BACKTRACE

NAME

SYNOPSIS

int backtrace(void **buffer, int size);

char **backtrace_symbols(void *const *buffer, int size);

void backtrace_symbols_fd(void *const *buffer, int size, int fd);  

DESCRIPTION

Given the set of addresses returned by backtrace() in buffer, backtrace_symbols() translates the addresses into an array of strings that describe the addresses symbolically. The size argument specifies the number of addresses in buffer. The symbolic representation of each address consists of the function name (if this can be determined), a hexadecimal offset into the function, and the actual return address (in hexadecimal). The address of the array of string pointers is returned as the function result of backtrace_symbols(). This array is malloc(3)ed by backtrace_symbols(), and must be freed by the caller. (The strings pointed to by the array of pointers need not and should not be freed.)

backtrace_symbols_fd() takes the same buffer and size arguments as backtrace_symbols(), but instead of returning an array of strings to the caller, it writes the strings, one per line, to the file descriptor fd. backtrace_symbols_fd() does not call malloc(3), and so can be employed in situations where the latter function might fail.  

RETURN VALUE

On success, backtrace_symbols() returns a pointer to the array malloc(3)ed by the call; on error, NULL is returned.  

VERSIONS

CONFORMING TO

NOTES

*

Omission of the frame pointers (as implied by any of gcc(1)'s non-zero optimization levels) may cause these assumptions to be violated.

*

Inlined functions do not have stack frames.

*

Tail-call optimization causes one stack frame to replace another.

The symbol names may be unavailable without the use of special linker options. For systems using the GNU linker, it is necessary to use the -rdynamic linker option. Note that names of "static" functions are not exposed, and won't be available in the backtrace.  

EXAMPLE

$ cc -rdynamic prog.c -o prog
$ ./prog 3
backtrace() returned 8 addresses
./prog(myfunc3+0x5c) [0x80487f0]
./prog [0x8048871]
./prog(myfunc+0x21) [0x8048894]
./prog(myfunc+0x1a) [0x804888d]
./prog(myfunc+0x1a) [0x804888d]
./prog(main+0x65) [0x80488fb]
/lib/libc.so.6(__libc_start_main+0xdc) [0xb7e38f9c]
./prog [0x8048711]

Program source

#include <execinfo.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <unistd.h>

void
myfunc3(void)
{
    int j, nptrs;
#define SIZE 100
    void *buffer[100];
    char **strings;

    nptrs = backtrace(buffer, SIZE);
    printf("backtrace() returned %d addresses\n", nptrs);

    /* The call backtrace_symbols_fd(buffer, nptrs, STDOUT_FILENO)
       would produce similar output to the following: */

    strings = backtrace_symbols(buffer, nptrs);
    if (strings == NULL) {
        perror("backtrace_symbols");
        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
    }

    for (j = 0; j < nptrs; j++)
        printf("%s\n", strings[j]);

    free(strings);
}

static void   /* "static" means donaqt export the symbol... */
myfunc2(void)
{
    myfunc3();
}

void
myfunc(int ncalls)
{
    if (ncalls > 1)
        myfunc(ncalls - 1);
    else
        myfunc2();
}

int
main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    if (argc != 2) {
        fprintf(stderr, "%s num-calls\n", argv[0]);
        exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
    }

    myfunc(atoi(argv[1]));
    exit(EXIT_SUCCESS);
}

SEE ALSO

COLOPHON