Consider a type that is a subrange of an integral base type, with an
explicitly specified bit size smaller than the bit width of a storage
unit.
When used for a standalone variable, its byte size is the same as that
of the base type, i.e., the type is padded to a whole unit.
However, when used for a packed record type, however, it takes on the
requested bit size, without any padding whatsoever.
Because of the different sizes, this requires two distinct types to be
defined in debug info.
Despite sharing the same bounds, however, it seems that the bounds have
to be explicitly mentioned in both types.
That's because, AFAICT, when DW_AT_lower_bound is omitted in a
DW_TAG_subrange_type, it is implied as either 0 or 1, depending on the
source language, while DW_AT_upper bound is unknown.
There doesn't seem to be any provision for the bounds to be inherited
from the base type.
So now we have to resort to something like:
(x) DW_TAG_base_type
DW_AT_byte_size 1
[...]
(y) DW_TAG_subrange_type
DW_AT_name ...
DW_AT_type x
DW_AT_lower_bound L
DW_AT_upper_bound U
[...]
(z) DW_TAG_subrange_type
DW_AT_type x (could it be y?)
DW_AT_bit_size N
DW_AT_lower_bound L
DW_AT_lower_bound U
but if we had the possibility of inheriting bounds from the base type,
it could be:
(x) DW_TAG_base_type
DW_AT_byte_size 1
[...]
(y) DW_TAG_subrange_type
DW_AT_name ...
DW_AT_type x
DW_AT_lower_bound L
DW_AT_upper_bound U
[...]
(z) DW_TAG_subrange_type
DW_AT_type y
DW_AT_bit_size N
[bounds are inherited from y]
I realize that this could bring complications in case the inheritance is
not immediate. Say, the base type could be a DW_TAG_const_type variant
of a subrange type. So, if we were to allow this sort of inheritance of
bounds, it should probably also cover multiple levels.
A simpler alternative could be to have another tag, say
DW_TAG_[un]padded_type, for a different-sized variant of a type. As
usual for such tags, other properties would be inherited, including the
bounds.
This feels like a waste of a tag, though; DW_TAG_subrange_type seems
like it could be enough.
--
Alexandre Oliva, happy hacker https://FSFLA.org/blogs/lxo/
Free Software Activist GNU Toolchain Engineer
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