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author | Jim Kingdon <jkingdon@engr.sgi.com> | 1994-04-28 16:54:02 +0000 |
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committer | Jim Kingdon <jkingdon@engr.sgi.com> | 1994-04-28 16:54:02 +0000 |
commit | a9363218883042c1b62f30aa807b52a78e5d998f (patch) | |
tree | c08ce06576f575abef9724efe2603648a27ea397 /gdb/doc/annotate.texi | |
parent | 4dd876ac2ed505f7cc4c4ad9d59ab1618a4737bc (diff) | |
download | gdb-a9363218883042c1b62f30aa807b52a78e5d998f.zip gdb-a9363218883042c1b62f30aa807b52a78e5d998f.tar.gz gdb-a9363218883042c1b62f30aa807b52a78e5d998f.tar.bz2 |
* annotate.texi: New file, to document annotations.
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-rw-r--r-- | gdb/doc/annotate.texi | 362 |
1 files changed, 362 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/gdb/doc/annotate.texi b/gdb/doc/annotate.texi index e69de29..d094534 100644 --- a/gdb/doc/annotate.texi +++ b/gdb/doc/annotate.texi @@ -0,0 +1,362 @@ +\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- +@c %**start of header +@setfilename annotate.info +@settitle GDB Annotations +@setchapternewpage off +@c %**end of header + +@set EDITION 0.4 +@set DATE April 1994 + +@ifinfo +This file documents GDB annotations. + +This is Edition @value{EDITION}, @value{DATE}, of @cite{GDB +Annotations}. Copyright 1994 Free Software Foundation + +Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of +this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice +are preserved on all copies. + +@ignore +Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the +results, provided the printed document carries copying permission +notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph +(this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual). + +@end ignore +Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this +manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the +entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a +permission notice identical to this one. + +Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual +into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions. +@end ifinfo + +@titlepage +@title GDB Annotations +@subtitle Edition @value{EDITION} +@subtitle @value{DATE} +@page +@vskip 0pt plus 1filll +Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of +this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice +are preserved on all copies. + +Copyright @copyright{} 1994 Free Software Foundation +@end titlepage + +@ifinfo +@node Top +@top GDB Annotations + +This file describes annotations in GDB, the GNU symbolic debugger. +Annotations are designed to interface GDB to graphical user interfaces +or other similar programs which want to interact with GDB at a +relatively high level. + +This is Edition @value{EDITION}, @value{DATE}. + +@menu +* General:: What annotations are; the general syntax. +* Server:: Issuing a command without affecting user state. +* Values:: Values are marked as such. +* Prompting:: GDB annotations marking GDB's need for input. +* Breakpoint Info:: Information on breakpoints. +* Invalidation:: Some annotations describe things now invalid. +* Source:: Annotations describing source code. +@end menu +@end ifinfo + +@node General +@chapter What is an Annotation? + +To produce annotations, start GDB with the @code{--annotate=2} option. + +Annotations start with a newline character, two @samp{control-z} +characters, and the name of the annotation. If there is no additional +information associated with this annotation, the name of the annotation +is followed immediately by a newline. If there is additional +information, the name of the annotation is followed by a space, the +additional information, and a newline. The additional information +cannot contain newline characters. + +Any output not beginning with a newline and two @samp{control-z} +characters denotes literal output from GDB. Currently there is no need +for GDB to output a newline followed by two @samp{control-z} characters, +but if there was such a need, the annotations could be extended with an +@samp{escape} annotation which means those three characters as output. + +A simple example of starting up GDB with annotations is: + +@example +$ gdb --annotate=2 +GDB is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies of it + under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see the conditions. +There is absolutely no warranty for GDB; type "show warranty" for details. +GDB 4.12.3 (sparc-sun-sunos4.1.3), +Copyright 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc. + +^Z^Zpre-prompt +(gdb) +^Z^Zprompt +quit + +^Z^Zpost-prompt +$ +@end example + +Here @samp{quit} is input to GDB; the rest is output from GDB. The three +lines beginning @samp{^Z^Z} (where @samp{^Z} denotes a @samp{control-z} +character) are annotations; the rest is output from GDB. + +@node Server +@chapter The Server Prefix + +To issue a command to GDB without affecting certain aspects of the state +which is seen by users, prefix it with @samp{server }. This means that +this command will not affect the command history, nor will it affect +GDB's notion of which command to repeat if @key{RET} is pressed on a +line by itself. + +The server prefix does not affect the recording of values into the value +history; to print a value without recording it into the value history, +use the @code{output} command instead of the @code{print} command. + +@node Values +@chapter Values + +When a value is printed in various contexts, GDB uses annotations to +delimit the value from the surrounding text. + +If a value is printed using @code{print} and added to the value history, +the annotation looks like + +@example +^Z^Zvalue-history-begin @var{history-number} @var{value-flags} +@var{history-string} +^Z^Zvalue-history-value +@var{the-value} +^Z^Zvalue-history-end +@end example + +where @var{history-number} is the number it is getting in the value +history, @var{history-string} is a string, such as @samp{$5 = }, which +introduces the value to the user, @var{the-value} is the output +corresponding to the value itself, and @var{value-flags} is @samp{*} for +a value which can be dereferenced and @samp{-} for a value which cannot. + +If the value is not added to the value history (it is an invalid float +or it is printed with the @code{output} command), the annotation is similar: + +@example +^Z^Zvalue-begin @var{value-flags} +@var{the-value} +^Z^Zvalue-end +@end example + +When GDB prints an argument to a function (for example, in the output +from the @code{backtrace} command), it annotates it as follows: + +@example +^Z^Zarg-begin +@var{argument-name} +^Z^Zarg-name-end +@var{separator-string} +^Z^Zarg-value @var{value-flags} +@var{the-value} +^Z^Zarg-end +@end example + +where @var{argument-name} is the name of the argument, +@var{separator-string} is text which separates the name from the value +for the user's benefit (such as @samp{=}), and @var{value-flags} and +@var{the-value} have the same meanings as in a +@code{value-history-begin} annotation. + +When printing a structure, GDB annotates it as follows: + +@example +^Z^Zfield-begin @var{value-flags} +@var{field-name} +^Z^Zfield-name-end +@var{separator-string} +^Z^Zfield-value +@var{the-value} +^Z^Zfield-end +@end example + +where @var{field-name} is the name of the field, @var{separator-string} +is text which separates the name from the value for the user's benefit +(such as @samp{=}), and @var{value-flags} and @var{the-value} have the +same meanings as in a @code{value-history-begin} annotation. + +When printing an array, GDB annotates it as follows: + +@example +^Z^Zarray-section-begin @var{array-index} @var{value-flags} +@end example + +where @var{array-index} is the index of the first element being +annotated and @var{value-flags} has the same meaning as in a +@code{value-history-begin} annotation. This is followed by any number +of elements, where is element can be either a single element: + +@example +@samp{,} @var{whitespace} ; @r{omitted for the first element} +@var{the-value} +^Z^Zelt +@end example + +or a repeated element + +@example +@samp{,} @var{whitespace} ; @r{omitted for the first element} +@var{the-value} +^Z^Zelt-rep @var{number-of-repititions} +@var{repetition-string} +^Z^Zelt-rep-end +@end example + +In both cases, @var{the-value} is the output for the value of the +element and @var{whitespace} can contain spaces, tabs, and newlines. In +the repeated case, @var{number-of-repititons} is the number of +consecutive array elements which contain that value, and +@var{repetition-string} is a string which is designed to convey to the +user that repitition is being depicted. + +Once all the array elements have been output, the array annotation is +ended with + +@example +^Z^Zarray-section-end +@end example + +@node Prompting +@chapter Annotation for GDB Input + +When GDB prompts for input, it annotates this fact so it is possible +to know when to send output, when the output from a given command is +over, etc. + +Different kinds of input each have a different @dfn{input type}. Each +input type has three annotations: a @code{pre-} annotation, which +denotes the beginning of any prompt which is being output, a plain +annotation, which denotes the end of the prompt, and then a @code{post-} +annotation which denotes the end of any echo which may (or may not) be +associated with the input. For example, the @code{prompt} input type +features the following annotations: + +@example +^Z^Zpre-prompt +^Z^Zprompt +^Z^Zpost-prompt +@end example + +The input types are + +@table @code +@item prompt +When GDB is prompting for a command (the main GDB prompt). + +@item commands +When GDB prompts for a set of commands, like in the @code{commands} +command. + +@item overload-choice +When GDB wants the user to select between various overloaded functions. + +@item query +When GDB wants the user to confirm a potentially dangerous operation. + +@item prompt-for-continue +When GDB is asking the user to press return to continue. +@end table + +@node Breakpoint Info +@chapter Information on Breakpoints + +The output from the @code{info breakpoints} command is annotated as follows: + +@example +^Z^Zbreakpoints-headers +@var{headers} +^Z^Zbreakpoints-table +@end example + +where @var{headers} is a string which is designed to convey to the user +the order and significance of the fields. This is followed by any +number of entries. Each entry beings with a @code{field 0} annotation. +Some fields can be omitted if they don't apply for this entry. Fields +have trailing whitespace so that if they are printed in order in a +fixed-width font, they match up with the headers. The fields for an +entry are: + +@example +^Z^Zfield 0 +@var{number} +^Z^Zfield 1 +@var{type} +^Z^Zfield 2 +@var{disposition} +^Z^Zfield 3 +@var{enable} +^Z^Zfield 4 +@var{address} +^Z^Zfield 5 +@var{what} +^Z^Zfield 6 +@var{frame} +^Z^Zfield 7 +@var{condition} +^Z^Zfield 8 +@var{ignore-count} +^Z^Zfield 9 +@var{commands} +@end example + +The output ends with + +@example +^Z^Zbreakpoints-table-end +@end example + +@node Invalidation +@chapter Invalidation Notices + +The following annotations say that certain pieces of state may have +changed. + +@table @code +@item ^Z^Zframes-invalid + +The frames (for example, output from the @code{backtrace} command) may +have changed. + +@item ^Z^Zbreakpoints-invalid + +The breakpoints may have changed. For example, the user just added or +deleted a breakpoint. +@end table + +@node Source +@chapter Displaying Source + +The following annotation is used instead of displaying source code: + +@example +^Z^Zsource @var{filename}:@var{line}:@var{character}:@var{middle}:@var{addr} +@end example + +where @var{filename} is an absolute file name indicating which source +file, @var{line} is the line number within that file (where 1 is the +first line in the file), @var{character} is the character position +within the file (where 0 is the first character in the file) (for most +debug formats this will necessarily point to the beginning of a line), +@var{middle} is @samp{middle} if @var{addr} is in the middle of the +line, or @samp{beg} if @var{addr} is at the beginning of the line, and +@var{addr} is the address in the target program associated with the +source which is being displayed. + +@bye |