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Improve binutils to readsyms from binary file#7109

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waruqi merged 22 commits intodevfrom
binutils
Dec 9, 2025
Merged

Improve binutils to readsyms from binary file#7109
waruqi merged 22 commits intodevfrom
binutils

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@waruqi waruqi commented Dec 8, 2025 •
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Support object file, shared library, static library, binary file. (coff/elf/macho)

$ xmake l utils.binary.readsyms.dump ./tests/projects/c/console/build/.objs/test/mingw/i386/release/src/main.c.obj

Symbols:
  TYPE  NAME
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  T     _main
  U     __imp____acrt_iob_func
  U     ___main
  U     ___mingw_vfprintf

@waruqi waruqi added this to the v3.0.6 milestone Dec 8, 2025
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gemini-code-assist bot commented Dec 8, 2025

Summary of Changes

Hello @waruqi, I'm Gemini Code Assist1! I'm currently reviewing this pull request and will post my feedback shortly. In the meantime, here's a summary to help you and other reviewers quickly get up to speed!

This pull request significantly enhances Xmake's binary utility toolkit by integrating a robust symbol reading feature. The new binutils.readsyms function provides the ability to parse and extract symbol information from common object file formats like COFF, ELF, and Mach-O, automatically detecting the file type. This enhancement is built upon a substantial refactoring of the existing binary conversion utilities, promoting modularity and maintainability. A user-friendly Lua module is also included, enabling developers to easily inspect symbols directly from the command line.

Highlights

  • New Symbol Reading Functionality: Introduced binutils.readsyms, a new function that allows users to extract and inspect symbol tables from various binary object file formats.
  • Multi-Format Support: The readsyms function supports automatic detection and parsing of COFF, ELF, and Mach-O binary formats.
  • Code Refactoring and Modularity: Existing binary utility functions (bin2coff, bin2elf, bin2macho) have been refactored into format-specific subdirectories (coff, elf, macho), with common definitions and helper functions moved to dedicated prefix headers for better organization and reusability.
  • Lua Integration and CLI Utility: The new symbol reading capabilities are exposed through Lua wrappers and a new xmake/modules/utils/binary/readsyms.lua module, providing a command-line interface for dumping symbol information in a human-readable format.
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Code Review

This pull request introduces a significant and well-structured refactoring of the binutils module. By organizing the code into coff, elf, and macho subdirectories, you've greatly improved modularity and maintainability. The addition of the readsyms feature to read symbols from binary files is a valuable enhancement.

My review focuses on a few key areas:

  • Error Handling and Resource Management: I've identified a memory leak and unchecked return values in the new COFF symbol reading logic.
  • Correctness: There's a critical issue in the Mach-O symbol reader related to handling file endianness, which could cause it to fail on certain files.
  • Code Style: A minor formatting issue was found.

Overall, this is a great contribution. Addressing the identified issues will make the new functionality more robust and reliable.

@waruqi waruqi merged commit f2dcbc2 into dev Dec 9, 2025
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