#18 Breakpoint Dialog Issues

[James Larus]

From: William Barrett [mailto:wbarrett1076@comcast.net]
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2011 11:49 AM
To: spim@larusstone.org
Cc: Bill Barrett
Subject: [SPAM] RE: QtSpim

I’m teaching a compiler course (cmpe 152) at San Jose State University this spring.
Several of the project involve writing a simple MIPS program and/or writing a simple compiler that generates MIPS code.
Obviously we need a MIPS assembler/simulator, and QtSpim is our first choice.

However, I’ve been using it (the Windows version), and also tried PCSpim on Windows, and have run into a roadblock concerning breakpoints.
I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong or whether there’s a bug in QtSpim.

In particular –

1. Bring up an assembler file with the load menu.
2. Set a breakpoint somewhere with a right click. It shows up in the text segment with a little marker.
3. Run the program, and it stops at the breakpoint.

Here’s where the trouble starts – the “Execution Stopped” dialog box pops up with only two choices: Yes or No or Abort. Yes seems to keep running instead of going into single-stepping with F10, which is what one would like to do. No or abort kills off the execution.
Also, the breakpoint menu box locks out any action in the main window, preventing me from even checking register values, etc. to see what’s going on at this breakpoint. There are register values that could be viewed to see what’s going on. Or to set another breakpoint!

[James Larus]

Added new dialog with appropriate options (continue, single step, abort) at a breakpoint.