Using SYMDEB/MAPSYM & MASM 5.1

[_A_Gagne]

OK, first things first: I AM an experienced programmer, with years of experience with Assembly, C, Assembly LINKED with C, 32-bit protected-mode programming - well, you get the idea!

   Anyways, I recently attempted  to use the SYMDEB v. 3.00 debugger with one of my MASM 5.1 programs (for the FIRST TIME, mind you! I had NEVER
tried to use SYMDEB before, as I (and everyone else) has the CodeView debugger! I always thought - who needs SYMDEB?).

   Well, I have several different versions of MAPSYM (from v. 4.11 to 6.n...), and I tried to create a .SYM file from my PROPERLY ASSEMBLED program (I tried BOTH the /ZI AND the /Zd options...), produced a .MAP file, ran MAPSYM (I tried ALL of my versions), and then tried to run SYMDEB with the command:

                 SYMDEB [myprogramname].sym [myprogramname].exe (I believe that is the REQUIRED SYNTAX ?!)

and quickly got an ERROR MESSAGE informing me that my .SYM file was in the WRONG FORMAT, and that I needed to use MAPSYM v. 4.00 (of course,
one I DO NOT HAVE! Great...).

   So. I searched the NET for TWO DAYS, and have come up with NOTHING for a MAPSYM v. 4.00!

   So. my question is - Do I REALLY NEED MAPSYM v. 4.00, and, if so, where the heck can I GET IT! It is so old that I just don't think that there are many interested parties any longer!

   I REALLY WANT to see how SYMDEB works with a program's SYMBOLIC INFO! Help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED! 

   _A_Gagne (Andre R. Gagne, gagnea@sask :dazzled:tel.net)

[BlackVortex]

Well, I'm certainly not the most qualified person here when it comes to debugging with symbolic info, but maybe it's the assembler's fault. Try using masm 6.xx (for example v6.14 comes with the masm32 package)

Maybe that version will produce better/different symbol info ?

[hutch--]

I had a look around my ancient junk and found masm 5.10 but it has no app called SYMDEB. It does come with the Codeview debugger.

Code Select Expand


Microsoft (R) CodeView (R)  Version 2.2
(C) Copyright Microsoft Corp. 1986-1988.  All rights reserved.
Usage: cv [options] file [arguments]
Valid options: /B /C<command> /D /E /F /I /M /P /R /S /T /W /43 /50 /2


[japheth]

I just tried:

- masm -Zd test.asm;
- link16 /map /li /st:1024 test.obj;
- mapsym test.map
- symdeb test.sym test.exe

and got no errors. There are just line numbers, that is, the debugger can display the source lines, no type information, but besides that it works.

Versions used:

masm v5.1
link16  v5.60
mapsym v4.11
symdeb v2.0

[MichaelW]

Per the only SYMDEB reference I have (in the Microsoft MS-DOS Encyclopedia, 1988):

"To prepare the program for debugging with SYMDEB, declare all vital labels, procedures, and variable names in the source program PUBLIC."

[FORTRANS]

Hi,

   If I remember...
SYMDEB was in MASM up through version 4.  Version
5.0 has Codeview.  I do have a copy of version 3.0.


Microsoft MACRO Assembler  Version 3.00
(C)Copyright Microsoft Corp 1981, 1983, 1984

Microsoft Symbolic Debug Utility
Version 3.00
(C)Copyright Microsoft Corp 1984
Processor is [80286]

Well no, its a PIII...


D:\MASM>mapsym

Stack overflow


Hmm.  Need an argument?  Win 2000 problem?
Using a hexlist shows no obvious version.


11/09/1984  04:22p              17,290 MAPSYM.EXE
11/21/1984  02:49p              77,362 MASM.EXE


Okay, on a different machine, it says it's "Mapsym v3.00".

Regards,

Steve N.