d168e1da
by Rodrigo Mesquita at 2025-06-23T15:16:39+01:00
debugger: Implement step-out feature
Implements support for stepping-out of a function (aka breaking right after
returning from a function) in the interactive debugger.
It also introduces a GHCi command :stepout to step-out of a function
being debugged in the interpreter. The feature is described as:
Stop at the first breakpoint immediately after returning from the current
function scope.
Known limitations: because a function tail-call does not push a stack
frame, if step-out is used inside of a function that was tail-called,
execution will not be returned to its caller, but rather its caller's
first non-tail caller. On the other hand, it means the debugger
follows the more realistic execution of the program.
In the following example:
.. code-block:: none
f = do
a
b <--- (1) set breakpoint then step in here
c
b = do
...
d <--- (2) step-into this tail call
d = do
...
something <--- (3) step-out here
...
Stepping-out will stop execution at the `c` invokation in `f`, rather than
stopping at `b`.
The key idea is simple: When step-out is enabled, traverse the runtime
stack until a continuation BCO is found -- and enable the breakpoint
heading that BCO explicitly using its tick-index.
The details are specified in `Note [Debugger: Step-out]` in `rts/Interpreter.c`.
Since PUSH_ALTS BCOs (representing case continuations) were never headed
by a breakpoint (unlike the case alternatives they push), we introduced
the BRK_ALTS instruction to allow the debugger to set a case
continuation to stop at the breakpoint heading the alternative that is
taken. This is further described in `Note [Debugger: BRK_ALTS]`.
Fixes #26042