From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
From: James Ingham <jingham@cygnus.com>
To: duane_ellis@franklin.com
Cc: insight@sourceware.cygnus.com
Subject: Re: Disassembly Window
Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2000 10:42:00 -0000
Message-id: <14571.31690.682824.503403@leda.cygnus.com>
References: <38EA5ED1.827206D7@ozemail.com.au> <38EB5137.890574D3@redhat.com> <14571.27013.103290.130590@leda.cygnus.com> <200004051643.MAA15621@mercury.franklin.com>
X-SW-Source: 2000-q2/msg00021.html

Duane,

 > 
 > I would also add that in this case, it is also quite valid to examine
 > registers *BEFORE* you start execution of the target application.

This is possible, though not as easy as it should be.  If you open the
target settings (from File->target settings), fill in the info about
the connection, and open the "More Options" panel and turn off
downloading and continuing, close this and hit the run button, Insight
will connect to the target.  You can do the download later from the
Run menu.  After you are connected, the registers window will actually
show you the registers on the target.

 > 
 > About the idea of doing this in the memory window....
 > 
 > jim> You really want to be able to
 >      point at any region of memory disassembly that	
 > 
 > I think the source window is really the place to put it, for the
 > simple reason that you may also want to be able to set break points in
 > that window too.
 > 

I disagree.  If you want to set breakpoints on random areas in memory
that gdb knows nothing about, then you should do so from the console
window.  Actually, it would also be nice to have a simple little "set
breakpoints" dialog that you can just type a symbol into, and gdb
would set a breakpoint there, or to add this functionality to the
Breakpoints window.  That would give you what you need without
overburdening the Source window.

Alternatively, when the Memory window is in disassembly mode, you
could add bindings to set breakpoints (or a popup menu to do the same.)

 > What sucks is you can type a function name in the source window,
 > but I cannot seem to type an address in the source window.

The source window is telling you what it knows about the executable in 
the drop down boxes.  I am semi-okay with typing into it (though it
ought to do some kind of auto-completion) but I always have doubts
about whether you should allow type-in to windows with a finite set of 
right choices.  It just seems like asking for errors.

Anyway, the Source window shows stuff that gdb has symbols for, not
random bits of memory.  For it to show just random memory we would
have to add some UI to determine "how much" you want to see.  You
can't really just do a page, because that is not how the source window 
works in its other instantiations.  This would confuse its main uses
to no real gain.

 > 
 > Maybe the memory window should go away, and be added as a selection
 > at the bottom of the screen that is "Source, Mixed, Assembly, ...."
 > 

No, this would be overloading its functionality way too much.  I don't 
think this is a good idea.

Jim