variable name, function arguments at run time in C

Question

Is it possible to know a function arguments and variables\' name types at runtime in C program ? For example, if I have a function:

int abc(int x, float y ,          


        

Answer 1

As others noted, reflection is not built into the C or C++ language. There are a variety of ideas here

However, Reflection is possible in C/C++ with a 3rd party library and debugging symbols in the executable or an external file.

The dwarfdump executable more or less does what you are hoping for. With the DWARF information details on function, variables, types, etc are available. In a similar fashion, the libdwarfdump functionality could be used by a process to inspect itself.

Here is a simple manual example:

typedef struct somestruct 
{
   int i;
   int j;
} somestruct ;

int abc(int x, float y , struct somestruct z ){
    char a;
    int b ;
}


int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{

   struct somestruct z;
   abc(1,1.0f,z);
   return 0;
}

and the partial output from dwarfdump

< 1><0x00000055>    DW_TAG_subprogram
                      DW_AT_external              yes(1)
                      DW_AT_name                  "abc"
                      DW_AT_decl_file             0x00000001 /tmp/dwarf.c
                      DW_AT_decl_line             0x00000009
                      DW_AT_prototyped            yes(1)
                      DW_AT_type                  <0x0000004e>
                      DW_AT_low_pc                0x004004ed
                      DW_AT_high_pc               18
                      DW_AT_frame_base            len 0x0001: 9c: DW_OP_call_frame_cfa
                      DW_AT_GNU_all_call_sites    yes(1)
                      DW_AT_sibling               <0x000000ad>
< 2><0x00000076>      DW_TAG_formal_parameter
                        DW_AT_name                  "x"
                        DW_AT_decl_file             0x00000001 /tmp/dwarf.c
                        DW_AT_decl_line             0x00000009
                        DW_AT_type                  <0x0000004e>
                        DW_AT_location              len 0x0002: 916c: DW_OP_fbreg -20
< 2><0x00000082>      DW_TAG_formal_parameter
                        DW_AT_name                  "y"
                        DW_AT_decl_file             0x00000001 /tmp/dwarf.c
                        DW_AT_decl_line             0x00000009
                        DW_AT_type                  <0x000000ad>
                        DW_AT_location              len 0x0002: 9168: DW_OP_fbreg -24
< 2><0x0000008e>      DW_TAG_formal_parameter
                        DW_AT_name                  "z"
                        DW_AT_decl_file             0x00000001 /tmp/dwarf.c
                        DW_AT_decl_line             0x00000009
                        DW_AT_type                  <0x0000002d>
                        DW_AT_location              len 0x0002: 9160:        DW_OP_fbreg -32

With careful study, we can see the fragment defines the function 'abc' with arguements x, y and z.

The type of parameter x is an indirection to a type table with key 0x4e.

Looking elsewhere in the output, we can see the definition for type 0x4e. Type 0x2d is the somestruct which ties back to parameter z.

< 1><0x0000002d>    DW_TAG_structure_type
                      DW_AT_name                  "somestruct"
                      DW_AT_byte_size             0x00000008
                      DW_AT_decl_file             0x00000001 /tmp/dwarf.c
                      DW_AT_decl_line             0x00000003
                      DW_AT_sibling               <0x0000004e>

< 1><0x0000004e>    DW_TAG_base_type
                      DW_AT_byte_size             0x00000004
                      DW_AT_encoding              DW_ATE_signed
                      DW_AT_name                  "int"

The combination of ptrace, ELF, DWARF and the /proc filesystem allow gdb to read static and dynamic information for a process. Another process could use similar functionality to create Reflection functionality.

I have used variants of this strategy to create custom debuggers and memory leak detectors. I have never seen this strategy used for business logic however.