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182 lines
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<title>Tail Call Frames - Debugging with GDB</title>
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<a name="Tail-Call-Frames"></a>
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<p>
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Previous: <a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="Inline-Functions.html#Inline-Functions">Inline Functions</a>,
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Up: <a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Optimized-Code.html#Optimized-Code">Optimized Code</a>
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<h3 class="section">11.2 Tail Call Frames</h3>
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<p><a name="index-tail-call-frames_002c-debugging-837"></a>
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Function <code>B</code> can call function <code>C</code> in its very last statement. In
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unoptimized compilation the call of <code>C</code> is immediately followed by return
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instruction at the end of <code>B</code> code. Optimizing compiler may replace the
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call and return in function <code>B</code> into one jump to function <code>C</code>
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instead. Such use of a jump instruction is called <dfn>tail call</dfn>.
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<p>During execution of function <code>C</code>, there will be no indication in the
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function call stack frames that it was tail-called from <code>B</code>. If function
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<code>A</code> regularly calls function <code>B</code> which tail-calls function <code>C</code>,
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then <span class="sc">gdb</span> will see <code>A</code> as the caller of <code>C</code>. However, in
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some cases <span class="sc">gdb</span> can determine that <code>C</code> was tail-called from
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<code>B</code>, and it will then create fictitious call frame for that, with the
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return address set up as if <code>B</code> called <code>C</code> normally.
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<p>This functionality is currently supported only by DWARF 2 debugging format and
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the compiler has to produce ‘<samp><span class="samp">DW_TAG_call_site</span></samp>’ tags. With
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<span class="sc">gcc</span>, you need to specify <samp><span class="option">-O -g</span></samp> during compilation, to get
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this information.
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<p><kbd>info frame</kbd> command (see <a href="Frame-Info.html#Frame-Info">Frame Info</a>) will indicate the tail call frame
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kind by text <code>tail call frame</code> such as in this sample <span class="sc">gdb</span> output:
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<pre class="smallexample"> (gdb) x/i $pc - 2
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0x40066b <b(int, double)+11>: jmp 0x400640 <c(int, double)>
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(gdb) info frame
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Stack level 1, frame at 0x7fffffffda30:
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rip = 0x40066d in b (amd64-entry-value.cc:59); saved rip 0x4004c5
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tail call frame, caller of frame at 0x7fffffffda30
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source language c++.
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Arglist at unknown address.
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Locals at unknown address, Previous frame's sp is 0x7fffffffda30
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</pre>
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<p>The detection of all the possible code path executions can find them ambiguous.
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There is no execution history stored (possible <a href="Reverse-Execution.html#Reverse-Execution">Reverse Execution</a> is never
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used for this purpose) and the last known caller could have reached the known
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callee by multiple different jump sequences. In such case <span class="sc">gdb</span> still
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tries to show at least all the unambiguous top tail callers and all the
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unambiguous bottom tail calees, if any.
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<dl>
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<a name="set-debug-entry_002dvalues"></a><dt><code>set debug entry-values</code><dd><a name="index-set-debug-entry_002dvalues-838"></a>When set to on, enables printing of analysis messages for both frame argument
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values at function entry and tail calls. It will show all the possible valid
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tail calls code paths it has considered. It will also print the intersection
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of them with the final unambiguous (possibly partial or even empty) code path
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result.
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<br><dt><code>show debug entry-values</code><dd><a name="index-show-debug-entry_002dvalues-839"></a>Show the current state of analysis messages printing for both frame argument
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values at function entry and tail calls.
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</dl>
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<p>The analysis messages for tail calls can for example show why the virtual tail
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call frame for function <code>c</code> has not been recognized (due to the indirect
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reference by variable <code>x</code>):
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<pre class="smallexample"> static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void);
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void (*x) (void) = c;
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) { x++; }
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void) { a (); }
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int main (void) { x (); return 0; }
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Breakpoint 1, DW_OP_entry_value resolving cannot find
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DW_TAG_call_site 0x40039a in main
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a () at t.c:3
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3 static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) { x++; }
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(gdb) bt
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#0 a () at t.c:3
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#1 0x000000000040039a in main () at t.c:5
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</pre>
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<p>Another possibility is an ambiguous virtual tail call frames resolution:
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<pre class="smallexample"> int i;
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) f (void) { i++; }
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) e (void) { f (); }
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) d (void) { f (); }
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (void) { d (); }
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) b (void)
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{ if (i) c (); else e (); }
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (void) { b (); }
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int main (void) { a (); return 0; }
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tailcall: initial: 0x4004d2(a) 0x4004ce(b) 0x4004b2(c) 0x4004a2(d)
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tailcall: compare: 0x4004d2(a) 0x4004cc(b) 0x400492(e)
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tailcall: reduced: 0x4004d2(a) |
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(gdb) bt
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#0 f () at t.c:2
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#1 0x00000000004004d2 in a () at t.c:8
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#2 0x0000000000400395 in main () at t.c:9
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</pre>
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<!-- Convert CALLSEQ#A to CALLSEQ#B depending on HAVE_MAKEINFO_CLICK. -->
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<p>Frames #0 and #2 are real, #1 is a virtual tail call frame.
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The code can have possible execution paths <code>main→a→b→c→d→f</code> or
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<code>main→a→b→e→f</code>, <span class="sc">gdb</span> cannot find which one from the inferior state.
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<p><code>initial:</code> state shows some random possible calling sequence <span class="sc">gdb</span>
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has found. It then finds another possible calling sequcen - that one is
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prefixed by <code>compare:</code>. The non-ambiguous intersection of these two is
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printed as the <code>reduced:</code> calling sequence. That one could have many
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futher <code>compare:</code> and <code>reduced:</code> statements as long as there remain
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any non-ambiguous sequence entries.
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<p>For the frame of function <code>b</code> in both cases there are different possible
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<code>$pc</code> values (<code>0x4004cc</code> or <code>0x4004ce</code>), therefore this frame is
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also ambigous. The only non-ambiguous frame is the one for function <code>a</code>,
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therefore this one is displayed to the user while the ambiguous frames are
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omitted.
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<p>There can be also reasons why printing of frame argument values at function
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entry may fail:
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<pre class="smallexample"> int v;
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) c (int i) { v++; }
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (int i);
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) b (int i) { a (i); }
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static void __attribute__((noinline, noclone)) a (int i)
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{ if (i) b (i - 1); else c (0); }
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int main (void) { a (5); return 0; }
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(gdb) bt
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#0 c (i=i@entry=0) at t.c:2
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#1 0x0000000000400428 in a (DW_OP_entry_value resolving has found
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function "a" at 0x400420 can call itself via tail calls
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i=<optimized out>) at t.c:6
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#2 0x000000000040036e in main () at t.c:7
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</pre>
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<p><span class="sc">gdb</span> cannot find out from the inferior state if and how many times did
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function <code>a</code> call itself (via function <code>b</code>) as these calls would be
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tail calls. Such tail calls would modify thue <code>i</code> variable, therefore
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<span class="sc">gdb</span> cannot be sure the value it knows would be right - <span class="sc">gdb</span>
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prints <code><optimized out></code> instead.
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