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17<title>Debugging with GDB: Optimized Code</title>
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64<a name="Optimized-Code"></a>
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66<p>
67Next: <a href="Macros.html#Macros" accesskey="n" rel="next">Macros</a>, Previous: <a href="Data.html#Data" accesskey="p" rel="previous">Data</a>, Up: <a href="index.html#Top" accesskey="u" rel="up">Top</a> &nbsp; [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Concept-Index.html#Concept-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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70<a name="Debugging-Optimized-Code"></a>
71<h2 class="chapter">11 Debugging Optimized Code</h2>
72<a name="index-optimized-code_002c-debugging"></a>
73<a name="index-debugging-optimized-code"></a>
74
75<p>Almost all compilers support optimization.  With optimization
76disabled, the compiler generates assembly code that corresponds
77directly to your source code, in a simplistic way.  As the compiler
78applies more powerful optimizations, the generated assembly code
79diverges from your original source code.  With help from debugging
80information generated by the compiler, <small>GDB</small> can map from
81the running program back to constructs from your original source.
82</p>
83<p><small>GDB</small> is more accurate with optimization disabled.  If you
84can recompile without optimization, it is easier to follow the
85progress of your program during debugging.  But, there are many cases
86where you may need to debug an optimized version.
87</p>
88<p>When you debug a program compiled with &lsquo;<samp>-g -O</samp>&rsquo;, remember that the
89optimizer has rearranged your code; the debugger shows you what is
90really there.  Do not be too surprised when the execution path does not
91exactly match your source file!  An extreme example: if you define a
92variable, but never use it, <small>GDB</small> never sees that
93variable&mdash;because the compiler optimizes it out of existence.
94</p>
95<p>Some things do not work as well with &lsquo;<samp>-g -O</samp>&rsquo; as with just
96&lsquo;<samp>-g</samp>&rsquo;, particularly on machines with instruction scheduling.  If in
97doubt, recompile with &lsquo;<samp>-g</samp>&rsquo; alone, and if this fixes the problem,
98please report it to us as a bug (including a test case!).
99See <a href="Variables.html#Variables">Variables</a>, for more information about debugging optimized code.
100</p>
101<table class="menu" border="0" cellspacing="0">
102<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Inline-Functions.html#Inline-Functions" accesskey="1">Inline Functions</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top">How <small>GDB</small> presents inlining
103</td></tr>
104<tr><td align="left" valign="top">&bull; <a href="Tail-Call-Frames.html#Tail-Call-Frames" accesskey="2">Tail Call Frames</a>:</td><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td align="left" valign="top"><small>GDB</small> analysis of jumps to functions
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