Re: RFA: fix PR python/13599

[Phil Muldoon <pmuldoon at redhat dot com>]

On 01/31/2012 11:22 PM, Doug Evans wrote:
> On Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 2:01 PM, Tom Tromey<tromey@redhat.com>  wrote:
> > This fixes PR python/13599.
> >
> > The bug is that there is no way to get the line number in the source at
> > which a symbol was defined, even though gdb tracks this information.
> >
> > This patch changes gdb.Symbol to add a new 'line' attribute.
> >
> > This requires a doc review.
> >
> > Built and regtested on x86-64 Fedora 15.
> >
> > Tom
> >
> > 2012-01-31  Tom Tromey<tromey@redhat.com>
> >
> >         PR python/13599:
> >         * python/py-symbol.c (sympy_line): New function.
> >         (symbol_object_getset): Add "line".
> 'tis ok with me.
>
> One comment though.
> The first thing that come to mind, as a user, is "Well, if I can get
> the line number from the symbol, why do I have to look elsewhere to
> get the file name?"
> The reason is an internal gdb implementation detail that we expose in
> python. IWBN if symbol tables were more nebulous entities - we might
> want the freedom to change them a bit.  [Not that we necessarily can
> change things now, but I think it's something we should keep in mind.]

There is no reason why we cannot export the filename as an API in the 
py-symbol.  The 1:1 mapping of API to GDB modulefunctionality is not 
even a weak rule imo.  If it makes sense from an API point of view, no 
reason why we should not export it in py-symbol regardless of where the 
information comes from in GDB.

Cheers,

Phil