The DarkMod Wiki - Recent changes [en]

GDB pretty printers: Inspect custom types in debugger on Linux

Stgatilov — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 21:46:32 GMT

Added link to the blog article.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:46, 31 July 2026
Line 49:		Line 49:
	* https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Symbols-In-Python.html		* https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Symbols-In-Python.html
	* https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Python-API.html		* https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Python-API.html

			There is also an extensive article about GDB pretty printers in TheDarkMod here:
			* https://dirtyhandscoding.github.io/posts/natvis-like-experience-with-gdb-pretty-printers-introduction.html

	In the simple case, look at the existing code and try to do something similar in your printer.		In the simple case, look at the existing code and try to do something similar in your printer.

Fan Missions for The Dark Mod

Nbohr1more — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 20:06:26 GMT

Missions table

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:06, 30 July 2026
Line 2,644:		Line 2,644:

	\|-		\|-
	!align=left\|{{TDM-FM\|business3\|Business as Usual}}<br>(v3.45 2025/07/14)		!align=left\|{{TDM-FM\|business3\|Business as Usual}}<br>(v3.5 2025/07/30 EFX)
	\|Bikerdude		\|Bikerdude
	\|{{Mirrorlink\|1=https://rapidshare.com/files/335299431/business.pk4.html}}{{Forumlink\|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/10533-fan-mission-business-as-usual-by-b1k3rdude-14012010-christmas-fm-contest-entry/page__view__findpost__p__207055}}{{Forumlink\|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/14450-fan-mission-business-as-usual-v30-20130119/}}		\|{{Mirrorlink\|1=https://rapidshare.com/files/335299431/business.pk4.html}}{{Forumlink\|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/10533-fan-mission-business-as-usual-by-b1k3rdude-14012010-christmas-fm-contest-entry/page__view__findpost__p__207055}}{{Forumlink\|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/14450-fan-mission-business-as-usual-v30-20130119/}}
	\|2010-01-14		\|2010-01-14
	\|21		\|21
	\|No		\|Yes
	\|Yes		\|Yes
	\|No		\|No

Security Camera (legacy)

Bikerdude — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 11:35:18 GMT

Examining a Test Map

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:35, 25 July 2026
(8 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 110:		Line 110:

	[[Image:Cw1.jpg\|256px\|thumb\|right\|cam1]]		[[Image:Cw1.jpg\|256px\|thumb\|right\|cam1]]


	'''A rotating camera that sweeps back and forth'''		'''A rotating camera that sweeps back and forth'''
Line 128:		Line 129:
	[[Image:Cw2.jpg\|256px\|thumb\|right\|cam1's display]]		[[Image:Cw2.jpg\|256px\|thumb\|right\|cam1's display]]
	{{clear}}		{{clear}}

	'''A stationary camera that doesn't move'''		'''A stationary camera that doesn't move'''


	[[Image:Cw3.jpg\|320px\|thumb\|right\|cam2 and its display]]		[[Image:Cw3.jpg\|320px\|thumb\|right\|cam2 and its display]]
Line 143:		Line 146:

	'''A camera that uses the view from another entity (typically a target_null) to show a scene on its display screen'''		'''A camera that uses the view from another entity (typically a target_null) to show a scene on its display screen'''


	[[Image:Cw6.jpg\|320px\|thumb\|right\|cam3's display]]		[[Image:Cw6.jpg\|320px\|thumb\|right\|cam3's display]]
Line 159:		Line 163:

	* Toggle Power - targets ''cam3'' directly. When power is off, the display screen is hidden.		* Toggle Power - targets ''cam3'' directly. When power is off, the display screen is hidden.


			'''A multi-camra Test Map'''


			This is an exmaple of a multi-camera configuration that the player can cycle through at the press of the button. You can obtain the test map here: [https://ftp.thedarkmod.com/tutorials/RemoteCamera/multicamera.pk4 multicamera.pk4]. Open the map ''cameras.map'' in Dark Radiant. In this map, we have an example of t9 camera and a single monitor with controls to cycle through the cameras and turn them all off.



	{{clear}}		{{clear}}
	[[Category:Editing]]		[[Category:Editing]]

GDB pretty printers: Inspect custom types in debugger on Linux

Stgatilov — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:07:58 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:07, 23 July 2026
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown)
Line 11:		Line 11:
	== How to enable ==		== How to enable ==

	[[File:TdmGdbPrettyPrintersExample.png\|thumb\|right\|This is an example of GDB pretty printers at work in CLion]]		[[File:TdmGdbPrettyPrintersExample.png\|thumb\|right\|This is an old example of GDB pretty printers at work in CLion]]
			[[File:GdbPrettyPrinters CLion Example.png\|thumb\|right\|A newer example of the same]]

	As of now, the feature works well only on '''CLion'''.		As of now, the feature works well only on '''CLion'''.

File:GdbPrettyPrinters CLion Example.png

Stgatilov — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 21:05:58 GMT

Stgatilov uploaded File:GdbPrettyPrinters CLion Example.png

New page

The second version of the sample showing how TDM pretty printers look in CLion.

GDB pretty printers: Inspect custom types in debugger on Linux

Stgatilov — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 20:50:11 GMT

General update

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:50, 23 July 2026
Line 6:		Line 6:
	There is an idea to provide similar experience using '''GDB pretty printers'''.		There is an idea to provide similar experience using '''GDB pretty printers'''.
	* This feature is native to GDB, so it will not work under LLDB.		* This feature is native to GDB, so it will not work under LLDB.
	* It should be IDE-independent, ~~but~~ unfortunately it is not.		* It should be IDE-independent, although unfortunately it is not (see below).
	* You need to do some local setup to make it work.		* You need to do some local setup to make it work.

Line 13:		Line 13:
	[[File:TdmGdbPrettyPrintersExample.png\|thumb\|right\|This is an example of GDB pretty printers at work in CLion]]		[[File:TdmGdbPrettyPrintersExample.png\|thumb\|right\|This is an example of GDB pretty printers at work in CLion]]

	~~The pretty printers~~ is a ~~low-level feature~~, ~~and~~ it ~~often~~ causes GDB to hang. So:		As of now, the feature works well only on '''CLion'''.
	* If you ~~are~~ use '''raw GDB''', you ~~should~~ avoid deep-printing variables. Unfortunately, GDB does that by default when you run <code>print pEntity</code>. You can [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79945838/how-to-print-variable-non-recursively-in-gdb/79946649 use -max-depth 1].		CLion is a commercial debugger, but it is currently free for non-commercial use.
	* As of now, ~~'''CLion''' works best with the pretty printers.~~
	* '''VS Code''' hangs regularly at least due to [https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-cpptools/issues/14487 this bug].		'''VS Code''' has a [https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-cpptools/issues/14487 known issue] which regularly causes GDB to hang. Maybe it is not the only one.
	* '''KDevelop''' does support pretty printers. But it sometimes almost hangs, although it's probably different from VS Code. Also it has the annoying habit of showing [https://invent.kde.org/kyivskyiknyaz/kdevelop/-/blob/master/plugins/debuggercommon/mivariable.h?ref_type=heads#L74 only 5 children per click].		This issue can be circumvented by executing <code>set print max-depth 0</code> in the GDB console (you can add it to <tt>launch.json</tt>).
	* '''Code::Blocks''' also works with pretty printers. And while it looked OK at the beginning, expanding <code>~~gameLocal~~</code> ~~caused GDB to hang up completely~~.		However, inspecting values in VS Code is also very slow: not only it is slow to traverse the pretty printers, but it also blocks UI while doing so!
	* '~~''Qt Creator''' does not work with pretty printers: they surely do take effect inside GDB console, but I don't see any display strings of custom children in Expressions tab~~.
			If you use '''raw GDB''', pretty printers works well. However, you have avoid deep-printing variables.
			Unfortunately, GDB does that by default in many cases (e.g. when you run <code>print pEntity</code>), it seems to be deeply ingrained in the GDB philosophy.
			You can [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/79945838/how-to-print-variable-non-recursively-in-gdb/79946649 use -max-depth 1] on every print, or you can <code>set print max-depth 0</code> or 1.
			Maybe you'll have to tweak other limits as well.

	Pretty printers can be enabled manually by running <code>source sys/linux/gdbpp/main.py</code> in the GDB console, but doing it manually every time is annoying.		Pretty printers can be enabled manually by running <code>source sys/linux/gdbpp/main.py</code> in the GDB console, but doing it manually every time is annoying.

	GDB reads the local file <code>.gdbinit</code> on start and executes all the commands in it. For some reason, the local directory is different: CLion searches in the source code repository, but VS Code searches in the working directory. I have added <code>.gdbinit</code> to both ''darkmod'' and ''darkmod_src'' SVN repos to be sure. This file enables our pretty printers automatically.		GDB reads the local file <code>.gdbinit</code> on start and executes all the commands in it. For some reason, the local directory is different depending on IDE/environment: CLion searches in the source code repository, but VS Code searches in the working directory. I have added <code>.gdbinit</code> to both ''darkmod'' and ''darkmod_src'' SVN repos to be sure. This file enables our pretty printers automatically.

	To make things more "secure", GDB does not execute <code>.gdbinit</code> in untrusted directories these days.		But to make things more "secure", GDB does not execute <code>.gdbinit</code> in untrusted directories these days.
	You can look into [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16595417/loading-gdbinit-from-current-directory-fails-with-auto-loading-has-been-declin this question] or into [https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Auto_002dloading-safe-path.html official docs] for details.		You can look into [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/16595417/loading-gdbinit-from-current-directory-fails-with-auto-loading-has-been-declin this question] or into [https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Auto_002dloading-safe-path.html official docs] for details.
	To circumvent it, I have added yet another <code>.gdbinit</code> in the my user home directory with <code>set auto-load safe-path /</code> command in it.		To circumvent it, I have added yet another <code>.gdbinit</code> in the my user home directory with <code>set auto-load safe-path /</code> command in it.
Line 32:		Line 36:
	You can see example in [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/69586907/how-to-enable-pretty-printing-when-using-the-visual-studio-code-makefile-exten this question].		You can see example in [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/69586907/how-to-enable-pretty-printing-when-using-the-visual-studio-code-makefile-exten this question].
	I believe VS Code adds this command automatically when it creates launch.json with GDB for the first time.		I believe VS Code adds this command automatically when it creates launch.json with GDB for the first time.

	~~Finally, you should execute <code>set print object on</code> in GDB console as well.~~
	~~In case of VS Code, you can add it to setupCommands in <code>.vscode/launch.json</code>.~~
	It forces GDB to automatically cast any value to the most-derived type based in RTTI, see detail in [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/67217793/how-can-i-view-a-polymorphic-type-in-vscode-when-debugging-c-with-gdb this question].
	~~If a type is covered by our pretty-printer, then our code manages inheritance explicitly.~~
	~~But if a type is not covered, then its base class pointer will be automatically downcasted only if this setting is enabled.~~

	== Debug or expand pretty printers ==		== Debug or expand pretty printers ==

	If you want to add a pretty printer for a new type or you need to debug some issues with it, you have got yourself into trouble =)		If you want to add a pretty printer for a new type or you need to debug some issues with it, you have got yourself into trouble =)
	While natvis is very easy-to-use and generally safe to tweak, GDB pretty printers are verbose, make it easy to shoot yourself in the foot, and you need to invest considerable time to start doing something useful with it. It does not help that ~~several~~ builtin mechanics of natvis ~~had to be implemented manually~~.		While natvis is very easy-to-use and generally safe to tweak, GDB pretty printers are verbose, make it easy to shoot yourself in the foot, and you need to invest considerable time to start doing something useful with it. It does not help that I had to manually reimplement a lot of builtin mechanics of natvis.

	It is recommended to read the following articles repeatedly if you have any question about underlying GDB API:		It is recommended to read the following articles repeatedly if you have any question about underlying GDB API:
Line 51:		Line 49:
	* https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Python-API.html		* https://sourceware.org/gdb/current/onlinedocs/gdb.html/Python-API.html

	You can reload pretty printers without restarting the debugger by executing <code>source sys/linux/gdbpp/main.py</code> in GDB console (the exact path might be different). Both VS Code and CLion allow you executing GDB commands directly, but you need to prepend it with <code>-exec</code> in VS Code. The reloadable Python files are prefixed with <code>tdmuc_</code>, and main.py contains ugly hack to ensure there re-execution.		In the simple case, look at the existing code and try to do something similar in your printer.
			There are 3 main approaches:
			# Write printer as a Python class. Closest to normal GDB pretty printers, the most flexible and the most verbose.
			# Create printer via <code>make_simple_printer</code>. Close to natvis, partially declarative, can still use Python functions.
			# Auto-summary system normally works for types without custom printer. But you can sometimes use it in printers as well, e.g. <code>idList</code> printer shows its elements using it.

			You can reload pretty printers without restarting the debugger by executing <code>source ../darkmod_src/sys/linux/gdbpp/main.py</code> in GDB console (the exact path might be different). Both VS Code and CLion allow you executing GDB commands directly, but you need to prepend it with <code>-exec</code> in VS Code. The reloadable Python files are prefixed with <code>tdmuc_</code>, and main.py contains an ugly hack to ensure there re-execution.

	Since GDB often hangs, you might have to run <code>pkill gdb</code> in the terminal regularly.		Since GDB often hangs, you might have to run <code>pkill gdb</code> in the terminal regularly.
Line 58:		Line 62:
	Depending on circumstances, the exceptions in pretty printers can be silently suppressed. The same applies to logging with print (to stdout).		Depending on circumstances, the exceptions in pretty printers can be silently suppressed. The same applies to logging with print (to stdout).
	If you run a command in GDB console, it looks like exceptions are reported immediately, but all stdout is buffered until the end of execution (so you won't see it if GDB hangs).		If you run a command in GDB console, it looks like exceptions are reported immediately, but all stdout is buffered until the end of execution (so you won't see it if GDB hangs).
	The ~~exception~~ are without stack trace though... but you can enable it with <code>set python print-stack full</code>.		The exceptions are without stack trace though... but you can enable it with <code>set python print-stack full</code>.
	If you use VS Code IDE to inspect stuff, then stdout logging is displayed in the console immediately, but exceptions are silently suppressed.		If you use VS Code IDE to inspect stuff, then stdout logging is displayed in the console immediately, but exceptions are silently suppressed.
	CLion seems to print all exceptions to console.		CLion seems to print all exceptions to console.

	I have also added programmatic tracing of all function calls in the pretty printers code.		I have also added programmatic tracing of all function calls and exceptions in the pretty printers code.
	You can enable it by uncommenting <code>import tracing</code> in <code>main.py</code>.		You can enable it by uncommenting <code>import tracing</code> in <code>main.py</code>.
	You can see output in <tt>trace.txt</tt> file somewhere in TDM directories. Note that it is quite slow.		You can see output in <tt>trace.txt</tt> file somewhere in TDM directories. Note that it is quite slow.

	Changing or adding one pretty ~~printers~~ often breaks other printers (or even all of them).		Changing or adding one pretty printer often breaks other printers (or even all of them).
	If you have to tweak something in <code>tdmuc_base.py</code>~~, it is quite likely to happen~~.		Especially if you have to tweak something in <code>tdmuc_base.py</code>.

Fan Missions for The Dark Mod

Nbohr1more — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 21:59:03 GMT

Missions table

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:59, 15 July 2026
Line 2,644:		Line 2,644:

	\|-		\|-
	!align=left\|{{TDM-FM\|business3\|Business as Usual}}<br>(v3.~~0 2013~~/01/19)		!align=left\|{{TDM-FM\|business3\|Business as Usual}}<br>(v3.45 2025/07/14)
	\|Bikerdude		\|Bikerdude
	\|{{Mirrorlink\|1=https://rapidshare.com/files/335299431/business.pk4.html}}{{Forumlink\|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/10533-fan-mission-business-as-usual-by-b1k3rdude-14012010-christmas-fm-contest-entry/page__view__findpost__p__207055}}{{Forumlink\|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/14450-fan-mission-business-as-usual-v30-20130119/}}		\|{{Mirrorlink\|1=https://rapidshare.com/files/335299431/business.pk4.html}}{{Forumlink\|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/10533-fan-mission-business-as-usual-by-b1k3rdude-14012010-christmas-fm-contest-entry/page__view__findpost__p__207055}}{{Forumlink\|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/14450-fan-mission-business-as-usual-v30-20130119/}}
	\|2010-01-14		\|2010-01-14
	\|~~16.1~~		\|21
	\|No		\|No
	\|Yes		\|Yes

Path Nodes

Datiswous — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 16:13:43 GMT

How Close to Follow

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:13, 12 July 2026
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown)
Line 255:		Line 255:
	=== How Close to Follow ===		=== How Close to Follow ===
	To specify the distance of following, there are 3 spawnargs you may place on the follower:		To specify the distance of following, there are 3 spawnargs you may place on the follower:
	* distance_follower_reached N		* distance_follower_reached N (default: 60)
	* distance_follower_catchup_distance N		* distance_follower_catchup_distance N (default: 480)
	* distance_follower_stop_running N		* distance_follower_stop_running N (default: 180)

	~~with defaults~~:
	* distance_follower_reached 60
	* distance_follower_catchup_distance 480
	* distance_follower_stop_running 180

	=== Example and Known Limitations ===		=== Example and Known Limitations ===

Fan Missions for The Dark Mod

Nbohr1more — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 18:03:38 GMT

Missions table

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:03, 10 July 2026
(One intermediate revision by the same user not shown)
Line 24:		Line 24:

	<!--INSERT NEW MISSIONS BELOW THIS LINE-->		<!--INSERT NEW MISSIONS BELOW THIS LINE-->

			\|-
			!align=left\|{{TDM-FM\|maybury1\|Maybury 1: A Trip To The Museum}}
			\|Jnon
			\|{{Forumlink\|https://forums.thedarkmod.com/index.php?/topic/23191-fan-mission-the-maybury-idol-part-1-a-trip-to-the-museum/}}
			\|2026-07-10
			\|85.5
			\|No
			\|No
			\|Yes
			\|Maybury
			\|Museum Heist, City Missions
			\|
			\|-

	\|-		\|-