+@node Python
+@section Scripting @value{GDBN} using Python
+@cindex python scripting
+@cindex scripting with python
+
+You can script @value{GDBN} using the @uref{http://www.python.org/,
+Python programming language}. This feature is available only if
+@value{GDBN} was configured using @option{--with-python}.
+
+@menu
+* Python Commands:: Accessing Python from @value{GDBN}.
+* Python API:: Accessing @value{GDBN} from Python.
+@end menu
+
+@node Python Commands
+@subsection Python Commands
+@cindex python commands
+@cindex commands to access python
+
+@value{GDBN} provides one command for accessing the Python interpreter,
+and one related setting:
+
+@table @code
+@kindex python
+@item python @r{[}@var{code}@r{]}
+The @code{python} command can be used to evaluate Python code.
+
+If given an argument, the @code{python} command will evaluate the
+argument as a Python command. For example:
+
+@smallexample
+(@value{GDBP}) python print 23
+23
+@end smallexample
+
+If you do not provide an argument to @code{python}, it will act as a
+multi-line command, like @code{define}. In this case, the Python
+script is made up of subsequent command lines, given after the
+@code{python} command. This command list is terminated using a line
+containing @code{end}. For example:
+
+@smallexample
+(@value{GDBP}) python
+Type python script
+End with a line saying just "end".
+>print 23
+>end
+23
+@end smallexample
+
+@kindex maint set python print-stack
+@item maint set python print-stack
+By default, @value{GDBN} will print a stack trace when an error occurs
+in a Python script. This can be controlled using @code{maint set
+python print-stack}: if @code{on}, the default, then Python stack
+printing is enabled; if @code{off}, then Python stack printing is
+disabled.
+@end table
+
+@node Python API
+@subsection Python API
+@cindex python api
+@cindex programming in python
+
+@cindex python stdout
+@cindex python pagination
+At startup, @value{GDBN} overrides Python's @code{sys.stdout} and
+@code{sys.stderr} to print using @value{GDBN}'s output-paging streams.
+A Python program which outputs to one of these streams may have its
+output interrupted by the user (@pxref{Screen Size}). In this
+situation, a Python @code{KeyboardInterrupt} exception is thrown.
+
+@menu
+* Basic Python:: Basic Python Functions.
+* Exception Handling::
+* Values From Inferior::
+* Commands In Python:: Implementing new commands in Python.
+@end menu
+
+@node Basic Python
+@subsubsection Basic Python
+
+@cindex python functions
+@cindex python module
+@cindex gdb module
+@value{GDBN} introduces a new Python module, named @code{gdb}. All
+methods and classes added by @value{GDBN} are placed in this module.
+@value{GDBN} automatically @code{import}s the @code{gdb} module for
+use in all scripts evaluated by the @code{python} command.
+
+@findex gdb.execute
+@defun execute command [from_tty]
+Evaluate @var{command}, a string, as a @value{GDBN} CLI command.
+If a GDB exception happens while @var{command} runs, it is
+translated as described in @ref{Exception Handling,,Exception Handling}.
+If no exceptions occur, this function returns @code{None}.
+
+@var{from_tty} specifies whether @value{GDBN} ought to consider this
+command as having originated from the user invoking it interactively.
+It must be a boolean value. If omitted, it defaults to @code{False}.
+@end defun
+
+@findex gdb.get_parameter
+@defun get_parameter parameter
+Return the value of a @value{GDBN} parameter. @var{parameter} is a
+string naming the parameter to look up; @var{parameter} may contain
+spaces if the parameter has a multi-part name. For example,
+@samp{print object} is a valid parameter name.
+
+If the named parameter does not exist, this function throws a
+@code{RuntimeError}. Otherwise, the parameter's value is converted to
+a Python value of the appropriate type, and returned.
+@end defun
+
+@findex gdb.history
+@defun history number
+Return a value from @value{GDBN}'s value history (@pxref{Value
+History}). @var{number} indicates which history element to return.
+If @var{number} is negative, then @value{GDBN} will take its absolute value
+and count backward from the last element (i.e., the most recent element) to
+find the value to return. If @var{number} is zero, then @value{GDBN} will
+return the most recent element. If the element specified by @var{number}
+doesn't exist in the value history, a @code{RuntimeError} exception will be
+raised.
+
+If no exception is raised, the return value is always an instance of
+@code{gdb.Value} (@pxref{Values From Inferior}).
+@end defun
+
+@findex gdb.write
+@defun write string
+Print a string to @value{GDBN}'s paginated standard output stream.
+Writing to @code{sys.stdout} or @code{sys.stderr} will automatically
+call this function.
+@end defun
+
+@findex gdb.flush
+@defun flush
+Flush @value{GDBN}'s paginated standard output stream. Flushing
+@code{sys.stdout} or @code{sys.stderr} will automatically call this
+function.
+@end defun
+
+@node Exception Handling
+@subsubsection Exception Handling
+@cindex python exceptions
+@cindex exceptions, python
+
+When executing the @code{python} command, Python exceptions
+uncaught within the Python code are translated to calls to
+@value{GDBN} error-reporting mechanism. If the command that called
+@code{python} does not handle the error, @value{GDBN} will
+terminate it and print an error message containing the Python
+exception name, the associated value, and the Python call stack
+backtrace at the point where the exception was raised. Example:
+
+@smallexample
+(@value{GDBP}) python print foo
+Traceback (most recent call last):
+ File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
+NameError: name 'foo' is not defined
+@end smallexample
+
+@value{GDBN} errors that happen in @value{GDBN} commands invoked by Python
+code are converted to Python @code{RuntimeError} exceptions. User
+interrupt (via @kbd{C-c} or by typing @kbd{q} at a pagination
+prompt) is translated to a Python @code{KeyboardInterrupt}
+exception. If you catch these exceptions in your Python code, your
+exception handler will see @code{RuntimeError} or
+@code{KeyboardInterrupt} as the exception type, the @value{GDBN} error
+message as its value, and the Python call stack backtrace at the
+Python statement closest to where the @value{GDBN} error occured as the
+traceback.
+
+@node Values From Inferior
+@subsubsection Values From Inferior
+@cindex values from inferior, with Python
+@cindex python, working with values from inferior
+
+@cindex @code{gdb.Value}
+@value{GDBN} provides values it obtains from the inferior program in
+an object of type @code{gdb.Value}. @value{GDBN} uses this object
+for its internal bookkeeping of the inferior's values, and for
+fetching values when necessary.
+
+Inferior values that are simple scalars can be used directly in
+Python expressions that are valid for the value's data type. Here's
+an example for an integer or floating-point value @code{some_val}:
+
+@smallexample
+bar = some_val + 2
+@end smallexample
+
+@noindent
+As result of this, @code{bar} will also be a @code{gdb.Value} object
+whose values are of the same type as those of @code{some_val}.
+
+Inferior values that are structures or instances of some class can
+be accessed using the Python @dfn{dictionary syntax}. For example, if
+@code{some_val} is a @code{gdb.Value} instance holding a structure, you
+can access its @code{foo} element with:
+
+@smallexample
+bar = some_val['foo']
+@end smallexample
+
+Again, @code{bar} will also be a @code{gdb.Value} object.
+
+For pointer data types, @code{gdb.Value} provides a method for
+dereferencing the pointer to obtain the object it points to.
+
+@defmethod Value dereference
+This method returns a new @code{gdb.Value} object whose contents is
+the object pointed to by the pointer. For example, if @code{foo} is
+a C pointer to an @code{int}, declared in your C program as
+
+@smallexample
+int *foo;
+@end smallexample
+
+@noindent
+then you can use the corresponding @code{gdb.Value} to access what
+@code{foo} points to like this:
+
+@smallexample
+bar = foo.dereference ()
+@end smallexample
+
+The result @code{bar} will be a @code{gdb.Value} object holding the
+value pointed to by @code{foo}.
+@end defmethod
+
+@defmethod Value string @r{[}encoding @r{[}errors@r{]}@r{]}
+If this @code{gdb.Value} represents a string, then this method
+converts the contents to a Python string. Otherwise, this method will
+throw an exception.
+
+Strings are recognized in a language-specific way; whether a given
+@code{gdb.Value} represents a string is determined by the current
+language.
+
+For C-like languages, a value is a string if it is a pointer to or an
+array of characters or ints. The string is assumed to be terminated
+by a zero of the appropriate width.
+
+If the optional @var{encoding} argument is given, it must be a string
+naming the encoding of the string in the @code{gdb.Value}, such as
+@code{"ascii"}, @code{"iso-8859-6"} or @code{"utf-8"}. It accepts
+the same encodings as the corresponding argument to Python's
+@code{string.decode} method, and the Python codec machinery will be used
+to convert the string. If @var{encoding} is not given, or if
+@var{encoding} is the empty string, then either the @code{target-charset}
+(@pxref{Character Sets}) will be used, or a language-specific encoding
+will be used, if the current language is able to supply one.
+
+The optional @var{errors} argument is the same as the corresponding
+argument to Python's @code{string.decode} method.
+@end defmethod
+
+@node Commands In Python
+@subsubsection Commands In Python
+
+@cindex commands in python
+@cindex python commands
+You can implement new @value{GDBN} CLI commands in Python. A CLI
+command is implemented using an instance of the @code{gdb.Command}
+class, most commonly using a subclass.
+
+@defmethod Command __init__ name @var{command-class} @r{[}@var{completer-class} @var{prefix}@r{]}
+The object initializer for @code{Command} registers the new command
+with @value{GDBN}. This initializer is normally invoked from the
+subclass' own @code{__init__} method.
+
+@var{name} is the name of the command. If @var{name} consists of
+multiple words, then the initial words are looked for as prefix
+commands. In this case, if one of the prefix commands does not exist,
+an exception is raised.
+
+There is no support for multi-line commands.
+
+@var{command-class} should be one of the @samp{COMMAND_} constants
+defined below. This argument tells @value{GDBN} how to categorize the
+new command in the help system.
+
+@var{completer-class} is an optional argument. If given, it should be
+one of the @samp{COMPLETE_} constants defined below. This argument
+tells @value{GDBN} how to perform completion for this command. If not
+given, @value{GDBN} will attempt to complete using the object's
+@code{complete} method (see below); if no such method is found, an
+error will occur when completion is attempted.
+
+@var{prefix} is an optional argument. If @code{True}, then the new
+command is a prefix command; sub-commands of this command may be
+registered.
+
+The help text for the new command is taken from the Python
+documentation string for the command's class, if there is one. If no
+documentation string is provided, the default value ``This command is
+not documented.'' is used.
+@end defmethod
+
+@cindex don't repeat Python command
+@defmethod Command dont_repeat
+By default, a @value{GDBN} command is repeated when the user enters a
+blank line at the command prompt. A command can suppress this
+behavior by invoking the @code{dont_repeat} method. This is similar
+to the user command @code{dont-repeat}, see @ref{Define, dont-repeat}.
+@end defmethod
+
+@defmethod Command invoke argument from_tty
+This method is called by @value{GDBN} when this command is invoked.
+
+@var{argument} is a string. It is the argument to the command, after
+leading and trailing whitespace has been stripped.
+
+@var{from_tty} is a boolean argument. When true, this means that the
+command was entered by the user at the terminal; when false it means
+that the command came from elsewhere.
+
+If this method throws an exception, it is turned into a @value{GDBN}
+@code{error} call. Otherwise, the return value is ignored.
+@end defmethod
+
+@cindex completion of Python commands
+@defmethod Command complete text word
+This method is called by @value{GDBN} when the user attempts
+completion on this command. All forms of completion are handled by
+this method, that is, the @key{TAB} and @key{M-?} key bindings
+(@pxref{Completion}), and the @code{complete} command (@pxref{Help,
+complete}).
+
+The arguments @var{text} and @var{word} are both strings. @var{text}
+holds the complete command line up to the cursor's location.
+@var{word} holds the last word of the command line; this is computed
+using a word-breaking heuristic.
+
+The @code{complete} method can return several values:
+@itemize @bullet
+@item
+If the return value is a sequence, the contents of the sequence are
+used as the completions. It is up to @code{complete} to ensure that the
+contents actually do complete the word. A zero-length sequence is
+allowed, it means that there were no completions available. Only
+string elements of the sequence are used; other elements in the
+sequence are ignored.
+
+@item
+If the return value is one of the @samp{COMPLETE_} constants defined
+below, then the corresponding @value{GDBN}-internal completion
+function is invoked, and its result is used.
+
+@item
+All other results are treated as though there were no available
+completions.
+@end itemize
+@end defmethod
+
+When a new command is registered, it must be declared as a member of
+some general class of commands. This is used to classify top-level
+commands in the on-line help system; note that prefix commands are not
+listed under their own category but rather that of their top-level
+command. The available classifications are represented by constants
+defined in the @code{gdb} module:
+
+@table @code
+@findex COMMAND_NONE
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_NONE
+@item COMMAND_NONE
+The command does not belong to any particular class. A command in
+this category will not be displayed in any of the help categories.
+
+@findex COMMAND_RUNNING
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_RUNNING
+@item COMMAND_RUNNING
+The command is related to running the inferior. For example,
+@code{start}, @code{step}, and @code{continue} are in this category.
+Type @kbd{help running} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
+commands in this category.
+
+@findex COMMAND_DATA
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_DATA
+@item COMMAND_DATA
+The command is related to data or variables. For example,
+@code{call}, @code{find}, and @code{print} are in this category. Type
+@kbd{help data} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands
+in this category.
+
+@findex COMMAND_STACK
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_STACK
+@item COMMAND_STACK
+The command has to do with manipulation of the stack. For example,
+@code{backtrace}, @code{frame}, and @code{return} are in this
+category. Type @kbd{help stack} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a
+list of commands in this category.
+
+@findex COMMAND_FILES
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_FILES
+@item COMMAND_FILES
+This class is used for file-related commands. For example,
+@code{file}, @code{list} and @code{section} are in this category.
+Type @kbd{help files} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
+commands in this category.
+
+@findex COMMAND_SUPPORT
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_SUPPORT
+@item COMMAND_SUPPORT
+This should be used for ``support facilities'', generally meaning
+things that are useful to the user when interacting with @value{GDBN},
+but not related to the state of the inferior. For example,
+@code{help}, @code{make}, and @code{shell} are in this category. Type
+@kbd{help support} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
+commands in this category.
+
+@findex COMMAND_STATUS
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_STATUS
+@item COMMAND_STATUS
+The command is an @samp{info}-related command, that is, related to the
+state of @value{GDBN} itself. For example, @code{info}, @code{macro},
+and @code{show} are in this category. Type @kbd{help status} at the
+@value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in this category.
+
+@findex COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
+@item COMMAND_BREAKPOINTS
+The command has to do with breakpoints. For example, @code{break},
+@code{clear}, and @code{delete} are in this category. Type @kbd{help
+breakpoints} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in
+this category.
+
+@findex COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
+@item COMMAND_TRACEPOINTS
+The command has to do with tracepoints. For example, @code{trace},
+@code{actions}, and @code{tfind} are in this category. Type
+@kbd{help tracepoints} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
+commands in this category.
+
+@findex COMMAND_OBSCURE
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_OBSCURE
+@item COMMAND_OBSCURE
+The command is only used in unusual circumstances, or is not of
+general interest to users. For example, @code{checkpoint},
+@code{fork}, and @code{stop} are in this category. Type @kbd{help
+obscure} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of commands in this
+category.
+
+@findex COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
+@findex gdb.COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
+@item COMMAND_MAINTENANCE
+The command is only useful to @value{GDBN} maintainers. The
+@code{maintenance} and @code{flushregs} commands are in this category.
+Type @kbd{help internals} at the @value{GDBN} prompt to see a list of
+commands in this category.
+@end table
+
+A new command can use a predefined completion function, either by
+specifying it via an argument at initialization, or by returning it
+from the @code{complete} method. These predefined completion
+constants are all defined in the @code{gdb} module:
+
+@table @code
+@findex COMPLETE_NONE
+@findex gdb.COMPLETE_NONE
+@item COMPLETE_NONE
+This constant means that no completion should be done.
+
+@findex COMPLETE_FILENAME
+@findex gdb.COMPLETE_FILENAME
+@item COMPLETE_FILENAME
+This constant means that filename completion should be performed.
+
+@findex COMPLETE_LOCATION
+@findex gdb.COMPLETE_LOCATION
+@item COMPLETE_LOCATION
+This constant means that location completion should be done.
+@xref{Specify Location}.
+
+@findex COMPLETE_COMMAND
+@findex gdb.COMPLETE_COMMAND
+@item COMPLETE_COMMAND
+This constant means that completion should examine @value{GDBN}
+command names.
+
+@findex COMPLETE_SYMBOL
+@findex gdb.COMPLETE_SYMBOL
+@item COMPLETE_SYMBOL
+This constant means that completion should be done using symbol names
+as the source.
+@end table
+
+The following code snippet shows how a trivial CLI command can be
+implemented in Python:
+
+@smallexample
+class HelloWorld (gdb.Command):
+ """Greet the whole world."""
+
+ def __init__ (self):
+ super (HelloWorld, self).__init__ ("hello-world", gdb.COMMAND_OBSCURE)
+
+ def invoke (self, arg, from_tty):
+ print "Hello, World!"
+
+HelloWorld ()
+@end smallexample
+
+The last line instantiates the class, and is necessary to trigger the
+registration of the command with @value{GDBN}. Depending on how the
+Python code is read into @value{GDBN}, you may need to import the
+@code{gdb} module explicitly.
+
projects / binutils.git / blobdiff