Q195374: BUG: PLIST Corruption or Crash with Call Attributive Profiling

Article: Q195374
Product(s): Microsoft C Compiler
Version(s): 5.0,6.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbMiscTools kbVC500bug kbVC600bug kbNoUpdate
Last Modified: 12-FEB-2002

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The information in this article applies to:

- The Source Profiler, included with:
   - Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Enterprise Edition, versions 5.0, 6.0 
   - Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Professional Edition, versions 5.0, 6.0 
   - Microsoft Visual C++, 32-bit Learning Edition, version 6.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

When using PLIST to format the output of a profile session in which you have
used call attributive profiling, the output could be corrupt or you could
receive an access violation such as the following.

  The instruction at "0x004064ab" referenced memory at "0x73207373". The memory
  could not be "read".

  The instruction at "0x004050fe" referenced memory at "0xa34d34f0". The memory
  could not be "read".

Call attributive profiling is enabled by using the /AT switch with PREP.

CAUSE
=====

An internal buffer used to store the symbol name plus the module name is limited
to 255 characters.

RESOLUTION
==========

Use one of the following two workarounds:

- Do not use call attributive profiling; i.e. do not use the /AT switch with
  PREP.

  -or-

- Use #define before any #includes to rename symbols to a shorter name. For
  instance, "#define basic_string bs" will shorten the name of the Standard C++
  Library string type from 12 characters to 2. The main drawback of this method
  is that the names of the symbols are more difficult to read. There also may
  be some symbols that cannot be reduced enough through this method to work
  around this bug.

STATUS
======

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a bug in the Microsoft products listed at the
beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION
================

This bug is more typical among code that makes use of templates. In the Steps to
Reproduce case below, notice that through each iteration of Proftest.bat, the
output from plist is different, and if run through enough iterations, will
generate an access violation.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
---------------------------

     // test.cpp
     // compile with: CL.EXE /Zi /GX t.cpp /link /profile
     #pragma warning ( disable : 4786)
     #include <map>
     #include <string>
     int main ()
     {
        using namespace std;
        map< int, map< int, string > > m;
        map<int,string> q;
        q[100] = string("100");
        m[2] = q;
        return 0;
     }

     // proftest.bat
     @echo off
     :top
     prep /at test
     profile test
     prep /m test
     plist test
     goto top

Additional query words: kbDSupport

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbMiscTools kbVC500bug kbVC600bug kbNoUpdate 
Technology        : kbVCsearch kbAudDeveloper kbSProfilerSearch kbVC32bitSearch kbSProfiler100
Version           : :5.0,6.0
Issue type        : kbbug
Solution Type     : kbpending

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