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author | Doc Manager <doceng@FreeBSD.org> | 2001-04-21 05:00:59 +0000 |
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committer | Doc Manager <doceng@FreeBSD.org> | 2001-04-21 05:00:59 +0000 |
commit | f80a9b462ae53fe67ef7691233226c7ebf54f8b1 (patch) | |
tree | f87af6ca4d2c7b131721909237ed9d2399a58325 /en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/programming-tools/article.sgml | |
parent | ee650fb322fcaa402e0ca5a2b8665631b26a64fd (diff) | |
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diff --git a/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/programming-tools/article.sgml b/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/programming-tools/article.sgml deleted file mode 100644 index eabcea2da8..0000000000 --- a/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/programming-tools/article.sgml +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2256 +0,0 @@ -<!-- $FreeBSD: doc/en_US.ISO_8859-1/articles/programming-tools/article.sgml,v 1.14 2001/04/09 00:33:41 dd Exp $ --> -<!-- The FreeBSD Documentation Project --> - -<!DOCTYPE ARTICLE PUBLIC "-//FreeBSD//DTD DocBook V4.1-Based Extension//EN"> -<article> - <articleinfo> - <title>A User's Guide to FreeBSD Programming Tools</title> - - <authorgroup> - <author> - <firstname>James</firstname> - - <surname>Raynard</surname> - - <affiliation> - <address> - <email>jraynard@FreeBSD.org</email> - </address> - </affiliation> - </author> - </authorgroup> - - <pubdate>August 17, 1997</pubdate> - - <copyright> - <year>1997</year> - <holder>James Raynard</holder> - </copyright> - - <abstract> - <para>This document is an introduction to using some of the - programming tools supplied with FreeBSD, although much of it - will be applicable to many other versions of Unix. It does - <emphasis>not</emphasis> attempt to describe coding in any - detail. Most of the document assumes little or no previous - programming knowledge, although it is hoped that most - programmers will find something of value in it</para> - </abstract> - </articleinfo> - - <sect1> - <title>Introduction<anchor id=foo></title> - - <para>FreeBSD offers an excellent development environment. - Compilers for C, C++, and Fortran and an assembler come with the - basic system, not to mention a Perl interpreter and classic Unix - tools such as <command>sed</command> and <command>awk</command>. If that is - not enough, there are many more compilers and interpreters in - the Ports collection. FreeBSD is very compatible with standards - such as <acronym>POSIX</acronym> and <acronym>ANSI</acronym> C, as well with - its own BSD heritage, so it is possible to write applications - that will compile and run with little or no modification on a - wide range of platforms.</para> - - <para>However, all this power can be rather overwhelming at first - if you've never written programs on a Unix platform before. - This document aims to help you get up and running, without - getting too deeply into more advanced topics. The intention is - that this document should give you enough of the basics to be - able to make some sense of the documentation.</para> - - <para>Most of the document requires little or no knowledge of - programming, although it does assume a basic competence with - using Unix and a willingness to learn!</para> - </sect1> - - <sect1> - <title>Introduction to Programming</title> - - <para>A program is a set of instructions that tell the computer to - do various things; sometimes the instruction it has to perform - depends on what happened when it performed a previous - instruction. This section gives an overview of the two main - ways in which you can give these instructions, or - <quote>commands</quote> as they are usually called. One way - uses an <firstterm>interpreter</firstterm>, the other a - <firstterm>compiler</firstterm>. As human languages are too difficult for - a computer to understand in an unambiguous way, commands are - usually written in one or other languages specially designed for - the purpose.</para> - - <sect2> - <title>Interpreters</title> - - <para>With an interpreter, the language comes as an environment, - where you type in commands at a prompt and the environment - executes them for you. For more complicated programs, you can - type the commands into a file and get the interpreter to load - the file and execute the commands in it. If anything goes - wrong, many interpreters will drop you into a debugger to help - you track down the problem.</para> - - <para>The advantage of this is that you can see the results of - your commands immediately, and mistakes can be corrected - readily. The biggest disadvantage comes when you want to - share your programs with someone. They must have the same - interpreter, or you must have some way of giving it to them, - and they need to understand how to use it. Also users may not - appreciate being thrown into a debugger if they press the - wrong key! From a performance point of view, interpreters can - use up a lot of memory, and generally do not generate code as - efficiently as compilers.</para> - - <para>In my opinion, interpreted languages are the best way to - start if you have not done any programming before. This kind - of environment is typically found with languages like Lisp, - Smalltalk, Perl and Basic. It could also be argued that the - Unix shell (<command>sh</command>, <command>csh</command>) is itself an - interpreter, and many people do in fact write shell - <quote>scripts</quote> to help with various - <quote>housekeeping</quote> tasks on their machine. Indeed, part - of the original Unix philosophy was to provide lots of small - utility programs that could be linked together in shell - scripts to perform useful tasks.</para> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>Interpreters available with FreeBSD</title> - - <para>Here is a list of interpreters that are available as - <ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/">FreeBSD - packages</ulink>, with a brief discussion of some of the - more popular interpreted languages.</para> - - <para>To get one of these packages, all you need to do is to - click on the hotlink for the package, then run</para> - - <screen>&prompt.root; <userinput>pkg_add <replaceable>package name</></userinput> - </screen> - - <para>as root. Obviously, you will need to have a fully - functional FreeBSD 2.1.0 or later system for the package to - work!</para> - - <variablelist> - <varlistentry> - <term><acronym>BASIC</acronym></term> - - <listitem> - <para>Short for Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic - Instruction Code. Developed in the 1950s for teaching - University students to program and provided with every - self-respecting personal computer in the 1980s, - <acronym>BASIC</acronym> has been the first programming - language for many programmers. It's also the foundation - for Visual Basic.</para> - - <para>The <ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/lang/bwbasic-2.10.tgz">Bywater - Basic Interpreter</ulink> and the <ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/lang/pbasic-2.0.tgz">Phil - Cockroft's Basic Interpreter</ulink> (formerly Rabbit - Basic) are available as FreeBSD <ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/">FreeBSD - packages</ulink></para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term>Lisp</term> - - <listitem> - <para>A language that was developed in the late 1950s as - an alternative to the <quote>number-crunching</quote> - languages that were popular at the time. Instead of - being based on numbers, Lisp is based on lists; in fact - the name is short for <quote>List Processing</quote>. - Very popular in AI (Artificial Intelligence) - circles.</para> - - <para>Lisp is an extremely powerful and sophisticated - language, but can be rather large and unwieldy.</para> - - <para>FreeBSD has <ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/gcl-2.0.tgz">GNU - Common Lisp</ulink> available as a package.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term>Perl</term> - - <listitem> - <para>Very popular with system administrators for writing - scripts; also often used on World Wide Web servers for - writing <acronym>CGI</acronym> scripts.</para> - - <para>The latest version (version 5) comes with FreeBSD.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term>Scheme</term> - - <listitem> - <para>A dialect of Lisp that is rather more compact and - cleaner than Common Lisp. Popular in Universities as it - is simple enough to teach to undergraduates as a first - language, while it has a high enough level of - abstraction to be used in research work.</para> - - <para>FreeBSD has packages of the <ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/lang/elk-3.0.tgz">Elk - Scheme Interpreter</ulink>, the <ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/lang/mit-scheme-7.3.tgz">MIT - Scheme Interpreter</ulink> and the <ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/lang/scm-4e1.tgz">SCM - Scheme Interpreter</ulink>.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term>Icon</term> - - <listitem> - <para><ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/lang/icon-9.0.tgz">The - Icon Programming Language</ulink>.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term>Logo</term> - - <listitem> - <para><ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/lang/ucblogo-3.3.tgz">Brian - Harvey's LOGO Interpreter</ulink>.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term>Python</term> - - <listitem> - <para><ulink - URL="ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org:pub/FreeBSD/packages/lang/python-1.2">The - Python Object-Oriented Programming - Language</ulink></para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - </variablelist> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>Compilers</title> - - <para>Compilers are rather different. First of all, you write - your code in a file (or files) using an editor. You then run - the compiler and see if it accepts your program. If it did - not compile, grit your teeth and go back to the editor; if it - did compile and gave you a program, you can run it either at a - shell command prompt or in a debugger to see if it works - properly. - - <footnote> - <para>If you run it in the shell, you may get a core - dump.</para> - </footnote></para> - - <para>Obviously, this is not quite as direct as using an - interpreter. However it allows you to do a lot of things - which are very difficult or even impossible with an - interpreter, such as writing code which interacts closely with - the operating system—or even writing your own operating - system! It's also useful if you need to write very efficient - code, as the compiler can take its time and optimise the code, - which would not be acceptable in an interpreter. And - distributing a program written for a compiler is usually more - straightforward than one written for an interpreter—you - can just give them a copy of the executable, assuming they - have the same operating system as you.</para> - - <para>Compiled languages include Pascal, C and C++. C and C++ - are rather unforgiving languages, and best suited to more - experienced programmers; Pascal, on the other hand, was - designed as an educational language, and is quite a good - language to start with. Unfortunately, FreeBSD doesn't have - any Pascal support, except for a Pascal-to-C converter in the - ports.</para> - - <para>As the edit-compile-run-debug cycle is rather tedious when - using separate programs, many commercial compiler makers have - produced Integrated Development Environments - (<acronym>IDE</acronym>s for short). FreeBSD does not have an - <acronym>IDE</acronym> as such; however it is possible to use Emacs - for this purpose. This is discussed in <xref - linkend="emacs">.</para> - </sect2> - </sect1> - - <sect1> - <title>Compiling with <command>cc</command></title> - - <para>This section deals only with the GNU compiler for C and C++, - since that comes with the base FreeBSD system. It can be - invoked by either <command>cc</command> or <command>gcc</command>. The - details of producing a program with an interpreter vary - considerably between interpreters, and are usually well covered - in the documentation and on-line help for the - interpreter.</para> - - <para>Once you've written your masterpiece, the next step is to - convert it into something that will (hopefully!) run on FreeBSD. - This usually involves several steps, each of which is done by a - separate program.</para> - - <procedure> - <step> - <para>Pre-process your source code to remove comments and do - other tricks like expanding macros in C.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>Check the syntax of your code to see if you have obeyed - the rules of the language. If you have not, it will - complain!</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>Convert the source code into assembly - language—this is very close to machine code, but still - understandable by humans. Allegedly. - - <footnote> - <para>To be strictly accurate, <command>cc</command> converts the - source code into its own, machine-independent - <firstterm>p-code</firstterm> instead of assembly language at - this stage.</para> - </footnote></para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>Convert the assembly language into machine - code—yep, we are talking bits and bytes, ones and - zeros here.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>Check that you have used things like functions and - global variables in a consistent way. For example, if you - have called a non-existent function, it will - complain.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>If you are trying to produce an executable from several - source code files, work out how to fit them all - together.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>Work out how to produce something that the system's - run-time loader will be able to load into memory and - run.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>Finally, write the executable on the file system.</para> - </step> - </procedure> - - <para>The word <firstterm>compiling</firstterm> is often used to refer to - just steps 1 to 4—the others are referred to as - <firstterm>linking</firstterm>. Sometimes step 1 is referred to as - <firstterm>pre-processing</firstterm> and steps 3-4 as - <firstterm>assembling</firstterm>.</para> - - <para>Fortunately, almost all this detail is hidden from you, as - <command>cc</command> is a front end that manages calling all these - programs with the right arguments for you; simply typing</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc foobar.c</> - </screen> - - <para>will cause <filename>foobar.c</filename> to be compiled by all the - steps above. If you have more than one file to compile, just do - something like</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc foo.c bar.c</> - </screen> - - <para>Note that the syntax checking is just that—checking - the syntax. It will not check for any logical mistakes you may - have made, like putting the program into an infinite loop, or - using a bubble sort when you meant to use a binary - sort. - - <footnote> - <para>In case you didn't know, a binary sort is an efficient - way of sorting things into order and a bubble sort - isn't.</para> - </footnote></para> - - <para>There are lots and lots of options for <command>cc</command>, which - are all in the man page. Here are a few of the most important - ones, with examples of how to use them.</para> - - <variablelist> - <varlistentry> - <term><option>-o <replaceable>filename</replaceable></option></term> - - <listitem> - <para>The output name of the file. If you do not use this - option, <command>cc</command> will produce an executable called - <filename>a.out</filename>. - - <footnote> - <para>The reasons for this are buried in the mists of - history.</para> - </footnote></para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc foobar.c</> <lineannotation>executable is <filename>a.out</></> -&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -o foobar foobar.c</> <lineannotation>executable is <filename>foobar</></> - </screen> - </informalexample> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><option>-c</option></term> - - <listitem> - <para>Just compile the file, do not link it. Useful for toy - programs where you just want to check the syntax, or if - you are using a <filename>Makefile</filename>.</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -c foobar.c</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>This will produce an <firstterm>object file</firstterm> (not an - executable) called <filename>foobar.o</filename>. This - can be linked together with other object files into an - executable.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><option>-g</option></term> - - <listitem> - <para>Create a debug version of the executable. This makes - the compiler put information into the executable about - which line of which source file corresponds to which - function call. A debugger can use this information to show - the source code as you step through the program, which is - <emphasis>very</emphasis> useful; the disadvantage is that - all this extra information makes the program much bigger. - Normally, you compile with <option>-g</option> while you - are developing a program and then compile a <quote>release - version</quote> without <option>-g</option> when you're - satisfied it works properly.</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -g foobar.c</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>This will produce a debug version of the - program. - - <footnote> - <para>Note, we didn't use the <option>-o</option> flag - to specify the executable name, so we will get an - executable called <filename>a.out</filename>. - Producing a debug version called - <filename>foobar</filename> is left as an exercise for - the reader!</para> - </footnote></para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><option>-O</option></term> - - <listitem> - <para>Create an optimised version of the executable. The - compiler performs various clever tricks to try and produce - an executable that runs faster than normal. You can add a - number after the <option>-O</option> to specify a higher - level of optimisation, but this often exposes bugs in the - compiler's optimiser. For instance, the version of - <command>cc</command> that comes with the 2.1.0 release of - FreeBSD is known to produce bad code with the - <option>-O2</option> option in some circumstances.</para> - - <para>Optimisation is usually only turned on when compiling - a release version.</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -O -o foobar foobar.c</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>This will produce an optimised version of - <filename>foobar</filename>.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - </variablelist> - - <para>The following three flags will force <command>cc</command> - to check that your code complies to the relevant international - standard, often referred to as the <acronym>ANSI</acronym> - standard, though strictly speaking it is an - <acronym>ISO</acronym> standard.</para> - - <variablelist> - <varlistentry> - <term><option>-Wall</option></term> - - <listitem> - <para>Enable all the warnings which the authors of - <command>cc</command> believe are worthwhile. Despite the - name, it will not enable all the warnings - <command>cc</command> is capable of.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><option>-ansi</option></term> - - <listitem> - <para>Turn off most, but not all, of the - non-<acronym>ANSI</acronym> C features provided by - <command>cc</command>. Despite the name, it does not - guarantee strictly that your code will comply to the - standard.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - - <varlistentry> - <term><option>-pedantic</option></term> - - <listitem> - <para>Turn off <emphasis>all</emphasis> - <command>cc</command>'s non-<acronym>ANSI</acronym> C - features.</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - </variablelist> - - <para>Without these flags, <command>cc</command> will allow you to - use some of its non-standard extensions to the standard. Some - of these are very useful, but will not work with other - compilers—in fact, one of the main aims of the standard is - to allow people to write code that will work with any compiler - on any system. This is known as <firstterm>portable - code</firstterm>.</para> - - <para>Generally, you should try to make your code as portable as - possible, as otherwise you may have to completely re-write the - program later to get it to work somewhere else—and who - knows what you may be using in a few years time?</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -Wall -ansi -pedantic -o foobar foobar.c</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>This will produce an executable <filename>foobar</filename> - after checking <filename>foobar.c</filename> for standard - compliance.</para> - - <variablelist> - <varlistentry> - <term><option>-l<replaceable>library</replaceable></option></term> - - <listitem> - <para>Specify a function library to be used during when - linking.</para> - - <para>The most common example of this is when compiling a - program that uses some of the mathematical functions in C. - Unlike most other platforms, these are in a separate - library from the standard C one and you have to tell the - compiler to add it.</para> - - <para>The rule is that if the library is called - <filename>lib<replaceable>something</replaceable>.a</filename>, - you give <command>cc</command> the argument - <option>-l<replaceable>something</replaceable></option>. - For example, the math library is - <filename>libm.a</filename>, so you give - <command>cc</command> the argument <option>-lm</option>. - A common <quote>gotcha</quote> with the math library is - that it has to be the last library on the command - line.</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -o foobar foobar.c -lm</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>This will link the math library functions into - <filename>foobar</filename>.</para> - - <para>If you are compiling C++ code, you need to add - <option>-lg++</option>, or <option>-lstdc++</option> if - you are using FreeBSD 2.2 or later, to the command line - argument to link the C++ library functions. - Alternatively, you can run <command>c++</command> instead - of <command>cc</command>, which does this for you. - <command>c++</command> can also be invoked as - <command>g++</command> on FreeBSD.</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -o foobar foobar.cc -lg++</userinput> <lineannotation>For FreeBSD 2.1.6 and earlier</> -&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -o foobar foobar.cc -lstdc++</userinput> <lineannotation>For FreeBSD 2.2 and later</> -&prompt.user; <userinput>c++ -o foobar foobar.cc</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>Each of these will both produce an executable - <filename>foobar</filename> from the C++ source file - <filename>foobar.cc</filename>. Note that, on Unix - systems, C++ source files traditionally end in - <filename>.C</filename>, <filename>.cxx</filename> or - <filename>.cc</filename>, rather than the - MS-DOS style - <filename>.cpp</filename> (which was already used for - something else). <command>gcc</command> used to rely on - this to work out what kind of compiler to use on the - source file; however, this restriction no longer applies, - so you may now call your C++ files - <filename>.cpp</filename> with impunity!</para> - </listitem> - </varlistentry> - </variablelist> - - <sect2> - <title>Common <command>cc</command> Queries and Problems</title> - - <qandaset> - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>I am trying to write a program which uses the - <function>sin()</function> function and I get an error - like this. What does it mean?</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>/var/tmp/cc0143941.o: Undefined symbol `_sin' referenced from text segment - </screen> - </informalexample> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>When using mathematical functions like - <function>sin()</function>, you have to tell - <command>cc</command> to link in the math library, like - so:</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -o foobar foobar.c -lm</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>All right, I wrote this simple program to practice - using <option>-lm</option>. All it does is raise 2.1 to - the power of 6.</para> - - <informalexample> - <programlisting>#include <stdio.h> - -int main() { - float f; - - f = pow(2.1, 6); - printf("2.1 ^ 6 = %f\n", f); - return 0; -} - </programlisting> - </informalexample> - - <para>and I compiled it as:</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc temp.c -lm</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>like you said I should, but I get this when I run - it:</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>./a.out</userinput> -2.1 ^ 6 = 1023.000000 - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>This is <emphasis>not</emphasis> the right answer! - What is going on?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>When the compiler sees you call a function, it - checks if it has already seen a prototype for it. If it - has not, it assumes the function returns an - <type>int</type>, which is definitely not what you want - here.</para> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>So how do I fix this?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>The prototypes for the mathematical functions are in - <filename>math.h</filename>. If you include this file, - the compiler will be able to find the prototype and it - will stop doing strange things to your - calculation!</para> - - <informalexample> - <programlisting>#include <math.h> -#include <stdio.h> - -int main() { -... - </programlisting> - </informalexample> - - <para>After recompiling it as you did before, run - it:</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>./a.out</userinput> -2.1 ^ 6 = 85.766121 - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>If you are using any of the mathematical functions, - <emphasis>always</emphasis> include - <filename>math.h</filename> and remember to link in the - math library.</para> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>I compiled a file called - <filename>foobar.c</filename> and I cannot find an - executable called <filename>foobar</filename>. Where's - it gone?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>Remember, <command>cc</command> will call the - executable <filename>a.out</filename> unless you tell it - differently. Use the - <option>-o <replaceable>filename</replaceable></option> - option:</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -o foobar foobar.c</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>OK, I have an executable called - <filename>foobar</filename>, I can see it when I run - <command>ls</command>, but when I type in - <command>foobar</command> at the command prompt it tells - me there is no such file. Why can it not find - it?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>Unlike MS-DOS, Unix does not - look in the current directory when it is trying to find - out which executable you want it to run, unless you tell - it to. Either type <command>./foobar</command>, which - means <quote>run the file called - <filename>foobar</filename> in the current - directory</quote>, or change your <envar - >PATH</envar> environment - variable so that it looks something like</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:. - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>The dot at the end means <quote>look in the current - directory if it is not in any of the - others</quote>.</para> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>I called my executable <filename>test</filename>, - but nothing happens when I run it. What is going - on?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>Most Unix systems have a program called - <command>test</command> in <filename>/usr/bin</filename> - and the shell is picking that one up before it gets to - checking the current directory. Either type:</para> - - <informalexample> - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>./test</userinput> - </screen> - </informalexample> - - <para>or choose a better name for your program!</para> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>I compiled my program and it seemed to run all right - at first, then there was an error and it said something - about <errorname>core dumped</errorname>. What does that - mean?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>The name <firstterm>core dump</firstterm> dates back - to the very early days of Unix, when the machines used - core memory for storing data. Basically, if the program - failed under certain conditions, the system would write - the contents of core memory to disk in a file called - <filename>core</filename>, which the programmer could - then pore over to find out what went wrong.</para> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>Fascinating stuff, but what I am supposed to do - now?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>Use <command>gdb</command> to analyse the core (see - <xref linkend="debugging">).</para> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>When my program dumped core, it said something about - a <errorname>segmentation fault</errorname>. What's - that?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>This basically means that your program tried to - perform some sort of illegal operation on memory; Unix - is designed to protect the operating system and other - programs from rogue programs.</para> - - <para>Common causes for this are:</para> - - <itemizedlist> - <listitem> - <para>Trying to write to a <symbol>NULL</symbol> - pointer, eg</para> - - <programlisting>char *foo = NULL; -strcpy(foo, "bang!"); - </programlisting> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Using a pointer that hasn't been initialised, - eg</para> - - <programlisting>char *foo; -strcpy(foo, "bang!"); - </programlisting> - - <para>The pointer will have some random value that, - with luck, will point into an area of memory that - isn't available to your program and the kernel will - kill your program before it can do any damage. If - you're unlucky, it'll point somewhere inside your - own program and corrupt one of your data structures, - causing the program to fail mysteriously.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Trying to access past the end of an array, - eg</para> - - <programlisting>int bar[20]; -bar[27] = 6; - </programlisting> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Trying to store something in read-only memory, - eg</para> - - <programlisting>char *foo = "My string"; -strcpy(foo, "bang!"); - </programlisting> - - <para>Unix compilers often put string literals like - <literal>"My string"</literal> into read-only areas - of memory.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Doing naughty things with - <function>malloc()</function> and - <function>free()</function>, eg</para> - - <programlisting>char bar[80]; -free(bar); - </programlisting> - - <para>or</para> - - <programlisting>char *foo = malloc(27); -free(foo); -free(foo); - </programlisting> - </listitem> - </itemizedlist> - - <para>Making one of these mistakes will not always lead to - an error, but they are always bad practice. Some - systems and compilers are more tolerant than others, - which is why programs that ran well on one system can - crash when you try them on an another.</para> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>Sometimes when I get a core dump it says - <errorname>bus error</errorname>. It says in my Unix - book that this means a hardware problem, but the - computer still seems to be working. Is this - true?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>No, fortunately not (unless of course you really do - have a hardware problem…). This is usually - another way of saying that you accessed memory in a way - you shouldn't have.</para> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - - <qandaentry> - <question> - <para>This dumping core business sounds as though it could - be quite useful, if I can make it happen when I want to. - Can I do this, or do I have to wait until there's an - error?</para> - </question> - - <answer> - <para>Yes, just go to another console or xterm, do</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>ps</userinput> - </screen> - - <para>to find out the process ID of your program, and - do</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>kill -ABRT <replaceable>pid</replaceable></userinput> - </screen> - - <para>where - <parameter><replaceable>pid</replaceable></parameter> is - the process ID you looked up.</para> - - <para>This is useful if your program has got stuck in an - infinite loop, for instance. If your program happens to - trap <symbol>SIGABRT</symbol>, there are several other - signals which have a similar effect.</para> - </answer> - </qandaentry> - </qandaset> - </sect2> - </sect1> - - <sect1> - <title>Make</title> - - <sect2> - <title>What is <command>make</command>?</title> - - <para>When you're working on a simple program with only one or - two source files, typing in</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc file1.c file2.c</userinput> - </screen> - - <para>is not too bad, but it quickly becomes very tedious when - there are several files—and it can take a while to - compile, too.</para> - - <para>One way to get around this is to use object files and only - recompile the source file if the source code has changed. So - we could have something like:</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc file1.o file2.o</userinput> … <userinput>file37.c</userinput> &hellip - </screen> - - <para>if we'd changed <filename>file37.c</filename>, but not any - of the others, since the last time we compiled. This may - speed up the compilation quite a bit, but doesn't solve the - typing problem.</para> - - <para>Or we could write a shell script to solve the typing - problem, but it would have to re-compile everything, making it - very inefficient on a large project.</para> - - <para>What happens if we have hundreds of source files lying - about? What if we're working in a team with other people who - forget to tell us when they've changed one of their source - files that we use?</para> - - <para>Perhaps we could put the two solutions together and write - something like a shell script that would contain some kind of - magic rule saying when a source file needs compiling. Now all - we need now is a program that can understand these rules, as - it's a bit too complicated for the shell.</para> - - <para>This program is called <command>make</command>. It reads - in a file, called a <firstterm>makefile</firstterm>, that - tells it how different files depend on each other, and works - out which files need to be re-compiled and which ones don't. - For example, a rule could say something like <quote>if - <filename>fromboz.o</filename> is older than - <filename>fromboz.c</filename>, that means someone must have - changed <filename>fromboz.c</filename>, so it needs to be - re-compiled.</quote> The makefile also has rules telling - make <emphasis>how</emphasis> to re-compile the source file, - making it a much more powerful tool.</para> - - <para>Makefiles are typically kept in the same directory as the - source they apply to, and can be called - <filename>makefile</filename>, <filename>Makefile</filename> - or <filename>MAKEFILE</filename>. Most programmers use the - name <filename>Makefile</filename>, as this puts it near the - top of a directory listing, where it can easily be - seen. - - <footnote> - <para>They don't use the <filename>MAKEFILE</filename> form - as block capitals are often used for documentation files - like <filename>README</filename>.</para> - </footnote></para> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>Example of using <command>make</command></title> - - <para>Here's a very simple make file:</para> - - <programlisting>foo: foo.c - cc -o foo foo.c</programlisting> - - <para>It consists of two lines, a dependency line and a creation - line.</para> - - <para>The dependency line here consists of the name of the - program (known as the <firstterm>target</firstterm>), followed - by a colon, then whitespace, then the name of the source file. - When <command>make</command> reads this line, it looks to see - if <filename>foo</filename> exists; if it exists, it compares - the time <filename>foo</filename> was last modified to the - time <filename>foo.c</filename> was last modified. If - <filename>foo</filename> does not exist, or is older than - <filename>foo.c</filename>, it then looks at the creation line - to find out what to do. In other words, this is the rule for - working out when <filename>foo.c</filename> needs to be - re-compiled.</para> - - <para>The creation line starts with a <token>tab</token> (press - the <keycap>tab</keycap> key) and then the command you would - type to create <filename>foo</filename> if you were doing it - at a command prompt. If <filename>foo</filename> is out of - date, or does not exist, <command>make</command> then executes - this command to create it. In other words, this is the rule - which tells make how to re-compile - <filename>foo.c</filename>.</para> - - <para>So, when you type <userinput>make</userinput>, it will - make sure that <filename>foo</filename> is up to date with - respect to your latest changes to <filename>foo.c</filename>. - This principle can be extended to - <filename>Makefile</filename>s with hundreds of - targets—in fact, on FreeBSD, it is possible to compile - the entire operating system just by typing <userinput>make - world</userinput> in the appropriate directory!</para> - - <para>Another useful property of makefiles is that the targets - don't have to be programs. For instance, we could have a make - file that looks like this:</para> - - <programlisting>foo: foo.c - cc -o foo foo.c - -install: - cp foo /home/me</programlisting> - - <para>We can tell make which target we want to make by - typing:</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>make <replaceable>target</replaceable></userinput> - </screen> - - <para><command>make</command> will then only look at that target - and ignore any others. For example, if we type - <userinput>make foo</userinput> with the makefile above, make - will ignore the <action>install</action> target.</para> - - <para>If we just type <userinput>make</userinput> on its own, - make will always look at the first target and then stop - without looking at any others. So if we typed - <userinput>make</userinput> here, it will just go to the - <action>foo</action> target, re-compile - <filename>foo</filename> if necessary, and then stop without - going on to the <action>install</action> target.</para> - - <para>Notice that the <action>install</action> target doesn't - actually depend on anything! This means that the command on - the following line is always executed when we try to make that - target by typing <userinput>make install</userinput>. In this - case, it will copy <filename>foo</filename> into the user's - home directory. This is often used by application makefiles, - so that the application can be installed in the correct - directory when it has been correctly compiled.</para> - - <para>This is a slightly confusing subject to try and explain. - If you don't quite understand how <command>make</command> - works, the best thing to do is to write a simple program like - <quote>hello world</quote> and a make file like the one above - and experiment. Then progress to using more than one source - file, or having the source file include a header file. The - <command>touch</command> command is very useful here—it - changes the date on a file without you having to edit - it.</para> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>FreeBSD Makefiles</title> - - <para>Makefiles can be rather complicated to write. Fortunately, - BSD-based systems like FreeBSD come with some very powerful - ones as part of the system. One very good example of this is - the FreeBSD ports system. Here's the essential part of a - typical ports <filename>Makefile</filename>:</para> - - <programlisting>MASTER_SITES= ftp://freefall.cdrom.com/pub/FreeBSD/LOCAL_PORTS/ -DISTFILES= scheme-microcode+dist-7.3-freebsd.tgz - -.include <bsd.port.mk></programlisting> - - <para>Now, if we go to the directory for this port and type - <userinput>make</userinput>, the following happens:</para> - - <procedure> - <step> - <para>A check is made to see if the source code for this - port is already on the system.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>If it isn't, an FTP connection to the URL in - <symbol>MASTER_SITES</symbol> is set up to download the - source.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>The checksum for the source is calculated and compared - it with one for a known, good, copy of the source. This - is to make sure that the source was not corrupted while in - transit.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>Any changes required to make the source work on - FreeBSD are applied—this is known as - <firstterm>patching</firstterm>.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>Any special configuration needed for the source is - done. (Many Unix program distributions try to work out - which version of Unix they are being compiled on and which - optional Unix features are present—this is where - they are given the information in the FreeBSD ports - scenario).</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>The source code for the program is compiled. In - effect, we change to the directory where the source was - unpacked and do <command>make</command>—the - program's own make file has the necessary information to - build the program.</para> - </step> - - <step> - <para>We now have a compiled version of the program. If we - wish, we can test it now; when we feel confident about the - program, we can type <userinput>make install</userinput>. - This will cause the program and any supporting files it - needs to be copied into the correct location; an entry is - also made into a <database>package database</database>, so - that the port can easily be uninstalled later if we change - our mind about it.</para> - </step> - </procedure> - - <para>Now I think you'll agree that's rather impressive for a - four line script!</para> - - <para>The secret lies in the last line, which tells - <command>make</command> to look in the system makefile called - <filename>bsd.port.mk</filename>. It's easy to overlook this - line, but this is where all the clever stuff comes - from—someone has written a makefile that tells - <command>make</command> to do all the things above (plus a - couple of other things I didn't mention, including handling - any errors that may occur) and anyone can get access to that - just by putting a single line in their own make file!</para> - - <para>If you want to have a look at these system makefiles, - they're in <filename>/usr/share/mk</filename>, but it's - probably best to wait until you've had a bit of practice with - makefiles, as they are very complicated (and if you do look at - them, make sure you have a flask of strong coffee - handy!)</para> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>More advanced uses of <command>make</command></title> - - <para><command>Make</command> is a very powerful tool, and can - do much more than the simple example above shows. - Unfortunately, there are several different versions of - <command>make</command>, and they all differ considerably. - The best way to learn what they can do is probably to read the - documentation—hopefully this introduction will have - given you a base from which you can do this.</para> - - <para>The version of make that comes with FreeBSD is the - <application>Berkeley make</application>; there is a tutorial - for it in <filename>/usr/share/doc/psd/12.make</filename>. To - view it, do</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>zmore paper.ascii.gz</userinput> - </screen> - - <para>in that directory.</para> - - <para>Many applications in the ports use <application>GNU - make</application>, which has a very good set of - <quote>info</quote> pages. If you have installed any of these - ports, <application>GNU make</application> will automatically - have been installed as <command>gmake</command>. It's also - available as a port and package in its own right.</para> - - <para>To view the info pages for <application>GNU - make</application>, you will have to edit the - <filename>dir</filename> file in the - <filename>/usr/local/info</filename> directory to add an entry - for it. This involves adding a line like</para> - - <programlisting> * Make: (make). The GNU Make utility.</programlisting> - - <para>to the file. Once you have done this, you can type - <userinput>info</userinput> and then select - <guimenuitem>make</guimenuitem> from the menu (or in - <application>Emacs</application>, do <userinput>C-h - i</userinput>).</para> - </sect2> - </sect1> - - <sect1 id="debugging"> - <title>Debugging</title> - - <sect2> - <title>The Debugger</title> - - <para>The debugger that comes with FreeBSD is called - <command>gdb</command> (<application>GNU - debugger</application>). You start it up by typing</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>gdb <replaceable>progname</replaceable></userinput> - </screen> - - <para>although most people prefer to run it inside - <application>Emacs</application>. You can do this by:</para> - - <screen><userinput>M-x gdb RET <replaceable>progname</replaceable> RET</userinput> - </screen> - - <para>Using a debugger allows you to run the program under more - controlled circumstances. Typically, you can step through the - program a line at a time, inspect the value of variables, - change them, tell the debugger to run up to a certain point - and then stop, and so on. You can even attach to a program - that's already running, or load a core file to investigate why - the program crashed. It's even possible to debug the kernel, - though that's a little trickier than the user applications - we'll be discussing in this section.</para> - - <para><command>gdb</command> has quite good on-line help, as - well as a set of info pages, so this section will concentrate - on a few of the basic commands.</para> - - <para>Finally, if you find its text-based command-prompt style - off-putting, there's a graphical front-end for it <ulink - URL="../../ports/devel.html">xxgdb</ulink> in the ports - collection.</para> - - <para>This section is intended to be an introduction to using - <command>gdb</command> and does not cover specialised topics - such as debugging the kernel.</para> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>Running a program in the debugger</title> - - <para>You'll need to have compiled the program with the - <option>-g</option> option to get the most out of using - <command>gdb</command>. It will work without, but you'll only - see the name of the function you're in, instead of the source - code. If you see a line like:</para> - - <screen>… (no debugging symbols found) … - </screen> - - <para>when <command>gdb</command> starts up, you'll know that - the program wasn't compiled with the <option>-g</option> - option.</para> - - <para>At the <command>gdb</command> prompt, type - <userinput>break main</userinput>. This will tell the - debugger to skip over the preliminary set-up code in the - program and start at the beginning of your code. Now type - <userinput>run</userinput> to start the program—it will - start at the beginning of the set-up code and then get stopped - by the debugger when it calls <function>main()</function>. - (If you've ever wondered where <function>main()</function> - gets called from, now you know!).</para> - - <para>You can now step through the program, a line at a time, by - pressing <command>n</command>. If you get to a function call, - you can step into it by pressing <command>s</command>. Once - you're in a function call, you can return from stepping into a - function call by pressing <command>f</command>. You can also - use <command>up</command> and <command>down</command> to take - a quick look at the caller.</para> - - <para>Here's a simple example of how to spot a mistake in a - program with <command>gdb</command>. This is our program - (with a deliberate mistake):</para> - - <programlisting>#include <stdio.h> - -int bazz(int anint); - -main() { - int i; - - printf("This is my program\n"); - bazz(i); - return 0; -} - -int bazz(int anint) { - printf("You gave me %d\n", anint); - return anint; -}</programlisting> - - <para>This program sets <symbol>i</symbol> to be - <literal>5</literal> and passes it to a function - <function>bazz()</function> which prints out the number we - gave it.</para> - - <para>When we compile and run the program we get</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>cc -g -o temp temp.c</userinput> -&prompt.user; <userinput>./temp</userinput> -This is my program -anint = 4231 - </screen> - - <para>That wasn't what we expected! Time to see what's going - on!</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>gdb temp</userinput> -GDB is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies of it - under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see the conditions. -There is absolutely no warranty for GDB; type "show warranty" for details. -GDB 4.13 (i386-unknown-freebsd), Copyright 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc. -(gdb) <userinput>break main</> <lineannotation>Skip the set-up code</> -Breakpoint 1 at 0x160f: file temp.c, line 9. <lineannotation><command>gdb</command> puts breakpoint at <function>main()</></> -(gdb) <userinput>run</> <lineannotation>Run as far as <function>main()</></> -Starting program: /home/james/tmp/temp <lineannotation>Program starts running</> - -Breakpoint 1, main () at temp.c:9 <lineannotation><command>gdb</command> stops at <function>main()</></> -(gdb) <userinput>n</> <lineannotation>Go to next line</> -This is my program <lineannotation>Program prints out</> -(gdb) <userinput>s</> <lineannotation>step into <function>bazz()</></> -bazz (anint=4231) at temp.c:17 <lineannotation><command>gdb</command> displays stack frame</> -(gdb) - </screen> - - <para>Hang on a minute! How did <symbol>anint</symbol> get to be - <literal>4231</literal>? Didn't we set it to be - <literal>5</literal> in <function>main()</function>? Let's - move up to <function>main()</function> and have a look.</para> - - <screen>(gdb) <userinput>up</> <lineannotation>Move up call stack</> -#1 0x1625 in main () at temp.c:11 <lineannotation><command>gdb</command> displays stack frame</> -(gdb) <userinput>p i</> <lineannotation>Show us the value of <symbol>i</></> -$1 = 4231 <lineannotation><command>gdb</command> displays <literal>4231</></> - </screen> - - <para>Oh dear! Looking at the code, we forgot to initialise - <symbol>i</symbol>. We meant to put</para> - - <programlisting><lineannotation>…</> -main() { - int i; - - i = 5; - printf("This is my program\n"); -<lineannotation>&hellip</></programlisting> - - <para>but we left the <literal>i=5;</literal> line out. As we - didn't initialise <symbol>i</symbol>, it had whatever number - happened to be in that area of memory when the program ran, - which in this case happened to be - <literal>4231</literal>.</para> - - <note> - <para><command>gdb</command> displays the stack frame every - time we go into or out of a function, even if we're using - <command>up</command> and <command>down</command> to move - around the call stack. This shows the name of the function - and the values of its arguments, which helps us keep track - of where we are and what's going on. (The stack is a - storage area where the program stores information about the - arguments passed to functions and where to go when it - returns from a function call).</para> - </note> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>Examining a core file</title> - - <para>A core file is basically a file which contains the - complete state of the process when it crashed. In <quote>the - good old days</quote>, programmers had to print out hex - listings of core files and sweat over machine code manuals, - but now life is a bit easier. Incidentally, under FreeBSD and - other 4.4BSD systems, a core file is called - <filename><replaceable>progname</replaceable>.core</filename> instead of just - <filename>core</filename>, to make it clearer which program a - core file belongs to.</para> - - <para>To examine a core file, start up <command>gdb</command> in - the usual way. Instead of typing <command>break</command> or - <command>run</command>, type</para> - - <screen>(gdb) <userinput>core <replaceable>progname</replaceable>.core</userinput> - </screen> - - <para>If you're not in the same directory as the core file, - you'll have to do <userinput>dir - /path/to/core/file</userinput> first.</para> - - <para>You should see something like this:</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>gdb a.out</userinput> -GDB is free software and you are welcome to distribute copies of it - under certain conditions; type "show copying" to see the conditions. -There is absolutely no warranty for GDB; type "show warranty" for details. -GDB 4.13 (i386-unknown-freebsd), Copyright 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc. -(gdb) <userinput>core a.out.core</userinput> -Core was generated by `a.out'. -Program terminated with signal 11, Segmentation fault. -Cannot access memory at address 0x7020796d. -#0 0x164a in bazz (anint=0x5) at temp.c:17 -(gdb) - </screen> - - <para>In this case, the program was called - <filename>a.out</filename>, so the core file is called - <filename>a.out.core</filename>. We can see that the program - crashed due to trying to access an area in memory that was not - available to it in a function called - <function>bazz</function>.</para> - - <para>Sometimes it's useful to be able to see how a function was - called, as the problem could have occurred a long way up the - call stack in a complex program. The <command>bt</command> - command causes <command>gdb</command> to print out a - back-trace of the call stack:</para> - - <screen>(gdb) <userinput>bt</userinput> -#0 0x164a in bazz (anint=0x5) at temp.c:17 -#1 0xefbfd888 in end () -#2 0x162c in main () at temp.c:11 -(gdb) - </screen> - - <para>The <function>end()</function> function is called when a - program crashes; in this case, the <function>bazz()</function> - function was called from <function>main()</function>.</para> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>Attaching to a running program</title> - - <para>One of the neatest features about <command>gdb</command> - is that it can attach to a program that's already running. Of - course, that assumes you have sufficient permissions to do so. - A common problem is when you are stepping through a program - that forks, and you want to trace the child, but the debugger - will only let you trace the parent.</para> - - <para>What you do is start up another <command>gdb</command>, - use <command>ps</command> to find the process ID for the - child, and do</para> - - <screen>(gdb) <userinput>attach <replaceable>pid</replaceable></userinput> - </screen> - - <para>in <command>gdb</command>, and then debug as usual.</para> - - <para><quote>That's all very well,</quote> you're probably - thinking, <quote>but by the time I've done that, the child - process will be over the hill and far away</quote>. Fear - not, gentle reader, here's how to do it (courtesy of the - <command>gdb</command> info pages):</para> - - <screen><lineannotation>&hellip</lineannotation> -if ((pid = fork()) < 0) /* _Always_ check this */ - error(); -else if (pid == 0) { /* child */ - int PauseMode = 1; - - while (PauseMode) - sleep(10); /* Wait until someone attaches to us */ - <lineannotation>&hellip</lineannotation> -} else { /* parent */ - <lineannotation>&hellip</lineannotation> - </screen> - - <para>Now all you have to do is attach to the child, set - <symbol>PauseMode</symbol> to <literal>0</literal>, and wait - for the <function>sleep()</function> call to return!</para> - </sect2> - </sect1> - - <sect1 id="emacs"> - <title>Using Emacs as a Development Environment</title> - - <sect2> - <title>Emacs</title> - - <para>Unfortunately, Unix systems don't come with the kind of - everything-you-ever-wanted-and-lots-more-you-didn't-in-one-gigantic-package - integrated development environments that other systems - have. - - <footnote> - <para>At least, not unless you pay out very large sums of - money.</para> - </footnote> - - However, it is possible to set up your own environment. It - may not be as pretty, and it may not be quite as integrated, - but you can set it up the way you want it. And it's free. - And you have the source to it.</para> - - <para>The key to it all is Emacs. Now there are some people who - loathe it, but many who love it. If you're one of the former, - I'm afraid this section will hold little of interest to you. - Also, you'll need a fair amount of memory to run it—I'd - recommend 8MB in text mode and 16MB in X as the bare minimum - to get reasonable performance.</para> - - <para>Emacs is basically a highly customisable - editor—indeed, it has been customised to the point where - it's more like an operating system than an editor! Many - developers and sysadmins do in fact spend practically all - their time working inside Emacs, leaving it only to log - out.</para> - - <para>It's impossible even to summarise everything Emacs can do - here, but here are some of the features of interest to - developers:</para> - - <itemizedlist> - <listitem> - <para>Very powerful editor, allowing search-and-replace on - both strings and regular expressions (patterns), jumping - to start/end of block expression, etc, etc.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Pull-down menus and online help.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Language-dependent syntax highlighting and - indentation.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Completely customisable.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>You can compile and debug programs within - Emacs.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>On a compilation error, you can jump to the offending - line of source code.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Friendly-ish front-end to the <command>info</command> - program used for reading GNU hypertext documentation, - including the documentation on Emacs itself.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Friendly front-end to <command>gdb</command>, allowing - you to look at the source code as you step through your - program.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>You can read Usenet news and mail while your program - is compiling.</para> - </listitem> - </itemizedlist> - - <para>And doubtless many more that I've overlooked.</para> - - <para>Emacs can be installed on FreeBSD using <ulink - URL="../../ports/editors.html">the Emacs - port</ulink>.</para> - - <para>Once it's installed, start it up and do <userinput>C-h - t</userinput> to read an Emacs tutorial—that means - hold down the <keycap>control</keycap> key, press - <keycap>h</keycap>, let go of the <keycap>control</keycap> - key, and then press <keycap>t</keycap>. (Alternatively, you - can you use the mouse to select <guimenuitem>Emacs - Tutorial</guimenuitem> from the <guimenu>Help</guimenu> - menu).</para> - - <para>Although Emacs does have menus, it's well worth learning - the key bindings, as it's much quicker when you're editing - something to press a couple of keys than to try and find the - mouse and then click on the right place. And, when you're - talking to seasoned Emacs users, you'll find they often - casually throw around expressions like <quote><literal>M-x - replace-s RET foo RET bar RET</literal></quote> so it's - useful to know what they mean. And in any case, Emacs has far - too many useful functions for them to all fit on the menu - bars.</para> - - <para>Fortunately, it's quite easy to pick up the key-bindings, - as they're displayed next to the menu item. My advice is to - use the menu item for, say, opening a file until you - understand how it works and feel confident with it, then try - doing C-x C-f. When you're happy with that, move on to - another menu command.</para> - - <para>If you can't remember what a particular combination of - keys does, select <guimenuitem>Describe Key</guimenuitem> from - the <guimenu>Help</guimenu> menu and type it in—Emacs - will tell you what it does. You can also use the - <guimenuitem>Command Apropos</guimenuitem> menu item to find - out all the commands which contain a particular word in them, - with the key binding next to it.</para> - - <para>By the way, the expression above means hold down the - <keysym>Meta</keysym> key, press <keysym>x</keysym>, release - the <keysym>Meta</keysym> key, type - <userinput>replace-s</userinput> (short for - <literal>replace-string</literal>—another feature of - Emacs is that you can abbreviate commands), press the - <keysym>return</keysym> key, type <userinput>foo</userinput> - (the string you want replaced), press the - <keysym>return</keysym> key, type bar (the string you want to - replace <literal>foo</literal> with) and press - <keysym>return</keysym> again. Emacs will then do the - search-and-replace operation you've just requested.</para> - - <para>If you're wondering what on earth the - <keysym>Meta</keysym> key is, it's a special key that many - Unix workstations have. Unfortunately, PC's don't have one, - so it's usually the <keycap>alt</keycap> key (or if you're - unlucky, the <keysym>escape</keysym> key).</para> - - <para>Oh, and to get out of Emacs, do <command>C-x C-c</command> - (that means hold down the <keysym>control</keysym> key, press - <keysym>x</keysym>, press <keysym>c</keysym> and release the - <keysym>control</keysym> key). If you have any unsaved files - open, Emacs will ask you if you want to save them. (Ignore - the bit in the documentation where it says - <command>C-z</command> is the usual way to leave - Emacs—that leaves Emacs hanging around in the - background, and is only really useful if you're on a system - which doesn't have virtual terminals).</para> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>Configuring Emacs</title> - - <para>Emacs does many wonderful things; some of them are built - in, some of them need to be configured.</para> - - <para>Instead of using a proprietary macro language for - configuration, Emacs uses a version of Lisp specially adapted - for editors, known as Emacs Lisp. This can be quite useful if - you want to go on and learn something like Common Lisp, as - it's considerably smaller than Common Lisp (although still - quite big!).</para> - - <para>The best way to learn Emacs Lisp is to download the <ulink - URL="ftp://prep.ai.mit.edu:pub/gnu/elisp-manual-19-2.4.tar.gz">Emacs - Tutorial</ulink></para> - - <para>However, there's no need to actually know any Lisp to get - started with configuring Emacs, as I've included a sample - <filename>.emacs</filename> file, which should be enough to - get you started. Just copy it into your home directory and - restart Emacs if it's already running; it will read the - commands from the file and (hopefully) give you a useful basic - setup.</para> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>A sample <filename>.emacs</filename> file</title> - - <para>Unfortunately, there's far too much here to explain it in - detail; however there are one or two points worth - mentioning.</para> - - <itemizedlist> - <listitem> - <para>Everything beginning with a <literal>;</literal> is a comment - and is ignored by Emacs.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>In the first line, the - <literal>-*- Emacs-Lisp -*-</literal> is so that - we can edit the <filename>.emacs</filename> file itself - within Emacs and get all the fancy features for editing - Emacs Lisp. Emacs usually tries to guess this based on - the filename, and may not get it right for - <filename>.emacs</filename>.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>The <keysym>tab</keysym> key is bound to an - indentation function in some modes, so when you press the - tab key, it will indent the current line of code. If you - want to put a <token>tab</token> character in whatever - you're writing, hold the <keysym>control</keysym> key down - while you're pressing the <keysym>tab</keysym> key.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>This file supports syntax highlighting for C, C++, - Perl, Lisp and Scheme, by guessing the language from the - filename.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Emacs already has a pre-defined function called - <function>next-error</function>. In a compilation output - window, this allows you to move from one compilation error - to the next by doing <command>M-n</command>; we define a - complementary function, - <function>previous-error</function>, that allows you to go - to a previous error by doing <command>M-p</command>. The - nicest feature of all is that <command>C-c C-c</command> - will open up the source file in which the error occurred - and jump to the appropriate line.</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>We enable Emacs's ability to act as a server, so that - if you're doing something outside Emacs and you want to - edit a file, you can just type in</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>emacsclient <replaceable>filename</replaceable></userinput> - </screen> - - <para>and then you can edit the file in your - Emacs! - - <footnote> - <para>Many Emacs users set their <envar - >EDITOR</envar> environment to - <literal>emacsclient</literal> so this happens every - time they need to edit a file.</para> - </footnote></para> - </listitem> - </itemizedlist> - - <example> - <title>A sample <filename>.emacs</filename> file</title> - - <programlisting>;; -*-Emacs-Lisp-*- - -;; This file is designed to be re-evaled; use the variable first-time -;; to avoid any problems with this. -(defvar first-time t - "Flag signifying this is the first time that .emacs has been evaled") - -;; Meta -(global-set-key "\M- " 'set-mark-command) -(global-set-key "\M-\C-h" 'backward-kill-word) -(global-set-key "\M-\C-r" 'query-replace) -(global-set-key "\M-r" 'replace-string) -(global-set-key "\M-g" 'goto-line) -(global-set-key "\M-h" 'help-command) - -;; Function keys -(global-set-key [f1] 'manual-entry) -(global-set-key [f2] 'info) -(global-set-key [f3] 'repeat-complex-command) -(global-set-key [f4] 'advertised-undo) -(global-set-key [f5] 'eval-current-buffer) -(global-set-key [f6] 'buffer-menu) -(global-set-key [f7] 'other-window) -(global-set-key [f8] 'find-file) -(global-set-key [f9] 'save-buffer) -(global-set-key [f10] 'next-error) -(global-set-key [f11] 'compile) -(global-set-key [f12] 'grep) -(global-set-key [C-f1] 'compile) -(global-set-key [C-f2] 'grep) -(global-set-key [C-f3] 'next-error) -(global-set-key [C-f4] 'previous-error) -(global-set-key [C-f5] 'display-faces) -(global-set-key [C-f8] 'dired) -(global-set-key [C-f10] 'kill-compilation) - -;; Keypad bindings -(global-set-key [up] "\C-p") -(global-set-key [down] "\C-n") -(global-set-key [left] "\C-b") -(global-set-key [right] "\C-f") -(global-set-key [home] "\C-a") -(global-set-key [end] "\C-e") -(global-set-key [prior] "\M-v") -(global-set-key [next] "\C-v") -(global-set-key [C-up] "\M-\C-b") -(global-set-key [C-down] "\M-\C-f") -(global-set-key [C-left] "\M-b") -(global-set-key [C-right] "\M-f") -(global-set-key [C-home] "\M-<") -(global-set-key [C-end] "\M->") -(global-set-key [C-prior] "\M-<") -(global-set-key [C-next] "\M->") - -;; Mouse -(global-set-key [mouse-3] 'imenu) - -;; Misc -(global-set-key [C-tab] "\C-q\t") ; Control tab quotes a tab. -(setq backup-by-copying-when-mismatch t) - -;; Treat 'y' or <CR> as yes, 'n' as no. -(fset 'yes-or-no-p 'y-or-n-p) - (define-key query-replace-map [return] 'act) - (define-key query-replace-map [?\C-m] 'act) - -;; Load packages -(require 'desktop) -(require 'tar-mode) - -;; Pretty diff mode -(autoload 'ediff-buffers "ediff" "Intelligent Emacs interface to diff" t) -(autoload 'ediff-files "ediff" "Intelligent Emacs interface to diff" t) -(autoload 'ediff-files-remote "ediff" - "Intelligent Emacs interface to diff") - -(if first-time - (setq auto-mode-alist - (append '(("\\.cpp$" . c++-mode) - ("\\.hpp$" . c++-mode) - ("\\.lsp$" . lisp-mode) - ("\\.scm$" . scheme-mode) - ("\\.pl$" . perl-mode) - ) auto-mode-alist))) - -;; Auto font lock mode -(defvar font-lock-auto-mode-list - (list 'c-mode 'c++-mode 'c++-c-mode 'emacs-lisp-mode 'lisp-mode 'perl-mode 'scheme-mode) - "List of modes to always start in font-lock-mode") - -(defvar font-lock-mode-keyword-alist - '((c++-c-mode . c-font-lock-keywords) - (perl-mode . perl-font-lock-keywords)) - "Associations between modes and keywords") - -(defun font-lock-auto-mode-select () - "Automatically select font-lock-mode if the current major mode is -in font-lock-auto-mode-list" - (if (memq major-mode font-lock-auto-mode-list) - (progn - (font-lock-mode t)) - ) - ) - -(global-set-key [M-f1] 'font-lock-fontify-buffer) - -;; New dabbrev stuff -;(require 'new-dabbrev) -(setq dabbrev-always-check-other-buffers t) -(setq dabbrev-abbrev-char-regexp "\\sw\\|\\s_") -(add-hook 'emacs-lisp-mode-hook - '(lambda () - (set (make-local-variable 'dabbrev-case-fold-search) nil) - (set (make-local-variable 'dabbrev-case-replace) nil))) -(add-hook 'c-mode-hook - '(lambda () - (set (make-local-variable 'dabbrev-case-fold-search) nil) - (set (make-local-variable 'dabbrev-case-replace) nil))) -(add-hook 'text-mode-hook - '(lambda () - (set (make-local-variable 'dabbrev-case-fold-search) t) - (set (make-local-variable 'dabbrev-case-replace) t))) - -;; C++ and C mode... -(defun my-c++-mode-hook () - (setq tab-width 4) - (define-key c++-mode-map "\C-m" 'reindent-then-newline-and-indent) - (define-key c++-mode-map "\C-ce" 'c-comment-edit) - (setq c++-auto-hungry-initial-state 'none) - (setq c++-delete-function 'backward-delete-char) - (setq c++-tab-always-indent t) - (setq c-indent-level 4) - (setq c-continued-statement-offset 4) - (setq c++-empty-arglist-indent 4)) - -(defun my-c-mode-hook () - (setq tab-width 4) - (define-key c-mode-map "\C-m" 'reindent-then-newline-and-indent) - (define-key c-mode-map "\C-ce" 'c-comment-edit) - (setq c-auto-hungry-initial-state 'none) - (setq c-delete-function 'backward-delete-char) - (setq c-tab-always-indent t) -;; BSD-ish indentation style - (setq c-indent-level 4) - (setq c-continued-statement-offset 4) - (setq c-brace-offset -4) - (setq c-argdecl-indent 0) - (setq c-label-offset -4)) - -;; Perl mode -(defun my-perl-mode-hook () - (setq tab-width 4) - (define-key c++-mode-map "\C-m" 'reindent-then-newline-and-indent) - (setq perl-indent-level 4) - (setq perl-continued-statement-offset 4)) - -;; Scheme mode... -(defun my-scheme-mode-hook () - (define-key scheme-mode-map "\C-m" 'reindent-then-newline-and-indent)) - -;; Emacs-Lisp mode... -(defun my-lisp-mode-hook () - (define-key lisp-mode-map "\C-m" 'reindent-then-newline-and-indent) - (define-key lisp-mode-map "\C-i" 'lisp-indent-line) - (define-key lisp-mode-map "\C-j" 'eval-print-last-sexp)) - -;; Add all of the hooks... -(add-hook 'c++-mode-hook 'my-c++-mode-hook) -(add-hook 'c-mode-hook 'my-c-mode-hook) -(add-hook 'scheme-mode-hook 'my-scheme-mode-hook) -(add-hook 'emacs-lisp-mode-hook 'my-lisp-mode-hook) -(add-hook 'lisp-mode-hook 'my-lisp-mode-hook) -(add-hook 'perl-mode-hook 'my-perl-mode-hook) - -;; Complement to next-error -(defun previous-error (n) - "Visit previous compilation error message and corresponding source code." - (interactive "p") - (next-error (- n))) - -;; Misc... -(transient-mark-mode 1) -(setq mark-even-if-inactive t) -(setq visible-bell nil) -(setq next-line-add-newlines nil) -(setq compile-command "make") -(setq suggest-key-bindings nil) -(put 'eval-expression 'disabled nil) -(put 'narrow-to-region 'disabled nil) -(put 'set-goal-column 'disabled nil) - -;; Elisp archive searching -(autoload 'format-lisp-code-directory "lispdir" nil t) -(autoload 'lisp-dir-apropos "lispdir" nil t) -(autoload 'lisp-dir-retrieve "lispdir" nil t) -(autoload 'lisp-dir-verify "lispdir" nil t) - -;; Font lock mode -(defun my-make-face (face colour &optional bold) - "Create a face from a colour and optionally make it bold" - (make-face face) - (copy-face 'default face) - (set-face-foreground face colour) - (if bold (make-face-bold face)) - ) - -(if (eq window-system 'x) - (progn - (my-make-face 'blue "blue") - (my-make-face 'red "red") - (my-make-face 'green "dark green") - (setq font-lock-comment-face 'blue) - (setq font-lock-string-face 'bold) - (setq font-lock-type-face 'bold) - (setq font-lock-keyword-face 'bold) - (setq font-lock-function-name-face 'red) - (setq font-lock-doc-string-face 'green) - (add-hook 'find-file-hooks 'font-lock-auto-mode-select) - - (setq baud-rate 1000000) - (global-set-key "\C-cmm" 'menu-bar-mode) - (global-set-key "\C-cms" 'scroll-bar-mode) - (global-set-key [backspace] 'backward-delete-char) - ; (global-set-key [delete] 'delete-char) - (standard-display-european t) - (load-library "iso-transl"))) - -;; X11 or PC using direct screen writes -(if window-system - (progn - ;; (global-set-key [M-f1] 'hilit-repaint-command) - ;; (global-set-key [M-f2] [?\C-u M-f1]) - (setq hilit-mode-enable-list - '(not text-mode c-mode c++-mode emacs-lisp-mode lisp-mode - scheme-mode) - hilit-auto-highlight nil - hilit-auto-rehighlight 'visible - hilit-inhibit-hooks nil - hilit-inhibit-rebinding t) - (require 'hilit19) - (require 'paren)) - (setq baud-rate 2400) ; For slow serial connections - ) - -;; TTY type terminal -(if (and (not window-system) - (not (equal system-type 'ms-dos))) - (progn - (if first-time - (progn - (keyboard-translate ?\C-h ?\C-?) - (keyboard-translate ?\C-? ?\C-h))))) - -;; Under UNIX -(if (not (equal system-type 'ms-dos)) - (progn - (if first-time - (server-start)))) - -;; Add any face changes here -(add-hook 'term-setup-hook 'my-term-setup-hook) -(defun my-term-setup-hook () - (if (eq window-system 'pc) - (progn -;; (set-face-background 'default "red") - ))) - -;; Restore the "desktop" - do this as late as possible -(if first-time - (progn - (desktop-load-default) - (desktop-read))) - -;; Indicate that this file has been read at least once -(setq first-time nil) - -;; No need to debug anything now -(setq debug-on-error nil) - -;; All done -(message "All done, %s%s" (user-login-name) ".") - </programlisting> - </example> - </sect2> - - <sect2> - <title>Extending the Range of Languages Emacs Understands</title> - - <para>Now, this is all very well if you only want to program in - the languages already catered for in the - <filename>.emacs</filename> file (C, C++, Perl, Lisp and - Scheme), but what happens if a new language called - <quote>whizbang</quote> comes out, full of exciting - features?</para> - - <para>The first thing to do is find out if whizbang comes with - any files that tell Emacs about the language. These usually - end in <filename>.el</filename>, short for <quote>Emacs - Lisp</quote>. For example, if whizbang is a FreeBSD port, we - can locate these files by doing</para> - - <screen>&prompt.user; <userinput>find /usr/ports/lang/whizbang -name "*.el" -print</userinput> - </screen> - - <para>and install them by copying them into the Emacs site Lisp - directory. On FreeBSD 2.1.0-RELEASE, this is - <filename>/usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp</filename>.</para> - - <para>So for example, if the output from the find command - was</para> - - <screen>/usr/ports/lang/whizbang/work/misc/whizbang.el - </screen> - - <para>we would do</para> - - <screen>&prompt.root; <userinput>cp /usr/ports/lang/whizbang/work/misc/whizbang.el /usr/local/share/emacs/site-lisp</userinput> - </screen> - - <para>Next, we need to decide what extension whizbang source - files have. Let's say for the sake of argument that they all - end in <filename>.wiz</filename>. We need to add an entry to - our <filename>.emacs</filename> file to make sure Emacs will - be able to use the information in - <filename>whizbang.el</filename>.</para> - - <para>Find the <symbol>auto-mode-alist entry</symbol> in - <filename>.emacs</filename> and add a line for whizbang, such - as:</para> - - <programlisting><lineannotation>…</> -("\\.lsp$" . lisp-mode) -("\\.wiz$" . whizbang-mode) -("\\.scm$" . scheme-mode) -<lineannotation>…</></programlisting> - - <para>This means that Emacs will automatically go into - <function>whizbang-mode</function> when you edit a file ending - in <filename>.wiz</filename>.</para> - - <para>Just below this, you'll find the - <symbol>font-lock-auto-mode-list</symbol> entry. Add - <function>whizbang-mode</function> to it like so:</para> - - <programlisting>;; Auto font lock mode -(defvar font-lock-auto-mode-list - (list 'c-mode 'c++-mode 'c++-c-mode 'emacs-lisp-mode 'whizbang-mode 'lisp-mode 'perl-mode 'scheme-mode) - "List of modes to always start in font-lock-mode")</programlisting> - - <para>This means that Emacs will always enable - <function>font-lock-mode</function> (ie syntax highlighting) - when editing a <filename>.wiz</filename> file.</para> - - <para>And that's all that's needed. If there's anything else - you want done automatically when you open up a - <filename>.wiz</filename> file, you can add a - <function>whizbang-mode hook</function> (see - <function>my-scheme-mode-hook</function> for a simple example - that adds <function>auto-indent</function>).</para> - </sect2> - </sect1> - - <sect1> - <title>Further Reading</title> - - <itemizedlist> - <listitem> - <para>Brian Harvey and Matthew Wright - <emphasis>Simply Scheme</emphasis> - MIT 1994.<!-- <br> --> - ISBN 0-262-08226-8</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Randall Schwartz - <emphasis>Learning Perl</emphasis> - O'Reilly 1993<!-- <br> --> - ISBN 1-56592-042-2</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Patrick Henry Winston and Berthold Klaus Paul Horn - <emphasis>Lisp (3rd Edition)</emphasis> - Addison-Wesley 1989<!-- <br> --> - ISBN 0-201-08319-1</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Brian W. Kernighan and Rob Pike - <emphasis>The Unix Programming Environment</emphasis> - Prentice-Hall 1984<!-- <br> --> - ISBN 0-13-937681-X</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie - <emphasis>The C Programming Language (2nd Edition)</emphasis> - Prentice-Hall 1988<!-- <br> --> - ISBN 0-13-110362-8</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>Bjarne Stroustrup - <emphasis>The C++ Programming Language</emphasis> - Addison-Wesley 1991<!-- <br> --> - ISBN 0-201-53992-6</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>W. Richard Stevens - <emphasis>Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment</emphasis> - Addison-Wesley 1992<!-- <br> --> - ISBN 0-201-56317-7</para> - </listitem> - - <listitem> - <para>W. Richard Stevens - <emphasis>Unix Network Programming</emphasis> - Prentice-Hall 1990<!-- <br> --> - ISBN 0-13-949876-1</para> - </listitem> - </itemizedlist> - </sect1> -</article> |