annotate etc/DEBUG @ 66645:98ed2e52cea0

(Note): GDB can sometimes expand macros.
author Nick Roberts <nickrob@snap.net.nz>
date Thu, 03 Nov 2005 02:03:24 +0000
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children c0eb744f79f7
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1 Debugging GNU Emacs
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Thien-Thi Nguyen <ttn@gnuvola.org>
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2 Copyright (C) 1985, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,
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3 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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4
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5 Permission is granted to anyone to make or distribute verbatim copies
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6 of this document as received, in any medium, provided that the
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7 copyright notice and permission notice are preserved,
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8 and that the distributor grants the recipient permission
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9 for further redistribution as permitted by this notice.
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10
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11 Permission is granted to distribute modified versions
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12 of this document, or of portions of it,
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13 under the above conditions, provided also that they
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14 carry prominent notices stating who last changed them.
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15
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16 [People who debug Emacs on Windows using native Windows debuggers
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17 should read the Windows-specific section near the end of this
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18 document.]
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19
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20 ** When you debug Emacs with GDB, you should start it in the directory
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21 where the executable was made. That directory has a .gdbinit file
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22 that defines various "user-defined" commands for debugging Emacs.
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23
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24 ** When you are trying to analyze failed assertions, it will be
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25 essential to compile Emacs either completely without optimizations or
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26 at least (when using GCC) with the -fno-crossjumping option. Failure
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27 to do so may make the compiler recycle the same abort call for all
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28 assertions in a given function, rendering the stack backtrace useless
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29 for identifying the specific failed assertion.
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30
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31 ** It is a good idea to run Emacs under GDB (or some other suitable
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32 debugger) *all the time*. Then, when Emacs crashes, you will be able
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33 to debug the live process, not just a core dump. (This is especially
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34 important on systems which don't support core files, and instead print
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35 just the registers and some stack addresses.)
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36
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37 ** If Emacs hangs, or seems to be stuck in some infinite loop, typing
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38 "kill -TSTP PID", where PID is the Emacs process ID, will cause GDB to
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39 kick in, provided that you run under GDB.
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40
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41 ** Getting control to the debugger
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42
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43 `Fsignal' is a very useful place to put a breakpoint in.
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44 All Lisp errors go through there.
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45
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46 It is useful, when debugging, to have a guaranteed way to return to
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47 the debugger at any time. When using X, this is easy: type C-z at the
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48 window where Emacs is running under GDB, and it will stop Emacs just
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49 as it would stop any ordinary program. When Emacs is running in a
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50 terminal, things are not so easy.
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51
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52 The src/.gdbinit file in the Emacs distribution arranges for SIGINT
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53 (C-g in Emacs) to be passed to Emacs and not give control back to GDB.
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54 On modern POSIX systems, you can override that with this command:
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55
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56 handle SIGINT stop nopass
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57
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58 After this `handle' command, SIGINT will return control to GDB. If
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59 you want the C-g to cause a QUIT within Emacs as well, omit the
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60 `nopass'.
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61
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62 A technique that can work when `handle SIGINT' does not is to store
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63 the code for some character into the variable stop_character. Thus,
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64
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65 set stop_character = 29
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66
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67 makes Control-] (decimal code 29) the stop character.
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68 Typing Control-] will cause immediate stop. You cannot
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69 use the set command until the inferior process has been started.
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70 Put a breakpoint early in `main', or suspend the Emacs,
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71 to get an opportunity to do the set command.
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72
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73 When Emacs is running in a terminal, it is useful to use a separate terminal
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74 for the debug session. This can be done by starting Emacs as usual, then
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75 attaching to it from gdb with the `attach' command which is explained in the
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76 node "Attach" of the GDB manual.
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77
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78 ** Examining Lisp object values.
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79
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80 When you have a live process to debug, and it has not encountered a
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81 fatal error, you can use the GDB command `pr'. First print the value
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82 in the ordinary way, with the `p' command. Then type `pr' with no
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83 arguments. This calls a subroutine which uses the Lisp printer.
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84
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85 You can also use `pp value' to print the emacs value directly.
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86
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87 Note: It is not a good idea to try `pr' or `pp' if you know that Emacs
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88 is in deep trouble: its stack smashed (e.g., if it encountered SIGSEGV
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89 due to stack overflow), or crucial data structures, such as `obarray',
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90 corrupted, etc. In such cases, the Emacs subroutine called by `pr'
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91 might make more damage, like overwrite some data that is important for
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92 debugging the original problem.
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93
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94 Also, on some systems it is impossible to use `pr' if you stopped
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95 Emacs while it was inside `select'. This is in fact what happens if
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96 you stop Emacs while it is waiting. In such a situation, don't try to
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97 use `pr'. Instead, use `s' to step out of the system call. Then
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98 Emacs will be between instructions and capable of handling `pr'.
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99
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100 If you can't use `pr' command, for whatever reason, you can fall back
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101 on lower-level commands. Use the `xtype' command to print out the
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102 data type of the last data value. Once you know the data type, use
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103 the command that corresponds to that type. Here are these commands:
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104
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105 xint xptr xwindow xmarker xoverlay xmiscfree xintfwd xboolfwd xobjfwd
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106 xbufobjfwd xkbobjfwd xbuflocal xbuffer xsymbol xstring xvector xframe
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107 xwinconfig xcompiled xcons xcar xcdr xsubr xprocess xfloat xscrollbar
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108
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109 Each one of them applies to a certain type or class of types.
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110 (Some of these types are not visible in Lisp, because they exist only
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111 internally.)
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112
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113 Each x... command prints some information about the value, and
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114 produces a GDB value (subsequently available in $) through which you
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115 can get at the rest of the contents.
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116
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117 In general, most of the rest of the contents will be additional Lisp
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118 objects which you can examine in turn with the x... commands.
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119
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120 Even with a live process, these x... commands are useful for
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121 examining the fields in a buffer, window, process, frame or marker.
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122 Here's an example using concepts explained in the node "Value History"
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123 of the GDB manual to print values associated with the variable
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124 called frame. First, use these commands:
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125
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126 cd src
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127 gdb emacs
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128 b set_frame_buffer_list
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129 r -q
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130
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131 Then Emacs hits the breakpoint:
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132
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133 (gdb) p frame
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134 $1 = 139854428
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135 (gdb) xtype
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136 Lisp_Vectorlike
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137 PVEC_FRAME
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138 (gdb) xframe
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139 $2 = (struct frame *) 0x8560258
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140 (gdb) p *$
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141 $3 = {
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142 size = 1073742931,
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143 next = 0x85dfe58,
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144 name = 140615219,
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145 [...]
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146 }
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147 (gdb) p $3->name
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148 $4 = 140615219
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149
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150 Now we can use `pr' to print the name of the frame:
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151
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152 (gdb) pr
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153 "emacs@steenrod.math.nwu.edu"
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154
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155 The Emacs C code heavily uses macros defined in lisp.h. So suppose
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156 we want the address of the l-value expression near the bottom of
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157 `add_command_key' from keyboard.c:
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158
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159 XVECTOR (this_command_keys)->contents[this_command_key_count++] = key;
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160
66645
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161 XVECTOR is a macro, and therefore, in general, GDB does not know about it.
98ed2e52cea0 (Note): GDB can sometimes expand macros.
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162 Unless Emacs has been compiled with preprocessor macro info, GDB cannot
98ed2e52cea0 (Note): GDB can sometimes expand macros.
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163 evaluate "p XVECTOR (this_command_keys)" .
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164
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165 However, you can use the xvector command in GDB to get the same
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166 result. Here is how:
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167
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168 (gdb) p this_command_keys
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169 $1 = 1078005760
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170 (gdb) xvector
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171 $2 = (struct Lisp_Vector *) 0x411000
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172 0
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173 (gdb) p $->contents[this_command_key_count]
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174 $3 = 1077872640
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175 (gdb) p &$
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176 $4 = (int *) 0x411008
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177
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178 Here's a related example of macros and the GDB `define' command.
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179 There are many Lisp vectors such as `recent_keys', which contains the
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180 last 100 keystrokes. We can print this Lisp vector
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181
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182 p recent_keys
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183 pr
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184
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185 But this may be inconvenient, since `recent_keys' is much more verbose
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186 than `C-h l'. We might want to print only the last 10 elements of
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187 this vector. `recent_keys' is updated in keyboard.c by the command
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188
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189 XVECTOR (recent_keys)->contents[recent_keys_index] = c;
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190
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191 So we define a GDB command `xvector-elts', so the last 10 keystrokes
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192 are printed by
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193
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194 xvector-elts recent_keys recent_keys_index 10
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195
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196 where you can define xvector-elts as follows:
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197
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198 define xvector-elts
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199 set $i = 0
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200 p $arg0
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201 xvector
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202 set $foo = $
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203 while $i < $arg2
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204 p $foo->contents[$arg1-($i++)]
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205 pr
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206 end
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207 document xvector-elts
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208 Prints a range of elements of a Lisp vector.
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209 xvector-elts v n i
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210 prints `i' elements of the vector `v' ending at the index `n'.
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211 end
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212
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213 ** Getting Lisp-level backtrace information within GDB
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214
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7c5f4564ff27 Changes, clean-ups, and typo fixes from Richard Stallman.
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215 The most convenient way is to use the `xbacktrace' command. This
7c5f4564ff27 Changes, clean-ups, and typo fixes from Richard Stallman.
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216 shows the names of the Lisp functions that are currently active.
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217
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218 If that doesn't work (e.g., because the `backtrace_list' structure is
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219 corrupted), type "bt" at the GDB prompt, to produce the C-level
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220 backtrace, and look for stack frames that call Ffuncall. Select them
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221 one by one in GDB, by typing "up N", where N is the appropriate number
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222 of frames to go up, and in each frame that calls Ffuncall type this:
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223
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224 p *args
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225 pr
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226
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227 This will print the name of the Lisp function called by that level
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228 of function calling.
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229
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230 By printing the remaining elements of args, you can see the argument
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231 values. Here's how to print the first argument:
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232
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233 p args[1]
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234 pr
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235
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236 If you do not have a live process, you can use xtype and the other
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237 x... commands such as xsymbol to get such information, albeit less
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238 conveniently. For example:
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239
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240 p *args
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241 xtype
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242
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243 and, assuming that "xtype" says that args[0] is a symbol:
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244
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245 xsymbol
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246
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247 ** Debugging what happens while preloading and dumping Emacs
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248
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249 Type `gdb temacs' and start it with `r -batch -l loadup dump'.
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250
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251 If temacs actually succeeds when running under GDB in this way, do not
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252 try to run the dumped Emacs, because it was dumped with the GDB
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253 breakpoints in it.
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254
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255 ** Debugging `temacs'
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256
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257 Debugging `temacs' is useful when you want to establish whether a
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258 problem happens in an undumped Emacs. To run `temacs' under a
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259 debugger, type "gdb temacs", then start it with `r -batch -l loadup'.
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260
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261 ** If you encounter X protocol errors
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262
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263 Try evaluating (x-synchronize t). That puts Emacs into synchronous
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264 mode, where each Xlib call checks for errors before it returns. This
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265 mode is much slower, but when you get an error, you will see exactly
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266 which call really caused the error.
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267
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268 You can start Emacs in a synchronous mode by invoking it with the -xrm
9c7eb7e6bf3e Document the use of -xrm to start EMacs in synchronous mode.
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269 option, like this:
9c7eb7e6bf3e Document the use of -xrm to start EMacs in synchronous mode.
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270
37534
3ea5075dc420 Fix a typo in the "emacs -xrm" command line. Reported by Kenichi Handa.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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271 emacs -xrm "emacs.synchronous: true"
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272
9c7eb7e6bf3e Document the use of -xrm to start EMacs in synchronous mode.
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273 Setting a breakpoint in the function `x_error_quitter' and looking at
9c7eb7e6bf3e Document the use of -xrm to start EMacs in synchronous mode.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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274 the backtrace when Emacs stops inside that function will show what
9c7eb7e6bf3e Document the use of -xrm to start EMacs in synchronous mode.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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275 code causes the X protocol errors.
9c7eb7e6bf3e Document the use of -xrm to start EMacs in synchronous mode.
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276
41839
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
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277 Some bugs related to the X protocol disappear when Emacs runs in a
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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278 synchronous mode. To track down those bugs, we suggest the following
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
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279 procedure:
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
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280
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
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281 - Run Emacs under a debugger and put a breakpoint inside the
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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282 primitive function which, when called from Lisp, triggers the X
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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283 protocol errors. For example, if the errors happen when you
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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284 delete a frame, put a breakpoint inside `Fdelete_frame'.
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
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285
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
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286 - When the breakpoint breaks, step through the code, looking for
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
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287 calls to X functions (the ones whose names begin with "X" or
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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288 "Xt" or "Xm").
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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289
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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290 - Insert calls to `XSync' before and after each call to the X
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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291 functions, like this:
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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292
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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293 XSync (f->output_data.x->display_info->display, 0);
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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294
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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295 where `f' is the pointer to the `struct frame' of the selected
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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296 frame, normally available via XFRAME (selected_frame). (Most
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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297 functions which call X already have some variable that holds the
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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298 pointer to the frame, perhaps called `f' or `sf', so you shouldn't
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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299 need to compute it.)
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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300
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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301 If your debugger can call functions in the program being debugged,
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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302 you should be able to issue the calls to `XSync' without recompiling
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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303 Emacs. For example, with GDB, just type:
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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304
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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305 call XSync (f->output_data.x->display_info->display, 0)
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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306
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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307 before and immediately after the suspect X calls. If your
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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308 debugger does not support this, you will need to add these pairs
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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309 of calls in the source and rebuild Emacs.
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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310
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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311 Either way, systematically step through the code and issue these
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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312 calls until you find the first X function called by Emacs after
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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313 which a call to `XSync' winds up in the function
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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314 `x_error_quitter'. The first X function call for which this
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
diff changeset
315 happens is the one that generated the X protocol error.
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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316
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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317 - You should now look around this offending X call and try to figure
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40348
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318 out what is wrong with it.
902e47b4907b Advice how to debug X protocol error which disappear in the
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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319
49489
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
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320 ** If Emacs causes errors or memory leaks in your X server
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
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321
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
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322 You can trace the traffic between Emacs and your X server with a tool
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
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323 like xmon, available at ftp://ftp.x.org/contrib/devel_tools/.
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
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324
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
diff changeset
325 Xmon can be used to see exactly what Emacs sends when X protocol errors
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
diff changeset
326 happen. If Emacs causes the X server memory usage to increase you can
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
diff changeset
327 use xmon to see what items Emacs creates in the server (windows,
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
diff changeset
328 graphical contexts, pixmaps) and what items Emacs delete. If there
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
diff changeset
329 are consistently more creations than deletions, the type of item
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
diff changeset
330 and the activity you do when the items get created can give a hint where
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
diff changeset
331 to start debugging.
e0ff22ddc744 Added note about xmon.
Jan Djärv <jan.h.d@swipnet.se>
parents: 44813
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332
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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333 ** If the symptom of the bug is that Emacs fails to respond
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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334
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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335 Don't assume Emacs is `hung'--it may instead be in an infinite loop.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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336 To find out which, make the problem happen under GDB and stop Emacs
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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337 once it is not responding. (If Emacs is using X Windows directly, you
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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338 can stop Emacs by typing C-z at the GDB job.) Then try stepping with
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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339 `step'. If Emacs is hung, the `step' command won't return. If it is
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
340 looping, `step' will return.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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341
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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342 If this shows Emacs is hung in a system call, stop it again and
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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343 examine the arguments of the call. If you report the bug, it is very
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
344 important to state exactly where in the source the system call is, and
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
345 what the arguments are.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
346
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
347 If Emacs is in an infinite loop, try to determine where the loop
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
348 starts and ends. The easiest way to do this is to use the GDB command
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
349 `finish'. Each time you use it, Emacs resumes execution until it
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
350 exits one stack frame. Keep typing `finish' until it doesn't
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
351 return--that means the infinite loop is in the stack frame which you
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
352 just tried to finish.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
353
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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354 Stop Emacs again, and use `finish' repeatedly again until you get back
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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355 to that frame. Then use `next' to step through that frame. By
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
356 stepping, you will see where the loop starts and ends. Also, examine
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
357 the data being used in the loop and try to determine why the loop does
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
358 not exit when it should.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
359
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
360 ** If certain operations in Emacs are slower than they used to be, here
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
361 is some advice for how to find out why.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
362
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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363 Stop Emacs repeatedly during the slow operation, and make a backtrace
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
364 each time. Compare the backtraces looking for a pattern--a specific
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
365 function that shows up more often than you'd expect.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
366
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
367 If you don't see a pattern in the C backtraces, get some Lisp
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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368 backtrace information by typing "xbacktrace" or by looking at Ffuncall
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
369 frames (see above), and again look for a pattern.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
370
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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371 When using X, you can stop Emacs at any time by typing C-z at GDB.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
372 When not using X, you can do this with C-g. On non-Unix platforms,
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
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373 such as MS-DOS, you might need to press C-BREAK instead.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
374
25853
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
375 ** If GDB does not run and your debuggers can't load Emacs.
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
376
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
377 On some systems, no debugger can load Emacs with a symbol table,
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
378 perhaps because they all have fixed limits on the number of symbols
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
379 and Emacs exceeds the limits. Here is a method that can be used
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
380 in such an extremity. Do
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
381
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
382 nm -n temacs > nmout
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
383 strip temacs
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
384 adb temacs
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
385 0xd:i
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
386 0xe:i
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
387 14:i
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
388 17:i
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
389 :r -l loadup (or whatever)
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
390
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
391 It is necessary to refer to the file `nmout' to convert
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
392 numeric addresses into symbols and vice versa.
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
393
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
394 It is useful to be running under a window system.
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
395 Then, if Emacs becomes hopelessly wedged, you can create
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
396 another window to do kill -9 in. kill -ILL is often
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
397 useful too, since that may make Emacs dump core or return
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
398 to adb.
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
399
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
400
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
401 ** Debugging incorrect screen updating.
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
402
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
403 To debug Emacs problems that update the screen wrong, it is useful
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
404 to have a record of what input you typed and what Emacs sent to the
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
405 screen. To make these records, do
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
406
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
407 (open-dribble-file "~/.dribble")
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
408 (open-termscript "~/.termscript")
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
409
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
410 The dribble file contains all characters read by Emacs from the
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
411 terminal, and the termscript file contains all characters it sent to
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
412 the terminal. The use of the directory `~/' prevents interference
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
413 with any other user.
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
414
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
415 If you have irreproducible display problems, put those two expressions
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
416 in your ~/.emacs file. When the problem happens, exit the Emacs that
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
417 you were running, kill it, and rename the two files. Then you can start
Dave Love <fx@gnu.org>
parents:
diff changeset
418 another Emacs without clobbering those files, and use it to examine them.
34594
9b989029cccf Add note aboute using `inverse-video' to detect excessive screen redraw.
Miles Bader <miles@gnu.org>
parents: 32523
diff changeset
419
9b989029cccf Add note aboute using `inverse-video' to detect excessive screen redraw.
Miles Bader <miles@gnu.org>
parents: 32523
diff changeset
420 An easy way to see if too much text is being redrawn on a terminal is to
9b989029cccf Add note aboute using `inverse-video' to detect excessive screen redraw.
Miles Bader <miles@gnu.org>
parents: 32523
diff changeset
421 evaluate `(setq inverse-video t)' before you try the operation you think
9b989029cccf Add note aboute using `inverse-video' to detect excessive screen redraw.
Miles Bader <miles@gnu.org>
parents: 32523
diff changeset
422 will cause too much redrawing. This doesn't refresh the screen, so only
9b989029cccf Add note aboute using `inverse-video' to detect excessive screen redraw.
Miles Bader <miles@gnu.org>
parents: 32523
diff changeset
423 newly drawn text is in inverse video.
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
424
37509
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
425 The Emacs display code includes special debugging code, but it is
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
426 normally disabled. You can enable it by building Emacs with the
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
427 pre-processing symbol GLYPH_DEBUG defined. Here's one easy way,
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
428 suitable for Unix and GNU systems, to build such a debugging version:
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
429
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
430 MYCPPFLAGS='-DGLYPH_DEBUG=1' make
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
431
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
432 Building Emacs like that activates many assertions which scrutinize
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
433 display code operation more than Emacs does normally. (To see the
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
434 code which tests these assertions, look for calls to the `xassert'
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
435 macros.) Any assertion that is reported to fail should be
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
436 investigated.
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
437
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
438 Building with GLYPH_DEBUG defined also defines several helper
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
439 functions which can help debugging display code. One such function is
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
440 `dump_glyph_matrix'. If you run Emacs under GDB, you can print the
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
441 contents of any glyph matrix by just calling that function with the
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
442 matrix as its argument. For example, the following command will print
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
443 the contents of the current matrix of the window whose pointer is in
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
444 `w':
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
445
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
446 (gdb) p dump_glyph_matrix (w->current_matrix, 2)
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
447
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
448 (The second argument 2 tells dump_glyph_matrix to print the glyphs in
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
449 a long form.) You can dump the selected window's current glyph matrix
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
450 interactively with "M-x dump-glyph-matrix RET"; see the documentation
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
451 of this function for more details.
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
452
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
453 Several more functions for debugging display code are available in
37565
77f4666fdd04 Fix last change.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37534
diff changeset
454 Emacs compiled with GLYPH_DEBUG defined; type "C-h f dump- TAB" and
77f4666fdd04 Fix last change.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37534
diff changeset
455 "C-h f trace- TAB" to see the full list.
37509
ed5dca63a0ed Document some of the facilities for debugging display code, including
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37481
diff changeset
456
57307
7e6072c66e67 Mention pp and ff commands.
Kim F. Storm <storm@cua.dk>
parents: 52401
diff changeset
457 When you debug display problems running emacs under X, you can use
7e6072c66e67 Mention pp and ff commands.
Kim F. Storm <storm@cua.dk>
parents: 52401
diff changeset
458 the `ff' command to flush all pending display updates to the screen.
7e6072c66e67 Mention pp and ff commands.
Kim F. Storm <storm@cua.dk>
parents: 52401
diff changeset
459
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
460
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
461 ** Debugging LessTif
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
462
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
463 If you encounter bugs whereby Emacs built with LessTif grabs all mouse
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
464 and keyboard events, or LessTif menus behave weirdly, it might be
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
465 helpful to set the `DEBUGSOURCES' and `DEBUG_FILE' environment
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
466 variables, so that one can see what LessTif was doing at this point.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
467 For instance
49600
23a1cea22d13 Trailing whitespace deleted.
Juanma Barranquero <lekktu@gmail.com>
parents: 49489
diff changeset
468
36625
08aed53e171c DEBUGSOURCES should contain a list of files, separated by colons.
Gerd Moellmann <gerd@gnu.org>
parents: 35861
diff changeset
469 export DEBUGSOURCES="RowColumn.c:MenuShell.c:MenuUtil.c"
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
470 export DEBUG_FILE=/usr/tmp/LESSTIF_TRACE
35720
c6ae90d82552 Clarify the instructions for debugging LessTif.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35655
diff changeset
471 emacs &
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
472
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
473 causes LessTif to print traces from the three named source files to a
35720
c6ae90d82552 Clarify the instructions for debugging LessTif.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35655
diff changeset
474 file in `/usr/tmp' (that file can get pretty large). The above should
c6ae90d82552 Clarify the instructions for debugging LessTif.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35655
diff changeset
475 be typed at the shell prompt before invoking Emacs, as shown by the
c6ae90d82552 Clarify the instructions for debugging LessTif.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35655
diff changeset
476 last line above.
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
477
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
478 Running GDB from another terminal could also help with such problems.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
479 You can arrange for GDB to run on one machine, with the Emacs display
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
480 appearing on another. Then, when the bug happens, you can go back to
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
481 the machine where you started GDB and use the debugger from there.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
482
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
483
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
484 ** Debugging problems which happen in GC
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
485
37015
f8dd0e40dc34 Make it clear that last_marked[] holds pointers to Lisp objects, not
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 36962
diff changeset
486 The array `last_marked' (defined on alloc.c) can be used to display up
f8dd0e40dc34 Make it clear that last_marked[] holds pointers to Lisp objects, not
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 36962
diff changeset
487 to 500 last objects marked by the garbage collection process.
37076
ec5579aad1bb Fix the wording in the last change.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37015
diff changeset
488 Whenever the garbage collector marks a Lisp object, it records the
ec5579aad1bb Fix the wording in the last change.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37015
diff changeset
489 pointer to that object in the `last_marked' array. The variable
37015
f8dd0e40dc34 Make it clear that last_marked[] holds pointers to Lisp objects, not
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 36962
diff changeset
490 `last_marked_index' holds the index into the `last_marked' array one
f8dd0e40dc34 Make it clear that last_marked[] holds pointers to Lisp objects, not
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 36962
diff changeset
491 place beyond where the pointer to the very last marked object is
f8dd0e40dc34 Make it clear that last_marked[] holds pointers to Lisp objects, not
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 36962
diff changeset
492 stored.
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
493
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
494 The single most important goal in debugging GC problems is to find the
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
495 Lisp data structure that got corrupted. This is not easy since GC
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
496 changes the tag bits and relocates strings which make it hard to look
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
497 at Lisp objects with commands such as `pr'. It is sometimes necessary
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
498 to convert Lisp_Object variables into pointers to C struct's manually.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
499 Use the `last_marked' array and the source to reconstruct the sequence
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
500 that objects were marked.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
501
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
502 Once you discover the corrupted Lisp object or data structure, it is
35861
9cc9788cc61b Fix a couple of typos.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35791
diff changeset
503 useful to look at it in a fresh Emacs session and compare its contents
9cc9788cc61b Fix a couple of typos.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35791
diff changeset
504 with a session that you are debugging.
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
505
37481
7121f840504e Document byte-debug-flag.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37333
diff changeset
506 ** Debugging problems with non-ASCII characters
7121f840504e Document byte-debug-flag.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37333
diff changeset
507
7121f840504e Document byte-debug-flag.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37333
diff changeset
508 If you experience problems which seem to be related to non-ASCII
7121f840504e Document byte-debug-flag.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37333
diff changeset
509 characters, such as \201 characters appearing in the buffer or in your
7121f840504e Document byte-debug-flag.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37333
diff changeset
510 files, set the variable byte-debug-flag to t. This causes Emacs to do
7121f840504e Document byte-debug-flag.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37333
diff changeset
511 some extra checks, such as look for broken relations between byte and
7121f840504e Document byte-debug-flag.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37333
diff changeset
512 character positions in buffers and strings; the resulting diagnostics
7121f840504e Document byte-debug-flag.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37333
diff changeset
513 might pinpoint the cause of the problem.
7121f840504e Document byte-debug-flag.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37333
diff changeset
514
40247
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
515 ** Debugging the TTY (non-windowed) version
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
516
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
517 The most convenient method of debugging the character-terminal display
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
518 is to do that on a window system such as X. Begin by starting an
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
519 xterm window, then type these commands inside that window:
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
520
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
521 $ tty
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
522 $ echo $TERM
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
523
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
524 Let's say these commands print "/dev/ttyp4" and "xterm", respectively.
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
525
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
526 Now start Emacs (the normal, windowed-display session, i.e. without
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
527 the `-nw' option), and invoke "M-x gdb RET emacs RET" from there. Now
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
528 type these commands at GDB's prompt:
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
529
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
530 (gdb) set args -nw -t /dev/ttyp4
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
531 (gdb) set environment TERM xterm
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
532 (gdb) run
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
533
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
534 The debugged Emacs should now start in no-window mode with its display
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
535 directed to the xterm window you opened above.
c824be0e27e2 Add information about debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37586
diff changeset
536
40348
380d8f312f3a Mention that screen(1) can come in handy for debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40247
diff changeset
537 Similar arrangement is possible on a character terminal by using the
380d8f312f3a Mention that screen(1) can come in handy for debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40247
diff changeset
538 `screen' package.
380d8f312f3a Mention that screen(1) can come in handy for debugging the tty version.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 40247
diff changeset
539
37586
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
540 ** Running Emacs built with malloc debugging packages
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
541
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
542 If Emacs exhibits bugs that seem to be related to use of memory
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
543 allocated off the heap, it might be useful to link Emacs with a
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
544 special debugging library, such as Electric Fence (a.k.a. efence) or
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
545 GNU Checker, which helps find such problems.
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
546
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
547 Emacs compiled with such packages might not run without some hacking,
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
548 because Emacs replaces the system's memory allocation functions with
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
549 its own versions, and because the dumping process might be
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
550 incompatible with the way these packages use to track allocated
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
551 memory. Here are some of the changes you might find necessary
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
552 (SYSTEM-NAME and MACHINE-NAME are the names of your OS- and
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
553 CPU-specific headers in the subdirectories of `src'):
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
554
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
555 - In src/s/SYSTEM-NAME.h add "#define SYSTEM_MALLOC".
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
556
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
557 - In src/m/MACHINE-NAME.h add "#define CANNOT_DUMP" and
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
558 "#define CANNOT_UNEXEC".
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
559
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
560 - Configure with a different --prefix= option. If you use GCC,
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
561 version 2.7.2 is preferred, as some malloc debugging packages
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
562 work a lot better with it than with 2.95 or later versions.
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
563
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
564 - Type "make" then "make -k install".
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
565
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
566 - If required, invoke the package-specific command to prepare
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
567 src/temacs for execution.
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
568
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
569 - cd ..; src/temacs
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
570
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
571 (Note that this runs `temacs' instead of the usual `emacs' executable.
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
572 This avoids problems with dumping Emacs mentioned above.)
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
573
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
574 Some malloc debugging libraries might print lots of false alarms for
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
575 bitfields used by Emacs in some data structures. If you want to get
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
576 rid of the false alarms, you will have to hack the definitions of
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
577 these data structures on the respective headers to remove the `:N'
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
578 bitfield definitions (which will cause each such field to use a full
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
579 int).
c4354368031e Add hints for running Emacs with malloc debuggers.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37565
diff changeset
580
63310
58942e3c1b56 Mention emacs-buffer.gdb.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 60334
diff changeset
581 ** How to recover buffer contents from an Emacs core dump file
58942e3c1b56 Mention emacs-buffer.gdb.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 60334
diff changeset
582
58942e3c1b56 Mention emacs-buffer.gdb.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 60334
diff changeset
583 The file etc/emacs-buffer.gdb defines a set of GDB commands for
58942e3c1b56 Mention emacs-buffer.gdb.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 60334
diff changeset
584 recovering the contents of Emacs buffers from a core dump file. You
58942e3c1b56 Mention emacs-buffer.gdb.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 60334
diff changeset
585 might also find those commands useful for displaying the list of
58942e3c1b56 Mention emacs-buffer.gdb.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 60334
diff changeset
586 buffers in human-readable format from within the debugger.
58942e3c1b56 Mention emacs-buffer.gdb.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 60334
diff changeset
587
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
588 ** Some suggestions for debugging on MS Windows:
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
589
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
590 (written by Marc Fleischeuers, Geoff Voelker and Andrew Innes)
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
591
35791
7c5f4564ff27 Changes, clean-ups, and typo fixes from Richard Stallman.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35720
diff changeset
592 To debug Emacs with Microsoft Visual C++, you either start emacs from
37333
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
593 the debugger or attach the debugger to a running emacs process.
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
594
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
595 To start emacs from the debugger, you can use the file bin/debug.bat.
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
596 The Microsoft Developer studio will start and under Project, Settings,
35791
7c5f4564ff27 Changes, clean-ups, and typo fixes from Richard Stallman.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35720
diff changeset
597 Debug, General you can set the command-line arguments and Emacs's
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
598 startup directory. Set breakpoints (Edit, Breakpoints) at Fsignal and
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
599 other functions that you want to examine. Run the program (Build,
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
600 Start debug). Emacs will start and the debugger will take control as
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
601 soon as a breakpoint is hit.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
602
35791
7c5f4564ff27 Changes, clean-ups, and typo fixes from Richard Stallman.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35720
diff changeset
603 You can also attach the debugger to an already running Emacs process.
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
604 To do this, start up the Microsoft Developer studio and select Build,
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
605 Start debug, Attach to process. Choose the Emacs process from the
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
606 list. Send a break to the running process (Debug, Break) and you will
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
607 find that execution is halted somewhere in user32.dll. Open the stack
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
608 trace window and go up the stack to w32_msg_pump. Now you can set
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
609 breakpoints in Emacs (Edit, Breakpoints). Continue the running Emacs
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
610 process (Debug, Step out) and control will return to Emacs, until a
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
611 breakpoint is hit.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
612
35791
7c5f4564ff27 Changes, clean-ups, and typo fixes from Richard Stallman.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35720
diff changeset
613 To examine the contents of a Lisp variable, you can use the function
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
614 'debug_print'. Right-click on a variable, select QuickWatch (it has
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
615 an eyeglass symbol on its button in the toolbar), and in the text
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
616 field at the top of the window, place 'debug_print(' and ')' around
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
617 the expression. Press 'Recalculate' and the output is sent to stderr,
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
618 and to the debugger via the OutputDebugString routine. The output
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
619 sent to stderr should be displayed in the console window that was
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
620 opened when the emacs.exe executable was started. The output sent to
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
621 the debugger should be displayed in the 'Debug' pane in the Output
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
622 window. If Emacs was started from the debugger, a console window was
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
623 opened at Emacs' startup; this console window also shows the output of
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
624 'debug_print'.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
625
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
626 For example, start and run Emacs in the debugger until it is waiting
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
627 for user input. Then click on the `Break' button in the debugger to
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
628 halt execution. Emacs should halt in `ZwUserGetMessage' waiting for
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
629 an input event. Use the `Call Stack' window to select the procedure
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
630 `w32_msp_pump' up the call stack (see below for why you have to do
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
631 this). Open the QuickWatch window and enter
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
632 "debug_print(Vexec_path)". Evaluating this expression will then print
35791
7c5f4564ff27 Changes, clean-ups, and typo fixes from Richard Stallman.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35720
diff changeset
633 out the contents of the Lisp variable `exec-path'.
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
634
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
635 If QuickWatch reports that the symbol is unknown, then check the call
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
636 stack in the `Call Stack' window. If the selected frame in the call
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
637 stack is not an Emacs procedure, then the debugger won't recognize
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
638 Emacs symbols. Instead, select a frame that is inside an Emacs
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
639 procedure and try using `debug_print' again.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
640
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
641 If QuickWatch invokes debug_print but nothing happens, then check the
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
642 thread that is selected in the debugger. If the selected thread is
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
643 not the last thread to run (the "current" thread), then it cannot be
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
644 used to execute debug_print. Use the Debug menu to select the current
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
645 thread and try using debug_print again. Note that the debugger halts
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
646 execution (e.g., due to a breakpoint) in the context of the current
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
647 thread, so this should only be a problem if you've explicitly switched
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
648 threads.
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
649
35791
7c5f4564ff27 Changes, clean-ups, and typo fixes from Richard Stallman.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 35720
diff changeset
650 It is also possible to keep appropriately masked and typecast Lisp
35655
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
651 symbols in the Watch window, this is more convenient when steeping
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
652 though the code. For instance, on entering apply_lambda, you can
c3ac662ac2a3 Expand and update, based on the instructions to
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 34594
diff changeset
653 watch (struct Lisp_Symbol *) (0xfffffff & args[0]).
37333
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
654
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
655 Optimizations often confuse the MS debugger. For example, the
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
656 debugger will sometimes report wrong line numbers, e.g., when it
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
657 prints the backtrace for a crash. It is usually best to look at the
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
658 disassembly to determine exactly what code is being run--the
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
659 disassembly will probably show several source lines followed by a
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
660 block of assembler for those lines. The actual point where Emacs
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
661 crashes will be one of those source lines, but not neccesarily the one
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
662 that the debugger reports.
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
663
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
664 Another problematic area with the MS debugger is with variables that
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
665 are stored in registers: it will sometimes display wrong values for
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
666 those variables. Usually you will not be able to see any value for a
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
667 register variable, but if it is only being stored in a register
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
668 temporarily, you will see an old value for it. Again, you need to
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
669 look at the disassembly to determine which registers are being used,
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
670 and look at those registers directly, to see the actual current values
54ec1bffae34 Document problems with MS debugger working on optimized code.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
parents: 37157
diff changeset
671 of these variables.
52401
695cf19ef79e Add arch taglines
Miles Bader <miles@gnu.org>
parents: 49600
diff changeset
672
695cf19ef79e Add arch taglines
Miles Bader <miles@gnu.org>
parents: 49600
diff changeset
673 ;;; arch-tag: fbf32980-e35d-481f-8e4c-a2eca2586e6b