Debugging with GDB: Lazy Strings In Python

Debugging with GDB: Lazy Strings In Python

23.2.2.32 Python representation of lazy strings.

A lazy string is a string whose contents is not retrieved or encoded until it is needed.

A gdb.LazyString is represented in GDB as an address that points to a region of memory, an encoding that will be used to encode that region of memory, and a length to delimit the region of memory that represents the string. The difference between a gdb.LazyString and a string wrapped within a gdb.Value is that a gdb.LazyString will be treated differently by GDB when printing. A gdb.LazyString is retrieved and encoded during printing, while a gdb.Value wrapping a string is immediately retrieved and encoded on creation.

A gdb.LazyString object has the following functions:

Function: LazyString.value (): Convert the gdb.LazyString to a gdb.Value. This value will point to the string in memory, but will lose all the delayed retrieval, encoding and handling that GDB applies to a gdb.LazyString.

Variable: LazyString.address: This attribute holds the address of the string. This attribute is not writable.

Variable: LazyString.length: This attribute holds the length of the string in characters. If the length is -1, then the string will be fetched and encoded up to the first null of appropriate width. This attribute is not writable.

Variable: LazyString.encoding: This attribute holds the encoding that will be applied to the string when the string is printed by GDB. If the encoding is not set, or contains an empty string, then GDB will select the most appropriate encoding when the string is printed. This attribute is not writable.

Variable: LazyString.type: This attribute holds the type that is represented by the lazy string’s type. For a lazy string this is a pointer or array type. To resolve this to the lazy string’s character type, use the type’s target method. See Types In Python. This attribute is not writable.