Issue 140208.1: New classes for DW_AT_str_offsets_base, etc
Section 7.5.4, pg 159
Discussion
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Cary's original size optimization proposals (130331.*) specified
the following classes of values for certain new attributes as:
DW_AT_str_offsets_base string
DW_AT_addr_base address
DW_AT_ranges_base rangelistptr
Your editor (masquerading as Ron) "corrected" these to all be class
reference.
When Cary saw this, he wrote:
> In Table 7.3, Attribute Encodings, on page 165, you've listed
> DW_AT_str_offsets_base, addr_base, and ranges_base as having
> "reference" class, while the proposals used "string", "address", and
> "rangelistptr", respectively. Was that deliberate? (I can see it
> either way.)
The editor replied:
>Yes, it was deliberate but I did linger over the issue for quite a bit. It
>is sort of an lvalue/rvalue kind of distinction. In these cases it feels
>like the attribute to acting like an lvalue so that the reference form
>is more appropriate.
Separately, Keith Walker wrote:
>I think that DW_AT_str_offset_base, DW_AT_addr_base and DW_AT_ranges_base
>having a "reference" class is definitely wrong as a reference is currently
>defined to be references within a compilation_unit, .debug_info section
>or to a type unit; none of which hold for these attributes.
>
>DW_AT_ranges_base being a rangelistptr looks sensible to me.
>
>However I question whether DW_AT_str_offset_base having a "string" class
>and DW_AT_ranges_base being an "address" class is correct .... neither of
>theses attributes returns a "string" or "address" (although they may
>indirectly be used in the evaluation of a "string" or "address" on another
>attribute). It currently isn't clear what Form(s) should be used for
>these attributes.
>
>I would suggest that there be 2 new classes such as "strlistptr" and
>"addrlistptr" (there may be better names for them) which have definitions
>similar to the existing loclistptr/rangelistptr/etc classes but which are
>offsets into the .debug__str_offsets and .debug_addr sections. Then
>DW_AT_str_offset_base would have a class of "strlistptr" and DW_AT_addr_base
>would have a class of "addrlistptr". This would then mean these attributes
>are then specified as using the form DW_FORM_sec_offset.
Cary and I now support Keith's suggestion. Following is the formal proposal to
incorporate it into the DWARF document.
Proposal
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In Table 2.3, add:
addrptr Refers to a base location in the DWARF section that holds
a series of machine address values. Certain attributes refer
one of these addresses by indexing relative to this base
location.
stroffsetsptr Refers to a base location in the DWARF section that holds
a series of offsets in the DWARF section that holds strings.
Certain attributes refer one of these offets by indexing
relative to this base location. The resulting offset is the
used to index into the DWARF string section.
In Section 7.5.4, add:
. addrptr
This is an offset into the .debug_addr section (DW_FORM_sec_offset). It
consists of an offset from the beginning of the .debug_addr section to the
beginning of the list of machine addresses information for the
referencing entity. It is relocatable in a relocatable object file, and relocated
in an executable or shared object. In the 32-bit DWARF format, this offset is
a 4-byte unsigned value; in the 64-bit DWARF format, it is an 8-byte
unsigned value (see Section 7.4 on page 150).
. stroffsetsptr
This is an offset into the .debug_str_offsets section (DW_FORM_sec_offset). It
consists of an offset from the beginning of the .debug_str_offsets section to the
beginning of the string offsets information for the
referencing entity. It is relocatable in a relocatable object file, and relocated
in an executable or shared object. In the 32-bit DWARF format, this offset is
a 4-byte unsigned value; in the 64-bit DWARF format, it is an 8-byte
unsigned value (see Section 7.4 on page 150).
In Table 7.3, change the class (set of allowed representations) for these attributes:
DW_AT_str_offsets_base stroffsetsptr
DW_AT_addr_base addrptr
DW_AT_ranges_base rangelistptr
--
3/19/2014 -- Accepted.
