Added ELF section types check and new error messages
[clinton/Virtual-Jaguar-Rx.git] / docs / vj_HistoryNotes.txt
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1Release 5 (TBA)
2---------------
30) Added a date creation stamp in the application command line information
4- This date already appears in the Release 4 executable but was not referenced in his history note
51) Added a specific breakpoint for the M68K illegal instruction exception
6-- Alert box will display a message and then the code will stop
72) Added a specific breakpoint for the M68K address error exception
8-- Alert box will display a message and then the code will stop
93) Added a HW registers browser window and set a tab for the Blitter
104) Added detection for the unsigned/signed short type
11-- Will allow the return of a short type variable's value
125) Added a specific breakpoint for the M68K Unimplemented instruction, and Exception not referenced exceptions
136) Fix potential emulator freeze after an exception has occured
147) Fix a random crash when reading the source lines information
158) Added ELF & DWARF .debug* types
169) Added ELF section types check and new error messages
17
18Release 4a (15th August 2019)
19-----------------------------
20Git commit: f04df4f185ed4f3cfc805d0f61b3c019a108ae2c
21-
220) Fix specific breakpoint for ROM cartridge or unknown memory location writing
23
24Release 4 (10th August 2019)
25----------------------------
26Git commit: 9b25d85d1ea4a9476b83476bcec65e05464f68da
27-
280) The zoom value setting has been fixed in the registry
291) Debugger mode now shares the same alpine rom path setting
302) Local variables window displays register name now
313) Switch to Zlib 1.2.11 static library 64bits for VS 2017
324) Switch to SDL 1.2.15 static library 64bits for VS 2017
335) Local variables window displays values from function's parameters
346) Fixed the typedef's name display in Local and Watch variables window
357) Breakpoint may now occur in case of a ROM cartridge writing
36-- ROM cartridge writing detection follow the alpine "allow writes to cartridge rom"'s flag check
37-- Alert box will display a message with possibility to pass or not the breakpoint only if this is related to a 8 or 16 bits ROM access
388) Local variables window detects now if a variable is used or not by the code
399) The address provided in the debugger memory windows is now verified to prevent crash
40-- Wrong address will be displayed in red
4110) UI changes
42-- Added new icons for the exit and status features
43-- Modified icons for the SP (Stack) browser
44-- Unified icons sizes depend on their usage (drop down menu and main menu)
45-- Underline the active M68K line in the disassembly window
46-- Allow the up/down navigation on the SP (Stack) browser
47-- Restart function cleans-up the SP (Stack) browser and the heap allocator system
48-- Fixed the up navigation on the memory window
4911) Added some log information for the emulator initialisations
5012) Breakpoint will happen in case of writing at unknown memory location
51-- Alert box will display a message and then the code will stop
5213) Added the DRAM size in the emulator status window
5314) Debugger sources code clean-up
5415) Added a call stack feature
5516) Follow platform requirement to prevent source file reading issue
5617) UI modifications
57-- Modified icon for the memory window to make a distinction with the memory browser
58-- The all watch, and Exception Vector Table windows, can be closed using keyboard
59-- Renamed the debugger dedicated icons to make a distinction
60-- Added the call stack window
6118) Fixed a crash in the all watch window after loading a new binary without ELF/DWARF information
62-- Previously used ELF/DWARF information was still accessible
6319) Fixed slash/backslash issue, in the Alpine tab, to follow platform requirement
6420) Heap allocation window uses the DRAM size limit option and detect if heap allocation shares space with SP (Stack)
6521) Added a Jaguar model and BIOS configuration tab
6622) Jaguar model and BIOS configuration integration
6723) Added LEB128 decoding functions
68-- It is used for the DWARF decoding information
6924) Debugger support improvement
70-- DWARF support for the enum type (partial), structure and subroutine type
71-- Debugger can report variable's unsigned char value
7225) UI modifications
73-- Added a status bar, better status report & information display for the heap allocation window
74-- Added a status bar, better status report & information display for the local variables window
75-- Added better information display for the exception vectors table window, and added some missing vectors
76-- Added a status bar, better status report & information display for the call stack window
77-- Added a status bar, better status report & information display for the all watches window
7826) Added screenshot feature
79-- Not accessible in debugger mode
80-- Added screenshot editable path in the general tab, and a key binding
8127) Minor misspellings fixes
8228) DWARF source code directory path clean-up
8329) Added a source code files list viewer
84-- List comes from the DWARF information
8530) Check potential variables missing/incomplete description found in the DWARF information
86-- No crash involved but can help to reduce such as variables duplicate or the blank ones
8731) Added a sorting filter in the all watches window
8832) Improve source code file reading to avoid additional text/bytes reading
8933) Help & content texts updates
9034) Fixed a crash legacy issue when emulator launches in Alpine mode without a valid rom
9135) Added the support for the used lines source's DWARF structure
92-- Mostly used to handle missing subprogram's lines information, and missing CU's low/high PC
9336) Added the Rx version's contact in the help text
9437) Added search paths in case of missing DWARF directories information
95-- Used to look for the file(s)
9638) Setup CU's low/high PC in case of the DWARF structures doesn't have it
97-- Used mostly to allow display the source assembled with vasm
9839) Added function name support from ELF structure
9940) Added the return address information in the call stack
10041) Added multiple breakpoints feature, and their key bindings, for functions only
10142) Added timer initialisation for the SDL setup
10243) Added a cartridge view menu
103-- Added a window to display my own directory and his files list
10444) Debugger sources code clean-up
10545) Fix a crash when emulator, in non-debugger mode, opens the breakpoint UIs at launch
10646) Fix crash with potential missing DWARF structure tag's type name
10747) Added ELF sections check so a potential unknown section will stop, or not stop, the decoding
10848) Project has switched to QT 5.12.0 library 64bits for VS 2017
10949) Added a Save Dump As... feature to save a memory zone to a file
11050) The -d command line option, dedicated to the debugger, has been renamed to avoid duplication with the dsp one
111-- -d has been renamed by -D because another -d was also used for the dsp command line option
11251) Removed the sorting filter in the all watches window
11352) Fix the support of the DRAM size limit option in the heap allocation window
11453) Set cartridge view menu for debugger mode only
11554) Prevent crash in case of call stack is out of range
116
117Release 3 (13th November 2017)
118------------------------------
119Git commit: b1b673a3b0d19e3c2c45b6590b773b11e45bced7
120-
1210) Fixed the windows respawning in the next emulator launch within --alpine or --debugger options
1221) Added an Exception Vector Table window
1232) Modified the About window to update the credits list in a more appropriate way
124-- Updated the emulator application credits line
1253) Added 'Rx' word to the emulator name
1264) Fixed a crash when reading the DWARF information in the case of the DWARF2 format has not been used
1275) Added ui, alpine and debugger groups in the settings
1286) Added the possibility to erase settings
1297) Added the --es-all, --es-ui, --es-alpine and --es-debugger options to erase specific settings
1308) Added a key bindings tab and adapted the configuration dialog tabs
131-- User can modify the key bindings where appropriate
132-- Key bindings UI is displayed based on the option used (--debugger, -- alpine)
1339) Fixed a crash, in Release mode, when the HW labels setting is turn on
13410) Solved an interference between the HW labels setting and the one used by the debugger
135-- The setting is now only the reference used
13611) Fixed the SP (Stack) browser UI potential missing data
13712) Create a directory for EEPROMs (based on the EEPROMs setting) if it doesn't already exist
13813) Keep the scrollbar position in accordance of the M68K PC pointer
139-- UI displays the source without the need to move down/up the scrollbar
14014) Fixed a crash when DWARF information report a source line number exceeding the number of lines present in a source file
141-- This may come from the linker vlink
14215) Improved the .heap section detection to avoid a detection error
143-- Depend vlink version, .heap section may have an Alloc flag
14416) Fixed a crash when DWARF information does references to missing source code files
14517) Added a local variables window
14618) Project has switched to Visual Studio 2017 and QT 5.9.1 library
147
148Release 2 (3rd September 2017)
149------------------------------
1500) Added some error detections when reading the ELF executable file
1511) Added all hardware labels (based on the document scans from the Version 2.4 - June 7, 1995)
1522) "Step Over" code function for BSR/JSR functions
1533) Added the .debug_ranges detection to avoid a detection error
1544) DWARF support
155-- TAG: Compilation Unit, Subprogram, Variables, Types
156-- Line numbers, symbols, functions
1575) Added an All Watch window for non-local variables
1586) Added a heap allocator window based on my own memory allocation functions
1597) Added additional 4 memory windows with address input based on hexa, decimal or symbol name
1608) Windows refreshing executed only if windows is visible
1619) Added a restart function
162-- Restart only the 68000 program counter to his original set
16310) Modified the icons color backgound for the "Step In" and "Step Over" functions
16411) Updated the About window to update the credits list
16512) 64 bits Release executable
16613) Fixed (hacking) the display of the SP (Stack) browser
16714) Set the emulator in Halt mode when launched in alpine debug mode without a loaded rom
168-- Otherwise the 68000 program counter will have a 0 value and will execute the code at this address
16915) Added some information in the --help/-h/-? option
17016) --debugger option no longer force the log file
17117) Added a --dram-max option to extend the DRAM size to 8MB
17218) Added the "enter" key support when setting the BPM (Breapoint)
17319) Save the windows positions, size and visibilities (show or hide) status
174-- Such windows will automatically respawn in the next emulator launch
175
176Release 1 (12th February 2017)
177------------------------------
1780) BPM (Breapoint) now stop at the designated address and no longer stop after executing the code
1791) Clean-up the tracing / no-tracing flags for better U.I understanding
1802) Added SP (Stack) browser
1813) User can change now the number of lines of disassembly displayed in the tracing window
1824) User can turn on/off the op-codes associated in the disassembly lines displayed in the M68K tracing window
1835) Added an emulator status window (GPU status, M68K debugger and tracking status)
1846) Added a GPU disassembly tracing window - Display the current PC pointer
1857) Added a DSP disassembly tracing window - Display the current PC pointer
1868) Added possibility to change refresh rate of browsers when emulation is launched
1879) Display partial hardware labels (Internal Memory and Graphics sub-system address space) in the disassembly lines displayed in the M68K tracing window
188-- Display first the hardware labels (based from the Jag V8 dev. PDF) and then the ones possibly found in the ELF debug symbol
18910) Minor U.I cosmetic changes
19011) User can turn on/off the hardware labels associated in the disassembly lines displayed in the M68K tracing window
191-- It doesn't apply to the hardware labels possibly found in the ELF debug symbol
192
193Release 0 (5th January 2017)
194----------------------------
1950) New option --debugger
1961) ELF format support
1972) ELF debug symbol support
1983) "Step Into" code function
1994) Menus layout dedicated to the debugger
2005) Added a dedicated main window for tracing (M68K)
2016) Added a Debugger tab in the config tab
2027) Visual Studio 2015 project support
2038) libelf-0.8.13 library support
2049) 64 bits debug executable only
205
206
207Known issues
208============
2091) Video output is not displayed due to my OpenGL / QT5 5.5.1 integration with VS 2015 but solved when using the QT 5.9.1 package for VS 2017
2102) The BPM (Breapoint) remains stuck on his address when user wants to continue the code execution
211-- Need to trace over the BPM or unset the BPM
212-- The issue can be prevented if the code doesn't set IRQ, otherwise the IRQ will need to be traced to get back control
2133) DWARF 2 support
214-- With GCC: the code must be compiled with the -gdwarf-2 option
2154) The Local and Watch variables window may display not available type information or empty information
216-- Such missing information may be included in future release
217-- The 'const' type may not be reported correctly in the DWARF information
2185) The 2MB mirroring is no longer applied in case of --dram-max option usage
2196) Stack must reflect the --dram-max option usage otherwise the stack may be corrupted
220-- The application needs to set the SP (Stack) in accordance
2217) The Exception Vector Table window displays only 65 vectors
222-- Missing vectors may be added in future release
2238) User needs to manualy check if the Atari Jaguar executable match his source code files
224-- Otherwise, source code and assembly may not match or leads to instabilities
2259) The emulator needs to be restarted in case of the following actions occur
226-- Key bindings changes
227-- BIOS selection changes and without new executable load
22810) In the case of a ROM cartridge writing, and with occuring breakpoint, the PC pointer will point at the next instruction and not at the instruction causing the breakpoint
22911) Emulator will crash in case of wrong address value provided in the memory browser
23012) The RAM access log is limited to the 2MB
23113) In various occasions, global variables may be duplicated or without name in the DWARF information
232-- It may come from the Vlink linker and/or GCC 7.1.0 or 8.2.0 compilation with -gdwarf-2 option
23314) Source code disply only assembled code from vasm with option -dwarf
23415) After a new breakpoint set, the breakpoint list window is not refreshed
235-- User must perform an operation, such code tracing, to see the breakpoints list update
23616) Some ASCII characters may be not displayed correctly
237-- It depend how the text is displayed, this is related to the QT/HTML encoding done when reading DWARF file
23817) Potential legacy crash when leaving emulator in pause mode for a long period of time
239
240Cosmetic / UX issues
241====================
2421) The SP (Stack) icon color backgound doesn't look similar with the other ones
2432) The SP (Stack) browser size always open at a forced size no matter if the size has been changed
2443) Not every features have associated key bindings
245
246Legacy issues/hints
247===================
2481) Emulator seems to have easter egg(s)
249-- The option --yarrr displays a single message and end the application
250-- Pressing F8, while in the main window, will create an extra message in the log file
2512) The --alpine option force the log file but it can be override if --no-log option is set after the --alpine option
252
253Project information
254===================
2551) Code based on the Shamus Hammons source code available via Gethub by the 12th September 2017 (2.1.3 Final)
2562) Visual Studio 2015/2017 project support for 64 bits
2573) libelf 0.8.13 library 64bits for VS 2015/2017
2584) libdwarf 1.41 library 64bits for VS 2015, cygwin64 and Msys2/MinGW64
2595) QT 5.5.1 library 64bits for VS 2015
2606) QT 5.12.0 library 64bits for VS 2017
2617) Zlib 1.2.8 library 64bits for VS 2015
2628) Zlib 1.2.11 library 64bits for VS 2017
2639) SDL 1.2.15 library 64bits for VS 2015/2017
26410) The original make files have been modified to follow the requirements and modifications
26511) The 'Rx' word has been added to the emulator name to make distinction with the official version
26612) The project is set at https://github.com/djipi/Virtual-Jaguar-Rx
26713) GPLv3 file document has been renamed as LICENSE, to fit better the GitHub requirements
268-- Text / License terms are the same
26914) The x86 configuration has been removed in the VS 2017 project
270
271
272Download statistics
273-------------------
274jaguar64eu : 15 downloads for the Release 0 on the 12th Feb, 2017
275jaguar64eu : 18 downloads for the Release 1 on the 21st May, 2017
276No downloads statistics available for the Release 2
277No downloads statistics available for the Release 3