[m-dev.] for review: sorting variables better in the debugger

[Fergus Henderson]

On 26-May-1999, Zoltan Somogyi <zs at cs.mu.OZ.AU> wrote:
> 
> +++ mercury_trace_vars.c	Tue May 25 19:46:56 1999
...
> +typedef struct {
> +	char				*MR_var_fullname;
> +	char				*MR_var_basename;
> +	char				*MR_var_basename_malloc;
> +	int				MR_var_num_suffix;
> +	bool				MR_var_has_suffix;
> +	bool				MR_var_is_headvar;
> +	bool				MR_var_is_ambiguous;
> +	int				MR_var_hlds_number;
> +	Word				MR_var_value;
> +	Word				MR_var_type;
> +} MR_Var_Details;
> +
> +typedef struct {
> +	const MR_Stack_Layout_Label	*MR_point_top_layout;
> +	Word				*MR_point_top_saved_regs;
> +	const char			*MR_point_problem;
> +	int				MR_point_level;
> +	const MR_Stack_Layout_Entry	*MR_point_level_entry;
> +	Word				*MR_point_level_base_sp;
> +	Word				*MR_point_level_base_curfr;
> +	int				MR_point_var_count;
> +	int				MR_point_var_max;
> +	MR_Var_Details			*MR_point_vars;
> +} MR_Point;

I think it would be very helpful to have some comments here
explaining what these data types are for.
Also the meaning of many of the fields is unclear.
What's `MR_var_basename_malloc' supposed to be?

For stylistic reasons I would put MR_var_type before MR_var_value.

> +		copy = strdup(name);

strdup() is not a standard ANSI/ISO C function.
So if you want to use it, then you need to use autoconf.
Since strdup() is so simple, it's probably easier to just
define our own MR_strdup().

> +static int
> +MR_trace_compare_var_details(const void *arg1, const void *arg2)
> +{

It would be helpful to have some comments with this function
explaining the rationale for the particular ordering relation
chosen.

> mercury_vars.h:
> +/*
> +** Print the list of the names and values of all variables live at the current
> +** point. The variables names are printed directly to the given file; the
> +** variable values are printed by calling the given browser function on them.
> +*/
> +
> +extern	const char 	*MR_trace_browse_all(FILE *out, FILE *err,
> +				MR_Browser browser);

Are `out' and `err' allowed to be NULL here?
Is `browser' allowed to be NULL?

-- 
Fergus Henderson <fjh at cs.mu.oz.au>  |  "I have always known that the pursuit
WWW: <http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~fjh>  |  of excellence is a lethal habit"
PGP: finger fjh at 128.250.37.3        |     -- the last words of T. S. Garp.
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