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Feb 23, 2024
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gh-89480: Document the gdb helpers #115657

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gh-89480: Document the gdb helpers
pablogsal Feb 19, 2024
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Update info; remove stuff specific to CPython internals
encukou Feb 19, 2024
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encukou Feb 21, 2024
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encukou Feb 21, 2024
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Rewrite the introduction based on Carol's comment
encukou Feb 23, 2024
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Rewrite the introduction based on Carol's comment 
Co-Authored-By: Carol Willing <carolcode@willingconsulting.com>
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encukou and willingc committed Feb 23, 2024
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39 changes: 24 additions & 15 deletions Doc/howto/gdb_helpers.rst
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Expand Up @@ -6,21 +6,30 @@ Debugging C API extensions and CPython Internals with GDB

.. highlight:: none

If you experience low-level problems such as crashes or deadlocks,
especially when debugging extensions or tinkering with parts of CPython
which are written in C, it can be convenient to use a low-level
debugger such as GDB in order to diagnose and fix the issue.
By default, however, GDB (or any of its front-ends) doesn't know about
high-level information specific to the CPython interpreter, such as which
Python function is currently executing, or what type or value has a given
Python object represented by a standard ``PyObject *`` pointer.
This guide introduces an extenstion that provides this information to GDB.

The guide assumes you are familiar with GDB, and focuses on Python-specific
details.
It is a consolidation of guidance from the CPython
`devguide <https://devguide.python.org>`_ and the
`Python wiki <https://wiki.python.org/moin/DebuggingWithGdb>`_
This document explains how the Python GDB extension, ``python-gdb.py``, can
be used with the GDB debugger to debug CPython extensions and the
CPython interpreter itself.

When debugging low-level problems such as crashes or deadlocks, a low-level
debugger, such as GDB, is useful to diagnose and correct the issue.
By default, GDB (or any of its front-ends) doesn't support high-level
information specific to the CPython interpreter.

The ``python-gdb.py`` extension adds CPython interpreter information to GDB.
The extension helps introspect the stack of currently executing Python functions.
Given a Python object represented by a :c:expr:`PyObject *` pointer,
the extension surfaces the type and value of the object.

Developers who are working on CPython extensions or tinkering with parts
of CPython that are written in C can use this document to learn how to use the
``python-gdb.py`` extension with GDB.

.. note::

This document assumes that you are familiar with the basics of GDB and the
CPython C API. It consolidates guidance from the
`devguide <https://devguide.python.org>`_ and the
`Python wiki <https://wiki.python.org/moin/DebuggingWithGdb>`_.


Prerequisites
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0