     [file gdb-cfg.texi not included]

     START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
     * Gdb: (gdb).                     The GNU debugger.
     END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

This file documents the graphical interface to the GNU debugger GDBN.

This is Edition 4.13, January 1995, of Using the Graphical Interface to GDBN for GDB Version GDBVN.

Copyright (C) 1994, 1995 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one.

Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.

Using the Graphical Interface to GDBN
*************************************

This file describes a graphical interface to GDBN, the GNU symbolic debugger.

Starting up GUI GDBN
********************

If GDBN has been configured to use the graphical interface, then you will get the interface automatically upon startup.

When running as a Unix program and using the X11-based interface, you must of course be using an X server and/or workstation, and your DISPLAY environment variable must be set correctly. If either of these is not true, then GDBN will still start up, but will use only the traditional command interface.

The exact layout and appearance of the windows will depend on the host system type.  For instance, GDB under Windows will display its windows inside a larger window, while under Unix/X, each window is a separate toplevel window.  However, general behavior and layout is consistent across all platforms; omissions or restrictions on particular platforms, if not documented as unavoidable, should be considered bugs and reported.

All GDB windows have a common structure.  Each window has an associated menu bar, which may be at the top of the window or perhaps elsewhere. Some of the menus and menu items in the menu bar are common to all GDB windows, while others are specific to particular types of windows. Below the menu bar is the working data area of the window.  If the data is too large to display all at once, the data area will have scroll bars on its right and bottom sides.  Below the data area are two optional features; a status/data line, and a button box.

Menus
=====

File Menu
---------

The standard file menu provides operations that affect the overall state of GDB, mainly file operations, but other things as well.

About GDB...

Displays the startup window for GDB.

File...

Lets you set the combined executable and symbol file that GDB will use. (Like "file".)

Target...

Brings up a dialog that you can use to connect GDB to a target program. The dialog is described in more depth later. (Like "target".)

Edit...

Starts up an editor to modify the source file being displayed.

Exec File...

Lets you set the executable file that GDB will use. (Like "exec-file".)

Symbol File...

Lets you set the symbol file that GDB will use. (Like "symbol-file".)

Add Symbol File...

Lets you add additional symbol files. (Like "add-symbol-file".)

Core File...

Lets you set the core file that GDB will use. (Like "core-file".)

Shared Libraries...

(Like "sharedlibrary".)

Quit

quits GDB. (Like quit.)

Windows Menu
------------

The windows menu allows access to all the windows available in GDB. The first part of the menu lists all of the predefined individual windows. If the window exists already, its item will be marked as such; selecting the item will cause the window to be put in front if it is obscured.  If it does not exist, then it will be created.

The second part of the menu lists additional windows that you may have created, such as source windows or variable displays.

Command --- Source Assembly --- Registers Variables --- Files

View Menu
---------

All windows have a view menu, but its contents are highly specific to window type.  For instance, a source window will have a view menu item to control the display of line numbers, but a register window will instead have an option to choose the radix in which to display register contents. You can find the full description of view options with each window type.

Help Menu
---------

The help menu includes access to GDB's online help.

Windows
=======

Command Window
--------------

The command window provides access to the standard GDB command interpreter.  In nearly all cases, commands typed into this window will behave exactly as for a non-windowing GDB.

Note that not all changes to GDB will be reflected in this window.  For instance, if you were to type a "step" command, then click on the "step" menu item in the source window, then go back, and type another "step" command, the command buffer will only show two steps, when you have actually done three.  GDB will put a "..." into the command buffer when operations in other windows are done, as a reminder that the command buffer is incomplete.

The command window has no status line or button box.

Files Window
------------

The files window lists all of the files that were used to build the executable.

Clicking on the xxx in the left margin expands/contracts the display of included files and symbols defined by the file.

The View menu for this window includes the following items: Name/Full Pathname

Source Window
-------------

A source window displays a single file of source code.

The left margin includes an indicator for the current PC, breakpoints and potential breakpoints, and (optionally) line numbers.

The View menu for this window includes the following items: Show Line Numbers Show Breakdots

Extensions
==========

[description of gdbtk details]

How to Build
============

If GDB is configured with --enable-gdbtk, then upon startup, it will open windows.