Debugging C or FORTRAN Programs with gdb

Compiling Programs with Debugging Symbols Included

You need to modify your gcc or g77 compile command to include the -g option. So, an example C program compile would be:

    gcc -o myprogram -g myprogram.c

An example FORTRAN program compile would be:

    g77 -o myprogram -g myprogram.f

Starting gdb

At the shell prompt, type gdb myprogram, where myprogram is the name of your C or FORTRAN executable. You should see several introductory lines of text including the gdb version number, and then a (gdb) prompt.

Setting a Breakpoint

The most common task in a debugger is to run your program as normal, until you get up to a predefined subroutine or section of code you want to examine in greater detail.

Setting a breakpoint at the top of your main program, in C:

    break main

Setting a breakpoint at the top of your main program, in FORTRAN:

    break main__

Setting a breakpoint at a particular line number in a particular file:

    break myprogram.f:mylinenumber

where myprogram.f and mylinenumber are the source file and line number where you want to set the breakpoint.

Clearing Breakpoints

To remove an existing breakpoint:

    clear myprogram.f:mylinenumber

Stepping

To step through the next line of code, but skip over any detailed examination of subroutines:

    next

To step through the next line of code, and also step through any subroutines line-by-line:

    step

Examining variable values

To examine the value of an available variable at the current line of the program:

    print myvariable

where myvariable is the variable name you want to examine

Resuming Normal Program Execution

To step through all lines of code up to the next breakpoint, if any:

    continue

Exiting

To exit gdb:

    quit

(Thanks to Barath Baburao for helping test out gdb.)