Re: [needs doc review] Re: [RFA 3/3] Implement support for PowerPC BookE masked watchpoints

Eli Zaretskii
2011-05-03T06:24:06Z

> From: Thiago Jung Bauermann <bauerman@br.ibm.com>
> Cc: gdb-patches ml <gdb-patches@sourceware.org>
> Date: Tue, 03 May 2011 01:55:54 -0300
>
> The @code{@r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}} argument allows creation
> of masked watchpoints, if the current architecture supports this
> feature. (Currently, this is only available on PowerPC Embedded
> architecture, see @ref{PowerPC Embedded}.) Specifying a mask argument
> implies the @code{-location} argument.

I would prefer to avoid text in the manual that could easily become
obsolete tomorrow: we don't have any efficient mechanism in place to
tell us to revise such text. So instead of

(Currently, this is only available on PowerPC Embedded architecture,
see @ref{PowerPC Embedded}.)

I would prefer either to say nothing, or use a more vague phrase,
without the too-decisive "currently, available only on...". Like
this, for example:

The @code{@r{[}mask @var{maskvalue}@r{]}} argument allows creation
of masked watchpoints, if the current architecture supports this
feature (e.g., PowerPC Embedded architecture, see @ref{PowerPC
Embedded}.)

> A @dfn{masked watchpoint} specifies a mask in addition to an address
> to watch. The mask specifies that some bits of an address (the bits
> which are reset in the mask) should be ignored when matching the
> address accessed by the inferior against the watchpoint address.
> Thus, a masked watchpoint watches many addresses
> simultaneously---those addresses whose unmasked bits are identical
> to the unmasked bits in the watchpoint address.
>
> became
>
> A @dfn{masked watchpoint} specifies a mask in addition to an address
> to watch. The @code{mask} argument implies the @code{-location}
> argument, which means that the expression will be resolved to a memory
> address at watchpoint creation time (@pxref{Set Watchpoints}.)

What do you mean by "implies"? Do you mean that -location must be
specified if "mask" is specified? If so, "implies" is not a good
word.

I also don't really understand the part about "resolving to a memory
address at watchpoint creation time". What were you trying to say?

Thanks.