TotalView Users Guide - CI Wiki

Displaying Variables
Scoping Issues
When you dive into a variable from the Source Pane, the scope that
TotalView uses is that associated with the current frame’s PC; for example:
1: void f()
2: {
3: int x;
4: }
5:
6: int main()
7: {
8: int x;
9:}
If the PC is at line 3, which is in f(), and you dive on the x contained in
main(), TotalView displays the value for the x in f(), not the x in main(). In
this example, the difference is clear: TotalView chooses the PC’s scope
instead of the scope at the place where you dove. If you are working with
templated and overloaded code, determining the scope can be impossible,
since the compiler does not retain sufficient information. In all cases, you
can click the More button within the Variable window to see more information
about your variable. The Valid in Scope field can help you determine
which instance of a variable you located.
You can, of course, use the View > Lookup Variable command to locate the
correct instance.
Freezing Variable Window Data
Whenever execution stops, TotalView updates the contents of Variable Windows.
More precisely, TotalView reevaluates the data found with the
Expression area. If you do not want this reevaluation to occur, use the Variable
Window’s View > Freeze command. This tells TotalView that it should
not change the information that is displaying.
After you select this command, TotalView writes information into the window,
letting you know that the data is frozen. (See Figure 175 on page 290.)
Selecting the View > Freeze command a second time tells TotalView that it
should evaluate this window’s expression whenever execution stops.
In most cases, you’ll want to compare this information with an unfrozen
copy. Do this by selecting the Window > Duplicate command before you
freeze the display. As these two windows are identical, it doesn’t matter
which one you freeze. If you use the Duplicate command after you freeze
the display, just select View > Freeze in one of the windows to get that window
to update normally.
Locking the Address
The previous section discussed freezing the display so that TotalView does
not update the Variable Window’s contents. Sometimes you only want to
freeze the address, not the data at that address. Do this by selecting the
TotalView Users Guide: version 8.7 289