Index: lldb/docs/use/extensions.rst =================================================================== --- /dev/null +++ lldb/docs/use/extensions.rst @@ -0,0 +1,131 @@ +DWARF Extensions supported by LLDB +================================== + +LLDB supports some DWARF extensions produced by Clang. + +Clang ``-gmodules`` debug info +------------------------------ + +On Darwin platforms, including Apple macOS and iOS, Clang can emit +DWARF debug info for types found in `Clang +modules`_ more efficiently. + +From an on-disk storage perspective, Clang modules are precompiled +header files that contain serialized Clang ASTs of all the +declarations found in a Clang module. In traditional DWARF debug info, +two object files that were built from sources that imported the same +header file will both contain DWARF debug type info for types in that +header file. This can lead to a lot of redundant `debug +info`_. + +When Clang compiles a Clang module or precompiled header with the +``-gmodules`` option, the precompiled header (``.pch``) or module +(``.pcm``) files become object file containers (on Darwin: Mach-O) +that hold a ``__clang_ast`` section with the serialized Clang AST and +various DWARF sections containing debug info for the type declarations +found in the header or module. + +This allows Clang to omit these type definitions from the object +(``.o``) files and replace them with forward declarations to save +space. Type declarations in a Clang module are nested inside one +``DW_TAG_module``, or -- in the case of submodules -- multiple levels +of ``DW_TAG_module``. If a DWARF DIE needs to reference a type DIE +from another module, Clang emits a forward declaration of the +referenced DIE into a ``DW_TAG_module`` inside the same compile unit. + +When a consumer sees a forward declaration that is nested inside a +``DW_TAG_module``, it knows that it can find the full type declaration +in an external ``.pcm`` or ``.pch`` file. To facilitate locating these +external dependencies, Clang emits skeleton CUs into each object file +that references external modules. + +For example: + +M.h + +:: + + struct A { + int x; + }; + + +M.pcm + +:: + DW_TAG_compile_unit + DW_AT_GNU_dwo_id (0xabcdef) + DW_TAG_module + DW_AT_name "M" + DW_TAG_structure + DW_AT_name "A" + DW_TAG_member + DW_AT_name "x" + +A.c + +:: + A a; + +A.o + +:: + DW_TAG_compile_unit + DW_TAG_module + DW_AT_name "M" + DW_TAG_structure + DW_AT_name "A" + DW_AT_declaration (true) + DW_TAG_variable + DW_AT_name "a" + DW_AT_type (local ref to fwd decl "A") + + DW_TAG_compile_unit + DW_AT_GNU_dwo_id (0xabcdef) + DW_AT_GNU_dwo_name ("M.pcm") + +The debug info inside a ``.pcm`` file may recursively reference +further external types that are defined in other ``.pcm`` files. Clang +generates external references (and debug info inside the modules) for +the following types: + +C: + +- ``struct`` +- ``union`` +- ``enum`` +- ``typedef`` + +Objective-C: + +- all the C types listed above +- ``@interface`` + +C++: + +- all the C types listed above +- ``namespace`` +- any explicit ``extern template`` specializations + +LLDB supports this DWARF extension only when debugging from ``.o`` +files. The ``dsymutil`` debug info linker also understands this format +and will resolve all module type references to point straight to the +underlying defining declaration. Because of this a ``.dSYM`` bundle +will never contain any ``-gmodules``-style references. + +Apple SDK information +--------------------- + +Clang and the Swift compiler emit information about the Xcode SDK that +was used to build a translation unit into the ``DW_TAG_compile_unit``. +The ``DW_AT_LLVM_sysroot`` attribute points to the SDK root +(equivalent to Clang's ``-isysroot`` option). The ``DW_AT_APPLE_sdk`` +attribute contains the name of the SDK, for example ``MacOSX.sdk``. + +Objective-C runtime +------------------- + +Clang emits the Objective-C runtime version into the +``DW_TAG_compile_unit`` using the +``DW_AT_APPLE_major_runtime_version`` attribute. The value 2 stands +for Objective-C 2.0.