[Dwarf-Discuss] Resend Encoding large constant values

[Michael Eager]

On 09/16/2012 03:36 PM, Tommy Hoffner wrote:
> Seems like the mailer doesn't approve of Lotus Notes email
>
> The standard way of encoding a constant value seems to be something like:
>
> <2>< 196> DW_TAG_constant
> DW_AT_name rans2
> DW_AT_const_value 16
> DW_AT_decl_file 1
> DW_AT_decl_line 0
> DW_AT_type <143>
>
> Where we have the following abbrevation
> < 6>< 69><code: 6> DW_TAG_constant DW_CHILDREN_no
> < 72> DW_AT_name DW_FORM_string
> < 74> DW_AT_const_value DW_FORM_data4
> < 76> DW_AT_decl_file DW_FORM_data1
> < 78> DW_AT_decl_line DW_FORM_data1
> < 80> DW_AT_type DW_FORM_ref4
>
> There seems to be a common agreement that we need to know the type (i.e. what DW_AT_type points to)
> to be able to interpret the data in DW_AT_const_value since DW_FORM_data4 only gives us the size of
> the data. Or as the standard says:
> "constant
> ...
>
> The data in DW_FORM_data1, DW_FORM_data2, DW_FORM_data4 and DW_FORM_data8 can be anything.
>
> Depending on context, it may be a signed integer, an unsigned integer, a floating-point constant, or
> anything else."
>
> But DW_FORM_data only goes up to 8 byte data.

Maybe DWARF needs a DW_FORM_data16.

>
> In fortran I can write:
>
> program dbq001
>
> implicit none
>
> real*16 rans2
>
> parameter ( rans2 = 0.1234567890123456789012345678901_16 )
>
> end
>
> Giving me a 16 byte conhstant. My attempt on encoding this was
>
> < 6>< 69><code: 6> DW_TAG_constant DW_CHILDREN_no
> < 72> DW_AT_name DW_FORM_string
> < 74> DW_AT_const_value DW_FORM_block1
> < 76> DW_AT_decl_file DW_FORM_data1
> < 78> DW_AT_decl_line DW_FORM_data1
> < 80> DW_AT_type DW_FORM_ref4
>
> The problem is that the standard section above doesn't mention DW_FORM_block1 as something that can
> contain a constant. It does however say:
>
> "In all forms, the length is the number of information bytes that follow. The information bytes may
> contain any mixture of relocated (or relocatable) addresses, references to other debugging
> information entries or data bytes."
>
> However since all the data types above can be expressed as expressions, I seen tools assuming that
> DW_FORM_block always contains an expression.
>
> So I think the DW_FORM_block1 above should contain the raw floating point data (apart from the size
> field). While a number of tools expect an expression evaluating to the raw bit pattern (?) for the
> 16 byte data we want.
>
> Have I missed anything.
>
> Any hints comments on how to encode it. I realize this is actually in between syntax and semantics.
> I mean the DW_FORM is giving the syntactic part, and a some point we need to interpret a bit pattern
> as a floating point value and I guess this is in-between in the sense that it concern how to
> extract/generate the bit pattern that can be interpreted as a constant
>
> I got the suggestion to use DW_FORM_sdata or DW_FORM_udata, since that will make the part I'm having
> trouble with unambigious, but it feel strange, since it isn't even obvious which encoding it the
> "right one" since signed and unsigned doesn't really make sense for a 16 byte float
>
> /Tommy Hoffner
>
> Tommy Hoffner
>
> Compiler Backend Development
> IBM Toronto Laboratory, 8200 Warden Ave, Markham, Ontario, Canada, L6G 1C7
> Tel: 905-413-2036 Tie: 313-2036 Internet: thoffner at ca.ibm.com
>
>
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-- 
Michael Eager	 eager at eagercon.com
1960 Park Blvd., Palo Alto, CA 94306  650-325-8077