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Getting help
============

   You can always ask GDB itself for information on its commands, using
the command `help'.

`help'
`h'
     You can use `help' (abbreviated `h') with no arguments to display
     a short list of named classes of commands:

          (gdb) help
          List of classes of commands:
          
          aliases -- Aliases of other commands
          breakpoints -- Making program stop at certain points
          data -- Examining data
          files -- Specifying and examining files
          internals -- Maintenance commands
          obscure -- Obscure features
          running -- Running the program
          stack -- Examining the stack
          status -- Status inquiries
          support -- Support facilities
          tracepoints -- Tracing of program execution without

          stopping the program
          user-defined -- User-defined commands
          
          Type "help" followed by a class name for a list of
          commands in that class.
          Type "help" followed by command name for full
          documentation.
          Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
          (gdb)

`help CLASS'
     Using one of the general help classes as an argument, you can get a
     list of the individual commands in that class.  For example, here
     is the help display for the class `status':

          (gdb) help status
          Status inquiries.
          
          List of commands:
          
          info -- Generic command for showing things
           about the program being debugged
          show -- Generic command for showing things
           about the debugger
          
          Type "help" followed by command name for full
          documentation.
          Command name abbreviations are allowed if unambiguous.
          (gdb)

`help COMMAND'
     With a command name as `help' argument, GDB displays a short
     paragraph on how to use that command.

`apropos ARGS'
     The `apropos ARGS' command searches through all of the GDB
     commands, and their documentation, for the regular expression
     specified in ARGS. It prints out all matches found. For example:

          apropos reload

     results in:

          set symbol-reloading -- Set dynamic symbol table reloading
                                           multiple times in one run
          show symbol-reloading -- Show dynamic symbol table reloading
                                           multiple times in one run

`complete ARGS'
     The `complete ARGS' command lists all the possible completions for
     the beginning of a command.  Use ARGS to specify the beginning of
     the command you want completed.  For example:

          complete i

     results in:

          if
          ignore
          info
          inspect

     This is intended for use by GNU Emacs.

   In addition to `help', you can use the GDB commands `info' and
`show' to inquire about the state of your program, or the state of GDB
itself.  Each command supports many topics of inquiry; this manual
introduces each of them in the appropriate context.  The listings under
`info' and under `show' in the Index point to all the sub-commands.
Note: Index.

`info'
     This command (abbreviated `i') is for describing the state of your
     program.  For example, you can list the arguments given to your
     program with `info args', list the registers currently in use with
     `info registers', or list the breakpoints you have set with `info
     breakpoints'.  You can get a complete list of the `info'
     sub-commands with `help info'.

`set'
     You can assign the result of an expression to an environment
     variable with `set'.  For example, you can set the GDB prompt to a
     $-sign with `set prompt $'.

`show'
     In contrast to `info', `show' is for describing the state of GDB
     itself.  You can change most of the things you can `show', by
     using the related command `set'; for example, you can control what
     number system is used for displays with `set radix', or simply
     inquire which is currently in use with `show radix'.

     To display all the settable parameters and their current values,
     you can use `show' with no arguments; you may also use `info set'.
     Both commands produce the same display.

   Here are three miscellaneous `show' subcommands, all of which are
exceptional in lacking corresponding `set' commands:

`show version'
     Show what version of GDB is running.  You should include this
     information in GDB bug-reports.  If multiple versions of GDB are
     in use at your site, you may need to determine which version of
     GDB you are running; as GDB evolves, new commands are introduced,
     and old ones may wither away.  Also, many system vendors ship
     variant versions of GDB, and there are variant versions of GDB in
     GNU/Linux distributions as well.  The version number is the same
     as the one announced when you start GDB.

`show copying'
     Display information about permission for copying GDB.

`show warranty'
     Display the GNU "NO WARRANTY" statement, or a warranty, if your
     version of GDB comes with one.