Once you think you have found an error in your program, you might want to find out for certain whether correcting the apparent error would lead to correct results in the rest of the run. You can find the answer by experiment, using the GDB features for altering execution of the program.
For example, you can store new values into variables or memory locations, give your program a signal, restart it at a different address, or even return prematurely from a function.
To alter the value of a variable, evaluate an assignment expression. See section Expressions. For example,
print x=4
stores the value 4 into the variable x, and then prints the
value of the assignment expression (which is 4).
See section Using GDB with Different Languages, for more
information on operators in supported languages.
If you are not interested in seeing the value of the assignment, use the
set command instead of the print command. set is
really the same as print except that the expression's value is
not printed and is not put in the value history (see section Value history). The expression is evaluated only for its effects.
If the beginning of the argument string of the set command
appears identical to a set subcommand, use the set
variable command instead of just set. This command is identical
to set except for its lack of subcommands. For example, if your
program has a variable width, you get an error if you try to set
a new value with just `set width=13', because GDB has the
command set width:
(gdb) whatis width type = double (gdb) p width $4 = 13 (gdb) set width=47 Invalid syntax in expression.
The invalid expression, of course, is `=47'. In
order to actually set the program's variable width, use
(gdb) set var width=47
Because the set command has many subcommands that can conflict
with the names of program variables, it is a good idea to use the
set variable command instead of just set. For example, if
your program has a variable g, you run into problems if you try
to set a new value with just `set g=4', because GDB has
the command set gnutarget, abbreviated set g:
(gdb) whatis g
type = double
(gdb) p g
$1 = 1
(gdb) set g=4
(gdb) p g
$2 = 1
(gdb) r
The program being debugged has been started already.
Start it from the beginning? (y or n) y
Starting program: /home/smith/cc_progs/a.out
"/home/smith/cc_progs/a.out": can't open to read symbols:
Invalid bfd target.
(gdb) show g
The current BFD target is "=4".
The program variable g did not change, and you silently set the
gnutarget to an invalid value. In order to set the variable
g, use
(gdb) set var g=4
GDB allows more implicit conversions in assignments than C; you can freely store an integer value into a pointer variable or vice versa, and you can convert any structure to any other structure that is the same length or shorter.
To store values into arbitrary places in memory, use the `{...}'
construct to generate a value of specified type at a specified address
(see section Expressions). For example, {int}0x83040 refers
to memory location 0x83040 as an integer (which implies a certain size
and representation in memory), and
set {int}0x83040 = 4
stores the value 4 into that memory location.
Ordinarily, when you continue your program, you do so at the place where
it stopped, with the continue command. You can instead continue at
an address of your own choosing, with the following commands:
jump linespec
tbreak command
in conjunction with jump. See section Setting breakpoints.
The jump command does not change the current stack frame, or
the stack pointer, or the contents of any memory location or any
register other than the program counter. If line linespec is in
a different function from the one currently executing, the results may
be bizarre if the two functions expect different patterns of arguments or
of local variables. For this reason, the jump command requests
confirmation if the specified line is not in the function currently
executing. However, even bizarre results are predictable if you are
well acquainted with the machine-language code of your program.
jump *address
On many systems, you can get much the same effect as the jump
command by storing a new value into the register $pc. The
difference is that this does not start your program running; it only
changes the address of where it will run when you continue. For
example,
set $pc = 0x485
makes the next continue command or stepping command execute at
address 0x485, rather than at the address where your program stopped.
See section Continuing and stepping.
The most common occasion to use the jump command is to back
up--perhaps with more breakpoints set--over a portion of a program
that has already executed, in order to examine its execution in more
detail.
signal signal
signal 2 and signal
SIGINT are both ways of sending an interrupt signal.
Alternatively, if signal is zero, continue execution without
giving a signal. This is useful when your program stopped on account of
a signal and would ordinary see the signal when resumed with the
continue command; `signal 0' causes it to resume without a
signal.
signal does not repeat when you press RET a second time
after executing the command.
Invoking the signal command is not the same as invoking the
kill utility from the shell. Sending a signal with kill
causes GDB to decide what to do with the signal depending on
the signal handling tables (see section Signals). The signal command
passes the signal directly to your program.
return
return expression
return
command. If you give an
expression argument, its value is used as the function's return
value.
When you use return, GDB discards the selected stack frame
(and all frames within it). You can think of this as making the
discarded frame return prematurely. If you wish to specify a value to
be returned, give that value as the argument to return.
This pops the selected stack frame (see section Selecting a frame), and any other frames inside of it, leaving its caller as the innermost remaining frame. That frame becomes selected. The specified value is stored in the registers used for returning values of functions.
The return command does not resume execution; it leaves the
program stopped in the state that would exist if the function had just
returned. In contrast, the finish command (see section Continuing and stepping) resumes execution until the
selected stack frame returns naturally.
call expr
void
returned values.
You can use this variant of the print command if you want to
execute a function from your program, but without cluttering the output
with void returned values. If the result is not void, it
is printed and saved in the value history.
By default, GDB opens the file containing your program's executable code (or the corefile) read-only. This prevents accidental alterations to machine code; but it also prevents you from intentionally patching your program's binary.
If you'd like to be able to patch the binary, you can specify that
explicitly with the set write command. For example, you might
want to turn on internal debugging flags, or even to make emergency
repairs.
set write on
set write off
exec-file or core-file command) after changing set
write, for your new setting to take effect.
show write
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