8.1 The cscope Process

When cscope is called for a set of C, lex, or yacc source files, it builds a symbol cross-reference table for the functions, function calls, macros, variables, and preprocessor symbols in those files. You can then query that table about the locations of symbols you specify. First, it presents a menu and asks you to choose the type of search you would like to have performed. You may, for instance, want cscope to find all the functions that call a specified function.

When cscope has completed this search, it prints a list. Each list entry contains the name of the file, the number of the line, and the text of the line in which cscope has found the specified code. In our case, the list also includes the names of the functions that call the specified function. You now have the option of requesting another search or examining one of the listed lines with the editor. If you choose the latter, cscope invokes the editor for the file in which the line appears, with the cursor on that line. You can now view the code in context and, if you wish, edit the file as any other file. You can then return to the menu from the editor to request a new search.

Because the procedure you follow depends on the task at hand, there is no single set of instructions for using cscope. For an extended example of its use, review the cscope session described in the next section. It shows how you can locate a bug in a program without learning all the code.