[binutils-gdb] Document "E.MESSAGE" RSP errors

[binutils-gdb] Document "E.MESSAGE" RSP errors

[Pedro Alves]

https://sourceware.org/git/gitweb.cgi?p=binutils-gdb.git;h=d0273077ccbf6847b448604d407d41af3f987652

commit d0273077ccbf6847b448604d407d41af3f987652
Author: Pedro Alves <pedro@palves.net>
Date:   Thu Apr 18 20:22:36 2024 +0100

    Document "E.MESSAGE" RSP errors
    
    For many years, GDB has accepted a "E.MESSAGE" error reponse, in
    addition to "E NN".  For many packets, GDB strips the "E." before
    giving the error message to the user.  For others, GDB does not strip
    the "E.", but still understands that it is an error, as it starts with
    "E", and either prints the whole string, or ignores it and just
    mentions an error occured (same as for "E NN").
    
    This has been the case for as long as I remember.  Now that I check, I
    see that it's been there since 2006 (commit a76d924dffcb, also here:
    https://sourceware.org/pipermail/gdb-patches/2006-September/047286.html).
    All along, I actually thought it was documented.  Turns out it wasn't.
    
    This commit documents it, in the new "Standard Replies" section, near
    where we document "E NN".
    
    The original version of this 3-patch documentation series was a single
    CodeSourcery patch that documented the textual error as
    "E.NAME.MESSAGE", with MESSAGE being 8-bit binary encoded.  But I
    think the ship has sailed for that.  GDBserver has been sending error
    messages with more than one "." for a long while, and with no binary
    encoding.  Still, I've preserved the "Co-Authored-By" list of the
    original larger patch.
    
    The 'qRcmd' and 'm' commands are exceptions and do not accept this
    reply format.  The top of the "Standard Replies" section already says:
    
      "All commands support these, except as noted in the individual
      command descriptions."
    
    So this adds a note to the description of 'qRcmd' and 'm', explicitly
    stating that they do not support this error reply format.
    
    Change-Id: Ie4fee3d00d82ede39e439bf162e8cb7485532fd8
    Co-Authored-By: Jim Blandy <jimb@codesourcery.com>
    Co-Authored-By: Mike Wrighton <mike_wrighton@mentor.com>
    Co-Authored-By: Nathan Sidwell <nathan@codesourcery.com>
    Co-Authored-By: Hafiz Abid Qadeer <abidh@codesourcery.com>
    Approved-By: Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>

Diff:
---
 gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo | 23 +++++++++++++----------
 1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-)

diff --git a/gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo b/gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo
index b5f6b9cd802..92731c510b2 100644
--- a/gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo
+++ b/gdb/doc/gdb.texinfo
@@ -42559,6 +42559,11 @@ number.  In almost all cases, the protocol does not specify the
 meaning of the error numbers; @value{GDBN} usually ignores the
 numbers, or displays them to the user without further interpretation.
 
+@anchor{textual error reply}
+@item @samp{E.@var{errtext}}
+An error has occurred; @var{errtext} is the textual error message,
+encoded in @sc{ascii}.
+
 @end table
 
 @node Packets
@@ -42885,6 +42890,10 @@ The reply may contain fewer addressable memory units than requested if the
 server was able to read only part of the region of memory.
 @end table
 
+Unlike most packets, this packet does not support
+@samp{E.@var{errtext}}-style textual error replies (@pxref{textual
+error reply}).
+
 @item M @var{addr},@var{length}:@var{XX@dots{}}
 @cindex @samp{M} packet
 Write @var{length} addressable memory units starting at address @var{addr}
@@ -44391,6 +44400,10 @@ A command response with no output.
 A command response with the hex encoded output string @var{OUTPUT}.
 @end table
 
+Unlike most packets, this packet does not support
+@samp{E.@var{errtext}}-style textual error replies (@pxref{textual
+error reply}).
+
 (Note that the @code{qRcmd} packet's name is separated from the
 command by a @samp{,}, not a @samp{:}, contrary to the naming
 conventions above.  Please don't use this packet as a model for new
@@ -45447,8 +45460,6 @@ Reply:
 @table @samp
 @item OK
 Branch tracing has been enabled.
-@item E.errtext
-A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
 @end table
 
 @item Qbtrace:pt
@@ -45458,8 +45469,6 @@ Reply:
 @table @samp
 @item OK
 Branch tracing has been enabled.
-@item E.errtext
-A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
 @end table
 
 @item Qbtrace:off
@@ -45469,8 +45478,6 @@ Reply:
 @table @samp
 @item OK
 Branch tracing has been disabled.
-@item E.errtext
-A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
 @end table
 
 @item Qbtrace-conf:bts:size=@var{value}
@@ -45481,8 +45488,6 @@ Reply:
 @table @samp
 @item OK
 The ring buffer size has been set.
-@item E.errtext
-A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
 @end table
 
 @item Qbtrace-conf:pt:size=@var{value}
@@ -45493,8 +45498,6 @@ Reply:
 @table @samp
 @item OK
 The ring buffer size has been set.
-@item E.errtext
-A badly formed request or an error was encountered.
 @end table
 
 @end table