Problem with gcc and gdb

["Randolph C. Wilhoit" <rwilhoit at neo dot tamu dot edu>]

Bug Report for GNU gcc

1. Version of gcc
   the command gcc -v reports
   version 2.96 20000731 (Red Hat Linux 7.1 2.96-81)

2. Version of gdb
   the command gdb -v reports
   GNU gdb 5.0rh-5 Red Hat Linux 7.1

3. Description of the problem
   When runing gdb on an exectuable file compiled by gcc. gdb cannot
   access any of the variables defined in the source file. The make file

   for compiling prdsy1.x is

CFLAGS = -g
CC = g++
fcLIB = /usr/fcm-6.11/lib.fpg/libctreestd.a
fcINC = /usr/fcm-6.11/ctree/include
fcTOM = /usr/fcm-6.11/ctree/custom
fcII = -I$(fcINC) -I$(fcTOM)
aplb = /usr/local/srcdb/util/appl.a
refdsp.x: refdsp.cpp refdsp.h smprfcl.o
 $(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o $@ $(fcII) refdsp.cpp smprfcl.o $(aplb) $(fcLIB)
prdsy1.x: prdsy1.cpp prdsp1.h purec.o smprfcl.o
 $(CC) $(CFLAGS) -o $@ $(fcII) prdsy1.cpp purec.o smprfcl.o $(aplb)
$(fcLIB)

   Then runing gdb with the command
    gdb prdsy1.x

   An attempt to read any program symbol, such as
       print x
   gives the response,
       No symbol 'x' in current context

   However prdsy1.x executes normally as expected.

   The line in prdsy1.cpp that causes this behaviour is,
     litref rfdsp;
   When this line, and all lines that reference rfdsp are removed from
   prdsy1.cpp and it is recompiled with the makefile above, gdb behaves
   normally.

   litref is a class defined in prdsp1.h. Its definition is,

class litref {
  long pleng;
  short int gaunm(AUKEY &aunmx);
public:
  short int erm;
  litref() {
  if ((erm = OpenIFile(&sprrf)))
    cerr << "Error opening reference superfile " << erm << "\n";
  if (!erm)
    if ((erm = OpenIFile(&vaut)))
    cerr << "Error opening author database " << erm << "\n";
  if (!erm)
    if ((erm = OpenIFile(&vref)))
    cerr << "Error opening reference database " << erm << "\n";
  }
  ~litref() {erm = CloseIFile(&sprrf);}
  void dsref(REFX, RFZ &);
};

    I have two similar programs that use class litref. They give the
    same problem.

    However program refdsp.x (see make file above) which also includes
    the line,
     litref rfdsp;
    gives the expected response when displaying variables in gdb.

    The command,
       file prdsy1.x
    gives the result,
  prdsy1.x: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1,
dynamically
  linked (uses shared libs), not stripped

    All files execute normally

Randolph Wilhoit
rwilhoit@neo.tamu.edu