The debugger provides the following ways to control how arrays, structures, and symbols are printed.
These settings are useful for debugging programs in any language:
The debugger prints memory addresses showing the location of stack traces, structure values, pointer values, breakpoints, and so forth, even when it also displays the contents of those addresses. The default is on. For example, this is what a stack frame display looks like with set print address on:
(gdb) f
#0 set_quotes (lq=0x34c78 "<<", rq=0x34c88 ">>")
at input.c:530
530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
Do not print addresses when displaying their contents. For example, this is the same stack frame displayed with set print address off:
(gdb) set print addr off (gdb) f #0 set_quotes (lq="<<", rq=">>") at input.c:530 530 if (lquote != def_lquote)
You can use set print address off to eliminate all machine dependent displays from the debugger interface. For example, with print address off, you should get the same text for backtraces on all machines — whether or not they involve pointer arguments.
Show whether or not addresses are to be printed.
When the debugger prints a symbolic address, it normally prints the closest earlier symbol plus an offset. If that symbol does not uniquely identify the address (for example, it is a name whose scope is a single source file), you may need to clarify. One way to do this is with info line, for example info line *0x4537. Alternately, you can set the debugger to print the source file and line number when it prints a symbolic address:
Tell the debugger to print the source file name and line number of a symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
Do not print source file name and line number of a symbol. This is the default.
Show whether or not the debugger will print the source file name and line number of a symbol in the symbolic form of an address.
Another situation where it is helpful to show symbol filenames and line numbers is when disassembling code; the debugger shows you the line number and source file that corresponds to each instruction.
In addition, you may wish to see the symbolic form only if the address being printed is reasonably close to the closest earlier symbol:
Tell the debugger to only display the symbolic form of an address if the offset between the closest earlier symbol and the address is less than max-offset. The default is 0, which tells the debugger to always print the symbolic form of an address if any symbol precedes it.
Ask how large the maximum offset is that the debugger prints in a symbolic address.
If you have a pointer and you are not sure where it points, try set print symbol-filename on. Then you can determine the name and source file location of the variable where it points, using p/a pointer. This interprets the address in symbolic form. For example, here the debugger shows that a variable ptt points at another variable t, defined in hi2.c:
(gdb) set print symbol-filename on (gdb) p/a ptt $4 = 0xe008 <t in hi2.c>
Warning: For pointers that point to a local variable, p/a does not show the symbol name and filename of the referent, even with the appropriate set print options turned on.
Other settings control how different kinds of objects are printed:
Pretty print arrays. This format is more convenient to read, but uses more space. The default is off.
Return to compressed format for arrays.
Show whether compressed or pretty format is selected for displaying arrays.
Set a limit on how many elements of an array the debugger will print. If the debugger is printing a large array, it stops printing after it has printed the number of elements set by the set print elements command. This limit also applies to the display of strings. Setting number-of-elements to zero means that the printing is unlimited.
Display the number of elements of a large array that the debugger will print. If the number is 0, then the printing is unlimited.
Cause the debugger to stop printing the characters of an array when the first NULL is encountered. This is useful when large arrays actually contain only short strings.
Cause the debugger to print structures in an indented format with one member per line, like this:
$1 = {
next = 0x0,
flags = {
sweet = 1,
sour = 1
},
meat = 0x54 "Pork"
}
Cause the debugger to print structures in a compact format, like this:
$1 = {next = 0x0, flags = {sweet = 1, sour = 1}, \
meat = 0x54 "Pork"}
This is the default format.
Show which format the debugger is using to print structures.
Print using only seven-bit characters; if this option is set, the debugger displays any eight-bit characters (in strings or character values) using the notation \nnn. This setting is best if you are working in English (ascii) and you use the high-order bit of characters as a marker or "meta" bit.
Print full eight-bit characters. This allows the use of more international character sets, and is the default.
Show whether or not the debugger is printing only seven-bit characters.
Tell the debugger to print unions which are contained in structures. This is the default setting.
Tell the debugger not to print unions which are contained in structures.
Ask the debugger whether or not it will print unions which are contained in structures.
For example, given the declarations
typedef enum {Tree, Bug} Species;
typedef enum {Big_tree, Acorn, Seedling} Tree_forms;
typedef enum {Caterpillar, Cocoon, Butterfly}
Bug_forms;
struct thing {
Species it;
union {
Tree_forms tree;
Bug_forms bug;
} form;
};
struct thing foo = {Tree, {Acorn}};
with set print union on in effect p foo would print
$1 = {it = Tree, form = {tree = Acorn, bug = Cocoon}}
and with set print union off in effect it would print
$1 = {it = Tree, form = {...}}
These settings are of interest when debugging C++ programs:
Print C++ names in their source form rather than in the encoded ("mangled") form passed to the assembler and linker for type-safe linkage. The default is on.
Show whether C++ names are printed in mangled or demangled form.
Print C++ names in their source form rather than their mangled form, even in assembler code printouts such as instruction disassemblies. The default is off.
Show whether C++ names in assembly listings are printed in mangled or demangled form.
Choose among several encoding schemes used by different compilers to represent C++ names. The choices for style are currently:
Allow the debugger to choose a decoding style by inspecting your program.
Decode based on the GNU C++ compiler (g++) encoding algorithm. This is the default.
Decode based on the Lucid C++ compiler (lcc) encoding algorithm.
Decode using the algorithm in the C++ Annotated Reference Manual.
Show the list of formats.
Display the encoding style currently in use for decoding C++ symbols.
When displaying a pointer to an object, identify the actual (derived) type of the object rather than the declared type, using the virtual function table.
Display only the declared type of objects, without reference to the virtual function table. This is the default setting.
Show whether actual, or declared, object types are displayed.
Print static members when displaying a C++ object. The default is on.
Do not print static members when displaying a C++ object.
Show whether C++ static members are printed, or not.
Pretty print C++ virtual function tables. The default is off.
Do not pretty print C++ virtual function tables.
Show whether C++ virtual function tables are pretty printed, or not.