How do I generate PDB/DWARF symbols and use them with MSVC for C++?

Generating PDB (Program Database) files in MSVC (Microsoft Visual C++) enables developers to have detailed debugging information, including symbols for functions, variables, and source lines. In contrast, DWARF (Debugging With Attributed Record Formats) is commonly used in other compilers like GCC and Clang for similar purposes. Below, we'll go through the steps on how to generate PDB symbols using MSVC and provide an example for clarity.

Generating PDB Symbols in MSVC

  1. Open your project in Visual Studio.
  2. Go to the project properties by right-clicking on your project in the Solution Explorer and selecting 'Properties'.
  3. In the properties window, navigate to Configuration Properties > C/C++ > General.
  4. Set Debug Information Format to Program Database (/Zi).
  5. Then, go to Linker > Debugging and ensure Generate Debug Info is set to Yes (/DEBUG).
  6. Build your project (Ctrl + Shift + B). After building, you’ll find the PDB file in the output directory.

Using PDB Files

To utilize the generated PDB files during debugging, simply ensure they are in the same directory as your executable or configure Visual Studio to point to the PDB file location.

Example Code

// Example C++ code to generate PDB symbols #include void ExampleFunction() { std::cout << "This function generates PDB symbol information." << std::endl; } int main() { ExampleFunction(); return 0; }

Keywords: PDB DWARF Visual Studio MSVC Debugging

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