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diff --git a/Documentation/technical/api-trace.txt b/Documentation/technical/api-trace.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..fadb5979c4 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/technical/api-trace.txt @@ -0,0 +1,140 @@ +trace API +========= + +The trace API can be used to print debug messages to stderr or a file. Trace +code is inactive unless explicitly enabled by setting `GIT_TRACE*` environment +variables. + +The trace implementation automatically adds `timestamp file:line ... \n` to +all trace messages. E.g.: + +------------ +23:59:59.123456 git.c:312 trace: built-in: git 'foo' +00:00:00.000001 builtin/foo.c:99 foo: some message +------------ + +Data Structures +--------------- + +`struct trace_key`:: + + Defines a trace key (or category). The default (for API functions that + don't take a key) is `GIT_TRACE`. ++ +E.g. to define a trace key controlled by environment variable `GIT_TRACE_FOO`: ++ +------------ +static struct trace_key trace_foo = TRACE_KEY_INIT(FOO); + +static void trace_print_foo(const char *message) +{ + trace_printf_key(&trace_foo, "%s", message); +} +------------ ++ +Note: don't use `const` as the trace implementation stores internal state in +the `trace_key` structure. + +Functions +--------- + +`int trace_want(struct trace_key *key)`:: + + Checks whether the trace key is enabled. Used to prevent expensive + string formatting before calling one of the printing APIs. + +`void trace_disable(struct trace_key *key)`:: + + Disables tracing for the specified key, even if the environment + variable was set. + +`void trace_printf(const char *format, ...)`:: +`void trace_printf_key(struct trace_key *key, const char *format, ...)`:: + + Prints a formatted message, similar to printf. + +`void trace_argv_printf(const char **argv, const char *format, ...)``:: + + Prints a formatted message, followed by a quoted list of arguments. + +`void trace_strbuf(struct trace_key *key, const struct strbuf *data)`:: + + Prints the strbuf, without additional formatting (i.e. doesn't + choke on `%` or even `\0`). + +`uint64_t getnanotime(void)`:: + + Returns nanoseconds since the epoch (01/01/1970), typically used + for performance measurements. ++ +Currently there are high precision timer implementations for Linux (using +`clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC)`) and Windows (`QueryPerformanceCounter`). +Other platforms use `gettimeofday` as time source. + +`void trace_performance(uint64_t nanos, const char *format, ...)`:: +`void trace_performance_since(uint64_t start, const char *format, ...)`:: + + Prints the elapsed time (in nanoseconds), or elapsed time since + `start`, followed by a formatted message. Enabled via environment + variable `GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE`. Used for manual profiling, e.g.: ++ +------------ +uint64_t start = getnanotime(); +/* code section to measure */ +trace_performance_since(start, "foobar"); +------------ ++ +------------ +uint64_t t = 0; +for (;;) { + /* ignore */ + t -= getnanotime(); + /* code section to measure */ + t += getnanotime(); + /* ignore */ +} +trace_performance(t, "frotz"); +------------ + +Bugs & Caveats +-------------- + +GIT_TRACE_* environment variables can be used to tell Git to show +trace output to its standard error stream. Git can often spawn a pager +internally to run its subcommand and send its standard output and +standard error to it. + +Because GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE trace is generated only at the very end +of the program with atexit(), which happens after the pager exits, it +would not work well if you send its log to the standard error output +and let Git spawn the pager at the same time. + +As a work around, you can for example use '--no-pager', or set +GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE to another file descriptor which is redirected +to stderr, or set GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE to a file specified by its +absolute path. + +For example instead of the following command which by default may not +print any performance information: + +------------ +GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE=2 git log -1 +------------ + +you may want to use: + +------------ +GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE=2 git --no-pager log -1 +------------ + +or: + +------------ +GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE=3 3>&2 git log -1 +------------ + +or: + +------------ +GIT_TRACE_PERFORMANCE=/path/to/log/file git log -1 +------------ |