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(stabs.info)Statics

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Static Variables
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   Initialized static variables are represented by the `S' and `V'
symbol descriptors.  `S' means file scope static, and `V' means
procedure scope static.  One exception: in XCOFF, IBM's xlc compiler
always uses `V', and whether it is file scope or not is distinguished
by whether the stab is located within a function.

   In a.out files, `N_STSYM' means the data section, `N_FUN' means the
text section, and `N_LCSYM' means the bss section.  For those systems
with a read-only data section separate from the text section (Solaris),
`N_ROSYM' means the read-only data section.

   For example, the source lines:

     static const int var_const = 5;
     static int var_init = 2;
     static int var_noinit;

yield the following stabs:

     .stabs "var_const:S1",36,0,0,_var_const      # 36 is N_FUN
     ...
     .stabs "var_init:S1",38,0,0,_var_init        # 38 is N_STSYM
     ...
     .stabs "var_noinit:S1",40,0,0,_var_noinit    # 40 is N_LCSYM

   In XCOFF files, the stab type need not indicate the section;
`C_STSYM' can be used for all statics.  Also, each static variable is
enclosed in a static block.  A `C_BSTAT' (emitted with a `.bs'
assembler directive) symbol begins the static block; its value is the
symbol number of the csect symbol whose value is the address of the
static block, its section is the section of the variables in that
static block, and its name is `.bs'.  A `C_ESTAT' (emitted with a `.es'
assembler directive) symbol ends the static block; its name is `.es'
and its value and section are ignored.

   In ECOFF files, the storage class is used to specify the section, so
the stab type need not indicate the section.

   In ELF files, for the SunPRO compiler version 2.0.1, symbol
descriptor `S' means that the address is absolute (the linker relocates
it) and symbol descriptor `V' means that the address is relative to the
start of the relevant section for that compilation unit.  SunPRO has
plans to have the linker stop relocating stabs; I suspect that their the
debugger gets the address from the corresponding ELF (not stab) symbol.
I'm not sure how to find which symbol of that name is the right one.
The clean way to do all this would be to have a the value of a symbol
descriptor `S' symbol be an offset relative to the start of the file,
just like everything else, but that introduces obvious compatibility
problems.  For more information on linker stab relocation, Note: ELF
Linker Relocation.