gdb/doc/observer.texi

   1 @c -*-texinfo-*-
   2
   3 @c This file is part of the GDB manual.
   4 @c
   5 @c Copyright (C) 2003-2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
   6 @c
   7 @c See the file gdbint.texinfo for copying conditions.
   8 @c
   9 @c Also, the @deftypefun lines from this file are processed into a
  10 @c header file during the GDB build process.  Permission is granted
  11 @c to redistribute and/or modify those lines under the terms of the
  12 @c GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
  13 @c Foundation; either version 3 of the License, or (at your option)
  14 @c any later version.
  15
  16 @node GDB Observers
  17 @appendix @value{GDBN} Currently available observers
  18
  19 @section Implementation rationale
  20 @cindex observers implementation rationale
  21
  22 An @dfn{observer} is an entity which is interested in being notified
  23 when GDB reaches certain states, or certain events occur in GDB.
  24 The entity being observed is called the @dfn{subject}.  To receive
  25 notifications, the observer attaches a callback to the subject.
  26 One subject can have several observers.
  27
  28 @file{observer.c} implements an internal generic low-level event
  29 notification mechanism.  This generic event notification mechanism is
  30 then re-used to implement the exported high-level notification
  31 management routines for all possible notifications.
  32
  33 The current implementation of the generic observer provides support
  34 for contextual data.  This contextual data is given to the subject
  35 when attaching the callback.  In return, the subject will provide
  36 this contextual data back to the observer as a parameter of the
  37 callback.
  38
  39 Note that the current support for the contextual data is only partial,
  40 as it lacks a mechanism that would deallocate this data when the
  41 callback is detached.  This is not a problem so far, as this contextual
  42 data is only used internally to hold a function pointer.  Later on, if
  43 a certain observer needs to provide support for user-level contextual
  44 data, then the generic notification mechanism will need to be
  45 enhanced to allow the observer to provide a routine to deallocate the
  46 data when attaching the callback.
  47
  48 The observer implementation is also currently not reentrant.
  49 In particular, it is therefore not possible to call the attach
  50 or detach routines during a notification.
  51
  52 @section Debugging
  53 Observer notifications can be traced using the command @samp{set debug
  54 observer 1} (@pxref{Debugging Output, , Optional messages about
  55 internal happenings, gdb, Debugging with @var{GDBN}}).
  56
  57 @section @code{normal_stop} Notifications
  58 @cindex @code{normal_stop} observer
  59 @cindex notification about inferior execution stop
  60
  61 @value{GDBN} notifies all @code{normal_stop} observers when the
  62 inferior execution has just stopped, the associated messages and
  63 annotations have been printed, and the control is about to be returned
  64 to the user.
  65
  66 Note that the @code{normal_stop} notification is not emitted when
  67 the execution stops due to a breakpoint, and this breakpoint has
  68 a condition that is not met.  If the breakpoint has any associated
  69 commands list, the commands are executed after the notification
  70 is emitted.
  71
  72 The following interfaces are available to manage observers:
  73
  74 @deftypefun extern struct observer *observer_attach_@var{event} (observer_@var{event}_ftype *@var{f})
  75 Using the function @var{f}, create an observer that is notified when
  76 ever @var{event} occurs, return the observer.
  77 @end deftypefun
  78
  79 @deftypefun extern void observer_detach_@var{event} (struct observer *@var{observer});
  80 Remove @var{observer} from the list of observers to be notified when
  81 @var{event} occurs.
  82 @end deftypefun
  83
  84 @deftypefun extern void observer_notify_@var{event} (void);
  85 Send a notification to all @var{event} observers.
  86 @end deftypefun
  87
  88 The following observable events are defined:
  89
  90 @deftypefun void normal_stop (struct bpstats *@var{bs}, int @var{print_frame})
  91 The inferior has stopped for real.  The  @var{bs} argument describes
  92 the breakpoints were are stopped at, if any.  Second argument
  93 @var{print_frame} non-zero means display the location where the
  94 inferior has stopped.
  95 @end deftypefun
  96
  97 @deftypefun void target_changed (struct target_ops *@var{target})
  98 The target's register contents have changed.
  99 @end deftypefun
 100
 101 @deftypefun void executable_changed (void)
 102 The executable being debugged by GDB has changed: The user decided
 103 to debug a different program, or the program he was debugging has
 104 been modified since being loaded by the debugger (by being recompiled,
 105 for instance).
 106 @end deftypefun
 107
 108 @deftypefun void inferior_created (struct target_ops *@var{objfile}, int @var{from_tty})
 109 @value{GDBN} has just connected to an inferior.  For @samp{run},
 110 @value{GDBN} calls this observer while the inferior is still stopped
 111 at the entry-point instruction.  For @samp{attach} and @samp{core},
 112 @value{GDBN} calls this observer immediately after connecting to the
 113 inferior, and before any information on the inferior has been printed.
 114 @end deftypefun
 115
 116 @deftypefun void record_changed (struct inferior *@var{inferior}, int @var{started})
 117 The status of process record for inferior @var{inferior} in
 118 @value{GDBN} has changed.  The process record is started if
 119 @var{started} is true, and the process record is stopped if
 120 @var{started} is false.
 121 @end deftypefun
 122
 123 @deftypefun void solib_loaded (struct so_list *@var{solib})
 124 The shared library specified by @var{solib} has been loaded.  Note that
 125 when @value{GDBN} calls this observer, the library's symbols probably
 126 haven't been loaded yet.
 127 @end deftypefun
 128
 129 @deftypefun void solib_unloaded (struct so_list *@var{solib})
 130 The shared library specified by @var{solib} has been unloaded.
 131 Note that when @value{GDBN} calls this observer, the library's
 132 symbols have not been unloaded yet, and thus are still available.
 133 @end deftypefun
 134
 135 @deftypefun void new_objfile (struct objfile *@var{objfile})
 136 The symbol file specified by @var{objfile} has been loaded.
 137 Called with @var{objfile} equal to @code{NULL} to indicate
 138 previously loaded symbol table data has now been invalidated.
 139 @end deftypefun
 140
 141 @deftypefun void free_objfile (struct objfile *@var{objfile})
 142 The object file specified by @var{objfile} is about to be freed.
 143 @end deftypefun
 144
 145 @deftypefun void new_thread (struct thread_info *@var{t})
 146 The thread specified by @var{t} has been created.
 147 @end deftypefun
 148
 149 @deftypefun void thread_exit (struct thread_info *@var{t}, int @var{silent})
 150 The thread specified by @var{t} has exited.  The @var{silent} argument
 151 indicates that @value{GDBN} is removing the thread from its tables
 152 without wanting to notify the user about it.
 153 @end deftypefun
 154
 155 @deftypefun void thread_stop_requested (ptid_t @var{ptid})
 156 An explicit stop request was issued to @var{ptid}.  If @var{ptid}
 157 equals @var{minus_one_ptid}, the request applied to all threads.  If
 158 @code{ptid_is_pid(ptid)} returns true, the request applied to all
 159 threads of the process pointed at by @var{ptid}.  Otherwise, the
 160 request applied to the single thread pointed at by @var{ptid}.
 161 @end deftypefun
 162
 163 @deftypefun void target_resumed (ptid_t @var{ptid})
 164 The target was resumed.  The @var{ptid} parameter specifies which
 165 thread was resume, and may be RESUME_ALL if all threads are resumed.
 166 @end deftypefun
 167
 168 @deftypefun void about_to_proceed (void)
 169 The target is about to be proceeded.
 170 @end deftypefun
 171
 172 @deftypefun void breakpoint_created (struct breakpoint *@var{b})
 173 A new breakpoint @var{b} has been created.
 174 @end deftypefun
 175
 176 @deftypefun void breakpoint_deleted (struct breakpoint *@var{b})
 177 A breakpoint has been destroyed.  The argument @var{b} is the
 178 pointer to the destroyed breakpoint.
 179 @end deftypefun
 180
 181 @deftypefun void breakpoint_modified (struct breakpoint *@var{b})
 182 A breakpoint has been modified in some way.  The argument @var{b}
 183 is the modified breakpoint.
 184 @end deftypefun
 185
 186 @deftypefun void traceframe_changed (int @var{tfnum}, int @var{tpnum})
 187 The trace frame is changed to @var{tfnum} (e.g., by using the
 188 @code{tfind} command).  If @var{tfnum} is negative, it means
 189 @value{GDBN} resumes live debugging.  The number of the tracepoint
 190 associated with this traceframe is @var{tpnum}.
 191 @end deftypefun
 192
 193 @deftypefun void architecture_changed (struct gdbarch *@var{newarch})
 194 The current architecture has changed.  The argument @var{newarch} is
 195 a pointer to the new architecture.
 196 @end deftypefun
 197
 198 @deftypefun void thread_ptid_changed (ptid_t @var{old_ptid}, ptid_t @var{new_ptid})
 199 The thread's ptid has changed.  The @var{old_ptid} parameter specifies
 200 the old value, and @var{new_ptid} specifies the new value.
 201 @end deftypefun
 202
 203 @deftypefun void inferior_added (struct inferior *@var{inf})
 204 The inferior @var{inf} has been added to the list of inferiors.  At
 205 this point, it might not be associated with any process.
 206 @end deftypefun
 207
 208 @deftypefun void inferior_appeared (struct inferior *@var{inf})
 209 The inferior identified by @var{inf} has been attached to a process.
 210 @end deftypefun
 211
 212 @deftypefun void inferior_exit (struct inferior *@var{inf})
 213 Either the inferior associated with @var{inf} has been detached from the
 214 process, or the process has exited.
 215 @end deftypefun
 216
 217 @deftypefun void inferior_removed (struct inferior *@var{inf})
 218 The inferior @var{inf} has been removed from the list of inferiors.
 219 This method is called immediately before freeing @var{inf}.
 220 @end deftypefun
 221
 222 @deftypefun void memory_changed (struct inferior *@var{inferior}, CORE_ADDR @var{addr}, ssize_t @var{len}, const bfd_byte *@var{data})
 223 Bytes from @var{data} to @var{data} + @var{len} have been written
 224 to the @var{inferior} at @var{addr}.
 225 @end deftypefun
 226
 227 @deftypefun void before_prompt (const char *@var{current_prompt})
 228 Called before a top-level prompt is displayed.  @var{current_prompt} is
 229 the current top-level prompt.
 230 @end deftypefun
 231
 232 @deftypefun void gdb_datadir_changed (void)
 233 Variable gdb_datadir has been set.  The value may not necessarily change.
 234 @end deftypefun
 235
 236 @deftypefun void command_param_changed (const char *@var{param}, const char *@var{value})
 237 The parameter of some @code{set} commands in console are changed.  This
 238 method is called after a command @code{set @var{param} @var{value}}.
 239 @var{param} is the parameter of @code{set} command, and @var{value}
 240 is the value of changed parameter.
 241 @end deftypefun
 242
 243 @deftypefun void tsv_created (const struct trace_state_variable *@var{tsv})
 244 The new trace state variable @var{tsv} is created.
 245 @end deftypefun
 246
 247 @deftypefun void tsv_deleted (const struct trace_state_variable *@var{tsv})
 248 The trace state variable @var{tsv} is deleted.  If @var{tsv} is
 249 @code{NULL}, all trace state variables are deleted.
 250 @end deftypefun
 251
 252 @deftypefun void tsv_modified (const struct trace_state_variable *@var{tsv})
 253 The trace state value @var{tsv} is modified.
 254 @end deftypefun
 255
 256 @deftypefun void test_notification (int @var{somearg})
 257 This observer is used for internal testing.  Do not use.
 258 See testsuite/gdb.gdb/observer.exp.
 259 @end deftypefun
 260