attribute result or value?

[markus-metzger]

dwarf-locations/010-generalize-offsetting.txt

Line 252 in 00e62e0

The result of the attribute is obtained by evaluating a DW_OP_offset B

refers to the result of an attribute. Shouldn't the term be value rather than result?

[t-tye]

The purpose of the DW_AT_data_member_location attribute is to obtain the location description of the data member given the location description of the base of the object. It provides two ways to encode how that action is done. If it is encoded as a constant, then the base location description is offset by the value of the constant to produce the result that is a location description. If it is encoded as an operation expression then the expression is evaluated with an initial stack containing the base object location description. The result of the evaluation is a location description.

So to avoid confusion that expression results can be values or location descriptions, the term "result" has been used when discussing what attributes produce.

[markus-metzger]

DWARF-5 uses the term 'attribute value'.

[t-tye]

Looking at the use of "attribute value" in DWARF 5 it seems it refers to what is held in the attribute. For example, what form is used, or what DWARF expression is present. To get the result of the attribute you have to "evaluate" that form or DWARF expression. Other places use other language such as "attribute describes". So DWARF 5 seems pretty varied on what it means by an attributes value.

Using "attribute result" was intended to convey the outcome of evaluating the attribute value.