path: root/doc/qtcreator/src/debugger/creator-only/creator-debugger.qdoc

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/*!
    \previouspage creator-testing.html
    \page creator-debugging.html
    \nextpage creator-debugger-engines.html

    \title Debugging

    \QC provides a debugger plugin that acts as an interface between the \QC
    core and external native debuggers such as the GNU Symbolic Debugger (GDB),
    the Microsoft Console Debugger (CDB), a QML/JavaScript debugger, and the
    debugger of the low level virtual machine (LLVM) project, LLDB.

    \list

        \li \l{Setting Up Debugger}

            The debugger plugin automatically selects a suitable
            native debugger for each \l{glossary-buildandrun-kit}{kit} from the
            ones found on your system. You can edit the kits to override this
            choice.

        \li \l{Launching the Debugger}

            To start an application from an open project under the control
            of a debugger, select the \inlineimage qtcreator-debug-button.png
            (\uicontrol {Start Debugging of Startup Project}) button or press
            \key F5. Other, less common start options are available in the
            \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} menu.

        \li \l{Interacting with the Debugger}

            You can use the tool views in the \uicontrol Debug mode to inspect the
            state of your application while debugging.

        \li \l{Using Debugging Helpers}

            \QC is able to show complex data types in a customized,
            user-extensible manner. For this purpose, it takes advantage of
            two technologies, collectively referred to as \e {debugging
            helpers}.

        \li \l{Debugging Qt Quick Projects}

            When debugging a Qt Quick application, you can inspect the state of
            the application while debugging JavaScript functions. You can set
            breakpoints, view call stack trace, and examine locals and
            expressions. While the application is running, you can inspect QML
            objects and user interfaces, as well as execute JavaScript
            expressions.

        \li \l{Debugging a C++ Example Application}

            Illustrates how to debug C++ applications in \QC.

        \li \l{Debugging a Qt Quick Example Application}

            Illustrates how to debug Qt Quick applications in \QC.

        \li \l{Troubleshooting Debugger}

            If you encounter problems while debugging, check for possible
            solutions to them.
    \endlist

*/


/*!
    \previouspage creator-debugger-engines.html
    \page creator-debugger-operating-modes.html
    \nextpage creator-debug-mode.html

    \title Launching the Debugger

    To start an application from an open project under the control of a
    debugger, select the \inlineimage qtcreator-debug-button.png
    (\uicontrol {Start Debugging of Startup Project}) button or press \key F5.

    \QC checks whether the compiled program is up-to-date, and rebuilds and
    deploys it if the \uicontrol {Build before deploying} field is set to
    build the whole project or the application to run and the
    \uicontrol {Always deploy before running} check box is selected in the
    \uicontrol {Build and Run} options. To debug the program without deploying
    it, select \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} >
    \uicontrol {Start Debugging Without Deployment}.

    The debugger then takes over and starts the program with suitable
    parameters.

    When using GDB or CDB as debug backend, you can specify additional commands
    to execute before and after the backend and debugged program are started or
    attached in \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options > \uicontrol Debugger >
    \uicontrol GDB and \uicontrol CDB. For more information, see
    \l{Specifying Debugger Settings}.

    \note Starting a C++ program in the debugger can take a long time, typically
    in the range of several seconds to minutes if complex features are used.

    \section1 Launching the Debugger in Different Modes

    The debugger plugin can run the native debuggers in various operating modes
    depending on where and how the debugged process is started and run. Some of
    the modes are only available for a particular operating system or platform.

    In general, \key F5 and the \uicontrol {Start Debugging of Startup Project}
    button are set up in a
    way to start the operating mode that is commonly used in a given context. So
    if the current project is set up as a C++ application using the \MinGW
    toolchain targeting desktop Windows, the GDB engine will be started in Start
    Internal mode. If the current project is a QML application using C++
    plugins, a "mixed" QML/C++ engine will be started, with the C++ parts being
    handled by GDB and GDB server remote debugging.

    Change the run configuration parameters (such as
    \uicontrol {Run in Terminal}) in the run settings of the project, or select
    options from the \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} menu to
    select other modes of operation.

    The debugger can run in the following modes:

    \list

       \li \b{Start Internal} to debug applications developed inside \QC such as
            a Qt based GUI application.

       \li \b{Start External} to start and debug processes without a proper \QC
            project setup, either locally or on a remote machine.

       \li \b{Attach} to debug processes already started and running outside
            \QC, either locally or on a remote machine.

       \li \b{Core} to debug crashed processes on Unix.

       \li \b{Post-mortem} to debug crashed processes on Windows.

    \endlist

    \section2 Launching in Start Internal Mode

    Start Internal mode is the default start mode for most projects, including
    all projects using a desktop Qt version and plain C++ projects.

    If you need a console window to operate your application, for example
    because it accepts console input from the user, go to \uicontrol Projects >
    \uicontrol {Run Settings} and select the \uicontrol {Run in terminal} check
    box.

    If a console application does not start up properly in the configured
    console and the subsequent attach fails, you can diagnose the issue by
    using CDB's native console. Select \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options >
    \uicontrol Debugger > \uicontrol CDB > \uicontrol {Use CDB console} to
    override the console set in the Windows system environment variables.
    Note that the native console does not prompt on application exit.

    To launch the debugger in Start Internal mode, click the
    \uicontrol {Start Debugging} button for the active project.

    You can specify breakpoints before or after launching the debugger.
    For more information, see \l{Setting Breakpoints}.

    \section2 Launching in Start External Mode

    You can debug any executable already present on your local or on a remote
    machine without using a project. You specify a build and run kit that
    identifies the device to debug the application on.

    While this mode does not strictly require a project to be opened in \QC,
    opening it makes setting breakpoints and stepping through the code easier.

    To start and debug an external application:

    \list 1
        \li Select \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} >
            \uicontrol {Start and Debug External Application}.
        \image qtcreator-debugger-start-external.png
        \li In the \uicontrol Kit field, select the build and run kit to
            use for building the project.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Local executable} field, specify the path to the
            application executable on the local machine.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Command line arguments} field, specify command
            line arguments to be passed to the executable.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Working directory} field, specify the working
            directory. It defaults to the directory of the build result.
        \li Select the \uicontrol{Run in terminal} check box for console
            applications.
        \li Select the \uicontrol {Break at "main"} check box to stop the
            debugger at the main function.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Override SysRoot} field, specify the path to
            the \c sysroot to use instead of the default \c sysroot.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Debug information} field, specify the location
            for storing debug information. You cannot use an empty path.
        \li In the \uicontrol Recent field, you can select a recent
            configuration to use.
    \endlist

    \section2 Launching in Attach Mode

    You can attach the debugger to applications that are already running or
    instruct the debugger to attach to an application when it starts.

    \section3 Attaching to Running Applications

    To attach the debugger to an application already running on your local or on
    a remote machine:

    \list 1
        \li Select \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} >
            \uicontrol {Attach to Running Application}.
            \image qtcreator-debugger-attach-to-running.png
        \li In the \uicontrol Filter field, enter a string to filter processes
            by their process ID or name.
        \li Select a process in the list, and then select
            \uicontrol {Attach to Process} to start debugging.
    \endlist

    To refresh the list of running processes, select \uicontrol {Update List}.

    To terminate the selected process, select \uicontrol {Kill Process}.

    While this mode does not strictly require a project to be opened in \QC,
    opening it makes setting breakpoints and stepping through the code easier.

    You can specify breakpoints before or after attaching the debugger to the
    application. For more information, see \l{Setting Breakpoints}.

    \section3 Attaching to Processes when They Start

    To instruct the debugger to watch an application process and to attach
    to it when it starts:

    \list 1
        \li Select \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} >
            \uicontrol {Attach to Unstarted Application}.
            \image qtcreator-debugger-attach-to-process-not-yet-started.png
        \li In the \uicontrol Kit field, select the build and run kit to
            use for building the project.
        \li In the \uicontrol Executable field, specify the path to the
            application executable.
        \li Select the \uicontrol {Reopen dialog when application finishes}
            check box to return to this dialog when the application is closed.
        \li Select the \uicontrol {Continue on attach} check box to instruct
            the debugger to keep the application running after attaching to it.
        \li Select \uicontrol {Start Watching} to wait for the application
            process to start.
    \endlist

    \section2 Launching in Core Mode

    The Core mode is used to inspect \e {core} files (crash dumps) that are
    generated from crashed processes on Linux and Unix systems if the system is
    set up to allow this.

    To enable the dumping of core files on a Unix system, enter the following
    command in the shell from which the application will be launched:

    \code
    ulimit -c unlimited
    \endcode

    To launch the debugger in the core mode:

    \list 1
        \li Select \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} >
            \uicontrol {Load Core File}.
            \image qtcreator-debugger-load-core-file.png
        \li In the \uicontrol Kit field, select a build and run kit that was
            used for building the binary for which the core file was created.
            If the core file stems from a binary not built by \QC or a process
            not initiated by \QC, select a kit that matches the setup used as
            closely as possible, in respect to the specified device, tool chain,
            debugger, and sysroot.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Core file} field, specify the core file to
            inspect.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Executable of symbol file} field, specify
            a file that contains debug information corresponding to the
            core file. Typically, this is the executable file or a \c {.debug}
            file if the debug information is stored separately from the
            executable.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Override start script} field, specify a
            script file to run instead of the default start script.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Override SysRoot} field, specify the path to
            the \c sysroot to use instead of the default \c sysroot.
    \endlist

    Also in this mode, using a properly configured project containing the
    sources of the crashed program is not strictly necessary, but helpful.

    \section2 Launching in Post-Mortem Mode

    The post-mortem mode is available only on Windows, if you have installed the
    debugging tools for Windows.

    The \QC installation program asks you whether you want to register \QC as a
    post-mortem debugger. To change the setting, select
    \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options > \uicontrol Debugger >
    \uicontrol General > \uicontrol {Use \QC for post-mortem debugging}.

    You can launch the debugger in the post-mortem mode if an application
    crashes on Windows. Click the \uicontrol {Debug in \QC} button in the error
    message that is displayed by the Windows operating system.


    \section1 Remote Debugging

    \QC provides very easy access to remote debugging.

    In general, the remote debugging setup consist of a probe running on the
    remote machine and a counterpart running on the host side. The probe is
    either integrated into the running process (e.g. for QML debugging) or runs
    a separate process (e.g. when using GDB server on embedded Linux). The host
    side typically consists of \QC itself, often with the help of an external
    process, such as GDB or CDB.

    While this setup might look daunting, it is mostly invisible to the user of
    \QC. To start debugging on a remote target with the necessary helper
    processes running, select the corresponding
    \l{glossary-buildandrun-kit}{kit} in \uicontrol Projects >
    \uicontrol {Build & Run}, and then select a function to start remote
    debugging in the \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} menu.

    Special use cases, such as attaching to a running process on the target,
    might still require manual setup.

    \section3 Using GDB

    When debugging on a target supported by GDB server, a local GDB process
    talks to a GDB server running on the remote machine that controls the
    process to be debugged.

    The GDB server process is started on the remote machines by passing a port
    number and the executable:

    \code
    gdbserver :1234 <executable>
    \endcode

    It then typically responds:
    \code
    Process bin/qtcreator created; pid = 5159
    Listening on port 1234
    \endcode

    On the local machine that runs \QC:

    \list 1

        \li Select \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} >
            \uicontrol {Attach to Running Debug Server}.
            \image qtcreator-debugger-attach-to-running-debug-server.png
        \li In the \uicontrol Kit field, select the build and run kit to
            use for building the project.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Server port} field, enter the name of the remote
            machine and the port number to use.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Local executable} field, specify the path to the
            application executable on the local machine.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Command line arguments} field, specify command
            line arguments to be passed to the executable.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Working directory} field, specify the working
            directory. It defaults to the directory of the build result.
        \li Select the \uicontrol{Run in terminal} check box for console
            applications.
        \li Select the \uicontrol {Break at "main"} check box to stop the
            debugger at the main function.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Server start script} field, specify a
            script file to run when the server starts.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Override SysRoot} field, specify the path to
            the \c sysroot to use instead of the default \c sysroot.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Init commands} field, enter the commands
            to execute immediately after the connection to a target has
            been established.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Reset commands} field, enter the commands
            to execute when resetting the connection to a target.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Debug information} field, specify the location
            for storing debug information. You cannot use an empty path.
        \li In the \uicontrol {Override server channel} field, specify a
            communication channel to use, such as a serial line or custom port.
        \li In the \uicontrol Recent field, you can select a recent
            configuration to use.
        \li Select \uicontrol OK to start debugging.

    \endlist

    \section3 Using CDB

    In remote mode, the local CDB process talks to a CDB process that runs on
    the remote machine. The process is started with special command line options
    that switch it into server mode. The remote CDB process must load the \QC
    CDB extension library that is shipped with \QC:

    \list 1

        \li Install the \e{Debugging Tools for Windows} on the remote machine.
            The installation folder contains the CDB command line executable
            (\c cdb.exe).

        \li Copy the \QC CDB extension library from the Qt installation
            directory to the a new folder on the remote machine (32 or 64 bit
            version depending on the version of the Debugging Tools for Windows
            used):

        \list

            \li \c {\lib\qtcreatorcdbext32\qtcreatorcdbext.dll} (32 bit)

            \li \c {\lib\qtcreatorcdbext64\qtcreatorcdbext.dll} (64 bit)

        \endlist

        \li Set the _NT_DEBUGGER_EXTENSION_PATH environment variable to point
            to that folder.

        \li To use TCP/IP as communication protocol, launch remote CDB as
            follows:

            \code
            cdb.exe -server tcp:port=1234 <executable>
            \endcode

        \li On the local machine running \QC, select
            \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Start Debugging} >
            \uicontrol {Attach to Remote CDB Session}.


        \li In the \uicontrol Connection field enter the connection parameters.
            For example, for TCP/IP:

            \code
            Server:Port
            \endcode

            If you chose some other protocol, specify one of the alternative
            formats:

            \code
            tcp:server=Server,port=Port[,password=Password][,ipversion=6]
            tcp:clicon=Server,port=Port[,password=Password][,ipversion=6]
            npipe:server=Server,pipe=PipeName[,password=Password]
            com:port=COMPort,baud=BaudRate,channel=COMChannel[,password=Password]
            spipe:proto=Protocol,{certuser=Cert|machuser=Cert},server=Server,pipe=PipeName[,password=Password]
            ssl:proto=Protocol,{certuser=Cert|machuser=Cert},server=Server,port=Socket[,password=Password]
            ssl:proto=Protocol,{certuser=Cert|machuser=Cert},clicon=Server,port=Socket[,password=Password]
            \endcode

            \li  Click \uicontrol OK to start debugging.

    \endlist
*/


/*!
    \page creator-debug-mode.html
    \if defined(qtdesignstudio)
    \previouspage studio-debugging.html
    \nextpage creator-debugging-qml.html
    \else
    \previouspage creator-debugger-operating-modes.html
    \nextpage creator-debugging-helpers.html
    \endif

    \title Interacting with the Debugger

    You can use the \QC \uicontrol Debug mode to inspect the state of your
    application while debugging. You can interact with the debugger in several
    ways, including the following:

    \list

        \li Go through a program line-by-line or instruction-by-instruction.

        \li Interrupt running programs.

        \li Set breakpoints.

        \li Examine the contents of the call stack.

        \li Examine and modify contents of local and global variables.

        \li Examine and modify registers and memory contents of
            the debugged program.

        \li Examine the list of loaded shared libraries.

        \li Disassemble sections of code.

        \omit
        \li Create snapshots of the current state of the debugged program
            and re-examine them later.
        \endomit

    \endlist

    \QC displays the raw information provided by the native debuggers in a clear
    and concise manner with the goal to simplify the debugging process as much
    as possible without losing the power of the native debuggers.

    In addition to the generic IDE functionality provided by stack view, views
    for locals and expressions, registers, and so on, \QC includes features to
    make debugging Qt-based applications easy. The debugger plugin understands
    the internal layout of several Qt classes, for example, QString, the Qt
    containers, and most importantly QObject (and classes derived from it), as
    well as most containers of the C++ Standard Library and some GCC extensions.
    This deeper understanding is used to present objects of such classes in a
    useful way.

    \section1 Using the Debugger

    In \uicontrol Debug mode, you can use several views to interact with the
    program you are debugging. The availability of views depends on whether
    you are debugging C++ or QML. Frequently used views are shown by
    default and rarely used ones are hidden. To change the default settings,
    select \uicontrol View > \uicontrol Views, and then select views to
    display or hide. Alternatively, you can enable or disable views from the
    context menu of the title bar of any visible debugger view.

    \image qtcreator-debugger-views.png "Debug mode views"

    You can drag and drop the views in \QC to new positions on the screen. The
    size and position of views are saved for future sessions. Select
    \uicontrol View > \uicontrol Views > \uicontrol {Reset to Default Layout}
    to reset the views to their original sizes and positions.

    To save space on the screen, select \uicontrol View > \uicontrol Views >
    \uicontrol {Automatically Hide View Titlebars}.

    To show and hide columns in views, toggle \uicontrol {Show Column} in
    the context menu.

    Once the program starts running under the control of the debugger, it
    behaves and performs as usual. You can interrupt a running C++ program by
    selecting \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol Interrupt. The program is
    automatically interrupted when a breakpoint is hit.

    Once the program stops, \QC:

    \list

        \li Retrieves data representing the call stack at the program's current
            position.

        \li Retrieves the contents of local variables.

        \li Examines \uicontrol Expressions.

        \li Updates the \uicontrol Registers, \uicontrol Modules, and
            \uicontrol Disassembler views if you are debugging the C++ based
            applications.

    \endlist

    You can use the \uicontrol Debug mode views to examine the data in more detail.

    You can use the following keyboard shortcuts:

    \list

       \li To finish debugging, press \key {Shift+F5}.

       \li To execute a line of code as a whole, press \key F10
           (\key {Command+Shift+O} on \macos).

       \li To step into a function or a subfunction, press \key F11
           (\key {Command+Shift+I} on \macos).

       \li To leave the current function or subfunction, press \key {Shift+F11}
           (\key {Command+Shift+T} on \macos).

       \li To continue running the program, press \key F5.

       \li To run to the line containing the cursor, press \key {Ctrl+F10}
           (\key {Shift+F8} on \macos).

       \li To run to the selected function when you are stepping into a nested
           function, press \key {Ctrl+F6}.

    \endlist

    It is also possible to continue executing the program until the current
    function completes or jump to an arbitrary position in the current function.

   \section2 Customizing Debug Views

    You can change the appearance and behavior of the debug views by specifying
    settings in \uicontrol Options > \uicontrol Debugger. For example, you can:

    \list
        \li Use alternating row colors in debug views.
        \li Adopt font size changes from the main editor.
        \li Have tooltips displayed in the main editor while you are debugging.
        \li Close temporary source and memory views and switch to the previously
            used \QC mode when the debugger exits.
        \li Bring \QC to the foreground when the debugged application is
            interrupted.
    \endlist

    For more information, see \l{Specifying Debugger Settings}.

    \include creator-debugger-common.qdocinc debugger-breakpoints
    \include creator-debugger-common.qdocinc debugger-call-stack-trace
    \include creator-debugger-common.qdocinc debugger-locals
    \include creator-debugger-common.qdocinc debugger-expressions
    \include creator-debugger-common.qdocinc debugger-expressions-cpp
    \include creator-debugger-common.qdocinc debugger-qt-basic-objects

    \section1 Directly Interacting with Native Debuggers

    In some cases, it is convenient to directly interact with the command line
    of the native debugger. In \QC, you can use the left pane of the
    \uicontrol {Debugger Log} view for that purpose. When you press
    \key {Ctrl+Enter}, the contents of the line under the text cursor are sent
    directly to the native debugger. Alternatively, you can use the line edit at
    the bottom of the view. Output is displayed in the right pane of the
    \uicontrol {Debugger Log} view.

    \note Usually, you do not need this feature, because \QC provides you
    with better ways to handle the task. For example, instead of using the GDB
    \c print command from the command line, you can evaluate an expression in
    the \uicontrol {Expressions} view.

    \section1 Debugging C++ Based Applications

    The following sections describe additional debugging functions that apply
    only to debugging C++.

    \section2 Starting the Debugger from the Command Line

    You can use the \QC debugger interface from the command line. To attach it
    to a running process, specify the process ID as a parameter for the
    \c {-debug} option. To examine a core file, specify the file name. \QC
    executes all the necessary steps, such as searching for the binary that
    belongs to a core file. To connect to a debug server, specify the server
    location and port number.

    For example:

    \list

        \li  \c {C:\qtcreator\bin>qtcreator -debug 2000}
        \li  \c {C:\qtcreator\bin>qtcreator -debug core=core.2000}
        \li  \c {C:\qtcreator\bin>qtcreator -debug some.exe,core=core}
        \li  \c {C:\qtcreator\bin>qtcreator -debug server=some.dot.com:4251}

    \endlist

    For more information, see \l{Using Command Line Options}.

    \section2 Stepping into Frameworks in \macos

    In \macos, external libraries are usually built into so-called Frameworks,
    which may contain both release and debug versions of the library. When you
    run applications on the \macos desktop, the release version of Frameworks is
    used by default. To step into Frameworks, select the
    \uicontrol {Use debug versions of Frameworks} option in the project run
    settings.

    \section2 Viewing Threads

    If a multi-threaded program is interrupted, the \uicontrol Threads view or
    the combobox named \uicontrol Threads in the debugger status bar can be used
    to switch from one thread to another. The \uicontrol Stack view adjusts
    itself accordingly.

    \section2 Viewing Modules

    The \uicontrol Modules view displays information that the debugger plugin
    has about modules included in the application that is being debugged. A
    module is a dynamic link library (\c {.dll}) in Windows, a shared object
    (\c {.so}) in Linux, and a dynamic shared library (\c {.dylib}) in \macos.

    In addition, the view displays symbols within the modules and indicates
    where each module was loaded.

    Right-click the view to open a context menu that contains menu items for:

    \list

        \li Updating the module list

        \li Loading symbols for modules

        \li Examining modules

        \li Editing module files

        \li Showing symbols in modules

        \li Showing dependencies between modules (Windows only)

    \endlist

    By default, the \uicontrol Modules view is hidden.

    When using CDB as debug backend, you can specify that the debugger should
    break when application modules are loaded or unloaded. To enable breaking
    for the specified modules, select \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options >
    \uicontrol Debugger > \uicontrol CDB. For more information, see
    \l{Specifying CDB Settings}.

    \section2 Viewing Source Files

    The \uicontrol {Source Files} view lists all the source files included in
    the project. If you cannot step into an instruction, you can check whether
    the source file is actually part of the project, or whether it was compiled
    elsewhere. The view shows the path to each file in the file system.

    Right-click the view to open a context menu that contains menu items for
    reloading data and opening files.

    By default, the \uicontrol {Source Files} view is hidden.

    \section2 Viewing Disassembled Code

    The \uicontrol Disassembler view displays disassembled code for the current
    function.

    The \uicontrol Disassembler view is useful for low-level commands for checking
    single instructions, such as \uicontrol {Step Into} and \uicontrol {Step Over}.
    By default, the \uicontrol Disassembler view is hidden.

    To access the \uicontrol Disassembler view, check
    \uicontrol Debug > \uicontrol {Operate by Instruction} while the debugger is
    running. Alternatively, click the \inlineimage debugger_singleinstructionmode.png
    (\uicontrol {Operate by Instruction}) tool button on the debugger tool bar.

    \section2 Viewing and Editing Register State

    The \uicontrol Registers view displays the current state of the CPU registers.
    Depending on the CPU type, there will be different registers available. The
    values of registers that recently have changed are highlighted in red and empty
    register values as well as leading zeroes are grayed out.

    In addition it is possible to edit the content of registers while the program is
    stopped. This applies to both General-purpose and Special-purpose registers.
    Registers can be edited in the standard condensed view or in their particular parts
    if the register is displayed expanded.

    By default, the \uicontrol Registers view is hidden.

    \omit
    \section2 Creating Snapshots

    A snapshot contains the complete state of the debugged program at a time,
    including the full memory contents.

    To create snapshots of a debugged program, select \uicontrol {Create Snapshot}
    in the context menu in the \uicontrol {Debugger Perspectives} view.

    Double-click on entries in the \uicontrol {Debugger Perspectives} view to
    switch between snapshots. The debugger views are updated to reflect the state
    of the program at time of taking the snapshot.

    \note Creating snapshots involves creating core files of the debugged process,
    requiring significant amount of disk space. For details, see
    \l{https://sourceware.org/gdb/onlinedocs/gdb/Core-File-Generation.html}.

    \endomit

    \include creator-debugger-settings.qdocinc debugger-settings
*/


/*!
    \previouspage creator-debug-mode.html
    \page creator-debugging-helpers.html
    \nextpage creator-debugging-qml.html

    \title Using Debugging Helpers

    Structured data, such as objects of \c class, \c struct, or \c union types,
    is displayed in the \uicontrol {Locals} and \uicontrol {Expressions} views as part
    of a tree. To access sub-structures of the objects, expand the tree nodes.
    The sub-structures are presented in their in-memory order, unless the
    \uicontrol {Sort Members of Classes and Structs Alphabetically} option
    from the context menu is selected.

    Similarly, pointers are displayed as a tree item with a single child item
    representing the target of the pointer. In case the context menu item
    \uicontrol {Dereference Pointers Automatically} is selected, the pointer and
    the target are combined into a single entry, showing the name and the type
    of the pointer and the value of the target.

    This standard representation is good enough for the examination of simple
    structures, but it does usually not give enough insight into more complex
    structures, such as \c QObjects or associative containers. These items are
    internally represented by a complex arrangement of pointers, often highly
    optimized, with part of the data not directly accessible through neither
    sub-structures nor pointers.

    To give the user simple access also to these items, \QC employs Python
    scripts that are called \e {debugging helpers}.
    Debugging helpers are always automatically used. To force a plain C-like
    display of structures, select \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options >
    \uicontrol Debugger > \uicontrol {Locals & Expressions}, and then deselect
    the \uicontrol {Use Debugging Helper} check box. This will still use the
    Python scripts, but generate more basic output. To force the plain display
    for a single object or for all objects of a given type, select the
    corresponding option from the context menu.

    \QC ships with debugging helpers for more than 200 of the most popular Qt
    classes, standard C++ containers, and smart pointers, covering the usual
    needs of a C++ application developer out-of-the-box.

    \section1 Extending Debugging Helpers

    \QC uses Python scripts to translate raw memory contents and type information
    data from native debugger backends (GDB, LLDB, and CDB are currently supported)
    into the form presented to the user in the  \uicontrol {Locals} and
    \uicontrol {Expressions} views.

    Unlike GDB's
    \l{https://sourceware.org/gdb/onlinedocs/gdb/Pretty-Printing.html#Pretty-Printing}
    {pretty printers} and LLDB's \l{http://lldb.llvm.org/varformats.html}
    {data formatters}, \QC's debugging helpers are independent of the
    native debugging backend. That is, the same code can be used with GDB on
    Linux, LLDB on macOS, and CDB on Windows, or any other platform on which at
    least one of the three supported backends is available.

    \section2 Customizing Built-In Debugging Helpers

    You can have commands executed after built-in debugging helpers have
    been loaded and fully initialized. To load additional debugging helpers or
    modify existing ones, select \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options >
    \uicontrol Debugger > \uicontrol {Locals & Expressions}, and enter the
    commands in the \uicontrol {Debugging Helper Customization} field.

    \image qtcreator-debugging-helper-options.png

    If you receive error messages about receiving signals when using GDB, you
    can specify \l{https://sourceware.org/gdb/onlinedocs/gdb/Signals.html}
    {GDB commands} for handling the signals. For example, you can tell GDB to
    ignore the \c SIGSTOP signal if you receive the following error message:
    \c {The inferior stopped because it received a signal from the operating
    system. Signal name: SIGSTOP}.

    To stop GDB from handling the \c SIGSTOP signal, add the following commands
    to the \uicontrol {Debugging Helper Customization} field:

    \badcode
    handle SIGSTOP nopass
    handle SIGSTOP nostop
    \endcode

    \section2 Adding Custom Debugging Helpers

    To add debugging helpers for your own types, no compilation is required,
    just adding a few lines of Python. The scripts can address multiple versions
    of Qt, or of your own library, at the same time.

    To add debugging helpers for custom types, add debugging helper
    implementations to the startup file of the native debuggers (for example,
    \c{~/.gdbinit} or \c{~/.lldbinit}) or specify them directly in the
    \uicontrol {Additional Startup Commands} in \uicontrol Tools >
    \uicontrol Options > \uicontrol Debugger > \uicontrol GDB.

    To get started with implementing debugging helpers for your own data types,
    you can put their implementation into the file
    \c share/qtcreator/debugger/personaltypes.py in your Qt installation or
    stand-alone \QC installation. On \macos, the file is bundled into the
    \QC application package, where it is located in the
    \c Contents/resources/debugger folder.

    The \c personaltypes.py file contains one example implementation:

    \quotefromfile ../../../share/qtcreator/debugger/personaltypes.py
    \skipto qdump__
    \printuntil d.putItem

    To add debugging helpers:

    \list 1

        \li Open the \c share/qtcreator/debugger/personaltypes.py file for
            editing. For example, if your Qt installation is located in the
            \c Qt5 directory on Windows, look in
            \c C:\Qt5\Tools\QtCreator\share\qtcreator\debugger. On \macos, look
            in \c {Qt5/Qt Creator.app/Contents/resources/debugger}.

        \li Add your dumper implementation to the end of the \c personaltypes.py
            file.  For more information about implementing debugging helpers,
            see the following sections.

        \li To prevent \c personaltypes.py from being overwritten when you
            update your \QC installation (when updating your Qt installation,
            for example), copy it to a safe location outside the \QC
            installation in your file system and specify the location in
            \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options > \uicontrol Debugger >
            \uicontrol {Locals & Expressions} >
            \uicontrol {Extra Debugging Helpers}.
    \endlist

    The custom debugging helpers will be automatically picked up from
    \c personaltypes.py when you start a debugging session in \QC or select
    \uicontrol {Reload Debugging Helpers} from the context menu of the
    \uicontrol {Debugger Log} view.

    \section2 Debugging Helper Overview

    The implementation of a debugging helper typically consists of a single
    Python function, which needs to be named \c{qdump__NS__Foo}, where
    \c{NS::Foo} is the class or class template to be examined. Note that the
    \c{::} scope resolution operator is replaced by double underscores: \c{__}.
    Nested namespaces are possible. Template arguments are not used for
    the construction of the function name.

    Examples:

    \list

        \li The name for the function implementing a debugging helper for the type
            \c{namespace Project { template<typename T> struct Foo {... } } } is
            \c{qdump__Project__Foo}.

        \li The name for the function implementing a debugging helper
            for the type \c{std::__1::vector<T>::iterator} is
            \c{qdump__std____1__vector__iterator}.

    \endlist


    \QC's debugger plugin calls this function whenever you want to display an
    object of this type. The function is passed the following parameters:

    \list

        \li \c d of type \c Dumper, an object containing the current settings and
            providing facilities to build up an object representing a part of
            the \uicontrol Locals and \uicontrol Expressions views.

        \li \c value of type \c Value, wrapping either a
            \l{https://sourceware.org/gdb/onlinedocs/gdb/Values-From-Inferior.html}
            {gdb.Value} or an
            \l{https://lldb.llvm.org/cpp_reference/classlldb_1_1SBValue.html}
            {lldb.SBValue}.

    \endlist

    The \c{qdump__*} function has to feed the Dumper object with certain
    information that is used to build up the object and its children's display
    in the \uicontrol Locals and \uicontrol Expressions views.

    Example:

    \code
    def qdump__QFiniteStack(d, value):
        alloc = value["_alloc"].integer()
        size = value["_size"].integer()
        d.putItemCount(size)
        if d.isExpanded():
            d.putArrayData(value["_array"], size, value.type[0])
    \endcode

    \note To create dumper functions usable with both LLDB and GDB backends,
    avoid direct access to the \c gdb.* and \c lldb.* namespaces and use the
    functions of the \c Dumper class instead.

    To get to the base instance of the object in the debugging helper, use the
    \c value.base() function or the following example code:

    \code
    def qdump__A(d, value):
       t = value.members(True)[0].type
       dptr, base_v = value.split('p{%s}' % t.name)
       d.putItem(base_v)
    \endcode

    Debugging helpers can be set up to be called whenever a type name matches
    a regular expression. To do so, the debugging helper's function name must
    begin with \c{qdump__} (with two underscore characters). In addition,
    the function needs to have a third parameter called \c regex with a default
    value that specifies the regular expression that the type name should match.

    For example, the Nim 0.12 compiler assigns artificial names, such as \c{TY1}
    and \c{TY2}, to all generic sequences it compiles. To visualize these in
    \QC, the following debugging helper may be used:

    \code
    def qdump__NimGenericSequence__(d, value, regex = "^TY.*$"):
        size = value["Sup"]["len"]
        base = value["data"].dereference()
        typeobj = base.dereference().type
        d.putArrayData(base, size, typeobj)
    \endcode

    \section2 Debugging Helper Implementation

    A debugging helper creates a description of the displayed data item
    in a format that is similar to GDB/MI and JSON.

    For each line in the \uicontrol Locals and \uicontrol Expressions views, a
    string like the following needs to be created and channeled to the debugger
    plugin.

    \code
    { iname='some internal name',           # optional
      address='object address in memory',   # optional
      name='contents of the name column',   # optional
      value='contents of the value column',
      type='contents of the type column',
      numchild='number of children',        # zero/nonzero is sufficient
      children=[              # only needed if item is expanded in view
         {iname='internal name of first child',
           },
         {iname='internal name of second child',
           },

      ]}
    \endcode

    The value of the \c iname field is the internal name of the object,
    which consists of a dot-separated list of identifiers, corresponding to the
    position of the object's representation in the view. If it is not present,
    it is generated by concatenating the parent object's \c iname, a dot, and a
    sequential number.

    The value of the \c name field is displayed in the \uicontrol Name column
    of the view. If it is not specified, a simple number in brackets is used
    instead.

    As the format is not guaranteed to be stable, it is strongly recommended
    not to generate the wire format directly, but to use the abstraction
    layer provided by the Python Dumper classes, specifically the \c{Dumper}
    class itself, and the \c{Dumper:Value} and \c{Dumper:Type} abstractions.
    These provide a complete framework to take care of the \c iname and \c addr
    fields, to handle children of simple types, references, pointers, enums, and
    known and unknown structs, as well as some convenience functions to handle
    common situations.

    When using CDB as debugger backend, you can enable the Python dumper by
    selecting \uicontrol Tools > \uicontrol Options > \uicontrol Debugger >
    \uicontrol CDB > \uicontrol {Use Python dumper}.

    \section3 Dumper Class

    The \c Dumper class contains generic bookkeeping, low-level, and convenience
    functions.

    The member functions of the \c Dumper class are the following:

    \list
        \li \c{putItem(self, value)} - The \e {master function} that handles
            basic types, references, pointers, and enums directly, iterates over
            base classes and class members of compound types, and calls
            \c qdump__* functions when appropriate.

        \li \c{putIntItem(self, name, value)} - Equivalent to:
            \code
            with SubItem(self, name):
                self.putValue(value)
                self.putType("int")
            \endcode

        \li \c{putBoolItem(self, name, value)} - Equivalent to:
            \code
            with SubItem(self, name):
                self.putValue(value)
                self.putType("bool")
            \endcode

        \li \c{putCallItem(self, name, value, func, *args)} - Uses the native
            debugger backend to place the function call \c func on the value
            specified by \a {value} and output the resulting item.

            Native calls are extremely powerful and can leverage existing
            debugging or logging facilities in the debugged process, for
            example. However, they should only be used in a controlled
            environment, and only if there is no other way to access the data,
            for the following reasons:

            \list

                \li Direct execution of code is dangerous. It runs native code
                    with the privileges of the debugged process, with the
                    potential to not only corrupt the debugged process, but also
                    to access the disk and network.

                \li Calls cannot be executed when inspecting a core file.

                \li Calls are expensive to set up and execute in the debugger.

            \endlist

        \li \c{putArrayData(self, address, itemCount, type)} - Creates the
            number of children specified by \c itemCount of the type \c type of
            an array-like object located at \c address.

        \li \c{putSubItem(self, component, value)} - Equivalent to:
            \code
            with SubItem(self, component):
                self.putItem(value)
            \endcode

            Exceptions raised by nested function calls are caught and all output
            produced by \c putItem is replaced by the output of:

            \code
            except RuntimeError:
                d.put('value="<invalid>",type="<unknown>",numchild="0",')
            \endcode

        \li \c{put(self, value)} - A low-level function to directly append to
            the output string. That is also the fastest way to append output.

        \li \c{putField(self, name, value)} - Appends a \c{name='value'} field.

        \li \c{childRange(self)} - Returns the range of children specified in
            the current \c Children scope.

        \li \c{putItemCount(self, count)} - Appends the field
            \c {value='<%d items>'} to the output.

        \li \c{putName(self, name)} - Appends the \c {name=''} field.

        \li \c{putType(self, type, priority=0)} - Appends the field \c {type=''},
            unless the \a type coincides with the parent's default child type or
            \c putType was already called for the current item with a higher
            value of \c priority.

        \li \c{putBetterType(self, type)} - Overrides the last recorded \c type.

        \li \c{putExpandable(self)} - Announces the existence of child items
            for the current value. The default are no children.

        \li \c{putNumChild(self, numchild)} - Announces the existence
            (\c numchild > 0) or non-existence of child items for the current
            value.

        \li \c{putValue(self, value, encoding = None)} - Appends the file
            \c {value=''}, optionally followed by the field \c {valueencoding=''}.
            The \c value needs to be convertible to a string entirely consisting
            of alphanumerical values. The \c encoding parameter can be used to
            specify the encoding in case the real value had to be encoded in
            some way to meet the alphanumerical-only requirement. The parameter
            \c{encoding} is either a string of the form \c codec:itemsize:quote
            where \c{codec} is any of \c{latin1}, \c{utf8}, \c{utf16}, \c{ucs4},
            \c{int}, or \c{float}. \c{itemsize} gives the size of the basic
            component of the object if it is not implied by \c codec and
            \c quote specifies whether or not the value should be surrounded by
            quotes in the display.

            Example:

            \code
                # Safe transport of quirky data. Put quotes around the result.
                d.putValue(d.hexencode("ABC\"DEF"), "utf8:1:1")
            \endcode

        \li \c{putStringValue(self, value)} - Encodes a QString and calls
            \c putValue with the correct \c encoding setting.

        \li \c{putByteArrayValue(self, value)} - Encodes a QByteArray and calls
            \c putValue with the correct \c encoding setting.

        \li \c{isExpanded(self)} - Checks whether the current item is expanded in
            the view.

        \li \c{createType(self, pattern, size = None)} - Creates a \c{Dumper.Type}
            object. The exact operation depends on \c pattern.

            \list

            \li If \c pattern matches the name of a well-known type, a
                \c{Dumper.Type} object describing this type is returned.

            \li If \c pattern is the name of a type known to the native backend,
                the returned type describes the native type.

            \li Otherwise, \c pattern is used to construct a type description by
                interpreting a sequence of items describing the field of a
                structure as follows. Field descriptions consist of one or
                more characters as follows:

                \list

                \li \c q - Signed 8-byte integral value
                \li \c Q - Unsigned 8-byte integral value
                \li \c i - Signed 4-byte integral value
                \li \c I - Unsigned 4-byte integral value
                \li \c h - Signed 2-byte integral value
                \li \c H - Unsigned 2-byte integral value
                \li \c b - Signed 1-byte integral value
                \li \c B - Unsigned 1-byte integral value
                \li \c d - 8-byte IEEE 754 floating point value
                \li \c f - 4-byte IEEE 754 floating point value
                \li \c p - A pointer, that is, an unsigned integral value of
                    suitable size according to the target architecture
                \li \c @ - Suitable padding. The size is determined by the
                    preceding and following field and the target architecture
                \li \c <n>s - A blob of <n> bytes, with implied alignment of 1
                \li \c {<typename>} - A blob of suitable size and suitable
                    alignment determined by a \c{Dumper.Type} with the name
                    \c typename

                \endlist

            \endlist

    \endlist

    \section3 Dumper.Type Class

    The \c{Dumper.Type} class describes the type of a piece of data, typically
    a C++ class or struct, a pointer to a struct, or a primitive type, such as
    an integral or floating point type.

    Type objects, that is, instances of the \c{Dumper.Type} class, can be
    created by native debugger backends, usually by evaluating Debug Information
    built into or shipped alongside the debugged binary, or created on-the-fly
    by the debugging helper.

    \QC uses the possibility to provide type information on-the-fly for most Qt
    classes, obliterating the need to use \e Debug builds of Qt for the purpose
    of object introspection.

    The member functions of the \c{Dumper.Type} class are the following:

    \list

        \li \c{name} - The name of this type as a string, or \c None if the type
            is anonymous.

        \li \c{size(self)} - Returns the size of an object of this type in
            bytes.

        \li \c{bitsize(self)} - Returns the size of an object of this type in
            bits.

        \li \c{alignment(self)} - Returns the required alignment for objects of
            this type in bytes.

        \li \c{deference(self)} - Returns the dereferences type for pointer
            type, \c None otherwise.

        \li \c{pointer(self)} - Returns a pointer type that can be dereferenced
            to this type.

        \li \c{target(self)} - A convenience function that returns the item type
            for array types and the dereferenced type for pointers and
            references.

        \li \c{stripTypedefs(self)} - Returns the underlying type if this type
            is an alias.

        \li \c{templateArgument(self, position, numeric = False)} - Returns the
            template parameter located at \c{position} if this is a templated
            type. If \c numeric is \c True, returns the parameter as an integral
            value.

        \li \c{fields(self)} - Returns a list of \c{Dumper:Fields} describing
            the base classes and data members of this type.

    \endlist


    \section3 Dumper.Field Class

    The \c{Dumper.Field} class describes a base class or a data member of a type
    object.

    The member function and properties of the \c{Dumper.Field} class are the
    following:

    \list

        \li \c{isBaseClass} - Distinguishes between base classes and data
            members.

        \li \c{fieldType(self)} - Returns the type of this base class or data
            member.

        \li \c{parentType(self)} - Returns the owning type.

        \li \c{bitsize(self)} - Returns the size of this field in bits.

        \li \c{bitpos(self)} - Returns the offset of this field in the owning
            type in bits.

    \endlist


    \section3 Dumper.Value Class

    The \c{Dumper.Value} class describes a piece of data, such as instances of
    C++ classes or primitive data types. It can also be used to describe
    artificial items that have no direct representation in memory, such as
    file contents, non-contiguous objects, or collections.

    A \c{Dumper.Value} has always an associated \c{Dumper.Type}. The two
    main representations of the value's actual data are:

    \list

        \li Python object following the Python buffer protocol, such as a Python
            \c memoryview, or a \c bytes object. The \c size() should match the
            size of this value's type.

        \li An integral value representing a pointer to the begin of the object
            in the current address space. The size of the object is given by its
            type's \c{size()}.

    \endlist

    Knowledge of the internal representation of a \c{Dumper.Value} is typically
    not required when creating a debugger helper for it.

    The member function and properties of the \c{Dumper.Value} class are the
    following:

    \list

        \li \c{integer(self)} - Returns an interpretation of this value as a
            signed integral value of a suitable size.

        \li \c{pointer(self)} - Returns an interpretation of this value as a
            pointer in the current address space.

        \li \c{members(self, includeBases)} - Returns a list of \c{Dumper.Value}
            objects representing the base objects and data members of this value.

        \li \c{dereference(self)} - For values describing pointers, returns the
            dereferenced value, and \c None otherwise.

        \li \c{cast(self, type)} - Returns a value that has the same data as
            this value, but the type \c type.

        \li \c{address(self)} - Returns the address of this value if it consists
            of a contiguous region in the current address space, and \c None
            otherwise.

        \li \c{data(self)} - Returns the data of this value as a Python \c bytes
            object.

        \li \c{split(self, pattern)} - Returns a list of values created
            according to \c pattern from this value's data. Acceptable patterns
            are the same as for \c{Dumper.createType}.

        \li \c{dynamicTypeName(self)} - Tries to retrieve the name of the
            dynamic type of this value if this is a base class object. Returns
            \c None if that is not possible.

    \endlist

    \section3 Children and SubItem Class

    The attempt to create child items might lead to errors if data is
    uninitialized or corrupted. To gracefully recover in such situations, use
    \c Children and \c SubItem \e{Context Managers} to create the nested items.

    The \c Children constructor \c{__init__(self, dumper, numChild = 1,
    childType = None, childNumChild = None, maxNumChild = None, addrBase = None,
    addrStep = None)} uses one mandatory argument and several optional
    arguments.  The mandatory argument refers to the current \c Dumper object.
    The optional arguments can be used to specify the number \c numChild of
    children, with type \c childType_ and \c childNumChild_ grandchildren each.
    If \c maxNumChild is specified, only that many children are displayed. This
    should be used when dumping container contents that might take overly long
    otherwise. The parameters \c addrBase and \c addrStep can be used to reduce
    the amount of data produced by the child dumpers. Address printing for the
    \e{n}th child item will be suppressed if its address equals with
    \e{addrBase + n * addrStep}.

    Example:
    \code
    if d.isExpanded():
        with Children(d):
            with SubItem(d):
                d.putName("key")
                d.putItem(key)
            with SubItem(d):
                d.putName("value")
                d.putItem(value)
    \endcode

    Note that this can be written more conveniently as:
    \code
    d.putNumChild(2)
    if d.isExpanded():
        with Children(d):
            d.putSubItem("key", key)
            d.putSubItem("value", value)
    \endcode
*/


/*!
    \previouspage creator-qml-debugging-example.html
    \page creator-troubleshooting-debugging.html
    \nextpage creator-analyze-mode.html

    \title Troubleshooting Debugger

    This section lists some typical problems that you might encounter while
    debugging and solutions to them.

    \section1 Cannot Launch Debugger

    Some anti-virus applications do not allow debuggers to retrieve data. For
    example, on Windows, launching the debugger might fail with the following
    message if the Avira AntiVir is installed on the development PC: \e{The
    inferior stopped because it received a signal from the operating system.
    Signal name:? signal meaning: Unknown signal.}

    Some versions of Avira AntiVir Desktop-Products contain known issues in
    various development environments, including \QC. To fix the problem,
    Avira instructs you to update to version \c {avipbb.sys 10.0.22.22}. For
    more information, see
    \l{http://www.avira.com/en/support-for-business-knowledgebase-detail/kbid/805}
    {Restricted Usability of IDE/Debuggers since 2010-12-08}.

    On some devices, such as Wacom Tablets, running processes might stop the
    debugger from launching. Stop all running processes and then relaunch the
    debugger.

    \section1 Debugger Does Not Hit Breakpoints

    You might have created a release build that does not contain debug
    information. A GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) debug build has the \c {-g}
    option on the compiler command line. Check that this option is present in
    the \uicontrol {Compile Output} pane. If it is not, adjust your build
    settings in the \uicontrol Projects mode.

    \section1 Debugger Does Not Work

    If the debugger does not work properly, try the following:

    \list 1

        \li Make sure you use at least \QC 3.0.1

        \li Make sure the debugger is set up properly. For more information,
            see \l{Setting Up Debugger}.

        \li In the \uicontrol Debug mode, select \uicontrol View >
            \uicontrol Views > \uicontrol {Debugger Log} to open the
            \uicontrol {Debugger Log} view. Browse the contents of the pane on
            the right hand side to find out what went wrong. Always attach the
            contents of the pane to debugger-related questions to the \QC
            mailing list (qt-creator@qt-project.org) or paste them to a
            \l{Pasting and Fetching Code Snippets}{code pasting service} before
            asking questions in the IRC (on the #qt-creator channel at FreeNode).

    \endlist

    \section1 Pointer Variable Members Are Not Displayed Directly

    When you use the \uicontrol Locals and \uicontrol Expressions views to inspect a
    pointer variable and expand the variable tree item, another tree item level
    is displayed. To directly display the members of the pointer variable,
    select \uicontrol {Dereference Pointers Automatically} in the context
    menu in the \uicontrol Locals and \uicontrol Expressions views.

    \section1 Structure Members Are Not Sorted According to Structure Layout

    By default, structure members are displayed in alphabetic order. To inspect
    the real layout in memory, deselect
    \uicontrol {Sort Members of Classes and Structs Alphabetically} in the
    context menu in the \uicontrol Locals and \uicontrol Expressions views.

    \section1 Built-in Debugger Is Slow During Startup and Runtime

    The part of the slowness that is related to the loading of debug information
    is hard to avoid. Another part stems from maintaining breakpoints inside
    the debugger (under some circumstances all breakpoints need to be inserted
    and removed again for each step) and the evaluation of expressions after
    each step. We recommend that you minimize the number of breakpoints and
    watched expressions.

     \section1 Debugger Cannot Attach to Running Process on Linux

    GDB uses \c ptrace to attach to running processes. Some Linux distributions
    do not allow this, which stops all attempts to either directly attach to an
    existing process or use the \uicontrol {Run in terminal} option in \QC.

    The reasons for this are described in
    \l{http://wiki.ubuntu.com/SecurityTeam/Roadmap/KernelHardening#ptrace%20Protection}
    {KernelHardening}.

    However, the usefulness of this security measure seems dubious, because this
    feature can be easily disabled. With root permissions, you can disable the
    feature temporarily by writing \c{0} into
    \c{/proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope} or permanently by changing the value
    in \c{/etc/sysctl.d/10-ptrace.conf}. Even if you do not have elevated
    permissions, you can disable the feature later by adding a library that
    calls \c{prctl(0x59616d61, getppid(), 0, 0, 0);}, such as the one in
    \c{$QTCREATORDIR/lib/libptracepreload.so} to the LD_PRELOAD environment.

*/