Make gdb read project specific .gdbinit when using Qt Creator - gdb

~/.gdbinit is loaded when I start a remote debugging session from Qt Creator.
How can I force gdb to load a project specific .gdbinit file?
I've added this line to ~/.gdbinit
set auto-load local-gdbinit on
and added an additional .gdbinit file to my project directory and to the build output directory, but gdb seems to ignore both.
The manual for local-gdbinit says, that when set to on, gdb will look for a .gdbinit in the current directory. But I can't even figure out what the current directory is once Qt Creator starts gdb, so I'm pretty lost.
In another failed attempt (as found in this answer) I've added this to ~/.gdbinit
set auto-load safe-path /
Qt Creator version is 2.7.1, gdb version is 7.4-2012.04.

I'm doing remote debugging as well, and I looked at the "Debugger Log" view's output from pwd and the working directory was set to the directory I specified in the "Attach to Remote Debugger" dialog. I don't think the local working directory has anything to do with the remote working directory in this case.
I then just set up my ~/.gdbinit to add my source directory to the auto-load safe-path and auto-load local-gdbinit on, then put my project-specific custom .gdbinit in my source directory and it just worked, at least for me.

Related

How to set the working directory of an executable program in Mac OSX

I created a C++ project in Xcode which successfully builds and runs a program in the Xcode environment. This program is dependent on existing in its current working directory to access several files. Outside of the Xcode environment, when I double-click on the executable file, I get a message that notifies me that the terminal exits the current working directory.
The current working directory exiting twice
[1]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/EZ5kc.png
After the exit messages, my current working directory results in /Users/chefjeff/
Judging by this other post: How to change default working directory on Mac OS X?
There might not be an easy solution to double-clicking an executable so that it opens in its current directory, but I still need a solution to using the GUI on Mac in some sort of way to open the file in its working directory.
EDIT:
The project folder, CultGame, must be able to exist at any location in the user's filesystem and still have its packaged files and executable files work.
So here's how I solved this:
I couldn't change the default directory that double-clicking on the program to run it would start up on.
I can use the chdir() function to move around directories. I moved to the root directory using chdir() after the program began and started me in Users/Username. More on chdir here: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/chdir-in-c-language-with-examples/
I used _NSGetExecutablePath() to get the directory that the currently executing file is located in. More on that here: https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/System/Conceptual/ManPages_iPhoneOS/man3/dyld.3.html
From root, I used chdir() to navigate to the path of the currently executing file which I obtained with _NSGetExecutablePath().
I will update my answer in a bit with a code example. Hopefully this helps!

GDB set breakpoints with absolute paths

I'm trying to debug an application compiled with Ninja.
I have my source code /usr/local/...project-src/
I have my build output located at /usr/local/...project-src/out/Debug/build
The compiled output includes debug information
file out/Debug/build includes:
ELF 64-bit LSB shared object, x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked, interpreter /lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2, for GNU/Linux 3.2.0, with debug_info, not stripped
I'm able to add breakpoints when using relative paths:
cd /usr/local/...project-src
gdb
file out/Debug/build
b x/y.cc:34
# success
Breakpoint 1 at <mem-loc>: file ../../x/y.cc, line 34.
But when I use absolute paths, it fails
cd /usr/local/...project-src
gdb
file out/Debug/build
b /usr/local/...project-src/x/y.cc
# failure
No source file named /usr/local/...project/x/y.cc.
info source prints No current source file.
dir prints Source directories searched: /usr/local/...project-src/out/Debug:$cdir:$cwd
I've also tried:
b ../../x/y.cc, I tried this since that's what the successful command outputs. Surprisingly, it didn't work which is really confusing me.
running gdb from the root directory and other directories.
doing cd to various directories after starting gdb
messing around with set substitute-path and adding directories using dir
I'm hoping the solution is simple, since breakpoints, and variable values, and everything else works, just not with absolute paths.
Also worth noting, once I've successfully added a breakpoint to a file (using the relative path), the other paths also work (both the absolute path and the ../../x/y.cc path).
Lastly, as to why I want absolute paths to work, I'm using CLion's remote-gdb configuration to connect to a gdbserver, and CLion is using absolute paths for whatever reason. Perhaps there is a way to configure CLion to just use the x/y.cc instead? I'm running the gdbserver with gdbserver :2000 out/Debug/build and configured CLion's target remote, symbol file, and sysroot. I've also tried setting the path mappings in CLion.
Edit, testing on a dummy HelloWorld project using g++ -g instead of ninja to build, I'm able to add breakpoints using absolute paths e.g. b /usr/local/...untitled/main.cpp:4. So it seems to be, for some reason, gdb supports full paths for the HelloWorld project built with g++, but not for the real project built with Ninja.
tldr, resolved using gdb --readnow.
Per the comment suggestion I began digging into my build config. 2 things I noticed:
1) The issue disappeared if I built with less debug details. But then I wouldn't be able to inspect expressions & variables. So I thought the issue may somehow related to gdb not having enough memory or cache to load all the debug info. This sounds reasonable since the project source code contains 100,000's of files.
2) As I mentioned earlier, I could add breakpoints using absolute paths after I had added a breakpoint using a relative path to the same file.
I learnt of the info, info set, and info sources commands. Although the outputs were the same between the light-weight debug build and the full debug built (step 1), I noticed that the output of info sources changed in step 2. Before I had added the breakpoint using a relative path, `info sources would list all source files under 'Source files for which symbols will be read in on demand'. But after adding a relative breakpoint, a few of the files (I think the files on the current frame) would be added to the loaded source files.
So I went looking for a way to tell gdb to load all the source files and discovered the gdb --readnow flag (or file <built-file> -readnow with 1 dash -) and though it prints a bunch of warning messages, it seems to resolve my issue.
That being said, I never discovered how to configure CLion to use the readnow flag. The newest EAP (2019.3) release supposedly supports configuring .gdbinit files individual per project, though I haven't tried this. I also don't know if readnow can be configured in a .gdbinit file since it's not a setting. I kind of circumvented the entire configuring CLion issue when I figured how to correctly configure custom build targets and applications in CLion during this investigation.
Edit,
Yet another workaround. If I cd into /usr/local/...project-src/out/Debug which contains the build file (as opposed to /usr/local/...project-src/), then absolute paths work even without readnow.

Deploy a custom built project with QtCreator

I am using a custom build system (not CMake or qmake) with QtCreator 4.6.0 IDE on Linux, though I have both of these plugins installed.
My project is cross-compiled for an embedded Linux device, which I have set up the kit for. It builds fine, but the trouble is in the deployment step, where the custom build system does not tell it the executable file, so it does not know which files to deploy to the device. I have been referring to this page:
http://doc.qt.io/qtcreator/creator-deployment-embedded-linux.html
In my Run Settings page, I have the Deployment section to "Upload files via SFTP", but the "Files to deploy" list is empty (see the first screenshot in the above link). When I attempt to deploy/run, it confirms no files were deployed, as it outputs:
No deployment action necessary. Skipping.
Deploy step finished.
The documentation link first says to "Edit the qmake INSTALLS variable in the project .pro file to add the missing files.", however, my project has no .pro file at all. I created one for fun, and QtCreator has no idea it exists to be able to look at the INSTALLS line anyway, so that doesn't work.
In the "Deploying CMake Projects to Embedded Linux Devices" section at the bottom, it then says "You must specify all other files in the QtCreatorDeployment.txt file that you create and place in either the root directory of the CMake project or the build directory of the active build configuration." So I created such a file in the main project directory, as well as the build directory:
/home/root
build/test:.
The file makes no difference to the "Files to deploy" list, even after restarting. It seems to suggest this method is for CMake anyway. However, I have not even explicitly turned off the CMake building in the Build&Run > Kits, so I would not even know how to start making it build with CMake (and there is no insight from the documentation page: https://doc.qt.io/qtcreator/creator-project-cmake.html). The one thing I did change on the Build Settings page was in the "Build Steps" to do "Custom Process Step" instead of the usual Make step.
How do I add files to the "Files to deploy" list?
QtCreator 4.9 now supports specifying the QtCreatorDeployment.txt file for generic (non-CMake) projects to achieve this.
https://doc.qt.io/qtcreator/creator-deployment-embedded-linux.html#deploying-cmake-projects-to-embedded-linux-devices
https://blog.qt.io/blog/2019/02/21/qt-creator-4-9-beta-released/

Eclipse GDB can't find source files

My workspaces are located in my home directory.
I am currently trying to debug python code which loads a shared C++ library, using Eclipse Oxygen and PyDev. I can debug the Python files just fine.
I run the program (pytest unit test if that matters) with a breakpoint somewhere in the test before the shared library is called (but after it is loaded) and then run a C/C++ Attach to Application debug and attach to the paused python thread. I then set a breakpoint in my C++ code and resume python, and get this from the GDB console output:
No source file named /home/myname/.../models/sourcefile.cpp
Doing an ls /home/myname/.../models clearly shows that that file exists.
I'm not sure if this matters but my library was compiled with CMake where the source and build directory are siblings. E.g. workspace is ~/dev and source is in ~/dev/sourceFolder and build files are in ~/dev/buildFolder
Update:
I was able to attach to the running Python debug thread manually in the console using gdb python <thread_number>. This works and finds my source files just fine, allowing me to debug manually in the console. It would still be much faster and less cumbersome if I were able to get it to work in Eclipse.
Things I've tried in the C++ debug config settings:
In preferences, changing C/C++ -> Debug -> Source Lookup to have
absolute file path first, profile first, and relative file path
first
In CppDebug settings debugger tab, manually added build and source directory to shared libraries
In CppDebug settings source tab, manually added source directory in source lookup path
None of these seemed to do much.
For cmake projects:
The launch configuration can default to the wrong executable, so go to launch configuration => main and check the "C/C++ Application"
Change it from this: build/default/
to this: build/cmake.debug.linux.x86_64/
(you can do this with the "Search Project" button.
This will then pick up the correct debug version and all your source will be found when you debug.

Cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory; Running or Debugging in Eclipse

On Ubuntu, I have a C++ app in Eclipse. The application compiles fine and I can run the app from the command line.
But when I try to debug it or run it with Eclipse, the error :
"Cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory" is thrown on a shared library.
I've set LD_LIBRARY_PATH in my bashrc file and also set an LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable in both the Run Configuration and Debug Configuration to :
/home/behlingb/Documents/api_libs/FileGDB_API/lib
What else am I missing here to get Eclipse to run this?
UPDATE
There is only one shared object file this application requires, and that file is from a 3rd party API download. I just found that if I place the shared object inside the directory the executable is in, it will debug in Eclipse. Is there a way to specify a different directory so I dont have to copy the file for every project?
I'm using the Kepler version of Eclipse.
In Eclipse click on Run then Debug Configurations
Click on the Environment Tab
Click on New
Add LD_LIBRARY_PATH and set its value to the directory containing the library
restart Eclipse
If you have set LD_LIBRARY_PATH and it doesn't work. Close Eclipes and run it from command terminal. I accidentally found that this could make it work. Not sure about the reason, but probably have something to do with Eclipes initialization.
you can use strace utility (and then grep for open and/or stat calls) to get list of .so files required to run smth, then use locate (or find among packages) to find out the actual placement of required lib
According to what #zuafi suggested , you do not have to grep for the libraries and `locate' to find them.
Instead save strace's output to a file:
strace -o my_output_file.txt /path/to/my_executable_file
then open the file, where you can see
open("/a/path/to/some/library.so", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
scroll down those lines until you hit
open("/real/path/to/some/library.so", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3 (any value here)
this means before finding /real/path/to/some/library.so there have been several trials to find library.so in different paths. but finally the library has been found in /real/path/to/some/.
Just copy and paste this into your Eclipse!
This is valid with Eclipse Kepler (I have not looked into older versions).
To enable the debugger to load your shared libraries, trying to set LD_LIBRARY_PATH will fail. However the CDT plugin provides a Shared Libraries list for this purpose
Run menu -> Debug Configurations ...
then in the configuration dialog
C/C++ Application -> your project -> Debugger tab -> Shared Libraries tab