Re: coffread.c extension for DLLs without debugging symbols

[Michael Snyder <msnyder@redhat.com>]

Christopher Faylor wrote:
> 
> On Fri, Jan 03, 2003 at 07:39:31PM -0000, Raoul Gough wrote:
> >Proposed ChangeLog entry, assuming the code is accepted:
> >
> >2003-01-03  Raoul Gough  <RaoulGough@yahoo.co.uk>
> >
> > * coffread.c: Support non-debug export symbols for win32 DLLs
> 
> WONDERFUL! I would love to have this code in the windows version of gdb.
> I've often thought about doing something like this but I've never had
> the stamina to look into what it would take to do this.
> 
> I have a few comments.
> 
> 0) The ChangeLog needs more information.  Every new function should be
> mentioned and changes to specific functions should be documented.
> 
> 1) AFAICT, the formatting of the code looks great (a rarity for a first
> timer) except for an odd comment or two which doesn't end in a "." as
> required for a complete sentence.  Yeah, yeah, a total nit but hey we've
> got standards!
> 
> 2) I wonder if this code should be ifdef'ed somehow for Windows since
> it will add extra code for no gain on every COFF platform.  Of course,
> how many of those are there out there?  Maybe this isn't a huge issue
> after all.

Geez, we include EVERY objfile reader on EVERY platform.
Adding a little code to one vanishes into the noise!

> 
> 3) objdump -p already has the ability to read and report on the export
> table.  I wonder if it would be useful (or possible) to generalize this
> code so that gdb and objdump would be using the same base.  I haven't
> looked too closely but I think the code in question is in bfd/peicode.h.
> Hmm.  Maybe objdump isn't interested in the kinds of things that gdb
> is, though, like what section a symbol is associated with...
> 
> Anyway, I'll be giving this an actual test run in the next couple of
> days.  In the meantime, THANK YOU for doing this.  Even given the very
> minor above points, I think this will be a great boon for the Windows
> version of gdb.  This will help enormously in debugging on Windows.
> 
> You will definitely need to get an assignment in to the FSF, though,
> unfortunately.  I think jimb at redhat dot com is the person to help
> you with that.
> 
> cgf
> 
> P.S.  Assuming that this works as advertised, I assume that you will
> have no objections to my releasing a new version of gdb for windows
> with this patch in it before the patch makes its way into the official
> gdb repository, right?  I think there are a few users in the cygwin
> mailing list that would appreciate this change.
> --
> Special for spam email harvesters: send email to aaaspam@sources.redhat.com
> and be permanently blocked from mailing lists at sources.redhat.com.