Debug Information (GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) Internals)

### 15.18 Variable Location Debug Information in RTL ¶

Variable tracking relies on `MEM_EXPR` and `REG_EXPR` annotations to determine what user variables memory and register references refer to.

Variable tracking at assignments uses these notes only when they refer to variables that live at fixed locations (e.g., addressable variables, global non-automatic variables). For variables whose location may vary, it relies on the following types of notes.

`(var_location:mode var exp stat)` ¶

  Binds variable `var`, a tree, to value exp, an RTL expression. It appears only in `NOTE_INSN_VAR_LOCATION` and `DEBUG_INSN`s, with slightly different meanings. mode, if present, represents the mode of exp, which is useful if it is a modeless expression. stat is only meaningful in notes, indicating whether the variable is known to be initialized or uninitialized.

`(debug_expr:mode decl)` ¶

  Stands for the value bound to the `DEBUG_EXPR_DECL` decl, that points back to it, within value expressions in `VAR_LOCATION` nodes.

`(debug_implicit_ptr:mode decl)` ¶

  Stands for the location of a decl that is no longer addressable.

`(entry_value:mode decl)` ¶

  Stands for the value a decl had at the entry point of the containing function.

`(debug_parameter_ref:mode decl)` ¶

  Refers to a parameter that was completely optimized out.

`(debug_marker:mode)` ¶

  Marks a program location. With `VOIDmode`, it stands for the beginning of a statement, a recommended inspection point logically after all prior side effects, and before any subsequent side effects. With `BLKmode`, it indicates an inline entry point: the lexical block encoded in the `INSN_LOCATION` is the enclosing block that encloses the inlined function.