set A_Rec := (Id => 42, Vals => (1, 2, 3, 4))
As this example also illustrates, GDB is very loose about the usual
rules concerning aggregates. You may leave out some of the
components of an array or record aggregate (such as the `Len'
component in the assignment to `A_Rec' above); they will retain
their original values upon assignment. You may freely use dynamic
values as indices in component associations. You may even use
overlapping or redundant component associations, although which
component values are assigned in such cases is not defined.
* Calls to dispatching subprograms are not implemented.
* The overloading algorithm is much more limited (i.e., less
selective) than that of real Ada. It makes only limited use of
the context in which a subexpression appears to resolve its
meaning, and it is much looser in its rules for allowing type
matches. As a result, some function calls will be ambiguous, and
the user will be asked to choose the proper resolution.
* The `new' operator is not implemented.
* Entry calls are not implemented.
* Aside from printing, arithmetic operations on the native VAX
floating-point formats are not supported.
* It is not possible to slice a packed array.

File: gdb.info, Node: Additions to Ada, Next: Stopping Before Main Program, Prev: Omissions from Ada, Up: Ada
12.4.6.3 Additions to Ada
.........................
As it does for other languages, GDB makes certain generic extensions to
Ada (*note Expressions::):
* If the expression E is a variable residing in memory (typically a
local variable or array element) and N is a positive integer, then
`E@N' displays the values of E and the N-1 adjacent variables
following it in memory as an array. In Ada, this operator is
generally not necessary, since its prime use is in displaying
parts of an array, and slicing will usually do this in Ada.
However, there are occasional uses when debugging programs in
which certain debugging information has been optimized away.
* `B::VAR' means "the variable named VAR that appears in function or
file B." When B is a file name, you must typically surround it in
single quotes.
* The expression `{TYPE} ADDR' means "the variable of type TYPE that
appears at address ADDR."
* A name starting with `$' is a convenience variable (*note
Convenience Vars::) or a machine register (*note Registers::).
In addition, GDB provides a few other shortcuts and outright
additions specific to Ada:
* The assignment statement is allowed as an expression, returning
its right-hand operand as its value. Thus, you may enter
set x := y + 3
print A(tmp := y + 1)
* The semicolon is allowed as an "operator," returning as its value
the value of its right-hand operand. This allows, for example,
complex conditional breaks:
break f
condition 1 (report(i); k += 1; A(k) > 100)
* Rather than use catenation and symbolic character names to
introduce special characters into strings, one may instead use a
special bracket notation, which is also used to print strings. A
sequence of characters of the form `["XX"]' within a string or
character literal denotes the (single) character whose numeric
encoding is XX in hexadecimal. The sequence of characters `["""]'
also denotes a single quotation mark in strings. For example,
"One line.["0a"]Next line.["0a"]"
contains an ASCII newline character (`Ada.Characters.Latin_1.LF')
after each period.
* The subtype used as a prefix for the attributes 'Pos, 'Min, and
'Max is optional (and is ignored in any case). For example, it is
valid to write
print 'max(x, y)
* When printing arrays, GDB uses positional notation when the array
has a lower bound of 1, and uses a modified named notation
otherwise. For example, a one-dimensional array of three integers
with a lower bound of 3 might print as
(3 => 10, 17, 1)
That is, in contrast to valid Ada, only the first component has a
`=>' clause.
* You may abbreviate attributes in expressions with any unique,
multi-character subsequence of their names (an exact match gets
preference). For example, you may use a'len, a'gth, or a'lh in
place of a'length.
* Since Ada is case-insensitive, the debugger normally maps
identifiers you type to lower case. The GNAT compiler uses
upper-case characters for some of its internal identifiers, which
are normally of no interest to users. For the rare occasions when
you actually have to look at them, enclose them in angle brackets
to avoid the lower-case mapping. For example,
gdb print <JMPBUF_SAVE>[0]
* Printing an object of class-wide type or dereferencing an
access-to-class-wide value will display all the components of the
object's specific type (as indicated by its run-time tag).
Likewise, component selection on such a value will operate on the
specific type of the object.

File: gdb.info, Node: Stopping Before Main Program, Next: Ada Glitches, Prev: Additions to Ada, Up: Ada
12.4.6.4 Stopping at the Very Beginning
.......................................
It is sometimes necessary to debug the program during elaboration, and
before reaching the main procedure. As defined in the Ada Reference
Manual, the elaboration code is invoked from a procedure called
`adainit'. To run your program up to the beginning of elaboration,
simply use the following two commands: `tbreak adainit' and `run'.

File: gdb.info, Node: Ada Glitches, Prev: Stopping Before Main Program, Up: Ada
12.4.6.5 Known Peculiarities of Ada Mode
........................................
Besides the omissions listed previously (*note Omissions from Ada::),
we know of several problems with and limitations of Ada mode in GDB,
some of which will be fixed with planned future releases of the debugger
and the GNU Ada compiler.
* Currently, the debugger has insufficient information to determine
whether certain pointers represent pointers to objects or the
objects themselves. Thus, the user may have to tack an extra
`.all' after an expression to get it printed properly.
* Static constants that the compiler chooses not to materialize as
objects in storage are invisible to the debugger.
* Named parameter associations in function argument lists are
ignored (the argument lists are treated as positional).
* Many useful library packages are currently invisible to the
debugger.
* Fixed-point arithmetic, conversions, input, and output is carried
out using floating-point arithmetic, and may give results that
only approximate those on the host machine.
* The type of the 'Address attribute may not be `System.Address'.
* The GNAT compiler never generates the prefix `Standard' for any of
the standard symbols defined by the Ada language. GDB knows about
this: it will strip the prefix from names when you use it, and
will never look for a name you have so qualified among local
symbols, nor match against symbols in other packages or
subprograms. If you have defined entities anywhere in your
program other than parameters and local variables whose simple
names match names in `Standard', GNAT's lack of qualification here
can cause confusion. When this happens, you can usually resolve
the confusion by qualifying the problematic names with package
`Standard' explicitly.

File: gdb.info, Node: Unsupported Languages, Prev: Supported Languages, Up: Languages
12.5 Unsupported Languages
==========================
In addition to the other fully-supported programming languages, GDB
also provides a pseudo-language, called `minimal'. It does not
represent a real programming language, but provides a set of
capabilities close to what the C or assembly languages provide. This
should allow most simple operations to be performed while debugging an
application that uses a language currently not supported by GDB.
If the language is set to `auto', GDB will automatically select this
language if the current frame corresponds to an unsupported language.

File: gdb.info, Node: Symbols, Next: Altering, Prev: Languages, Up: Top
13 Examining the Symbol Table
*****************************
The commands described in this chapter allow you to inquire about the
symbols (names of variables, functions and types) defined in your
program. This information is inherent in the text of your program and
does not change as your program executes. GDB finds it in your
program's symbol table, in the file indicated when you started GDB
(*note Choosing Files: File Options.), or by one of the file-management
commands (*note Commands to Specify Files: Files.).
Occasionally, you may need to refer to symbols that contain unusual
characters, which GDB ordinarily treats as word delimiters. The most
frequent case is in referring to static variables in other source files
(*note Program Variables: Variables.). File names are recorded in
object files as debugging symbols, but GDB would ordinarily parse a
typical file name, like `foo.c', as the three words `foo' `.' `c'. To
allow GDB to recognize `foo.c' as a single symbol, enclose it in single
quotes; for example,
p 'foo.c'::x
looks up the value of `x' in the scope of the file `foo.c'.
`set case-sensitive on'
`set case-sensitive off'
`set case-sensitive auto'
Normally, when GDB looks up symbols, it matches their names with
case sensitivity determined by the current source language.
Occasionally, you may wish to control that. The command `set
case-sensitive' lets you do that by specifying `on' for
case-sensitive matches or `off' for case-insensitive ones. If you
specify `auto', case sensitivity is reset to the default suitable
for the source language. The default is case-sensitive matches
for all languages except for Fortran, for which the default is
case-insensitive matches.
`show case-sensitive'
This command shows the current setting of case sensitivity for
symbols lookups.
`info address SYMBOL'
Describe where the data for SYMBOL is stored. For a register
variable, this says which register it is kept in. For a
non-register local variable, this prints the stack-frame offset at
which the variable is always stored.
Note the contrast with `print &SYMBOL', which does not work at all
for a register variable, and for a stack local variable prints the
exact address of the current instantiation of the variable.
`info symbol ADDR'
Print the name of a symbol which is stored at the address ADDR.
If no symbol is stored exactly at ADDR, GDB prints the nearest
symbol and an offset from it:
(gdb) info symbol 0x54320
_initialize_vx + 396 in section .text
This is the opposite of the `info address' command. You can use
it to find out the name of a variable or a function given its
address.
`whatis [ARG]'
Print the data type of ARG, which can be either an expression or a
data type. With no argument, print the data type of `$', the last
value in the value history. If ARG is an expression, it is not
actually evaluated, and any side-effecting operations (such as
assignments or function calls) inside it do not take place. If
ARG is a type name, it may be the name of a type or typedef, or
for C code it may have the form `class CLASS-NAME', `struct
STRUCT-TAG', `union UNION-TAG' or `enum ENUM-TAG'. *Note
Expressions: Expressions.
`ptype [ARG]'
`ptype' accepts the same arguments as `whatis', but prints a
detailed description of the type, instead of just the name of the
type. *Note Expressions: Expressions.
For example, for this variable declaration:
struct complex {double real; double imag;} v;
the two commands give this output:
(gdb) whatis v
type = struct complex
(gdb) ptype v
type = struct complex {
double real;
double imag;
}
As with `whatis', using `ptype' without an argument refers to the
type of `$', the last value in the value history.
Sometimes, programs use opaque data types or incomplete
specifications of complex data structure. If the debug
information included in the program does not allow GDB to display
a full declaration of the data type, it will say `<incomplete
type>'. For example, given these declarations:
struct foo;
struct foo *fooptr;
but no definition for `struct foo' itself, GDB will say:
(gdb) ptype foo
$1 = <incomplete type>
"Incomplete type" is C terminology for data types that are not
completely specified.
`info types REGEXP'
`info types'
Print a brief description of all types whose names match the
regular expression REGEXP (or all types in your program, if you
supply no argument). Each complete typename is matched as though
it were a complete line; thus, `i type value' gives information on
all types in your program whose names include the string `value',
but `i type ^value$' gives information only on types whose complete
name is `value'.
This command differs from `ptype' in two ways: first, like
`whatis', it does not print a detailed description; second, it
lists all source files where a type is defined.
`info scope LOCATION'
List all the variables local to a particular scope. This command
accepts a LOCATION argument--a function name, a source line, or an
address preceded by a `*', and prints all the variables local to
the scope defined by that location. (*Note Specify Location::, for
details about supported forms of LOCATION.) For example:
(gdb) info scope command_line_handler
Scope for command_line_handler:
Symbol rl is an argument at stack/frame offset 8, length 4.
Symbol linebuffer is in static storage at address 0x150a18, length 4.
Symbol linelength is in static storage at address 0x150a1c, length 4.
Symbol p is a local variable in register $esi, length 4.
Symbol p1 is a local variable in register $ebx, length 4.
Symbol nline is a local variable in register $edx, length 4.
Symbol repeat is a local variable at frame offset -8, length 4.
This command is especially useful for determining what data to
collect during a "trace experiment", see *Note collect: Tracepoint
Actions.
`info source'
Show information about the current source file--that is, the
source file for the function containing the current point of
execution:
* the name of the source file, and the directory containing it,
* the directory it was compiled in,
* its length, in lines,
* which programming language it is written in,
* whether the executable includes debugging information for
that file, and if so, what format the information is in
(e.g., STABS, Dwarf 2, etc.), and
* whether the debugging information includes information about
preprocessor macros.
`info sources'
Print the names of all source files in your program for which
there is debugging information, organized into two lists: files
whose symbols have already been read, and files whose symbols will
be read when needed.
`info functions'
Print the names and data types of all defined functions.
`info functions REGEXP'
Print the names and data types of all defined functions whose
names contain a match for regular expression REGEXP. Thus, `info
fun step' finds all functions whose names include `step'; `info
fun ^step' finds those whose names start with `step'. If a
function name contains characters that conflict with the regular
expression language (e.g. `operator*()'), they may be quoted with
a backslash.
`info variables'
Print the names and data types of all variables that are declared
outside of functions (i.e. excluding local variables).
`info variables REGEXP'
Print the names and data types of all variables (except for local
variables) whose names contain a match for regular expression
REGEXP.
`info classes'
`info classes REGEXP'
Display all Objective-C classes in your program, or (with the
REGEXP argument) all those matching a particular regular
expression.
`info selectors'
`info selectors REGEXP'
Display all Objective-C selectors in your program, or (with the
REGEXP argument) all those matching a particular regular
expression.
Some systems allow individual object files that make up your
program to be replaced without stopping and restarting your
program. For example, in VxWorks you can simply recompile a
defective object file and keep on running. If you are running on
one of these systems, you can allow GDB to reload the symbols for
automatically relinked modules:
`set symbol-reloading on'
Replace symbol definitions for the corresponding source file
when an object file with a particular name is seen again.
`set symbol-reloading off'
Do not replace symbol definitions when encountering object
files of the same name more than once. This is the default
state; if you are not running on a system that permits
automatic relinking of modules, you should leave
`symbol-reloading' off, since otherwise GDB may discard
symbols when linking large programs, that may contain several
modules (from different directories or libraries) with the
same name.
`show symbol-reloading'
Show the current `on' or `off' setting.
`set opaque-type-resolution on'
Tell GDB to resolve opaque types. An opaque type is a type
declared as a pointer to a `struct', `class', or `union'--for
example, `struct MyType *'--that is used in one source file
although the full declaration of `struct MyType' is in another
source file. The default is on.
A change in the setting of this subcommand will not take effect
until the next time symbols for a file are loaded.
`set opaque-type-resolution off'
Tell GDB not to resolve opaque types. In this case, the type is
printed as follows:
{<no data fields>}
`show opaque-type-resolution'
Show whether opaque types are resolved or not.
`maint print symbols FILENAME'
`maint print psymbols FILENAME'
`maint print msymbols FILENAME'
Write a dump of debugging symbol data into the file FILENAME.
These commands are used to debug the GDB symbol-reading code. Only
symbols with debugging data are included. If you use `maint print
symbols', GDB includes all the symbols for which it has already
collected full details: that is, FILENAME reflects symbols for
only those files whose symbols GDB has read. You can use the
command `info sources' to find out which files these are. If you
use `maint print psymbols' instead, the dump shows information
about symbols that GDB only knows partially--that is, symbols
defined in files that GDB has skimmed, but not yet read
completely. Finally, `maint print msymbols' dumps just the
minimal symbol information required for each object file from
which GDB has read some symbols. *Note Commands to Specify Files:
Files, for a discussion of how GDB reads symbols (in the
description of `symbol-file').
`maint info symtabs [ REGEXP ]'
`maint info psymtabs [ REGEXP ]'
List the `struct symtab' or `struct partial_symtab' structures
whose names match REGEXP. If REGEXP is not given, list them all.
The output includes expressions which you can copy into a GDB
debugging this one to examine a particular structure in more
detail. For example:
(gdb) maint info psymtabs dwarf2read
{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
{ psymtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
((struct partial_symtab *) 0x8474b10)
readin no
fullname (null)
text addresses 0x814d3c8 -- 0x8158074
globals (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x8507a08 @ 9)
statics (* (struct partial_symbol **) 0x40e95b78 @ 2882)
dependencies (none)
}
}
(gdb) maint info symtabs
(gdb)
We see that there is one partial symbol table whose filename
contains the string `dwarf2read', belonging to the `gdb'
executable; and we see that GDB has not read in any symtabs yet at
all. If we set a breakpoint on a function, that will cause GDB to
read the symtab for the compilation unit containing that function:
(gdb) break dwarf2_psymtab_to_symtab
Breakpoint 1 at 0x814e5da: file /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c,
line 1574.
(gdb) maint info symtabs
{ objfile /home/gnu/build/gdb/gdb
((struct objfile *) 0x82e69d0)
{ symtab /home/gnu/src/gdb/dwarf2read.c
((struct symtab *) 0x86c1f38)
dirname (null)
fullname (null)
blockvector ((struct blockvector *) 0x86c1bd0) (primary)
linetable ((struct linetable *) 0x8370fa0)
debugformat DWARF 2
}
}
(gdb)

File: gdb.info, Node: Altering, Next: GDB Files, Prev: Symbols, Up: Top
14 Altering Execution
*********************
Once you think you have found an error in your program, you might want
to find out for certain whether correcting the apparent error would
lead to correct results in the rest of the run. You can find the
answer by experiment, using the GDB features for altering execution of
the program.
For example, you can store new values into variables or memory
locations, give your program a signal, restart it at a different
address, or even return prematurely from a function.
* Menu:
* Assignment:: Assignment to variables
* Jumping:: Continuing at a different address
* Signaling:: Giving your program a signal
* Returning:: Returning from a function
* Calling:: Calling your program's functions
* Patching:: Patching your program

File: gdb.info, Node: Assignment, Next: Jumping, Up: Altering
14.1 Assignment to Variables
============================
To alter the value of a variable, evaluate an assignment expression.
*Note Expressions: Expressions. For example,
print x=4
stores the value 4 into the variable `x', and then prints the value of
the assignment expression (which is 4). *Note Using GDB with Different
Languages: Languages, for more information on operators in supported
languages.
If you are not interested in seeing the value of the assignment, use
the `set' command instead of the `print' command. `set' is really the
same as `print' except that the expression's value is not printed and
is not put in the value history (*note Value History: Value History.).
The expression is evaluated only for its effects.
If the beginning of the argument string of the `set' command appears
identical to a `set' subcommand, use the `set variable' command instead
of just `set'. This command is identical to `set' except for its lack
of subcommands. For example, if your program has a variable `width',
you get an error if you try to set a new value with just `set
width=13', because GDB has the command `set width':
(gdb) whatis width
type = double
(gdb) p width
$4 = 13
(gdb) set width=47
Invalid syntax in expression.
The invalid expression, of course, is `=47'. In order to actually set
the program's variable `width', use
(gdb) set var width=47
Because the `set' command has many subcommands that can conflict
with the names of program variables, it is a good idea to use the `set
variable' command instead of just `set'. For example, if your program
has a variable `g', you run into problems if you try to set a new value
with just `set g=4', because GDB has the command `set gnutarget',
abbreviated `set g':
(gdb) whatis g
type = double
(gdb) p g
$1 = 1
(gdb) set g=4
(gdb) p g
$2 = 1
(gdb) r
The program being debugged has been started already.
Start it from the beginning? (y or n) y
Starting program: /home/smith/cc_progs/a.out
"/home/smith/cc_progs/a.out": can't open to read symbols:
Invalid bfd target.
(gdb) show g
The current BFD target is "=4".
The program variable `g' did not change, and you silently set the
`gnutarget' to an invalid value. In order to set the variable `g', use
(gdb) set var g=4
GDB allows more implicit conversions in assignments than C; you can
freely store an integer value into a pointer variable or vice versa,
and you can convert any structure to any other structure that is the
same length or shorter.
To store values into arbitrary places in memory, use the `{...}'
construct to generate a value of specified type at a specified address
(*note Expressions: Expressions.). For example, `{int}0x83040' refers
to memory location `0x83040' as an integer (which implies a certain size
and representation in memory), and
set {int}0x83040 = 4
stores the value 4 into that memory location.

File: gdb.info, Node: Jumping, Next: Signaling, Prev: Assignment, Up: Altering
14.2 Continuing at a Different Address
======================================
Ordinarily, when you continue your program, you do so at the place where
it stopped, with the `continue' command. You can instead continue at
an address of your own choosing, with the following commands:
`jump LINESPEC'
`jump LOCATION'
Resume execution at line LINESPEC or at address given by LOCATION.
Execution stops again immediately if there is a breakpoint there.
*Note Specify Location::, for a description of the different
forms of LINESPEC and LOCATION. It is common practice to use the
`tbreak' command in conjunction with `jump'. *Note Setting
Breakpoints: Set Breaks.
The `jump' command does not change the current stack frame, or the
stack pointer, or the contents of any memory location or any
register other than the program counter. If line LINESPEC is in a
different function from the one currently executing, the results
may be bizarre if the two functions expect different patterns of
arguments or of local variables. For this reason, the `jump'
command requests confirmation if the specified line is not in the
function currently executing. However, even bizarre results are
predictable if you are well acquainted with the machine-language
code of your program.
On many systems, you can get much the same effect as the `jump'
command by storing a new value into the register `$pc'. The difference
is that this does not start your program running; it only changes the
address of where it _will_ run when you continue. For example,
set $pc = 0x485
makes the next `continue' command or stepping command execute at
address `0x485', rather than at the address where your program stopped.
*Note Continuing and Stepping: Continuing and Stepping.
The most common occasion to use the `jump' command is to back
up--perhaps with more breakpoints set--over a portion of a program that
has already executed, in order to examine its execution in more detail.

File: gdb.info, Node: Signaling, Next: Returning, Prev: Jumping, Up: Altering
14.3 Giving your Program a Signal
=================================
`signal SIGNAL'
Resume execution where your program stopped, but immediately give
it the signal SIGNAL. SIGNAL can be the name or the number of a
signal. For example, on many systems `signal 2' and `signal
SIGINT' are both ways of sending an interrupt signal.
Alternatively, if SIGNAL is zero, continue execution without
giving a signal. This is useful when your program stopped on
account of a signal and would ordinary see the signal when resumed
with the `continue' command; `signal 0' causes it to resume
without a signal.
`signal' does not repeat when you press <RET> a second time after
executing the command.
Invoking the `signal' command is not the same as invoking the `kill'
utility from the shell. Sending a signal with `kill' causes GDB to
decide what to do with the signal depending on the signal handling
tables (*note Signals::). The `signal' command passes the signal
directly to your program.

File: gdb.info, Node: Returning, Next: Calling, Prev: Signaling, Up: Altering
14.4 Returning from a Function
==============================
`return'
`return EXPRESSION'
You can cancel execution of a function call with the `return'
command. If you give an EXPRESSION argument, its value is used as
the function's return value.
When you use `return', GDB discards the selected stack frame (and
all frames within it). You can think of this as making the discarded
frame return prematurely. If you wish to specify a value to be
returned, give that value as the argument to `return'.
This pops the selected stack frame (*note Selecting a Frame:
Selection.), and any other frames inside of it, leaving its caller as
the innermost remaining frame. That frame becomes selected. The
specified value is stored in the registers used for returning values of
functions.
The `return' command does not resume execution; it leaves the
program stopped in the state that would exist if the function had just
returned. In contrast, the `finish' command (*note Continuing and
Stepping: Continuing and Stepping.) resumes execution until the
selected stack frame returns naturally.

File: gdb.info, Node: Calling, Next: Patching, Prev: Returning, Up: Altering
14.5 Calling Program Functions
==============================
`print EXPR'
Evaluate the expression EXPR and display the resulting value.
EXPR may include calls to functions in the program being debugged.
`call EXPR'
Evaluate the expression EXPR without displaying `void' returned
values.
You can use this variant of the `print' command if you want to
execute a function from your program that does not return anything
(a.k.a. "a void function"), but without cluttering the output with
`void' returned values that GDB will otherwise print. If the
result is not void, it is printed and saved in the value history.
It is possible for the function you call via the `print' or `call'
command to generate a signal (e.g., if there's a bug in the function,
or if you passed it incorrect arguments). What happens in that case is
controlled by the `set unwindonsignal' command.
`set unwindonsignal'
Set unwinding of the stack if a signal is received while in a
function that GDB called in the program being debugged. If set to
on, GDB unwinds the stack it created for the call and restores the
context to what it was before the call. If set to off (the
default), GDB stops in the frame where the signal was received.
`show unwindonsignal'
Show the current setting of stack unwinding in the functions
called by GDB.
Sometimes, a function you wish to call is actually a "weak alias"
for another function. In such case, GDB might not pick up the type
information, including the types of the function arguments, which
causes GDB to call the inferior function incorrectly. As a result, the
called function will function erroneously and may even crash. A
solution to that is to use the name of the aliased function instead.

File: gdb.info, Node: Patching, Prev: Calling, Up: Altering
14.6 Patching Programs
======================
By default, GDB opens the file containing your program's executable
code (or the corefile) read-only. This prevents accidental alterations
to machine code; but it also prevents you from intentionally patching
your program's binary.
If you'd like to be able to patch the binary, you can specify that
explicitly with the `set write' command. For example, you might want
to turn on internal debugging flags, or even to make emergency repairs.
`set write on'
`set write off'
If you specify `set write on', GDB opens executable and core files
for both reading and writing; if you specify `set write off' (the
default), GDB opens them read-only.
If you have already loaded a file, you must load it again (using
the `exec-file' or `core-file' command) after changing `set
write', for your new setting to take effect.
`show write'
Display whether executable files and core files are opened for
writing as well as reading.

File: gdb.info, Node: GDB Files, Next: Targets, Prev: Altering, Up: Top
15 GDB Files
************
GDB needs to know the file name of the program to be debugged, both in
order to read its symbol table and in order to start your program. To
debug a core dump of a previous run, you must also tell GDB the name of
the core dump file.
* Menu:
* Files:: Commands to specify files
* Separate Debug Files:: Debugging information in separate files
* Symbol Errors:: Errors reading symbol files

File: gdb.info, Node: Files, Next: Separate Debug Files, Up: GDB Files
15.1 Commands to Specify Files
==============================
You may want to specify executable and core dump file names. The usual
way to do this is at start-up time, using the arguments to GDB's
start-up commands (*note Getting In and Out of GDB: Invocation.).
Occasionally it is necessary to change to a different file during a
GDB session. Or you may run GDB and forget to specify a file you want
to use. Or you are debugging a remote target via `gdbserver' (*note
file: Server.). In these situations the GDB commands to specify new
files are useful.
`file FILENAME'
Use FILENAME as the program to be debugged. It is read for its
symbols and for the contents of pure memory. It is also the
program executed when you use the `run' command. If you do not
specify a directory and the file is not found in the GDB working
directory, GDB uses the environment variable `PATH' as a list of
directories to search, just as the shell does when looking for a
program to run. You can change the value of this variable, for
both GDB and your program, using the `path' command.
You can load unlinked object `.o' files into GDB using the `file'
command. You will not be able to "run" an object file, but you
can disassemble functions and inspect variables. Also, if the
underlying BFD functionality supports it, you could use `gdb
-write' to patch object files using this technique. Note that GDB
can neither interpret nor modify relocations in this case, so
branches and some initialized variables will appear to go to the
wrong place. But this feature is still handy from time to time.
`file'
`file' with no argument makes GDB discard any information it has
on both executable file and the symbol table.
`exec-file [ FILENAME ]'
Specify that the program to be run (but not the symbol table) is
found in FILENAME. GDB searches the environment variable `PATH'
if necessary to locate your program. Omitting FILENAME means to
discard information on the executable file.
`symbol-file [ FILENAME ]'
Read symbol table information from file FILENAME. `PATH' is
searched when necessary. Use the `file' command to get both symbol
table and program to run from the same file.
`symbol-file' with no argument clears out GDB information on your
program's symbol table.
The `symbol-file' command causes GDB to forget the contents of
some breakpoints and auto-display expressions. This is because
they may contain pointers to the internal data recording symbols
and data types, which are part of the old symbol table data being
discarded inside GDB.
`symbol-file' does not repeat if you press <RET> again after
executing it once.
When GDB is configured for a particular environment, it
understands debugging information in whatever format is the
standard generated for that environment; you may use either a GNU
compiler, or other compilers that adhere to the local conventions.
Best results are usually obtained from GNU compilers; for example,
using `GCC' you can generate debugging information for optimized
code.
For most kinds of object files, with the exception of old SVR3
systems using COFF, the `symbol-file' command does not normally
read the symbol table in full right away. Instead, it scans the
symbol table quickly to find which source files and which symbols
are present. The details are read later, one source file at a
time, as they are needed.
The purpose of this two-stage reading strategy is to make GDB
start up faster. For the most part, it is invisible except for
occasional pauses while the symbol table details for a particular
source file are being read. (The `set verbose' command can turn
these pauses into messages if desired. *Note Optional Warnings
and Messages: Messages/Warnings.)
We have not implemented the two-stage strategy for COFF yet. When
the symbol table is stored in COFF format, `symbol-file' reads the
symbol table data in full right away. Note that "stabs-in-COFF"
still does the two-stage strategy, since the debug info is actually
in stabs format.
`symbol-file FILENAME [ -readnow ]'
`file FILENAME [ -readnow ]'
You can override the GDB two-stage strategy for reading symbol
tables by using the `-readnow' option with any of the commands that
load symbol table information, if you want to be sure GDB has the
entire symbol table available.
`core-file [FILENAME]'
`core'
Specify the whereabouts of a core dump file to be used as the
"contents of memory". Traditionally, core files contain only some
parts of the address space of the process that generated them; GDB
can access the executable file itself for other parts.
`core-file' with no argument specifies that no core file is to be
used.
Note that the core file is ignored when your program is actually
running under GDB. So, if you have been running your program and
you wish to debug a core file instead, you must kill the
subprocess in which the program is running. To do this, use the
`kill' command (*note Killing the Child Process: Kill Process.).
`add-symbol-file FILENAME ADDRESS'
`add-symbol-file FILENAME ADDRESS [ -readnow ]'
`add-symbol-file FILENAME -sSECTION ADDRESS ...'
The `add-symbol-file' command reads additional symbol table
information from the file FILENAME. You would use this command
when FILENAME has been dynamically loaded (by some other means)
into the program that is running. ADDRESS should be the memory
address at which the file has been loaded; GDB cannot figure this
out for itself. You can additionally specify an arbitrary number
of `-sSECTION ADDRESS' pairs, to give an explicit section name and
base address for that section. You can specify any ADDRESS as an
expression.
The symbol table of the file FILENAME is added to the symbol table
originally read with the `symbol-file' command. You can use the
`add-symbol-file' command any number of times; the new symbol data
thus read keeps adding to the old. To discard all old symbol data
instead, use the `symbol-file' command without any arguments.
Although FILENAME is typically a shared library file, an
executable file, or some other object file which has been fully
relocated for loading into a process, you can also load symbolic
information from relocatable `.o' files, as long as:
* the file's symbolic information refers only to linker symbols
defined in that file, not to symbols defined by other object
files,
* every section the file's symbolic information refers to has
actually been loaded into the inferior, as it appears in the
file, and
* you can determine the address at which every section was
loaded, and provide these to the `add-symbol-file' command.
Some embedded operating systems, like Sun Chorus and VxWorks, can
load relocatable files into an already running program; such
systems typically make the requirements above easy to meet.
However, it's important to recognize that many native systems use
complex link procedures (`.linkonce' section factoring and C++
constructor table assembly, for example) that make the
requirements difficult to meet. In general, one cannot assume
that using `add-symbol-file' to read a relocatable object file's
symbolic information will have the same effect as linking the
relocatable object file into the program in the normal way.
`add-symbol-file' does not repeat if you press <RET> after using
it.
`add-symbol-file-from-memory ADDRESS'
Load symbols from the given ADDRESS in a dynamically loaded object
file whose image is mapped directly into the inferior's memory.
For example, the Linux kernel maps a `syscall DSO' into each
process's address space; this DSO provides kernel-specific code for
some system calls. The argument can be any expression whose
evaluation yields the address of the file's shared object file
header. For this command to work, you must have used
`symbol-file' or `exec-file' commands in advance.
`add-shared-symbol-files LIBRARY-FILE'
`assf LIBRARY-FILE'
The `add-shared-symbol-files' command can currently be used only
in the Cygwin build of GDB on MS-Windows OS, where it is an alias
for the `dll-symbols' command (*note Cygwin Native::). GDB
automatically looks for shared libraries, however if GDB does not
find yours, you can invoke `add-shared-symbol-files'. It takes
one argument: the shared library's file name. `assf' is a
shorthand alias for `add-shared-symbol-files'.
`section SECTION ADDR'
The `section' command changes the base address of the named
SECTION of the exec file to ADDR. This can be used if the exec
file does not contain section addresses, (such as in the `a.out'
format), or when the addresses specified in the file itself are
wrong. Each section must be changed separately. The `info files'
command, described below, lists all the sections and their
addresses.
`info files'
`info target'
`info files' and `info target' are synonymous; both print the
current target (*note Specifying a Debugging Target: Targets.),
including the names of the executable and core dump files
currently in use by GDB, and the files from which symbols were
loaded. The command `help target' lists all possible targets
rather than current ones.
`maint info sections'
Another command that can give you extra information about program
sections is `maint info sections'. In addition to the section
information displayed by `info files', this command displays the
flags and file offset of each section in the executable and core
dump files. In addition, `maint info sections' provides the
following command options (which may be arbitrarily combined):
`ALLOBJ'
Display sections for all loaded object files, including
shared libraries.
`SECTIONS'
Display info only for named SECTIONS.
`SECTION-FLAGS'
Display info only for sections for which SECTION-FLAGS are
true. The section flags that GDB currently knows about are:
`ALLOC'
Section will have space allocated in the process when
loaded. Set for all sections except those containing
debug information.
`LOAD'
Section will be loaded from the file into the child
process memory. Set for pre-initialized code and data,
clear for `.bss' sections.
`RELOC'
Section needs to be relocated before loading.
`READONLY'
Section cannot be modified by the child process.
`CODE'
Section contains executable code only.
`DATA'
Section contains data only (no executable code).
`ROM'
Section will reside in ROM.
`CONSTRUCTOR'
Section contains data for constructor/destructor lists.
`HAS_CONTENTS'
Section is not empty.
`NEVER_LOAD'
An instruction to the linker to not output the section.
`COFF_SHARED_LIBRARY'
A notification to the linker that the section contains
COFF shared library information.
`IS_COMMON'
Section contains common symbols.
`set trust-readonly-sections on'
Tell GDB that readonly sections in your object file really are
read-only (i.e. that their contents will not change). In that
case, GDB can fetch values from these sections out of the object
file, rather than from the target program. For some targets
(notably embedded ones), this can be a significant enhancement to
debugging performance.
The default is off.
`set trust-readonly-sections off'
Tell GDB not to trust readonly sections. This means that the
contents of the section might change while the program is running,
and must therefore be fetched from the target when needed.
`show trust-readonly-sections'
Show the current setting of trusting readonly sections.
All file-specifying commands allow both absolute and relative file
names as arguments. GDB always converts the file name to an absolute
file name and remembers it that way.
GDB supports GNU/Linux, MS-Windows, HP-UX, SunOS, SVr4, Irix, and
IBM RS/6000 AIX shared libraries.
On MS-Windows GDB must be linked with the Expat library to support
shared libraries. *Note Expat::.
GDB automatically loads symbol definitions from shared libraries
when you use the `run' command, or when you examine a core file.
(Before you issue the `run' command, GDB does not understand references
to a function in a shared library, however--unless you are debugging a
core file).
On HP-UX, if the program loads a library explicitly, GDB
automatically loads the symbols at the time of the `shl_load' call.
There are times, however, when you may wish to not automatically load
symbol definitions from shared libraries, such as when they are
particularly large or there are many of them.
To control the automatic loading of shared library symbols, use the
commands:
`set auto-solib-add MODE'
If MODE is `on', symbols from all shared object libraries will be
loaded automatically when the inferior begins execution, you
attach to an independently started inferior, or when the dynamic
linker informs GDB that a new library has been loaded. If MODE is
`off', symbols must be loaded manually, using the `sharedlibrary'
command. The default value is `on'.
If your program uses lots of shared libraries with debug info that
takes large amounts of memory, you can decrease the GDB memory
footprint by preventing it from automatically loading the symbols
from shared libraries. To that end, type `set auto-solib-add off'
before running the inferior, then load each library whose debug
symbols you do need with `sharedlibrary REGEXP', where REGEXP is a
regular expression that matches the libraries whose symbols you
want to be loaded.
`show auto-solib-add'
Display the current autoloading mode.
To explicitly load shared library symbols, use the `sharedlibrary'
command:
`info share'
`info sharedlibrary'
Print the names of the shared libraries which are currently loaded.
`sharedlibrary REGEX'
`share REGEX'
Load shared object library symbols for files matching a Unix
regular expression. As with files loaded automatically, it only
loads shared libraries required by your program for a core file or
after typing `run'. If REGEX is omitted all shared libraries
required by your program are loaded.
`nosharedlibrary'
Unload all shared object library symbols. This discards all
symbols that have been loaded from all shared libraries. Symbols
from shared libraries that were loaded by explicit user requests
are not discarded.
Sometimes you may wish that GDB stops and gives you control when any
of shared library events happen. Use the `set stop-on-solib-events'
command for this:
`set stop-on-solib-events'
This command controls whether GDB should give you control when the
dynamic linker notifies it about some shared library event. The
most common event of interest is loading or unloading of a new
shared library.
`show stop-on-solib-events'
Show whether GDB stops and gives you control when shared library
events happen.
Shared libraries are also supported in many cross or remote debugging
configurations. A copy of the target's libraries need to be present on
the host system; they need to be the same as the target libraries,
although the copies on the target can be stripped as long as the copies
on the host are not.
For remote debugging, you need to tell GDB where the target
libraries are, so that it can load the correct copies--otherwise, it
may try to load the host's libraries. GDB has two variables to specify
the search directories for target libraries.
`set sysroot PATH'
Use PATH as the system root for the program being debugged. Any
absolute shared library paths will be prefixed with PATH; many
runtime loaders store the absolute paths to the shared library in
the target program's memory. If you use `set sysroot' to find
shared libraries, they need to be laid out in the same way that
they are on the target, with e.g. a `/lib' and `/usr/lib' hierarchy
under PATH.
The `set solib-absolute-prefix' command is an alias for `set
sysroot'.
You can set the default system root by using the configure-time
`--with-sysroot' option. If the system root is inside GDB's
configured binary prefix (set with `--prefix' or `--exec-prefix'),
then the default system root will be updated automatically if the
installed GDB is moved to a new location.
`show sysroot'
Display the current shared library prefix.
`set solib-search-path PATH'
If this variable is set, PATH is a colon-separated list of
directories to search for shared libraries. `solib-search-path'
is used after `sysroot' fails to locate the library, or if the
path to the library is relative instead of absolute. If you want
to use `solib-search-path' instead of `sysroot', be sure to set
`sysroot' to a nonexistent directory to prevent GDB from finding
your host's libraries. `sysroot' is preferred; setting it to a
nonexistent directory may interfere with automatic loading of
shared library symbols.
`show solib-search-path'
Display the current shared library search path.

File: gdb.info, Node: Separate Debug Files, Next: Symbol Errors, Prev: Files, Up: GDB Files
15.2 Debugging Information in Separate Files
============================================
GDB allows you to put a program's debugging information in a file
separate from the executable itself, in a way that allows GDB to find
and load the debugging information automatically. Since debugging
information can be very large--sometimes larger than the executable
code itself--some systems distribute debugging information for their
executables in separate files, which users can install only when they
need to debug a problem.
GDB supports two ways of specifying the separate debug info file:
* The executable contains a "debug link" that specifies the name of
the separate debug info file. The separate debug file's name is
usually `EXECUTABLE.debug', where EXECUTABLE is the name of the
corresponding executable file without leading directories (e.g.,
`ls.debug' for `/usr/bin/ls'). In addition, the debug link
specifies a CRC32 checksum for the debug file, which GDB uses to
validate that the executable and the debug file came from the same
build.
* The executable contains a "build ID", a unique bit string that is
also present in the corresponding debug info file. (This is
supported only on some operating systems, notably those which use
the ELF format for binary files and the GNU Binutils.) For more
details about this feature, see the description of the `--build-id'
command-line option in *Note Command Line Options:
(ld.info)Options. The debug info file's name is not specified
explicitly by the build ID, but can be computed from the build ID,
see below.
Depending on the way the debug info file is specified, GDB uses two
different methods of looking for the debug file:
* For the "debug link" method, GDB looks up the named file in the
directory of the executable file, then in a subdirectory of that
directory named `.debug', and finally under the global debug
directory, in a subdirectory whose name is identical to the leading
directories of the executable's absolute file name.
* For the "build ID" method, GDB looks in the `.build-id'
subdirectory of the global debug directory for a file named
`NN/NNNNNNNN.debug', where NN are the first 2 hex characters of
the build ID bit string, and NNNNNNNN are the rest of the bit
string. (Real build ID strings are 32 or more hex characters, not
10.)
So, for example, suppose you ask GDB to debug `/usr/bin/ls', which
has a debug link that specifies the file `ls.debug', and a build ID
whose value in hex is `abcdef1234'. If the global debug directory is
`/usr/lib/debug', then GDB will look for the following debug
information files, in the indicated order:
- `/usr/lib/debug/.build-id/ab/cdef1234.debug'
- `/usr/bin/ls.debug'
- `/usr/bin/.debug/ls.debug'
- `/usr/lib/debug/usr/bin/ls.debug'.
You can set the global debugging info directory's name, and view the
name GDB is currently using.
`set debug-file-directory DIRECTORY'
Set the directory which GDB searches for separate debugging
information files to DIRECTORY.
`show debug-file-directory'
Show the directory GDB searches for separate debugging information
files.
A debug link is a special section of the executable file named
`.gnu_debuglink'. The section must contain:
* A filename, with any leading directory components removed,
followed by a zero byte,
* zero to three bytes of padding, as needed to reach the next
four-byte boundary within the section, and
* a four-byte CRC checksum, stored in the same endianness used for
the executable file itself. The checksum is computed on the
debugging information file's full contents by the function given
below, passing zero as the CRC argument.
Any executable file format can carry a debug link, as long as it can
contain a section named `.gnu_debuglink' with the contents described
above.
The build ID is a special section in the executable file (and in
other ELF binary files that GDB may consider). This section is often
named `.note.gnu.build-id', but that name is not mandatory. It
contains unique identification for the built files--the ID remains the
same across multiple builds of the same build tree. The default
algorithm SHA1 produces 160 bits (40 hexadecimal characters) of the
content for the build ID string. The same section with an identical
value is present in the original built binary with symbols, in its
stripped variant, and in the separate debugging information file.
The debugging information file itself should be an ordinary
executable, containing a full set of linker symbols, sections, and
debugging information. The sections of the debugging information file
should have the same names, addresses, and sizes as the original file,
but they need not contain any data--much like a `.bss' section in an
ordinary executable.
The GNU binary utilities (Binutils) package includes the `objcopy'
utility that can produce the separated executable / debugging
information file pairs using the following commands:
objcopy --only-keep-debug foo foo.debug
strip -g foo
These commands remove the debugging information from the executable
file `foo' and place it in the file `foo.debug'. You can use the
first, second or both methods to link the two files:
* The debug link method needs the following additional command to
also leave behind a debug link in `foo':
objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.debug foo
Ulrich Drepper's `elfutils' package, starting with version 0.53,
contains a version of the `strip' command such that the command
`strip foo -f foo.debug' has the same functionality as the two
`objcopy' commands and the `ln -s' command above, together.
* Build ID gets embedded into the main executable using `ld
--build-id' or the GCC counterpart `gcc -Wl,--build-id'. Build ID
support plus compatibility fixes for debug files separation are
present in GNU binary utilities (Binutils) package since version
2.18.
Since there are many different ways to compute CRC's for the debug link
(different polynomials, reversals, byte ordering, etc.), the simplest
way to describe the CRC used in `.gnu_debuglink' sections is to give
the complete code for a function that computes it:
unsigned long
gnu_debuglink_crc32 (unsigned long crc,
unsigned char *buf, size_t len)
{
static const unsigned long crc32_table[256] =
{
0x00000000, 0x77073096, 0xee0e612c, 0x990951ba, 0x076dc419,
0x706af48f, 0xe963a535, 0x9e6495a3, 0x0edb8832, 0x79dcb8a4,
0xe0d5e91e, 0x97d2d988, 0x09b64c2b, 0x7eb17cbd, 0xe7b82d07,
0x90bf1d91, 0x1db71064, 0x6ab020f2, 0xf3b97148, 0x84be41de,
0x1adad47d, 0x6ddde4eb, 0xf4d4b551, 0x83d385c7, 0x136c9856,
0x646ba8c0, 0xfd62f97a, 0x8a65c9ec, 0x14015c4f, 0x63066cd9,
0xfa0f3d63, 0x8d080df5, 0x3b6e20c8, 0x4c69105e, 0xd56041e4,
0xa2677172, 0x3c03e4d1, 0x4b04d447, 0xd20d85fd, 0xa50ab56b,
0x35b5a8fa, 0x42b2986c, 0xdbbbc9d6, 0xacbcf940, 0x32d86ce3,
0x45df5c75, 0xdcd60dcf, 0xabd13d59, 0x26d930ac, 0x51de003a,
0xc8d75180, 0xbfd06116, 0x21b4f4b5, 0x56b3c423, 0xcfba9599,
0xb8bda50f, 0x2802b89e, 0x5f058808, 0xc60cd9b2, 0xb10be924,
0x2f6f7c87, 0x58684c11, 0xc1611dab, 0xb6662d3d, 0x76dc4190,
0x01db7106, 0x98d220bc, 0xefd5102a, 0x71b18589, 0x06b6b51f,
0x9fbfe4a5, 0xe8b8d433, 0x7807c9a2, 0x0f00f934, 0x9609a88e,
0xe10e9818, 0x7f6a0dbb, 0x086d3d2d, 0x91646c97, 0xe6635c01,
0x6b6b51f4, 0x1c6c6162, 0x856530d8, 0xf262004e, 0x6c0695ed,
0x1b01a57b, 0x8208f4c1, 0xf50fc457, 0x65b0d9c6, 0x12b7e950,
0x8bbeb8ea, 0xfcb9887c, 0x62dd1ddf, 0x15da2d49, 0x8cd37cf3,
0xfbd44c65, 0x4db26158, 0x3ab551ce, 0xa3bc0074, 0xd4bb30e2,
0x4adfa541, 0x3dd895d7, 0xa4d1c46d, 0xd3d6f4fb, 0x4369e96a,
0x346ed9fc, 0xad678846, 0xda60b8d0, 0x44042d73, 0x33031de5,
0xaa0a4c5f, 0xdd0d7cc9, 0x5005713c, 0x270241aa, 0xbe0b1010,
0xc90c2086, 0x5768b525, 0x206f85b3, 0xb966d409, 0xce61e49f,
0x5edef90e, 0x29d9c998, 0xb0d09822, 0xc7d7a8b4, 0x59b33d17,
0x2eb40d81, 0xb7bd5c3b, 0xc0ba6cad, 0xedb88320, 0x9abfb3b6,
0x03b6e20c, 0x74b1d29a, 0xead54739, 0x9dd277af, 0x04db2615,
0x73dc1683, 0xe3630b12, 0x94643b84, 0x0d6d6a3e, 0x7a6a5aa8,
0xe40ecf0b, 0x9309ff9d, 0x0a00ae27, 0x7d079eb1, 0xf00f9344,
0x8708a3d2, 0x1e01f268, 0x6906c2fe, 0xf762575d, 0x806567cb,
0x196c3671, 0x6e6b06e7, 0xfed41b76, 0x89d32be0, 0x10da7a5a,
0x67dd4acc, 0xf9b9df6f, 0x8ebeeff9, 0x17b7be43, 0x60b08ed5,
0xd6d6a3e8, 0xa1d1937e, 0x38d8c2c4, 0x4fdff252, 0xd1bb67f1,
0xa6bc5767, 0x3fb506dd, 0x48b2364b, 0xd80d2bda, 0xaf0a1b4c,
0x36034af6, 0x41047a60, 0xdf60efc3, 0xa867df55, 0x316e8eef,
0x4669be79, 0xcb61b38c, 0xbc66831a, 0x256fd2a0, 0x5268e236,
0xcc0c7795, 0xbb0b4703, 0x220216b9, 0x5505262f, 0xc5ba3bbe,
0xb2bd0b28, 0x2bb45a92, 0x5cb36a04, 0xc2d7ffa7, 0xb5d0cf31,
0x2cd99e8b, 0x5bdeae1d, 0x9b64c2b0, 0xec63f226, 0x756aa39c,
0x026d930a, 0x9c0906a9, 0xeb0e363f, 0x72076785, 0x05005713,
0x95bf4a82, 0xe2b87a14, 0x7bb12bae, 0x0cb61b38, 0x92d28e9b,
0xe5d5be0d, 0x7cdcefb7, 0x0bdbdf21, 0x86d3d2d4, 0xf1d4e242,
0x68ddb3f8, 0x1fda836e, 0x81be16cd, 0xf6b9265b, 0x6fb077e1,
0x18b74777, 0x88085ae6, 0xff0f6a70, 0x66063bca, 0x11010b5c,
0x8f659eff, 0xf862ae69, 0x616bffd3, 0x166ccf45, 0xa00ae278,
0xd70dd2ee, 0x4e048354, 0x3903b3c2, 0xa7672661, 0xd06016f7,
0x4969474d, 0x3e6e77db, 0xaed16a4a, 0xd9d65adc, 0x40df0b66,
0x37d83bf0, 0xa9bcae53, 0xdebb9ec5, 0x47b2cf7f, 0x30b5ffe9,
0xbdbdf21c, 0xcabac28a, 0x53b39330, 0x24b4a3a6, 0xbad03605,
0xcdd70693, 0x54de5729, 0x23d967bf, 0xb3667a2e, 0xc4614ab8,
0x5d681b02, 0x2a6f2b94, 0xb40bbe37, 0xc30c8ea1, 0x5a05df1b,
0x2d02ef8d
};
unsigned char *end;
crc = ~crc & 0xffffffff;
for (end = buf + len; buf < end; ++buf)
crc = crc32_table[(crc ^ *buf) & 0xff] ^ (crc >> 8);
return ~crc & 0xffffffff;
}
This computation does not apply to the "build ID" method.

File: gdb.info, Node: Symbol Errors, Prev: Separate Debug Files, Up: GDB Files
15.3 Errors Reading Symbol Files
================================
While reading a symbol file, GDB occasionally encounters problems, such
as symbol types it does not recognize, or known bugs in compiler
output. By default, GDB does not notify you of such problems, since
they are relatively common and primarily of interest to people
debugging compilers. If you are interested in seeing information about
ill-constructed symbol tables, you can either ask GDB to print only one
message about each such type of problem, no matter how many times the
problem occurs; or you can ask GDB to print more messages, to see how
many times the problems occur, with the `set complaints' command (*note
Optional Warnings and Messages: Messages/Warnings.).
The messages currently printed, and their meanings, include:
`inner block not inside outer block in SYMBOL'
The symbol information shows where symbol scopes begin and end
(such as at the start of a function or a block of statements).
This error indicates that an inner scope block is not fully
contained in its outer scope blocks.
GDB circumvents the problem by treating the inner block as if it
had the same scope as the outer block. In the error message,
SYMBOL may be shown as "`(don't know)'" if the outer block is not a
function.
`block at ADDRESS out of order'
The symbol information for symbol scope blocks should occur in
order of increasing addresses. This error indicates that it does
not do so.
GDB does not circumvent this problem, and has trouble locating
symbols in the source file whose symbols it is reading. (You can
often determine what source file is affected by specifying `set
verbose on'. *Note Optional Warnings and Messages:
Messages/Warnings.)
`bad block start address patched'
The symbol information for a symbol scope block has a start address
smaller than the address of the preceding source line. This is
known to occur in the SunOS 4.1.1 (and earlier) C compiler.
GDB circumvents the problem by treating the symbol scope block as
starting on the previous source line.
`bad string table offset in symbol N'
Symbol number N contains a pointer into the string table which is
larger than the size of the string table.
GDB circumvents the problem by considering the symbol to have the
name `foo', which may cause other problems if many symbols end up
with this name.
`unknown symbol type `0xNN''
The symbol information contains new data types that GDB does not
yet know how to read. `0xNN' is the symbol type of the
uncomprehended information, in hexadecimal.
GDB circumvents the error by ignoring this symbol information.
This usually allows you to debug your program, though certain
symbols are not accessible. If you encounter such a problem and
feel like debugging it, you can debug `gdb' with itself, breakpoint
on `complain', then go up to the function `read_dbx_symtab' and
examine `*bufp' to see the symbol.
`stub type has NULL name'
GDB could not find the full definition for a struct or class.
`const/volatile indicator missing (ok if using g++ v1.x), got...'
The symbol information for a C++ member function is missing some
information that recent versions of the compiler should have
output for it.
`info mismatch between compiler and debugger'
GDB could not parse a type specification output by the compiler.

File: gdb.info, Node: Targets, Next: Remote Debugging, Prev: GDB Files, Up: Top
16 Specifying a Debugging Target
********************************
A "target" is the execution environment occupied by your program.
Often, GDB runs in the same host environment as your program; in
that case, the debugging target is specified as a side effect when you
use the `file' or `core' commands. When you need more flexibility--for
example, running GDB on a physically separate host, or controlling a
standalone system over a serial port or a realtime system over a TCP/IP
connection--you can use the `target' command to specify one of the
target types configured for GDB (*note Commands for Managing Targets:
Target Commands.).
It is possible to build GDB for several different "target
architectures". When GDB is built like that, you can choose one of the
available architectures with the `set architecture' command.
`set architecture ARCH'
This command sets the current target architecture to ARCH. The
value of ARCH can be `"auto"', in addition to one of the supported
architectures.
`show architecture'
Show the current target architecture.
`set processor'
`processor'
These are alias commands for, respectively, `set architecture' and
`show architecture'.
* Menu:
* Active Targets:: Active targets
* Target Commands:: Commands for managing targets
* Byte Order:: Choosing target byte order

File: gdb.info, Node: Active Targets, Next: Target Commands, Up: Targets
16.1 Active Targets
===================
There are three classes of targets: processes, core files, and
executable files. GDB can work concurrently on up to three active
targets, one in each class. This allows you to (for example) start a
process and inspect its activity without abandoning your work on a core
file.
For example, if you execute `gdb a.out', then the executable file
`a.out' is the only active target. If you designate a core file as
well--presumably from a prior run that crashed and coredumped--then GDB
has two active targets and uses them in tandem, looking first in the
corefile target, then in the executable file, to satisfy requests for
memory addresses. (Typically, these two classes of target are
complementary, since core files contain only a program's read-write
memory--variables and so on--plus machine status, while executable
files contain only the program text and initialized data.)
When you type `run', your executable file becomes an active process
target as well. When a process target is active, all GDB commands
requesting memory addresses refer to that target; addresses in an
active core file or executable file target are obscured while the
process target is active.
Use the `core-file' and `exec-file' commands to select a new core
file or executable target (*note Commands to Specify Files: Files.).
To specify as a target a process that is already running, use the
`attach' command (*note Debugging an Already-running Process: Attach.).

File: gdb.info, Node: Target Commands, Next: Byte Order, Prev: Active Targets, Up: Targets
16.2 Commands for Managing Targets
==================================
`target TYPE PARAMETERS'
Connects the GDB host environment to a target machine or process.
A target is typically a protocol for talking to debugging
facilities. You use the argument TYPE to specify the type or
protocol of the target machine.
Further PARAMETERS are interpreted by the target protocol, but
typically include things like device names or host names to connect
with, process numbers, and baud rates.
The `target' command does not repeat if you press <RET> again
after executing the command.
`help target'
Displays the names of all targets available. To display targets
currently selected, use either `info target' or `info files'
(*note Commands to Specify Files: Files.).
`help target NAME'
Describe a particular target, including any parameters necessary to
select it.
`set gnutarget ARGS'
GDB uses its own library BFD to read your files. GDB knows
whether it is reading an "executable", a "core", or a ".o" file;
however, you can specify the file format with the `set gnutarget'
command. Unlike most `target' commands, with `gnutarget' the
`target' refers to a program, not a machine.
_Warning:_ To specify a file format with `set gnutarget', you
must know the actual BFD name.
*Note Commands to Specify Files: Files.
`show gnutarget'
Use the `show gnutarget' command to display what file format
`gnutarget' is set to read. If you have not set `gnutarget', GDB
will determine the file format for each file automatically, and
`show gnutarget' displays `The current BDF target is "auto"'.
Here are some common targets (available, or not, depending on the GDB
configuration):
`target exec PROGRAM'
An executable file. `target exec PROGRAM' is the same as
`exec-file PROGRAM'.
`target core FILENAME'
A core dump file. `target core FILENAME' is the same as
`core-file FILENAME'.
`target remote MEDIUM'
A remote system connected to GDB via a serial line or network
connection. This command tells GDB to use its own remote protocol
over MEDIUM for debugging. *Note Remote Debugging::.
For example, if you have a board connected to `/dev/ttya' on the
machine running GDB, you could say:
target remote /dev/ttya
`target remote' supports the `load' command. This is only useful
if you have some other way of getting the stub to the target
system, and you can put it somewhere in memory where it won't get
clobbered by the download.
`target sim'
Builtin CPU simulator. GDB includes simulators for most
architectures. In general,
target sim
load
run
works; however, you cannot assume that a specific memory map,
device drivers, or even basic I/O is available, although some
simulators do provide these. For info about any
processor-specific simulator details, see the appropriate section
in *Note Embedded Processors: Embedded Processors.
Some configurations may include these targets as well:
`target nrom DEV'
NetROM ROM emulator. This target only supports downloading.
Different targets are available on different configurations of GDB;
your configuration may have more or fewer targets.
Many remote targets require you to download the executable's code
once you've successfully established a connection. You may wish to
control various aspects of this process.
`set hash'
This command controls whether a hash mark `#' is displayed while
downloading a file to the remote monitor. If on, a hash mark is
displayed after each S-record is successfully downloaded to the
monitor.
`show hash'
Show the current status of displaying the hash mark.
`set debug monitor'
Enable or disable display of communications messages between GDB
and the remote monitor.
`show debug monitor'
Show the current status of displaying communications between GDB
and the remote monitor.
`load FILENAME'
Depending on what remote debugging facilities are configured into
GDB, the `load' command may be available. Where it exists, it is
meant to make FILENAME (an executable) available for debugging on
the remote system--by downloading, or dynamic linking, for example.
`load' also records the FILENAME symbol table in GDB, like the
`add-symbol-file' command.
If your GDB does not have a `load' command, attempting to execute
it gets the error message "`You can't do that when your target is
...'"
The file is loaded at whatever address is specified in the
executable. For some object file formats, you can specify the
load address when you link the program; for other formats, like
a.out, the object file format specifies a fixed address.
Depending on the remote side capabilities, GDB may be able to load
programs into flash memory.
`load' does not repeat if you press <RET> again after using it.

File: gdb.info, Node: Byte Order, Prev: Target Commands, Up: Targets
16.3 Choosing Target Byte Order
===============================
Some types of processors, such as the MIPS, PowerPC, and Renesas SH,
offer the ability to run either big-endian or little-endian byte
orders. Usually the executable or symbol will include a bit to
designate the endian-ness, and you will not need to worry about which
to use. However, you may still find it useful to adjust GDB's idea of
processor endian-ness manually.
`set endian big'
Instruct GDB to assume the target is big-endian.
`set endian little'
Instruct GDB to assume the target is little-endian.
`set endian auto'
Instruct GDB to use the byte order associated with the executable.
`show endian'
Display GDB's current idea of the target byte order.
Note that these commands merely adjust interpretation of symbolic
data on the host, and that they have absolutely no effect on the target
system.

File: gdb.info, Node: Remote Debugging, Next: Configurations, Prev: Targets, Up: Top
17 Debugging Remote Programs
****************************
If you are trying to debug a program running on a machine that cannot
run GDB in the usual way, it is often useful to use remote debugging.
For example, you might use remote debugging on an operating system
kernel, or on a small system which does not have a general purpose
operating system powerful enough to run a full-featured debugger.
Some configurations of GDB have special serial or TCP/IP interfaces
to make this work with particular debugging targets. In addition, GDB
comes with a generic serial protocol (specific to GDB, but not specific
to any particular target system) which you can use if you write the
remote stubs--the code that runs on the remote system to communicate
with GDB.
Other remote targets may be available in your configuration of GDB;
use `help target' to list them.
* Menu:
* Connecting:: Connecting to a remote target
* File Transfer:: Sending files to a remote system
* Server:: Using the gdbserver program
* Remote Configuration:: Remote configuration
* Remote Stub:: Implementing a remote stub

File: gdb.info, Node: Connecting, Next: File Transfer, Up: Remote Debugging
17.1 Connecting to a Remote Target
==================================
On the GDB host machine, you will need an unstripped copy of your
program, since GDB needs symbol and debugging information. Start up
GDB as usual, using the name of the local copy of your program as the
first argument.
GDB can communicate with the target over a serial line, or over an
IP network using TCP or UDP. In each case, GDB uses the same protocol
for debugging your program; only the medium carrying the debugging
packets varies. The `target remote' command establishes a connection
to the target. Its arguments indicate which medium to use:
`target remote SERIAL-DEVICE'
Use SERIAL-DEVICE to communicate with the target. For example, to
use a serial line connected to the device named `/dev/ttyb':
target remote /dev/ttyb
If you're using a serial line, you may want to give GDB the
`--baud' option, or use the `set remotebaud' command (*note set
remotebaud: Remote Configuration.) before the `target' command.
`target remote `HOST:PORT''
`target remote `tcp:HOST:PORT''
Debug using a TCP connection to PORT on HOST. The HOST may be
either a host name or a numeric IP address; PORT must be a decimal
number. The HOST could be the target machine itself, if it is
directly connected to the net, or it might be a terminal server
which in turn has a serial line to the target.
For example, to connect to port 2828 on a terminal server named
`manyfarms':
target remote manyfarms:2828
If your remote target is actually running on the same machine as
your debugger session (e.g. a simulator for your target running on
the same host), you can omit the hostname. For example, to
connect to port 1234 on your local machine:
target remote :1234
Note that the colon is still required here.
`target remote `udp:HOST:PORT''
Debug using UDP packets to PORT on HOST. For example, to connect
to UDP port 2828 on a terminal server named `manyfarms':
target remote udp:manyfarms:2828
When using a UDP connection for remote debugging, you should keep
in mind that the `U' stands for "Unreliable". UDP can silently
drop packets on busy or unreliable networks, which will cause
havoc with your debugging session.
`target remote | COMMAND'
Run COMMAND in the background and communicate with it using a
pipe. The COMMAND is a shell command, to be parsed and expanded
by the system's command shell, `/bin/sh'; it should expect remote
protocol packets on its standard input, and send replies on its
standard output. You could use this to run a stand-alone simulator
that speaks the remote debugging protocol, to make net connections
using programs like `ssh', or for other similar tricks.
If COMMAND closes its standard output (perhaps by exiting), GDB
will try to send it a `SIGTERM' signal. (If the program has
already exited, this will have no effect.)
Once the connection has been established, you can use all the usual
commands to examine and change data and to step and continue the remote
program.
Whenever GDB is waiting for the remote program, if you type the
interrupt character (often `Ctrl-c'), GDB attempts to stop the program.
This may or may not succeed, depending in part on the hardware and the
serial drivers the remote system uses. If you type the interrupt
character once again, GDB displays this prompt:
Interrupted while waiting for the program.
Give up (and stop debugging it)? (y or n)
If you type `y', GDB abandons the remote debugging session. (If you
decide you want to try again later, you can use `target remote' again
to connect once more.) If you type `n', GDB goes back to waiting.
`detach'
When you have finished debugging the remote program, you can use
the `detach' command to release it from GDB control. Detaching
from the target normally resumes its execution, but the results
will depend on your particular remote stub. After the `detach'
command, GDB is free to connect to another target.
`disconnect'
The `disconnect' command behaves like `detach', except that the
target is generally not resumed. It will wait for GDB (this
instance or another one) to connect and continue debugging. After
the `disconnect' command, GDB is again free to connect to another
target.
`monitor CMD'
This command allows you to send arbitrary commands directly to the
remote monitor. Since GDB doesn't care about the commands it
sends like this, this command is the way to extend GDB--you can
add new commands that only the external monitor will understand
and implement.

File: gdb.info, Node: File Transfer, Next: Server, Prev: Connecting, Up: Remote Debugging
17.2 Sending files to a remote system
=====================================
Some remote targets offer the ability to transfer files over the same
connection used to communicate with GDB. This is convenient for
targets accessible through other means, e.g. GNU/Linux systems running
`gdbserver' over a network interface. For other targets, e.g. embedded
devices with only a single serial port, this may be the only way to
upload or download files.
Not all remote targets support these commands.
`remote put HOSTFILE TARGETFILE'
Copy file HOSTFILE from the host system (the machine running GDB)
to TARGETFILE on the target system.
`remote get TARGETFILE HOSTFILE'
Copy file TARGETFILE from the target system to HOSTFILE on the
host system.
`remote delete TARGETFILE'
Delete TARGETFILE from the target system.

File: gdb.info, Node: Server, Next: Remote Configuration, Prev: File Transfer, Up: Remote Debugging
17.3 Using the `gdbserver' Program
==================================
`gdbserver' is a control program for Unix-like systems, which allows
you to connect your program with a remote GDB via `target remote'--but
without linking in the usual debugging stub.
`gdbserver' is not a complete replacement for the debugging stubs,
because it requires essentially the same operating-system facilities
that GDB itself does. In fact, a system that can run `gdbserver' to
connect to a remote GDB could also run GDB locally! `gdbserver' is
sometimes useful nevertheless, because it is a much smaller program
than GDB itself. It is also easier to port than all of GDB, so you may
be able to get started more quickly on a new system by using
`gdbserver'. Finally, if you develop code for real-time systems, you
may find that the tradeoffs involved in real-time operation make it
more convenient to do as much development work as possible on another
system, for example by cross-compiling. You can use `gdbserver' to
make a similar choice for debugging.
GDB and `gdbserver' communicate via either a serial line or a TCP
connection, using the standard GDB remote serial protocol.
_Warning:_ `gdbserver' does not have any built-in security. Do
not run `gdbserver' connected to any public network; a GDB
connection to `gdbserver' provides access to the target system
with the same privileges as the user running `gdbserver'.
17.3.1 Running `gdbserver'
--------------------------
Run `gdbserver' on the target system. You need a copy of the program
you want to debug, including any libraries it requires. `gdbserver'
does not need your program's symbol table, so you can strip the program
if necessary to save space. GDB on the host system does all the symbol
handling.
To use the server, you must tell it how to communicate with GDB; the
name of your program; and the arguments for your program. The usual
syntax is:
target> gdbserver COMM PROGRAM [ ARGS ... ]
COMM is either a device name (to use a serial line) or a TCP
hostname and portnumber. For example, to debug Emacs with the argument
`foo.txt' and communicate with GDB over the serial port `/dev/com1':
target> gdbserver /dev/com1 emacs foo.txt
`gdbserver' waits passively for the host GDB to communicate with it.
To use a TCP connection instead of a serial line:
target> gdbserver host:2345 emacs foo.txt
The only difference from the previous example is the first argument,
specifying that you are communicating with the host GDB via TCP. The
`host:2345' argument means that `gdbserver' is to expect a TCP
connection from machine `host' to local TCP port 2345. (Currently, the
`host' part is ignored.) You can choose any number you want for the
port number as long as it does not conflict with any TCP ports already
in use on the target system (for example, `23' is reserved for
`telnet').(1) You must use the same port number with the host GDB
`target remote' command.
17.3.1.1 Attaching to a Running Program
.......................................
On some targets, `gdbserver' can also attach to running programs. This
is accomplished via the `--attach' argument. The syntax is:
target> gdbserver --attach COMM PID
PID is the process ID of a currently running process. It isn't
necessary to point `gdbserver' at a binary for the running process.
You can debug processes by name instead of process ID if your target
has the `pidof' utility:
target> gdbserver --attach COMM `pidof PROGRAM`
In case more than one copy of PROGRAM is running, or PROGRAM has
multiple threads, most versions of `pidof' support the `-s' option to
only return the first process ID.
17.3.1.2 Multi-Process Mode for `gdbserver'
...........................................
When you connect to `gdbserver' using `target remote', `gdbserver'
debugs the specified program only once. When the program exits, or you
detach from it, GDB closes the connection and `gdbserver' exits.
If you connect using `target extended-remote', `gdbserver' enters
multi-process mode. When the debugged program exits, or you detach
from it, GDB stays connected to `gdbserver' even though no program is
running. The `run' and `attach' commands instruct `gdbserver' to run
or attach to a new program. The `run' command uses `set remote
exec-file' (*note set remote exec-file::) to select the program to run.
Command line arguments are supported, except for wildcard expansion
and I/O redirection (*note Arguments::).
To start `gdbserver' without supplying an initial command to run or
process ID to attach, use the `--multi' command line option. Then you
can connect using `target extended-remote' and start the program you
want to debug.
`gdbserver' does not automatically exit in multi-process mode. You
can terminate it by using `monitor exit' (*note Monitor Commands for
gdbserver::).
17.3.1.3 Other Command-Line Arguments for `gdbserver'
.....................................................
You can include `--debug' on the `gdbserver' command line. `gdbserver'
will display extra status information about the debugging process.
This option is intended for `gdbserver' development and for bug reports
to the developers.
17.3.2 Connecting to `gdbserver'
--------------------------------
Run GDB on the host system.
First make sure you have the necessary symbol files. Load symbols
for your application using the `file' command before you connect. Use
`set sysroot' to locate target libraries (unless your GDB was compiled
with the correct sysroot using `--with-sysroot').
The symbol file and target libraries must exactly match the
executable and libraries on the target, with one exception: the files
on the host system should not be stripped, even if the files on the
target system are. Mismatched or missing files will lead to confusing
results during debugging. On GNU/Linux targets, mismatched or missing
files may also prevent `gdbserver' from debugging multi-threaded
programs.
Connect to your target (*note Connecting to a Remote Target:
Connecting.). For TCP connections, you must start up `gdbserver' prior
to using the `target remote' command. Otherwise you may get an error
whose text depends on the host system, but which usually looks
something like `Connection refused'. Don't use the `load' command in
GDB when using `gdbserver', since the program is already on the target.
17.3.3 Monitor Commands for `gdbserver'
---------------------------------------
During a GDB session using `gdbserver', you can use the `monitor'
command to send special requests to `gdbserver'. Here are the
available commands.
`monitor help'
List the available monitor commands.
`monitor set debug 0'
`monitor set debug 1'
Disable or enable general debugging messages.
`monitor set remote-debug 0'
`monitor set remote-debug 1'
Disable or enable specific debugging messages associated with the
remote protocol (*note Remote Protocol::).
`monitor exit'
Tell gdbserver to exit immediately. This command should be
followed by `disconnect' to close the debugging session.
`gdbserver' will detach from any attached processes and kill any
processes it created. Use `monitor exit' to terminate `gdbserver'
at the end of a multi-process mode debug session.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) If you choose a port number that conflicts with another service,
`gdbserver' prints an error message and exits.

File: gdb.info, Node: Remote Configuration, Next: Remote Stub, Prev: Server, Up: Remote Debugging
17.4 Remote Configuration
=========================
This section documents the configuration options available when
debugging remote programs. For the options related to the File I/O
extensions of the remote protocol, see *Note system-call-allowed:
system.
`set remoteaddresssize BITS'
Set the maximum size of address in a memory packet to the specified
number of bits. GDB will mask off the address bits above that
number, when it passes addresses to the remote target. The
default value is the number of bits in the target's address.
`show remoteaddresssize'
Show the current value of remote address size in bits.
`set remotebaud N'
Set the baud rate for the remote serial I/O to N baud. The value
is used to set the speed of the serial port used for debugging
remote targets.
`show remotebaud'
Show the current speed of the remote connection.
`set remotebreak'
If set to on, GDB sends a `BREAK' signal to the remote when you
type `Ctrl-c' to interrupt the program running on the remote. If
set to off, GDB sends the `Ctrl-C' character instead. The default
is off, since most remote systems expect to see `Ctrl-C' as the
interrupt signal.
`show remotebreak'
Show whether GDB sends `BREAK' or `Ctrl-C' to interrupt the remote
program.
`set remoteflow on'
`set remoteflow off'
Enable or disable hardware flow control (`RTS'/`CTS') on the
serial port used to communicate to the remote target.
`show remoteflow'
Show the current setting of hardware flow control.
`set remotelogbase BASE'
Set the base (a.k.a. radix) of logging serial protocol
communications to BASE. Supported values of BASE are: `ascii',
`octal', and `hex'. The default is `ascii'.
`show remotelogbase'
Show the current setting of the radix for logging remote serial
protocol.
`set remotelogfile FILE'
Record remote serial communications on the named FILE. The
default is not to record at all.
`show remotelogfile.'
Show the current setting of the file name on which to record the
serial communications.
`set remotetimeout NUM'
Set the timeout limit to wait for the remote target to respond to
NUM seconds. The default is 2 seconds.
`show remotetimeout'
Show the current number of seconds to wait for the remote target
responses.
`set remote hardware-watchpoint-limit LIMIT'
`set remote hardware-breakpoint-limit LIMIT'
Restrict GDB to using LIMIT remote hardware breakpoint or
watchpoints. A limit of -1, the default, is treated as unlimited.
`set remote exec-file FILENAME'
`show remote exec-file'
Select the file used for `run' with `target extended-remote'.
This should be set to a filename valid on the target system. If
it is not set, the target will use a default filename (e.g. the
last program run).
The GDB remote protocol autodetects the packets supported by your
debugging stub. If you need to override the autodetection, you can use
these commands to enable or disable individual packets. Each packet
can be set to `on' (the remote target supports this packet), `off' (the
remote target does not support this packet), or `auto' (detect remote
target support for this packet). They all default to `auto'. For more
information about each packet, see *Note Remote Protocol::.
During normal use, you should not have to use any of these commands.
If you do, that may be a bug in your remote debugging stub, or a bug in
GDB. You may want to report the problem to the GDB developers.
For each packet NAME, the command to enable or disable the packet is
`set remote NAME-packet'. The available settings are:
Command Name Remote Packet Related Features
`fetch-register' `p' `info registers'
`set-register' `P' `set'
`binary-download' `X' `load', `set'
`read-aux-vector' `qXfer:auxv:read' `info auxv'
`symbol-lookup' `qSymbol' Detecting
multiple threads
`attach' `vAttach' `attach'
`verbose-resume' `vCont' Stepping or
resuming multiple
threads
`run' `vRun' `run'
`software-breakpoint'`Z0' `break'
`hardware-breakpoint'`Z1' `hbreak'
`write-watchpoint' `Z2' `watch'
`read-watchpoint' `Z3' `rwatch'
`access-watchpoint' `Z4' `awatch'
`target-features' `qXfer:features:read' `set architecture'
`library-info' `qXfer:libraries:read' `info
sharedlibrary'
`memory-map' `qXfer:memory-map:read' `info mem'
`read-spu-object' `qXfer:spu:read' `info spu'
`write-spu-object' `qXfer:spu:write' `info spu'
`get-thread-local- `qGetTLSAddr' Displaying
storage-address' `__thread'
variables
`supported-packets' `qSupported' Remote
communications
parameters
`pass-signals' `QPassSignals' `handle SIGNAL'
`hostio-close-packet'`vFile:close' `remote get',
`remote put'
`hostio-open-packet' `vFile:open' `remote get',
`remote put'
`hostio-pread-packet'`vFile:pread' `remote get',
`remote put'
`hostio-pwrite-packet'`vFile:pwrite' `remote get',
`remote put'
`hostio-unlink-packet'`vFile:unlink' `remote delete'

File: gdb.info, Node: Remote Stub, Prev: Remote Configuration, Up: Remote Debugging
17.5 Implementing a Remote Stub
===============================
The stub files provided with GDB implement the target side of the
communication protocol, and the GDB side is implemented in the GDB
source file `remote.c'. Normally, you can simply allow these
subroutines to communicate, and ignore the details. (If you're
implementing your own stub file, you can still ignore the details: start
with one of the existing stub files. `sparc-stub.c' is the best
organized, and therefore the easiest to read.)
To debug a program running on another machine (the debugging
"target" machine), you must first arrange for all the usual
prerequisites for the program to run by itself. For example, for a C
program, you need:
1. A startup routine to set up the C runtime environment; these
usually have a name like `crt0'. The startup routine may be
supplied by your hardware supplier, or you may have to write your
own.
2. A C subroutine library to support your program's subroutine calls,
notably managing input and output.
3. A way of getting your program to the other machine--for example, a
download program. These are often supplied by the hardware
manufacturer, but you may have to write your own from hardware
documentation.
The next step is to arrange for your program to use a serial port to
communicate with the machine where GDB is running (the "host" machine).
In general terms, the scheme looks like this:
_On the host,_
GDB already understands how to use this protocol; when everything
else is set up, you can simply use the `target remote' command
(*note Specifying a Debugging Target: Targets.).
_On the target,_
you must link with your program a few special-purpose subroutines
that implement the GDB remote serial protocol. The file
containing these subroutines is called a "debugging stub".
On certain remote targets, you can use an auxiliary program
`gdbserver' instead of linking a stub into your program. *Note
Using the `gdbserver' Program: Server, for details.
The debugging stub is specific to the architecture of the remote
machine; for example, use `sparc-stub.c' to debug programs on SPARC
boards.
These working remote stubs are distributed with GDB:
`i386-stub.c'
For Intel 386 and compatible architectures.
`m68k-stub.c'
For Motorola 680x0 architectures.
`sh-stub.c'
For Renesas SH architectures.
`sparc-stub.c'
For SPARC architectures.
`sparcl-stub.c'
For Fujitsu SPARCLITE architectures.
The `README' file in the GDB distribution may list other recently
added stubs.
* Menu:
* Stub Contents:: What the stub can do for you
* Bootstrapping:: What you must do for the stub
* Debug Session:: Putting it all together

File: gdb.info, Node: Stub Contents, Next: Bootstrapping, Up: Remote Stub
17.5.1 What the Stub Can Do for You
-----------------------------------
The debugging stub for your architecture supplies these three
subroutines:
`set_debug_traps'
This routine arranges for `handle_exception' to run when your
program stops. You must call this subroutine explicitly near the
beginning of your program.
`handle_exception'
This is the central workhorse, but your program never calls it
explicitly--the setup code arranges for `handle_exception' to run
when a trap is triggered.
`handle_exception' takes control when your program stops during
execution (for example, on a breakpoint), and mediates
communications with GDB on the host machine. This is where the
communications protocol is implemented; `handle_exception' acts as
the GDB representative on the target machine. It begins by
sending summary information on the state of your program, then
continues to execute, retrieving and transmitting any information
GDB needs, until you execute a GDB command that makes your program
resume; at that point, `handle_exception' returns control to your
own code on the target machine.
`breakpoint'
Use this auxiliary subroutine to make your program contain a
breakpoint. Depending on the particular situation, this may be
the only way for GDB to get control. For instance, if your target
machine has some sort of interrupt button, you won't need to call
this; pressing the interrupt button transfers control to
`handle_exception'--in effect, to GDB. On some machines, simply
receiving characters on the serial port may also trigger a trap;
again, in that situation, you don't need to call `breakpoint' from
your own program--simply running `target remote' from the host GDB
session gets control.
Call `breakpoint' if none of these is true, or if you simply want
to make certain your program stops at a predetermined point for the
start of your debugging session.

File: gdb.info, Node: Bootstrapping, Next: Debug Session, Prev: Stub Contents, Up: Remote Stub
17.5.2 What You Must Do for the Stub
------------------------------------
The debugging stubs that come with GDB are set up for a particular chip
architecture, but they have no information about the rest of your
debugging target machine.
First of all you need to tell the stub how to communicate with the
serial port.
`int getDebugChar()'
Write this subroutine to read a single character from the serial
port. It may be identical to `getchar' for your target system; a
different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you
wish.
`void putDebugChar(int)'
Write this subroutine to write a single character to the serial
port. It may be identical to `putchar' for your target system; a
different name is used to allow you to distinguish the two if you
wish.
If you want GDB to be able to stop your program while it is running,
you need to use an interrupt-driven serial driver, and arrange for it
to stop when it receives a `^C' (`\003', the control-C character).
That is the character which GDB uses to tell the remote system to stop.
Getting the debugging target to return the proper status to GDB
probably requires changes to the standard stub; one quick and dirty way
is to just execute a breakpoint instruction (the "dirty" part is that
GDB reports a `SIGTRAP' instead of a `SIGINT').
Other routines you need to supply are:
`void exceptionHandler (int EXCEPTION_NUMBER, void *EXCEPTION_ADDRESS)'
Write this function to install EXCEPTION_ADDRESS in the exception
handling tables. You need to do this because the stub does not
have any way of knowing what the exception handling tables on your
target system are like (for example, the processor's table might
be in ROM, containing entries which point to a table in RAM).
EXCEPTION_NUMBER is the exception number which should be changed;
its meaning is architecture-dependent (for example, different
numbers might represent divide by zero, misaligned access, etc).
When this exception occurs, control should be transferred directly
to EXCEPTION_ADDRESS, and the processor state (stack, registers,
and so on) should be just as it is when a processor exception
occurs. So if you want to use a jump instruction to reach
EXCEPTION_ADDRESS, it should be a simple jump, not a jump to
subroutine.
For the 386, EXCEPTION_ADDRESS should be installed as an interrupt
gate so that interrupts are masked while the handler runs. The
gate should be at privilege level 0 (the most privileged level).
The SPARC and 68k stubs are able to mask interrupts themselves
without help from `exceptionHandler'.
`void flus