Starting GDB:
- gdbname-of-executable
- gdb -ename-of-executable-cname-of-core-file
-
gdbname-of-executable-pidprocess-id
(Use ps -auxw
Command line options: (version 6. Older versions use a single "-")
Option | Description |
--help -h | List command line arguments |
--exec=file-name -e file-name | Identify executable associated with core file. |
--core=name-of-core-file -c name-of-core-file | Specify core file. |
--command=command-file -x command-file | File listing GDB commands to perform. Good for automating set-up. |
--directory=directory -d directory | Add directory to the path to search for source files. |
--cd=directory | Run GDB using specified directory as the current working directory. |
--nx -n | Do not execute commands from ~/.gdbinit |
--batch -x command-file | Run in batch (not interactive) mode. Execute commands from file. Requires -x |
--symbols=file-name -s file-name | Read symbol table from file file. |
--write | Enable writing into executable and core files. |
--quiet -q | Do not print the introductory and copyright messages. |
--tty=device | Specify device for running program's standard input and output. |
--pid=process-id -p process-id -c process-id | Specify process ID number to attach to. |
GDB Commands: |
Commands used within GDB:
Command | Description |
help | List gdb command topics. |
help topic-classes | List gdb command within class. |
help command | Command description. |
apropos search-word | Search for commands and command topics containing search-word. |
info args i args | List program command line arguments |
info breakpoints | List breakpoints |
info break | List breakpoint numbers. |
info break breakpoint-number | List info about specific breakpoint. |
info watchpoints | List breakpoints |
info registers | List registers in use |
info threads | List threads in use |
info set | List set-able option |
Break and Watch | |
break funtion-name break line-number | Suspend program at specified function of line number. break ClassName::functionName |
break +offset break -offset | Set a breakpoint specified number of lines forward or back from the position at which execution stopped. |
break filename:function | Don't specify path, just the file name and function name. |
break filename:line-number | Don't specify path, just the file name and line number. break Directory/Path/filename.cpp:62 |
break *address | Suspend processing at an instruction address. Used when you do not have source. |
break line-number if condition | Where condition is an expression. i.e. x > 5 Suspend when boolean expression is true. |
break line thread thread-number | Break in thread at specified line number. Use info threads |
tbreak | Temporary break. Break once only. Break is then removed. See "break" above for options. |
watch condition | Suspend processing when condition is met. i.e. x > 5 |
clear clear function clear line-number | Delete breakpoints as identified by command option. |
delete d | Delete all breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints. |
delete breakpoint-number delete range | Delete the breakpoints, watchpoints, or catchpoints of the breakpoint ranges specified as arguments. |
disable breakpoint-number-or-range enable breakpoint-number-or-range | Does not delete breakpoints. Just enables/disables them. Example: Show breakpoints: info break Disable: disable 2-9 |
enable breakpoint-number once | Enables once |
continue c | Continue executing until next break point/watchpoint. |
continue number | Continue but ignore current breakpoint number times. Usefull for breakpoints within a loop. |
finish | Continue to end of function. |
Line Execution | |
step s step number-of-steps-to-perform | Step to next line of code. Will step into a function. |
next n next number | Execute next line of code. Will not enter functions. |
until until line-number | Continue processing until you reacha aspecified line number. Also: function name, address, filename:function or filename:line-number. |
stepi si nexti ni | step/next assembly/processor instruction. |
info signals info handle handle SIGNAL-NAMEoption | Perform the following option when signal recieved: nostop, stop, print, noprint, pass/noignore or nopass/ignore |
where | Shows current line number and which function you are in. |
Stack | |
backtrace bt bt inner-function-nesting-depth bt -outer-function-nesting-depth | Show trace of where you are currently. Which functions you are in. Prints stack backtrace. |
backtrace full | Print values of local variables. |
frame number f number | Select frame number. |
up number down number | Move up/down the specified number of frames in the stack. |
info frame | List address, language, address of arguments/local variables and which registers were saved in frame. |
info args info locals info catch | Info arguments of selected frame, local variables and exception handlers. |
Source Code | |
list l list line-number list function list - list start#,end# list filename:function | List source code. |
set listsize count show listsize | Number of lines listed when list command given. |
directory directory-name dir directory-name show directories | Add specified directory to front of source code path. |
directory | Clear sourcepath when nothing specified. |
Examine Variables | |
print variable-name p variable-name p file-name::variable-name p 'file-name'::variable-name | Print value stored in variable. |
p *array-variable@length | Print first # values of array specified by length. Good for pointers to dynamicaly allocated memory. |
p/x variable | Print as integer variable in hex. |
p/d variable | Print variable as a signed integer. |
p/u variable | Print variable as a un-signed integer. |
p/o variable | Print variable as a octal. |
p/t variable x/b address x/b &variable | Print as integer value in binary. (1 byte/8bits) |
p/c variable | Print integer as character. |
p/f variable | Print variable as floating point number. |
p/a variable | Print as a hex address. |
x/w address x/4b &variable | Print binary representation of 4 bytes (1 32 bit word) of memory pointed to by address. |
GDB Modes | |
set gdb-optionvalue | Set a GDB option |
set logging on set logging off show logging set logging file log-file | Turn on/off logging. Default name of file is gdb.txt |
set print array on set print array off show print array | Default is off. Convient readable format for arrays turned on/off. |
set print array-indexes on set print array-indexes off show print array-indexes | Default off. Print index of array elements. |
set print pretty on set print pretty off show print pretty | Format printing of C structures. |
set print union on set print union off show print union | Default is on. Print C unions. |
set print demangle on set print demangle off show print demangle | Default on. Controls printing of C++ names. |
Start and Stop | |
run r run command-line-arguments run < infile > outfile | Start program execution from the beginning of the program. The command break main |
continue c | Continue execution to next break point. |
kill | Stop program execution. |
quit q | Exit GDB debugger. |
GDB Operation: |
- Compile with the "-g" option (for most GNU and Intel compilers) which generates added information in the object code so the debugger can match a line of source code with the step of execution.
- Do not use compiler optimization directive such as "-O" or "-O2" which rearrange computing operations to gain speed as this reordering will not match the order of execution in the source code and it may be impossible to follow.
- control+c: Stop execution. It can stop program anywhere, in your source or a C library or anywhere.
-
To execute a shell command: !command
or shellcommand
-
GDB command completion: Use TAB key
info bre + TAB will complete the command resulting in info breakpoints
Press TAB twice to see all available options if more than one option is available or type "M-?" + RETURN.
-
GDB command abreviation:
info bre + RETURN will work as bre is a valid abreviation for breakpoints
De-Referencing STL Containers: |
Displaying STL container classes using the GDB "p variable-name" results in an cryptic display of template definitions and pointers. Use the following ~/.gdbinit file (V1.03 09/15/08). Now works with GDB 4.3+.
(Archived versions: [V1.01 GDB 6.4+ only])
Thanks to Dr. Eng. Dan C. Marinescu for permission to post this script.
Use the following commands provided by the script:
Data type | GDB command |
std::vector<T> | pvector stl_variable |
std::list<T> | plist stl_variable T |
std::map<T,T> | pmap stl_variable |
std::multimap<T,T> | pmap stl_variable |
std::set<T> | pset stl_variable T |
std::multiset<T> | pset stl_variable |
std::deque<T> | pdequeue stl_variable |
std::stack<T> | pstack stl_variable |
std::queue<T> | pqueue stl_variable |
std::priority_queue<T> | ppqueue stl_variable |
std::bitset<n>td> | pbitset stl_variable |
std::string | pstring stl_variable |
std::widestring | pwstring stl_variable |
Also see the YoLinux.com STL string class tutorial and debugging with GDB.
De-Referencing a vector: |
Example: STL_vector_int.cpp
view source print ? |
| |
Compile:
g++ -g STL_vector_int.cpp
Debug in GDB: gdb a.out
( |
De-Referencing a 2-D vector of vectors: |
Example: STL_vector_int_2.cpp
view source print ? |
| |
Compile:
g++ -g STL_vector_int_2.cpp
Debug in GDB: gdb a.out
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