Re: Printing out type tree using objdump...

[Ian Lance Taylor <ian at airs dot com>]

Tarmo Pikaro <tapika@yahoo.com> writes:

> > > 4 Type tree in objdump
> > > objdump will provide for perl functionality to
> > print
> > > out the type tree. 
> > > Âobjdump --print_c_type_tree_for_perl will print
> > out
> > > type tree. Type tree is the next step from perl
> > module
> > > called Âpstruct  pstruct allowed to parse stabs
> > > debugging information and generate appropriate
> > > functions for filling out necessary C structures.
> > Type
> > > tree assumes that no code will be generated and
> > > developer can perform necessary structure
> > generation
> > > using type tree. Additional perl module,
> > > encode_decode.pm will be supplied with tree
> > walking
> > > support.
> > 
> > Unfortunately, I have a hard time understanding
> > this.
> Ok, may be I need to provide some background support?
> Tell me which terms here you don't understand, I will
> try to clarify the issue.

I think I understand every term, I just don't understand what you are
actually saying.

> > > ÂMyStruct =>
> > > {
> > >    Âtype => ÂstructureÂ,
> > > 
> > > 	Âelements =>
> > > 	[
> > > 		Âtest1Â => 
> > > 		[ 
> > > 				Âtype => Âuint8Â
> > > 		],
> > > 	]
> > > };
> > 
> > Can we specify this more formally?  Or is this some
> > sort of Perl
> > syntax?  (It's been many years since I've used
> > Perl).
> 
> Ok you need to have a good knowledge of perl, 
> see for more details perldsc, perlreftut, perlref,
> perllol tutorials.
> 
> for example from here:
> http://webmaster.iu.edu/perl56/pod/perldsc.html
> 
> Shortly ...  [1 , 2 , 3] is an array of items '1', '2'
> and '3'. { 'a' => 1, 'b' => 2} is a hash of a=1, b=2.
> (~aka structure)

I don't need or want to know Perl syntax.  What I need to know is that
the above is actual Perl code.  It sounds like it is.

So from the binutils perspective, what we are really talking about
here is an option to dump the debugging information in a format which
can be easily read by Perl.  Right?  The documentation should focus on
specifying precisely and concisely what the output format is.  The
goal should be to make it possible for anybody to write a parser for
that output format.  Otherwise it does not belong in the generic
binutils.

Ian