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diff --git a/gdb/gdbtk/library/plugins/HOW-TO b/gdb/gdbtk/library/plugins/HOW-TO deleted file mode 100644 index 3e2a47a33e2..00000000000 --- a/gdb/gdbtk/library/plugins/HOW-TO +++ /dev/null @@ -1,405 +0,0 @@ -INSIGHT PLUG-INS HOW-TO -======================= - -This text describes the technical aspects of adding a plug-in window -to Insight, the graphical front-end to the GNU debugger GDB. - - -1) INTRODUCTION - -The plug-in facility allows for the addition of custom windows to -Insight. These windows are not to become part of the Insight -distribution, but rather to be distributed separately. They can be -downloaded from the authors web site, may accompany some development -board or embedded OS or come with anything else that can benefit from -a custom window being added to the standard Insight. As the plug-ins -will be loaded into Insight/GDB for execution, the terms of the GPL -also apply to the plug-in code. Also, Red Hat provides this facility -as-is and accepts no responsibility from its use. Please refer to the -text of the GPL for more details. - -The facilities described here provide support for custom -visualizations (custom windows for displaying information retrieved -from the target). By writing a plug-in, it is possible to visualize -target specific data that is not shown in the standard Insight -windows. - -The plug-in facility cannot be used to control target execution. The -current implementation of Insight assumes that only the Source Window -issues commands related to target execution control. There is no -mechanism to prevent one to call the commands that control execution, -but its use may result in inconsistent GUI states. This restriction -may be lifted in future versions of Insight. - -The facility works as follows: A "plugins" subdirectory is added under -the gdbtcl directory where Insight Tcl code is installed. The custom -plug-in code will be installed in a subdirectory of this "plugins" -directory. The plug-in window will be written as a [incr Tcl/Tk] -class which inherits from the provided PluginWindow class and -implements the methods necessary to display the desired custom -data. GDB will read plug-in files on start-up and add a menu item to -the PlugIn menu of the Insight Source Window. When the menu item is -chosen, GDB instantiates the custom plug-in class. - -The PluginWindow base class constructor creates a toplevel window (an -Insight ManagedWin) which contains a "childsite". In this case, the -"childsite" is a frame in which the derived class (the custom plug-in) -can draw. The PluginWindow class also provides facilities to add a -menu and a toolbar. Among the methods provided by this class, the -"running" method is called every time the debugger starts the target -and the "stopped" method is called every time the target stops. In the -"stopped" method, information can be gathered from the target and -displayed. The "running" method indicates that GDB is busy running -the target. No activities should be initiated by any GUI component -while in this state (except for the STOP button in the Source Window). - -The remainder of this document describes how to install a custom -plug-in and some details of the PluginWindow class. Writing Tcl -Extensions (technically is what plug-ins are) is beyond the scope of -this document, but a simple example is given and some documentation -references are provided. - -Please see the file CONTRIBUTE in this directory for some -administrative details before you start developing your plug-in. - - -2) HOW TO ADD A PLUG-IN WINDOW TO INSIGHT - -Once you have your plug-in class ready, here is how to make it show up -in the Insight Source Window "PlugIn" menu. You may perform these -steps manually, but if you are distributing your plug-in, it may be -convenient to provide with it an installation script that automate -this steps. - -The examples in this section refer to the sample plug-in code provided -with the Insight sources, located in the -$(SOURCE)/gdb/gdbtk/library/plugins and -$(SOURCE)/gdb/gdbtk/library/plugins/rhabout directories. - -Custom plug-ins are provided as "packages" (see [Welch 2000] and -[Smith 2000]). The following setup will cause your plug-in package to -be loaded. - -i) First, locate the $(INSTALL)/share/gdbtcl directory. This is the -directory which contains the Tcl/Tk code used by Insight. Create a -"plugins" subdirectory if it does not exist yet (i.e., if your plug-in -is the first to be installed). Now you must have a directory: - $(INSTALL)/share/gdbtcl/plugins -in your installation tree. - -ii) Create a subdirectory for your plug-in code (named in accordance to -the conventions set forth in the CONTRIBUTE file). Add all your code -to that directory. Make sure you have a tclIndex file or use -auto_mkindex to create it. For instance, in the sample case we would -have: - $(INSTALL)/share/gdbtcl/plugins/rhabout -and it would contain: - rhabout.itcl rhabout.so tclIndex - -iii) In the "plugins" directory create a file that will actually load your -plug-in package (named accordingly to the CONTRIBUTE conventions). In -the provided sample, this file is "rhabout.tcl" and would contain the -following lines: - - package provide RHABOUT 1.0 - set dirname [file dirname [info script]] - lappend auto_path [file join $dirname rhabout] - load [file join $dirname rhabout rhabout.so] RHABOUT - -The first line states what package the sample plug-in code is -providing. Note that the subdirectory "rhabout" which contains the -sample plug-in is added to the auto_path in the third line and there -is a tclIndex file in that directory (that is how plug-in classes and -methods are found). - -The last line is only necessary if your plug-in contains Tcl command -procedures written in C. Loading Tcl libraries is described in [Welch -2000] and the [incr Tcl/Tk] bits can be found in [Smith 2000]. It is -recommended that the reader also refer to the "load" Tcl man page if -these dynamic libraries are to be loaded. - -iv) In the "plugins" directory, add an entry to the pkgIndex.tcl file, -if it exists, with a "package ifneeded" command to source the file -created in step (iii). If the file does not exist, create it. For -the sample plug-in, this entry is: - - package ifneeded RHABOUT 1.0 [list source [file join $dir rhabout.tcl]] - -This roughly corresponds to what would be created by a pkg_mkIndex -command with the "-direct" option. - -If you are writing a install script, make sure to append to this file, -not overwrite it. If there are other plug-ins already installed you -don't want to remove their "package ifneeded" commands (e.g., use ">>" -in a c-shell script). Be considerate. - -v) Create the file "plugins.tcl" in the "plugins" directory if it does -not yet exist. Again, this is a file shared by all plug-ins so make -sure your install script does not overwrite, but append to it. - -This is a Tcl code fragment that will be sourced by the Insight Source -Window constructor to add menu entries to the "PlugIn" menu that will -instantiate the plug-in classes. If there is any error in this few -lines of code Insight will not start and a Tcl stack trace will be -shown. So test it in your build directory before installing in a -system shared by others. - -For the sample plug-in, this lines would be: - - # Add your window to the PlugIn menu here - # Don't forget to add your packet as well - - if {1} { #test here if your target is configured - #package require LIBGDB 1.0 - package require RHABOUT 1.0 - $Menu add command Other "About Red Hat" \ - {ManagedWin::open RHAbout} \ - -underline 0 - set plugins_available 1 - } - -You can ignore the LIBGDB "package require" command for now. LIBGDB -is under construction and not yet available. But do not forget to -add a "package require" command for your plug-in package. Otherwise, -when someone choses your plug-in menu entry a stack trace will be -produced. - -The Tcl command starting with "$Menu" is similar to the ones provided -by the "menubar" component of the PluginWindow class (described later -in this document), but all one needs to do is to copy the above -replacing the menu entry text "About Red Hat", the plug-in class name -"RHAbout" and the underline index with the appropriate values. - -The "set plugins_available 1" command is important. If the variable -"plugins_available" is not set to 1 by any of the plug-in code -fragments, the Source Window will not have a "PlugIn" menu. - -This brings us to the "if" statement in the first line. The sample -plug-in is generic, it works with any target. However, a custom -plug-in may be written for a specific target and be of no generic -use. Furthermore, a target specific plug-in may not even work with -other host and target configurations different from the one it was -designed for. - -The Tcl code used by Insight is shared by all configurations (thus the -subdirectory name "shared") and adding a plug-in in the wrong -configuration could render Insight unusable. To avoid this, a test -for the right configuration must be made so that the plug-in menu -entry is only added in the configurations that support it (the -"package require" must also be protected). - -Insight has a global variable which contains configuration -information. The array "GDBStartup" has the elements: - host_name - host configuration triplet - target_name - target configuration triplet - -Use these values, $GDBStartup(host_name) and $GDBStartup(target_name), -to verify that your plug-in code is supported. Don't forget to add -"global GDBStartup" before you refer to this array. - -For instance, if the sample code could only be used with Linux hosts, -the sample code above would look like this: - - # Add your window to the PlugIn menu here - # Don't forget to add your packet as well - - global GDBStartup - if {[string first "linux" $GDBStartup(host_name)] != -1} { - #package require LIBGDB 1.0 - package require RHABOUT 1.0 - $Menu add command Other "About Red Hat" \ - {ManagedWin::open RHAbout} \ - -underline 0 - set plugins_available 1 - } - - -3) DEVELOPING AN INSIGHT PLUG-IN - -Only itcl based windows will work. They must also be derived (i.e., -inherit) from the PluginWindow class described in the next section. -You must also follow the name conventions described in the CONTRIBUTE -file to avoid class name clashes. - -The PluginWindow base class has facilities for adding a menu and a -toolbar. It already provides the code to deactivate buttons and menu -entries when GDB is busy (running the target) and reactivate them when -the target stops. Your job usually consists of calling a method to -redraw your window with updated information when the target stops. -You can do this simply by adding a call to this method inside the -"stopped" method provided. - -The Insight Tcl source file gdb/gdbtk/library/interface.tcl and the C -file gdb/gdbtk/generic/gdbtk-cmds.c contain a (quite volatile) set of -Tcl commands that can be used to retrieve information from and about -the target. Examples of the use of such commands exist all around the -Insight source code and details are usually given near the procedure -or function definitions. Please refrain from using commands that -control the target execution or change the GDB state in any way, they -are reserved for use by the Source Window only. Remember, plug-ins are -a visualization facility only. - -A special remark is necessary about the gdb_cmd and gdb_immediate -commands. These are deprecated and will disappear (stop working) soon. -The GDB maintainers have asked the Insight maintainers to stop using -the hooks in GDB code that make them possible. Conversion is already -under way. You can use them for prototyping (for now), but be -prepared to write Tcl command procedures instead of parsing console text -output. - -If you need to issue target-dependent commands to retrieve information -from your target (that cannot be retrieved with the standard register -and memory access operations), you can write Tcl command procedures -and add them to your target dependent file enclosed in - #ifdef GDBTK - #endif -The target dependent Tcl code will move to a subdirectory of gdbtk in -the future, but for now, just add it to your existent target-dependent -file. - -If you must access gdb functions that are not yet available in -gdbtk-cmds.c (or in any of the spun-offs that will soon exist in the -gdb/gdbtk/generic directory), consider writing to the Insight -maintainers. They will be able to tell you what command should be -implemented and, if they have the time, add it to Insight. As they -may be busy, consider offering to write the code yourself and -submitting it for approval (see CONTRIBUTE). You can see how these -Tcl command procedures in C are written by looking at what it is done -in the gdbtk-cmds.c file and others in the gdb/gdbtk/generic -subdirectory. Again, you can use the gdb_cmd and gdb_immediate -commands to invoke a GDB command line interface command, but they will -not be available for long. - -Please refer to the sample source code located in the files: - gdb/gdbtk/library/plugins/rhabout/rhabout.itcl - gdb/gdbtk/library/plugins/rhabout/rhabout.c - -The comments in these files provide a basic framework for a Insight -plug-in. - - -4) THE "PluginWindow" BASE CLASS - -The PluginWindow base class provides the following methods: - -childsite - returns the path of the frame component that can be used -by the plug-in code to pack its custom display components. - -stopped - called when the target stops. It should be overloaded and -call the plug-in procedure that updates the display. The child -version must call the base class method implementation if it wants -menu items and/or buttons to be automatically controlled. - -running - called when GDB becomes busy by running the target. No -commands shall be issued by a plug-in while GDB is busy. The child -version must call the base class method implementation if it wants -menu items and/or buttons to be automatically controlled. - -no_inferior - called when GDB disconnects from the target. The -plug-in may want to forget some context information in this case, -depending on the specifics of its implementation. The child -version must call the base class method implementation if it wants -menu items and/or buttons to be automatically controlled. - - -The PluginWindow base class contains two components which can be -optionally used: - -menubar - allows a menu to be added to the plug-in window. This -facility is implemented by the GDBMenuBar class (gdbmenubar.itcl). - -toolbar - allows a toolbar to be added to the plug-in window. This -facility is implemented by the GDBToolBar class (gdbtoolbar.itcl). - - -Both buttons and menu entries have "class" attributes. Button classes -and Menu entry classes are specified when they are created and are -used for the automatic control of button and menu entry states. -If the class is specified as "None", the menu entry or button will -remain always active. The classes "Control" and "Other" follow the -following convention: - - Control Other State - off off gdb is busy - on on gdb has inferior, and is idle - off on gdb has no inferior, and is idle - - -The "menubutton" component offers the following supported commands: - -add menubutton - add a menu button to the window menu bar. -add command - add an entry to the last menu created. -add separator - add a separator to the last menu created. -show - attach the created menu to the window. - -If the show command is not issued, the plug-in window will have no -menu bar. There are other methods and commands defined in the -GDBMenuBar class. They are for Insight internal use only and should -not be used by plug-in windows. - -A menu named "help" will automatically be aligned to the right. - -The sample plug-in code creates a simple menu with the following commands: - - $menubar add menubutton file "File" 0 - $menubar add command None "Close" \ - [code $this destroy_toplevel] \ - -underline 1 - $menubar add menubutton help "Help" 0 - $menubar add command Other "Help Topics" \ - {HtmlViewer::open_help index.html} \ - -underline 0 - $menubar add separator - $menubar add command Other "About GDB..." \ - {ManagedWin::open About -transient} \ - -underline 0 - - # The menu only shows up if you do this: - $menubar show - - -The "toolbar" component offers the following supported commands: - -add button - add a button to the window tool bar. -add label - add an label widget to the tool bar. -add separator - add a separator to the tool bar. -itemconfigure - configure a tool bar element. -show - make the toolbar visible. - -If the show command is not issued, the plug-in window will have no -tool bar. There are other methods and commands defined in the -GDBToolBar class. They are for Insight internal use only and should -not be used by plug-in windows. - -Use the "itemconfigure" command to fill the label elements with the -current data as necessary. - -The sample plug-in code creates a single button with the following commands: - - $toolbar add button con Other {ManagedWin::open Console} \ - "Console (Ctrl+N)" -image console_img - - # The toolbar will only show up if you do this: - $toolbar show - - -The complete Tcl code of the sample plug-in can be found in the file - gdb/gdbtk/library/plugins/rhabout/rhabout.itcl -and the PluginWindow class definition and implementation is in the file - gdb/gdbtk/library/pluginwin.itcl - -Please refer to the files - gdb/gdbtk/library/gdbmenubar.itcl -and - gdb/gdbtk/library/gdbtoolbar.itcl -for the current arguments accepted by the menubar and toolbar commands -respectively. - - -REFERENCES - -[Smith 2000] Chad Smith, "[incr Tcl/Tk] from the Ground Up". -Chapters 9 and 10. Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 2000. - -[Welch 2000] Brent B. Welch, "Practical Programming in Tcl and Tk", -3/e. Chapters 12, 14, 44, 45, 46 and 47. Prentice Hall PTR, 2000. |