dbx is a debugger that allows you to step through a program viewing lines of code as they are executed and variable values as they change.
| Compile your program using the –g option of CC | |
| Example: |
CC myfile.cpp –g
| This instructs the compiler to include debug information in your a.out file. | |
| From the directory where your source filess are found, enter: dbx a.out | |
| You will see a bunch of text with new features of dbx and finally you will get the (dbx) prompt. | |
| To get rid of this stuff when you start dbx, create a file (using vi, for instance) in your home directory called .dbxrc that contains the one line: |
dbxenv suppress_startup_message 4.0
| ****Command**** | **********What it does************ |
| list | Displays a chunk of your program listing. |
| list + | Displays the next chunk of your listing |
| list – | Displays the previous chunk of the listing |
| list n,m | List lines n through m |
| run | This causes dbx to reset your program and run it from the beginning. It will continue until the end of the program or until it reaches a breakpoint |
| stop at n | This sets a breakpoint at line n in a program, i.e. a point where execution of the program pauses and waits for action from you. |
| clear | Clears the breakpoint (if any) at the current line |
| delete –all | Clears all breakpoints |
| next | Executes the current line of the program stepping over any function calls in the statement |
| step | Executes the current line of the program stepping into any function calls |
| cont | Continues execution of a program until the next breakpoint |
| dump | Shows the current value of all local variables |
| print var | Shows the current value of var |
| quit | Exit the debugger |
| help command | Gives detailed information on the purpose and syntax of a dbx command |
| commands | Gives one-line description of all dbx commands (there are a lot) |
| check -leaks | Helps detect memory leaks due to improper memory management. |
02/13/02