Re: [fpc-devel] Help/Guidance please: Dwarf support for properties

2024-04-28 Thread Martin Frb via fpc-devel

On 27/04/2024 22:10, Jonas Maebe via fpc-devel wrote:

On 27/04/2024 21:40, Martin Frb via fpc-devel wrote:
First, telling the asm to store  ".l99 - .ldebuginfo" or telling the 
asm to store 733 (having done the math already) will result in the 
same dwarf info.

Of course this only works for local labels.

The big question here is, if it is ok to use labels (potentially many 
labels) for this purpose.


Sure. The current DWARF writer also does this.


So on Windows (and presumingly Mac) that will all be local labels.

On Linux (I just checked) the current Dwarf writer generates global 
labels (with relocations).
The change in question would add quite a few more of them. As any field 
or method in a class can be referred to by a property (even from another 
unit (except private), it would need to add a label to each and every 
field and method.

[[ see below ]]


So, if that is OK, then I would appreciate some pointers how I can best 
generate those labels.
Some of the code does not have a TDef - Which is needed for 
"get_def_dwarf_labs()".


Then again, I might have another look at Joost's code and try to 
rebase/fix it for current trunk


But then before I do, is there any feedback on it?
What would be the requirements to get it accepted?

Would there be preferences between the 2 approaches?

At least on macOS there's no support for storing the difference 
between two labels in s/uleb128 in DWARF.


That should be (from dwarf point of view) the same as on Windows? On 
Windows the generated dwarf does only have references within each 
compilation unit.
I don't have a Mac at hand right now, but I assume that an Mac any 
declaration from another unit (such as e.g.  base classes) will have a 
copy written to any unit in which they need to be referenced.



---
Off topic to properties, but looking at what currently happens on Linux

The compiler is smart enough to only add exported-labels for types in an 
"interface section".


Types private to the unit, well... It seems they were meant to get local 
labels, but do get exported too?

They get (on linux) labels like (on windows that is just .ld20):
    _$UNIT1$_Ld20

And that label is present in the .o file.


___
fpc-devel maillist  -  fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org
https://lists.freepascal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fpc-devel


Re: [fpc-devel] Help/Guidance please: Dwarf support for properties

2024-04-27 Thread Jonas Maebe via fpc-devel

On 27/04/2024 21:40, Martin Frb via fpc-devel wrote:
Maybe a miss understanding: storing the difference between 2 local 
labels would be the asm?

But if (e.g. on Linux) it is cross units then its the linker.

There are 2 consideration here.

1)
First, telling the asm to store  ".l99 - .ldebuginfo" or telling the asm 
to store 733 (having done the math already) will result in the same 
dwarf info.

Of course this only works for local labels.

The big question here is, if it is ok to use labels (potentially many 
labels) for this purpose.


Sure. The current DWARF writer also does this.

 From the mails at the dwarf list, it seems Joost wanted to avoid this, 
but it is not clear why.


Joost then went on, to count the bytes that are added by each bit of 
dwarf info written (same as the asm would do), and therefore be able to 
write the number directly (or in some cases iirc write it later into the 
gap).
That leads to a very big changeset, as the entire dwarf generating code 
needs to do counting.
(And IMHO, that is very easy to accidentally break / and if just one 
very specific dwarf encoding breaks it, it may be months until found)


There's one case in which you would have to do it manually: if you want 
to save those offsets in leb128 encoding. At least on macOS there's no 
support for storing the difference between two labels in s/uleb128 in DWARF.



2)
At least on Linux, references for dwarf go across compilation units.

On Windows, if "unit1" has "TForm1 = class(TForm)", that leads to *all* 
base classes being encoded into that unit. Almost every unit will 
therefore have a copy of TObject (if it is oop). On Linux, only one unit 
has this.


I must say, I haven't checked how Joost's code deals with that. (and 
mine would probably still need work for that too, but before doing 
anything, I am trying to find out what is ok).
Afaik that is why there is: tf_dwarf_only_local_labels in 
target_info.flags


Correct.


Jonas

___
fpc-devel maillist  -  fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org
https://lists.freepascal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fpc-devel


Re: [fpc-devel] Help/Guidance please: Dwarf support for properties

2024-04-27 Thread Martin Frb via fpc-devel

On 27/04/2024 20:29, Jonas Maebe via fpc-devel wrote:

On 27/04/2024 17:18, Martin Frb via fpc-devel wrote:


One of the posts also brings up the idea of avoiding labels (in asm), 
and keep track of locations by counting the bytes in the generated 
dwarf as part of the compilers work (IMHO duplicate what the asm 
already can do?)


That's not the assembler's, but the linker's job. And on macOS, the 
DWARF info is not processed by the linker and hence can only contain 
relative offsets (differences between two local labels).


Maybe a miss understanding: storing the difference between 2 local 
labels would be the asm?

But if (e.g. on Linux) it is cross units then its the linker.

There are 2 consideration here.

1)
First, telling the asm to store  ".l99 - .ldebuginfo" or telling the asm 
to store 733 (having done the math already) will result in the same 
dwarf info.

Of course this only works for local labels.

The big question here is, if it is ok to use labels (potentially many 
labels) for this purpose.
From the mails at the dwarf list, it seems Joost wanted to avoid this, 
but it is not clear why.


Joost then went on, to count the bytes that are added by each bit of 
dwarf info written (same as the asm would do), and therefore be able to 
write the number directly (or in some cases iirc write it later into the 
gap).
That leads to a very big changeset, as the entire dwarf generating code 
needs to do counting.
(And IMHO, that is very easy to accidentally break / and if just one 
very specific dwarf encoding breaks it, it may be months until found)


But, then again I don't know anything about the impact of such amounts 
of additional labels...



2)
At least on Linux, references for dwarf go across compilation units.

On Windows, if "unit1" has "TForm1 = class(TForm)", that leads to *all* 
base classes being encoded into that unit. Almost every unit will 
therefore have a copy of TObject (if it is oop). On Linux, only one unit 
has this.


I must say, I haven't checked how Joost's code deals with that. (and 
mine would probably still need work for that too, but before doing 
anything, I am trying to find out what is ok).
Afaik that is why there is: tf_dwarf_only_local_labels in 
target_info.flags



___
fpc-devel maillist  -  fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org
https://lists.freepascal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fpc-devel


Re: [fpc-devel] Help/Guidance please: Dwarf support for properties

2024-04-27 Thread Jonas Maebe via fpc-devel

On 27/04/2024 17:18, Martin Frb via fpc-devel wrote:


One of the posts also brings up the idea of avoiding labels (in asm), 
and keep track of locations by counting the bytes in the generated dwarf 
as part of the compilers work (IMHO duplicate what the asm already can do?)


That's not the assembler's, but the linker's job. And on macOS, the 
DWARF info is not processed by the linker and hence can only contain 
relative offsets (differences between two local labels).



Jonas
___
fpc-devel maillist  -  fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org
https://lists.freepascal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fpc-devel


Re: [fpc-devel] Help/Guidance please: Dwarf support for properties

2024-04-27 Thread Martin Frb via fpc-devel

On 27/04/2024 17:05, Martin Frb via fpc-devel wrote:

On 27/04/2024 15:24, Jonas Maebe via fpc-devel wrote:

On 27/04/2024 13:45, Martin Frb via fpc-devel wrote:
Ok, I would like to start another attempt to support properties when 
using fpdebug as debugger.


I would recommend asking guidance on the DWARF list (dwarf-discuss). 
Maybe there are already standard-supported constructs to do this.





It is not mentioned in the latest draft for dwarf 6. 
https://snapshots.sourceware.org/dwarfstd/dwarf-spec/latest/


Joost actually checked
https://lists.dwarfstd.org/pipermail/dwarf-discuss/2021-May/thread.html
https://lists.dwarfstd.org/pipermail/dwarf-discuss/2021-June/thread.html

And Joost based his implementation on this.


One of the posts also brings up the idea of avoiding labels (in asm), 
and keep track of locations by counting the bytes in the generated dwarf 
as part of the compilers work (IMHO duplicate what the asm already can do?)

___
fpc-devel maillist  -  fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org
https://lists.freepascal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fpc-devel


Re: [fpc-devel] Help/Guidance please: Dwarf support for properties

2024-04-27 Thread Martin Frb via fpc-devel

On 27/04/2024 15:24, Jonas Maebe via fpc-devel wrote:

On 27/04/2024 13:45, Martin Frb via fpc-devel wrote:
Ok, I would like to start another attempt to support properties when 
using fpdebug as debugger.


I would recommend asking guidance on the DWARF list (dwarf-discuss). 
Maybe there are already standard-supported constructs to do this.





It is not mentioned in the latest draft for dwarf 6. 
https://snapshots.sourceware.org/dwarfstd/dwarf-spec/latest/



___
fpc-devel maillist  -  fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org
https://lists.freepascal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fpc-devel


Re: [fpc-devel] Help/Guidance please: Dwarf support for properties

2024-04-27 Thread Jonas Maebe via fpc-devel

On 27/04/2024 13:45, Martin Frb via fpc-devel wrote:
Ok, I would like to start another attempt to support properties when 
using fpdebug as debugger.


I would recommend asking guidance on the DWARF list (dwarf-discuss). 
Maybe there are already standard-supported constructs to do this.



Jonas

___
fpc-devel maillist  -  fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org
https://lists.freepascal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fpc-devel


[fpc-devel] Help/Guidance please: Dwarf support for properties

2024-04-27 Thread Martin Frb via fpc-devel
Ok, I would like to start another attempt to support properties when 
using fpdebug as debugger.


The idea is to add custom tags in the dwarf info. This can be done by a 
new option -godwarfporperties

Though, it may be better to go with -godwarffpdbg / similar to -godwarfcpp

Making it fpdebug specific will allow to add other info, that would 
benefit debugging Pascal, but isn't in Dwarf...



In 2022 Joost did an attempt:
https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/fpc/source/-/compare/main...joost%2Fdwarfproperties?from_project_id=28644964=false

I didn't understand the reasons behind (but then I am not familiar with 
the FPC codebase).

I do now get some guesses as to why...

-
But anyway, I started my own attempt based on that.
https://gitlab.com/martin_frb/fpc-src/-/compare/main...martin-dwarf-properties?from_project_id=28644964=false

The first problem is getting labels for items that need to be referenced.

2a267440b240be3aa99d0c14fd6c8dcf90a27f99
For procedures this is explained in the first commit => they currently 
have an (possible intentional) unbalanced dbg_state_writing.

Requiring them to have a label, conflicts with that.
I welcome feedback on the suggestions in my commit message.

19e6b4fea54b85df1ad8df221947231d01d98bb9
Just completing the above, and write the labels.

959566d705d6a464b3076a97ddaa8213c9d9ec9f
Same problem for DW_TAG_MEMBER
My "workaround" is certainly wrong.  But currently there is no SYM.
How can I get labels for it?
Such as that they also work, if the field is in the parent, in a diff 
unit => which on linux requires a global label, since the declaration is 
NOT copied into the current unit.


50f7d0d53a20cef541f87b474a7b8cc39558808d
Write the basic info.
Currently only works if the property field/getter is in the same object 
(or base class), but not if it is in a record belonging to the object.
The latter requires the structure address to be also written, and 
resolving the record to the field...


But before I go and spent time on that, I would like to first resolve 
all the issues that already exist.


-
Using -godwarffpdbg would also allow for this:
https://gitlab.com/martin_frb/fpc-src/-/compare/main...martin-entry-pc?from_project_id=28644964=false

Which makes sure there is an address for each of the functions that need 
to be called.


-
Test implementation in Lazarus
https://gitlab.com/martin_frb/lazarus/-/commits/fpdebug-godwarfproperties

properties with getters aren't called yet. It shows the getter, as if it 
was an event variable.


But if the getter has an address, it can be called by adding "()" (and 
enabling function eval).

At least for datatypes supported in function calls.

Looking forward to some feedback.
Martin

___
fpc-devel maillist  -  fpc-devel@lists.freepascal.org
https://lists.freepascal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fpc-devel