zshdb ready for stalwart hackers

zshdb ready for stalwart hackers

[Rocky Bernstein]

I think zshdb is good enough for stalwart hackers to get an initial
feel for it. To try out

   git-clone git://github.com/rocky/zshdb.git
   cd zshdb
   ./configure # possibly --with-zsh=/location/of/cvs/zsh
   make && make test
   sudo make install # if happy with the above

But to play the game you really do need a recent version of zsh. That
is, from CVS - recall that there was a  patch recently to make fc work
when not interactive (and funcfiletrace addition, line number
corrections, exec status code bug fix, etc.)

What's there is a little frail. These are some of the issues any
debugger (especially one written in zsh) has to deal with:
   setting emulation modes and zsh options, and built-in variables like IFS
   redirecting input/ouput and/or dev/nulling it
   using dynamic variables like $?
   running inside a subshell or nested shell.

zshdb does try to deal with all of this, but it has gaps which will
take time to work out.

Sometimes when zshdb runs into an error, the debugged program just
continues running to the end.

As before, a number of features that are in bashdb and the other
gdb-like debuggers I've worked on are not there yet. These include
conditions on breakpoints, display statements, logging options, and a
gdb "return" statement (but here I think I'm waiting on support inside
zsh).

But that said, I've been able to use it without total disaster on
large configure files and start/stop scripts that source other files,
and scripts that have redirections in them and so on.

If past experience is a guide, folks will come up with lots of
features they'd like to see. It's all zsh code, so feel free to jump
in add add what you want. :-)

As before an overall guide or document is lacking. If you are familiar
with gdb or any of the gdb-like debuggers I've worked on (bashdb,
pydb, ruby-debug, remake), this is like that. Probably closest of
course to bashdb with a little bit of a face lift.

Share and enjoy!

Re: zshdb ready for stalwart hackers

[Clint Adams]

On Thu, Sep 25, 2008 at 12:25:18PM -0400, Rocky Bernstein wrote:
> I think zshdb is good enough for stalwart hackers to get an initial
> feel for it. To try out
> 
>    git-clone git://github.com/rocky/zshdb.git
>    cd zshdb
>    ./configure # possibly --with-zsh=/location/of/cvs/zsh
>    make && make test

Making check in command
make[1]: Entering directory `/tmp/zshdb/command'
make[1]: Nothing to be done for `check'.
make[1]: Leaving directory `/tmp/zshdb/command'
Making check in emacs
make[1]: Entering directory `/tmp/zshdb/emacs'
make  dbg-test.el dbg-test.el.in elk-test.el
make[2]: Entering directory `/tmp/zshdb/emacs'
make[2]: `dbg-test.el' is up to date.
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `dbg-test.el.in'.
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `elk-test.el'.
make[2]: Leaving directory `/tmp/zshdb/emacs'
no -batch -q -l ../emacs/dbg-test.el ./elk-test.el
/bin/bash: no: command not found
make[1]: *** [check] Error 127
make[1]: Leaving directory `/tmp/zshdb/emacs'
make: *** [check-recursive] Error 1

Changing "no" to : in the emacs/Makefile leads to all the tests passing.

> Share and enjoy!

I'll probably package this for Debian soon.  Shout now if you object.

Re: zshdb ready for stalwart hackers

[Rocky Bernstein]

Should now be fixed on github. Thanks for the report.

(You mean there is some computer out there that doesn't have Emacs
installed? :-)

On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 1:47 PM, Clint Adams <schizo@debian.org> wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 25, 2008 at 12:25:18PM -0400, Rocky Bernstein wrote:
>> I think zshdb is good enough for stalwart hackers to get an initial
>> feel for it. To try out
>>
>>    git-clone git://github.com/rocky/zshdb.git
>>    cd zshdb
>>    ./configure # possibly --with-zsh=/location/of/cvs/zsh
>>    make && make test
>
> Making check in command
> make[1]: Entering directory `/tmp/zshdb/command'
> make[1]: Nothing to be done for `check'.
> make[1]: Leaving directory `/tmp/zshdb/command'
> Making check in emacs
> make[1]: Entering directory `/tmp/zshdb/emacs'
> make  dbg-test.el dbg-test.el.in elk-test.el
> make[2]: Entering directory `/tmp/zshdb/emacs'
> make[2]: `dbg-test.el' is up to date.
> make[2]: Nothing to be done for `dbg-test.el.in'.
> make[2]: Nothing to be done for `elk-test.el'.
> make[2]: Leaving directory `/tmp/zshdb/emacs'
> no -batch -q -l ../emacs/dbg-test.el ./elk-test.el
> /bin/bash: no: command not found
> make[1]: *** [check] Error 127
> make[1]: Leaving directory `/tmp/zshdb/emacs'
> make: *** [check-recursive] Error 1
>
> Changing "no" to : in the emacs/Makefile leads to all the tests passing.
>
>> Share and enjoy!
>
> I'll probably package this for Debian soon.  Shout now if you object.

Do you intend to package a very recent zsh on Debian? Because although
the program checks, this is useless without that. (And even with ...
There are still bugs I know about and some may turn out to be zsh
misfeatures.)

Re: zshdb ready for stalwart hackers

[Clint Adams]

On Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 02:34:58PM -0400, Rocky Bernstein wrote:
> Do you intend to package a very recent zsh on Debian? Because although

Yes, a September-25 CVS snapshot is already there.

> the program checks, this is useless without that. (And even with ...
> There are still bugs I know about and some may turn out to be zsh
> misfeatures.)

You'll hear about them from the testers, assuming anyone installs it.