Debugging .mex files (Windows)

[gOS]

I can't find any documentation for how to do this in Windows. Has anyone succesfully debugged a mex file in Windows? I attempted to attach Octave in Visual Studios 2005, but Visual studios didn't seem to understand that the .mex file and .cpp file were related.

Any help would be appreciated, even if its just to say that its impossible.

Thank you,
gOS

p.s. (please don't tell me to switch operating systems, thank you)

[Michael Goffioul-2]

On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 8:02 PM, gOS <bkirklin@...> wrote:
>
> I can't find any documentation for how to do this in Windows. Has anyone
> succesfully debugged a mex file in Windows? I attempted to attach Octave in
> Visual Studios 2005, but Visual studios didn't seem to understand that the
> .mex file and .cpp file were related.
>
> Any help would be appreciated, even if its just to say that its impossible.

It *is* possible (for instance I used to debug my java oct-file with VS2005),
but you must compile your mex file with debug enabled (at compile and
link time). If you use mkoctfile to compile your mex file, use the -v flag
to see how the compiler is invoked and check whether the debug flags
are correctly used.

Michael.
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[gOS]

I was not successful last time I attempted this, so I'm bumping the topic and posting more information.

Michael Goffioul-2 wrote:

It *is* possible (for instance I used to debug my java oct-file with VS2005),
but you must compile your mex file with debug enabled (at compile and
link time). If you use mkoctfile to compile your mex file, use the -v flag
to see how the compiler is invoked and check whether the debug flags
are correctly used.

Files used for this example:

tfile.csv

Below the equal sign line is the process I followed to try to debug a .mex file.
At step 7, the debugger is supposed to kick in and find the break point,
but it does not.

I'm wondering if this has anything to do with it:
'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\octave.exe', Binary was not built with debug information.

===================================================

1) mex -g dlmread.cpp
2) Started Visual Studio 2005, leaving octave open.
3) Debug > Attach To Process...
4) Chose Octave
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
        Ouptut:
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\octave.exe', Binary was not built with debug information.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\ntdll.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\kernel32.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\octinterp.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\octave.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\cruft.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\liblapack.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\libblas.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.VC80.CRT_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.1433_x-ww_5cf844d2\msvcr80.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\msvcrt.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\libfftw3-3.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\libreadline-5.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\advapi32.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\rpcrt4.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\secur32.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\user32.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\gdi32.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\libncurses-5.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\ws2_32.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\ws2help.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.VC80.CRT_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.1433_x-ww_5cf844d2\msvcp80.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\libhdf5-0.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\bin\zlib1.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\libexec\octave\3.0.1\oct\i686-pc-msdosmsvc\dispatch.oct', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\libexec\octave\3.0.1\oct\i686-pc-msdosmsvc\cellfun.oct', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\libexec\octave\3.0.1\oct\i686-pc-msdosmsvc\find.oct', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\libexec\octave\packages\windows-1.0.5\i686-pc-msdosmsvc-api-v32\__COM__.oct', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\ole32.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\oleaut32.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\LIB\octave\libexec\octave\3.0.1\oct\i686-pc-msdosmsvc\getpwent.oct', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\apphelp.dll', Exports loaded.
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\WINDOWS\system32\version.dll', Exports loaded.
                The thread 'Win32 Thread' (0x98) has exited with code 0 (0x0).

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

5) Open dlmread.cpp

6) Right click & set breakpoint at line 40

7) run at terminal: dlmread('tfile.csv')

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
        Output:
                'octave.exe': Loaded 'C:\Documents and Settings\bkirklin\SVN\trunk\octave\lib\dlmread.mex', Exports loaded.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

No change

Octave Terminal Output for entire process:

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Starting Octave for Compiling Mex Files

Setting environment for using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 x86 tools.

Attempting to detect a Microsoft Visual Studio installation

Setting environment for using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 x86 tools.

Targeting Windows XP 32 DEBUG

GNU Octave, version 3.0.1
Copyright (C) 2008 John W. Eaton and others.
This is free software; see the source code for copying conditions.
There is ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; not even for MERCHANTIBILITY or
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  For details, type `warranty'.

Octave was configured for "i686-pc-msdosmsvc".

Additional information about Octave is available at http://www.octave.org.

Please contribute if you find this software useful.
For more information, visit http://www.octave.org/help-wanted.html

Report bugs to <[e-mail]> (but first, please read
http://www.octave.org/bugs.html to learn how to write a helpful report).

For information about changes from previous versions, type `news'.

 - Use `pkg list' to see a list of installed packages.
 - SciTE editor installed. Use `edit' to start the editor.
 - MSYS shell available (C:\LIB\Octave\msys).
 - Graphics backend: gnuplot.

 Volume in drive C has no label.
 Volume Serial Number is 3C10-9478

octave:1> cd SRC
octave:2> mex -g -v dlmread.cpp
cc-msvc -d -c -I.  -Ic:/Software/VCLibs/include  -IC:\LIB\Octave\include\octave-
3.0.1 -IC:\LIB\Octave\include\octave-3.0.1\octave -IC:\LIB\Octave\include  -O2 -
EHs -MD -g   -I.  dlmread.cpp -o dlmread.o
cl -nologo -c -I. -Ic:/Software/VCLibs/include -IC:\LIB\Octave\include\octave-3.
0.1 -IC:\LIB\Octave\include\octave-3.0.1\octave -IC:\LIB\Octave\include -O2 -EHs
 -MD -Zi -I. dlmread.cpp -Fodlmread.o
dlmread.cpp
cc-msvc -d -shared  -o dlmread.mex  dlmread.o   -Wl,-export:mexFunction -LC:\LIB
\Octave\lib\octave-3.0.1 -LC:\LIB\Octave\lib -loctinterp -loctave  -lcruft  -lla
pack -lblas -lfftw3 -lreadline  -lncurses -lhdf5 -lzlib  -lws2_32 -lkernel32 -lh
df5 -lzlib -lf2c -lkernel32
link -nologo -DLL -out:dlmread.mex dlmread.o -export:mexFunction -LIBPATH:C:\LIB
\Octave\lib\octave-3.0.1 -LIBPATH:C:\LIB\Octave\lib octinterp.lib octave.lib cru
ft.lib lapack.lib blas.lib fftw3.lib readline.lib ncurses.lib hdf5.lib zlib.lib
ws2_32.lib kernel32.lib hdf5.lib zlib.lib f2c.lib kernel32.lib
   Creating library dlmread.lib and object dlmread.exp
mt -nologo -outputresource:dlmread.mex -manifest dlmread.mex.manifest
octave:2> mex dlmread.cpp
dlmread.cpp
   Creating library dlmread.lib and object dlmread.exp
octave:3> cd ..
octave:4> dlmread('tfile.csv')
UL(0,0) BR(5,8)
ans =

   95   76   61   40    5   20    1   41
   23   45   79   93   35   19   74   84
   60    1   92   91   81   60   44   52
   48   82   73   41    0   27   93   20
   89   44   17   89   13   19   46   67

octave:5>

[gOS]

gOS wrote:

Files used for this example:
tfile.csv

Also, dlmread.cpp

[Michael Goffioul-2]

On Mon, Jul 28, 2008 at 6:50 PM, gOS <bkirklin@...> wrote:
>
> I was not successful last time I attempted this, so I'm bumping the topic and
> posting more information.
[snip]

> octave:2> mex -g -v dlmread.cpp
> cc-msvc -d -c -I.  -Ic:/Software/VCLibs/include
> -IC:\LIB\Octave\include\octave-
> 3.0.1 -IC:\LIB\Octave\include\octave-3.0.1\octave -IC:\LIB\Octave\include
> -O2 -
> EHs -MD -g   -I.  dlmread.cpp -o dlmread.o
> cl -nologo -c -I. -Ic:/Software/VCLibs/include
> -IC:\LIB\Octave\include\octave-3.
> 0.1 -IC:\LIB\Octave\include\octave-3.0.1\octave -IC:\LIB\Octave\include -O2
> -EHs
>  -MD -Zi -I. dlmread.cpp -Fodlmread.o
> dlmread.cpp
> cc-msvc -d -shared  -o dlmread.mex  dlmread.o   -Wl,-export:mexFunction
> -LC:\LIB
> \Octave\lib\octave-3.0.1 -LC:\LIB\Octave\lib -loctinterp -loctave  -lcruft
> -lla
> pack -lblas -lfftw3 -lreadline  -lncurses -lhdf5 -lzlib  -lws2_32 -lkernel32
> -lh
> df5 -lzlib -lf2c -lkernel32
> link -nologo -DLL -out:dlmread.mex dlmread.o -export:mexFunction
> -LIBPATH:C:\LIB
> \Octave\lib\octave-3.0.1 -LIBPATH:C:\LIB\Octave\lib octinterp.lib octave.lib
> cru
> ft.lib lapack.lib blas.lib fftw3.lib readline.lib ncurses.lib hdf5.lib
> zlib.lib
> ws2_32.lib kernel32.lib hdf5.lib zlib.lib f2c.lib kernel32.lib

The link step is missing the debug flag (needed under MVSC, not
with gcc). So it seems there's a bug in mkoctfile.exe. For the time
being, you can run the link step manually (the "link" command)
and add the flag "-debug".

Michael.
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Help-octave mailing list
Help-octave@...
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[gOS]

Michael Goffioul-2 wrote:

The link step is missing the debug flag (needed under MVSC, not
with gcc). So it seems there's a bug in mkoctfile.exe. For the time
being, you can run the link step manually (the "link" command)
and add the flag "-debug".

I've tried doing this in the Visual Studio 2005 Command Prompt, but I've been unsuccessful. I'm very much the novice when it comes to this.

I tried:

In octave: mkoctfile --mex -g -c dlmread.cpp

In VSPrompt: link /DEBUG /OUT:dlmread.mex

among other commands all of which did not work, or specifically failed to use the debug flag.

Perhaps I've misunderstood what you are suggesting. I looked through mkoctfile.cc.in for more hints as to what might be going on...

-g does this:

                        vars["ALL_CFLAGS"] += " -g";
                        vars["ALL_CXXFLAGS"] += " -g";
                        vars["ALL_FFLAGS"] += " -g";

If thats all that happens, then it makes sense that the \DEBUG flag is never included for compiling.


Command "mkoctfile --mex -g -c dlmread.cpp" produces dlmread.o and vc80.pdb. What is the link step specifically?