libcwd: The C++ Debugging Support Library - Reference Manual
Author: Carlo Wood
Description: C++ debugging support library with ostream debug output
Keywords: libcwd, debug output, debug facility, debug channel, object orientation, OO, C++, nested debug output, ostream, memory allocation, debugging, source file and line number

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# Program Symbols Access And Interpretation: Introduction
[Program Symbols Access And Interpretation]

Collaboration diagram for Program Symbols Access And Interpretation: Introduction:

Libcwd reads the symbol table of the application and of each of the linked object files upon initialization. It then allows you to translate program counter addresses to function names, source file names and line numbers. You can also print demangled names of any symbol or type, making the debug output better human readable.

Example 1: printing the location that a function was called from:

    #ifdef CWDEBUG
    // Get the location that we were called from.
    libcwd::location_ct location((char*)__builtin_return_address(0)
        + libcwd::builtin_return_address_offset);
    // Demangle the function name of the location that we were called from.
    std::string demangled_function_name;
    libcwd::demangle_symbol(location.mangled_function_name(), demangled_function_name);
    // Print it.
    Dout(dc::notice, "This function was called from " << demangled_function_name << '(' << location << ')');
    #endif

Example 2: Printing the demangled name of the current (template) function:

    // If we are in template Foo<TYPE>::f()
    Dout(dc::notice, "We are in Foo<" << type_info_of<TYPE>().demangled_name() << ">::f()");

Note that calling demangle_symbol costs cpu every time you call it, but using type_info_of<> does not cost any cpu: the demangling is done once, during the initialization of libcwd; type_info_of<> merely returns a static pointer.