Re: [PATCH WIP] objdump: UTF-8 jump visuzalization

[Jan Beulich <jbeulich@suse.com>]

On 11.06.2024 20:14, Jiří Wolker wrote:
> I've just modified the objdump to render the jump visualization using 
> UTF-8 characters. I attach the patch and a screenshot of the new output 
> with extended color enabled.
> 
> I send this message to ask whether this feature has an opportunity to be 
> added to the binutils.

I see no reason why it shouldn't be acceptable once finished.

> My patch is not finished – it is required to add 
> some other characters to the output to make the output cleaner, also 
> autodetection of UTF-8 environment (and enabling the UTF-8 on such 
> machines) should be added. Also, fine-tuning the output (such as 
> changing arrow shape) for user's needs would be a nice feature.

Right, even the rendering in the browser on the mailing list archive
shows, like at least my email UI, that ...

> Output of the objdump, in plain text:
> 
> 00000000000001ed <print_msg>:
>   1ed:	          50                   	push   %rax
>   1ee:	          52                   	push   %rdx
>   1ef:	          56                   	push   %rsi
>   1f0:	   ╭────→ ac                   	lods   %ds:(%rsi),%al

... arrows aren't quite smooth. Unlike in the picture you had attached.

As to selection of characters, I'd like to note that in the viewer I'm
using to look at your patch as well as in one of the the two consoles I
tried, I can't properly see two of the characters, apparently due to
limitations of the font used. While use of the feature is optional
anyway, it might be nice if characters chosen were covered by a wide
range of commonly used fonts (including ones specifically aiming at use
for console output, which I've often found to support more limited sets).

As to the new command line option: I think the way you have it would
end up somewhat ambiguous if both it and the original option were used.
Instead I think you want to make this a new sub-option of
--visualize-jumps, i.e. --visualize-jumps=utf8. Further, just to
mention it because you don't say so above, please don't forget to also
adjust doc/binutils.texi.

Jan

>   1f1:	   │      08 c0                	or     %al,%al
>   1f3:	   │  ╭─  74 04                	je     1f9 <print_msg+0xc>
>   1f5:	   │  │   e6 e9                	out    %al,$0xe9
>   1f7:	   ╰──│─  eb f7                	jmp    1f0 <print_msg+0x3>
>   1f9:	      ╰─→ 8b 34 24             	mov    (%rsp),%esi
>   1fc:	╭───────→ 66 ba fd 03          	mov    $0x3fd,%dx
>   200:	│         ec                   	in     (%dx),%al
>   201:	│         24 20                	and    $0x20,%al
>   203:	├───────  74 f7                	je     1fc <print_msg+0xf>
>   205:	│         66 ba f8 03          	mov    $0x3f8,%dx
>   209:	│         ac                   	lods   %ds:(%rsi),%al
>   20a:	│         08 c0                	or     %al,%al
>   20c:	│     ╭─  74 07                	je     215 <print_msg+0x28>
>   20e:	│     │   3c 0a                	cmp    $0xa,%al
>   210:	│  ╭──│─  74 07                	je     219 <print_msg+0x2c>
>   212:	│  │  │   ee                   	out    %al,(%dx)
>   213:	├──│──│─  eb e7                	jmp    1fc <print_msg+0xf>
>   215:	│  │  ╰─→ 5e                   	pop    %rsi
>   216:	│  │      5a                   	pop    %rdx
>   217:	│  │      58                   	pop    %rax
>   218:	│  │      c3                   	ret
>   219:	│  ╰────→ b0 0d                	mov    $0xd,%al
>   21b:	│         ee                   	out    %al,(%dx)
>   21c:	│     ╭─→ 66 ba fd 03          	mov    $0x3fd,%dx
>   220:	│     │   ec                   	in     (%dx),%al
>   221:	│     │   24 20                	and    $0x20,%al
>   223:	│     ╰─  74 f7                	je     21c <print_msg+0x2f>
>   225:	│         66 ba f8 03          	mov    $0x3f8,%dx
>   229:	│         b0 0a                	mov    $0xa,%al
>   22b:	│         ee                   	out    %al,(%dx)
>   22c:	╰───────  eb ce                	jmp    1fc <print_msg+0xf>
>