Intel XENIX 286 Programmers Guide (86) - Tenox.tc

XENIX Programming adb: Program Debugger
Starting adb with Data Files
You can use adb to examine data files by giving the name of the data file in place of the
program or core file. For example, to examine a data file named outdata, type
adb outdata
adb opens this file and lets you examine its contents.
This method of examining files is very useful if the file contains non-ASCII data. adb
provides a way to look at the contents of the file in a variety of formats and structures.
Note that adb may display a warning when you give the name of a non-ASCII data file in
place of a program file. This usually happens when the content of the data file is
similar to a program file. Like core files, data files cannot be executed.
Sta rting with the Write Option
You can make changes and corrections in a program or data file using adb if you open it
for writing using the -w option. For example, the command
adb -w sample
opens the program file sample for writing. You may then use adb commands to examine
and modify this file.
Nate that the -w option causes adb to create a given file if it does not already exist.
The option also can be used to write directly to memory after executing the given
program. See the section "Patching Binary Files" later in this chapter.
Starting with the Prompt Option
You can define the prompt used by adb by using the -p option. The option has the form
-p prompt
where prompt is any combination of characters. If you use spaces, enclose prompt in
quotes. For example, the command
adb -p "Mar 10->" sample
sets the prompt to "Mar 10->". The new prompt takes the place of the default prompt
(*) when adb begins to prompt for commands.
Make sure you put at least one space between the -p and the new prompt, otherwise adb
will display an error message. Note that adb automatically supplies a space at the end
of the new prompt, so you do not have to supply one.
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