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Re: -var-list --locals proposal
On Saturday 06 January 2007 14:24, Eli Zaretskii wrote:
> > From: Vladimir Prus <ghost@cs.msu.su>
> > Date: Sat, 6 Jan 2007 14:12:54 +0300
> > Cc: gdb@sources.redhat.com
> > >
> > > As you explain further, this will actually list all variables that are
> > > visible in the current scope. So a better name for this command would
> > > be something like "-var-list --scope FRAME" or "-var-list --frame FRAME".
> >
> > At the moment, the "KIND" option to -var-list is document as the kind of
> > objects for which varobjs are creates. Say
> >
> > -var-list --registers ...
> >
> > creates varobjs for registers and
> >
> > -var-list --locals
> >
> > will create varobjs for locals. On the contrary,
> >
> > -var-list --frame
> >
> > would be somewhat inconsistent -- it does not create varobjs for frames.
>
> Then perhaps we shouldn't reuse -var-list for this, but instead create
> a new command entirely.
Or use:
-var-list --all-locals-in-frame
? I don't want to introduce too many commands similar commands.
> > > > I think that to avoid creating and destroying variable
> > > > objects as we step though inner blocks, -var-list should construct
> > > > varobjs for all variables in all blocks of a function.
> > >
> > > Won't lazy creation (on as needed basis) be a better strategy?
> >
> > It might be more efficient. However, different frontend have different ideas
> > how to show local vars. I believe that XCode, for example, shows all
> > locals as soon as you enter the function. Lazy creation would prevent such
> > usage.
>
> We shouldn't punish all front-ends because of what one of them does.
At this point, it's not clear if:
1. Any frontend would need any other behaviour.
2. What the performance overhead would be.
> We could cater to XCode by providing a switch to do what it wants.
I don't think we should introduce switches until a need for such switch
is demonstrated by a frontend that uses the current gdb version
and has some issue with that.
- Volodya