Package ghidra.program.model.symbol

Interface SymbolTable

All Known Implementing Classes:
SymbolManager
public interface SymbolTable
A SymbolTable manages the Symbols defined in a program.

A Symbol is an association between an Address, a String name. In addition, symbols may have one or more References.

A Reference is a 4-tuple of a source address, destination address, type, and either a mnemonic or operand index.

Any address in a program can have more than one symbol associated to it. At any given time, one and only one symbol will be designated as the primary.

A symbol can be either global or local. Local symbols belong to some namespace other than the global namespace.

Label and Function symbols do not have to have unique names with a namespace. All other symbols must be unique within a namespace and be unique with all other symbols that must be unique. In other words, you can have several functions named "foo" and several labels named "foo" in the same namespace. But you can't have a class named "foo" and a namespace named "foo". But you can have a class named "foo" and many functions and labels named "foo" all in the same namespace.

A symbol can also be designated as dynamic. Which means the name is generated on-the-fly by the system based on its context.

  • Method Details

    • createLabel

      Symbol createLabel(Address addr, String name, SourceType source) throws InvalidInputException
      Create a label symbol with the given name in the global namespace and associated to the given memory address. (see Address.isMemoryAddress()).

      The new symbol will be of type SymbolType.LABEL or SymbolType.FUNCTION if a default function symbol currently exists at the address. If a default function symbol exists at the specified address the function symbol will be renamed and returned. Label and function symbols do not need to be unique across multiple addresses. However, if a global symbol at the specified address already has the specified name it will be returned without changing the source type. If this is the first non-dynamic symbol defined for the address it becomes the primary symbol.

      Parameters:
      addr - the memory address at which to create a symbol
      name - the name of the symbol
      source - the source of this symbol. In general, a source of SourceType.DEFAULT should never be specified using this method.
      Returns:
      new labe or function symbol
      Throws:
      InvalidInputException - if name contains white space, is zero length, or is null for non-default source
      IllegalArgumentException - if SourceType.DEFAULT is improperly specified, or a non-memory address.

    • createLabel

      Symbol createLabel(Address addr, String name, Namespace namespace, SourceType source) throws InvalidInputException
      Create a label symbol with the given name and namespace associated to the given memory address. (see Address.isMemoryAddress()).

      The new symbol will be of type SymbolType.LABEL or SymbolType.FUNCTION if a default function symbol currently exists at the address. If a default function symbol exists at the specified address the function symbol will be renamed and returned. Label and function symbols do not need to be unique across multiple addresses or namespaces. However, if a symbol at the specified address already has the specified name and namespace it will be returned without changing the source type. If this is the first non-dynamic symbol defined for the address it becomes the primary symbol.

      Parameters:
      addr - the address at which to create a symbol
      name - the name of the symbol
      namespace - the parent namespace of the symbol, or null for the global namespace.
      source - the source of this symbol. In general, a source of SourceType.DEFAULT should never be specified using this method.
      Returns:
      new label or function symbol
      Throws:
      InvalidInputException - if name contains white space, is zero length, or is null for non-default source. Also thrown if invalid parent namespace is specified.
      IllegalArgumentException - if SourceType.DEFAULT is improperly specified, or a non-memory address, or if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table.

    • removeSymbolSpecial

      boolean removeSymbolSpecial(Symbol sym)
      Removes the specified symbol from the symbol table.

      If removing any non-function symbol, the behavior will be the same as invoking Symbol.delete() on the symbol. Use of this method for non-function symbols is discouraged.

      WARNING! If removing a function symbol, the behavior differs from directly invoking Symbol.delete() on the function symbol. When removing a function symbol this method has the following behavior:

      • If the function is a default symbol (e.g., FUN_12345678) this method has no effect and will return false.
      • If no other labels exist at the function entry, the function will be renamed to the default function name.
      • If another label does exist at the function entry point, that label will be removed, and the function will be renamed to that label's name.

      Any reference bound to a removed symbol will lose that symbol specific binding.

      Parameters:
      sym - the symbol to be removed.
      Returns:
      true if a symbol is removed, false if not or in case of failure

    • getSymbol

      Symbol getSymbol(long symbolID)
      Get the symbol for the given symbol ID.
      Parameters:
      symbolID - the id of the symbol to be retrieved
      Returns:
      null if there is no symbol with the given ID

    • getSymbol

      Symbol getSymbol(String name, Address addr, Namespace namespace)
      Get the symbol with the given name, address, and namespace.

      Note that for a symbol to be uniquely specified, all these parameters are required. Any method that queries for symbols using just one or two of these parameters will return only the first match.

      NOTE: This method will not return a default thunk (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type) since it mirrors the name and parent namespace of the function it thunks.

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the symbol to retrieve
      addr - the address of the symbol to retrieve
      namespace - the namespace of the symbol to retrieve. May be null which indicates the global namespace.
      Returns:
      the symbol which matches the specified criteria or null if not found
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table
      See Also:

    • getGlobalSymbol

      Symbol getGlobalSymbol(String name, Address addr)
      Get the global symbol with the given name and address.

      Note that this results in a single Symbol because of an additional restriction that allows only one symbol with a given name at the same address and namespace (in this case the global namespace).

      This is just a convenience method for getSymbol(String, Address, Namespace) where the namespace is the global namespace.

      NOTE: This method will not return a default thunk (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type) since it mirrors the name and parent namespace of the function it thunks.

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the symbol to retrieve
      addr - the address of the symbol to retrieve
      Returns:
      the symbol which matches the specified criteria in the global namespace or null if not found
      See Also:

    • getGlobalSymbols

      List<Symbol> getGlobalSymbols(String name)
      Get a list of all global symbols with the given name. Matches against dynamic label symbols will be included.

      NOTE: This method will not return default thunks (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type).

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the symbols to retrieve
      Returns:
      a list of all global symbols with the given name

    • getLabelOrFunctionSymbols

      List<Symbol> getLabelOrFunctionSymbols(String name, Namespace namespace)
      Get all the label or function symbols that have the given name in the given parent namespace. If the global namespace is specified matches against dynamic label symbols will be included.

      NOTE: If a function namespace is specified default parameter and local variable names will be included. If an external library or namespace is specified default external label/function symbols will be included.

      NOTE: This method will not return a default thunk (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type) since it mirrors the name and parent namespace of the function it thunks.

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the symbols to search for
      namespace - the namespace to search. If null, then the global namespace is assumed.
      Returns:
      a list of all the label or function symbols with the given name in the given parent namespace
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table

    • getNamespaceSymbol

      Symbol getNamespaceSymbol(String name, Namespace namespace)
      Get a generic namespace symbol with the given name in the given parent namespace
      Parameters:
      name - the name of the namespace symbol to retrieve
      namespace - the namespace containing the symbol to retrieve
      Returns:
      the symbol, or null
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table

    • getLibrarySymbol

      Symbol getLibrarySymbol(String name)
      Get the library symbol with the given name
      Parameters:
      name - the name of the library symbol to retrieve
      Returns:
      the library symbol with the given name

    • getClassSymbol

      Symbol getClassSymbol(String name, Namespace namespace)
      Get the class symbol with the given name in the given namespace
      Parameters:
      name - the name of the class
      namespace - the parent namespace to search for the class
      Returns:
      the class symbol with the given name in the given namespace
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table

    • getParameterSymbol

      Symbol getParameterSymbol(String name, Namespace namespace)
      Get the parameter symbol with the given name in the given namespace
      Parameters:
      name - the name of the parameter
      namespace - the namespace (function) to search for the class
      Returns:
      the parameter symbol with the given name in the given namespace
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table

    • getLocalVariableSymbol

      Symbol getLocalVariableSymbol(String name, Namespace namespace)
      Get the local variable symbol with the given name in the given namespace
      Parameters:
      name - the name of the local variable
      namespace - the parent namespace (function) to search for the local variable
      Returns:
      the local variable symbol with the given name in the given namespace
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table

    • getSymbols

      List<Symbol> getSymbols(String name, Namespace namespace)
      Get a list of all symbols with the given name in the given parent namespace. If the global namespace is specified matches against dynamic label symbols will be included.

      NOTE: If a function namespace is specified default parameter and local variable names will be included. If an external library or namespace is specified default external label/function symbols will be included.

      NOTE: The resulting iterator will not return default thunks (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type).

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the symbols to retrieve
      namespace - the namespace to search for symbols
      Returns:
      a list of symbols which satisfy specified criteria
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table

    • getVariableSymbol

      Symbol getVariableSymbol(String name, Function function)
      Get a symbol that is either a parameter or local variable.

      There can be only one because these symbol types have a unique name requirement.

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the variable
      function - the function to search
      Returns:
      a parameter or local variable symbol with the given name

    • getNamespace

      Namespace getNamespace(String name, Namespace namespace)
      Get the namespace with the given name in the given parent namespace.

      The returned namespace can be a generic namespace (SymbolType.NAMESPACE, NamespaceSymbol), class (SymbolType.CLASS, ClassSymbol),or library (SymbolType.LIBRARY, LibrarySymbol), but not a function.

      There can be only one because these symbol types have a unique name requirement within their parent namespace.

      Parameters:
      name - the name of the namespace to be retrieved
      namespace - the parent namespace of the namespace to be retrieved
      Returns:
      the namespace with the given name in the given parent namespace
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table

    • getSymbols

      SymbolIterator getSymbols(String name)
      Get all the symbols with the given name

      NOTE: The resulting iterator will not return default thunks (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type). It will also not work for default local variables and parameters.

      Parameters:
      name - the name of symbols to search for
      Returns:
      an iterator over symbols with the given name

    • getAllSymbols

      SymbolIterator getAllSymbols(boolean includeDynamicSymbols)
      Get all of the symbols, optionally including dynamic symbols
      Parameters:
      includeDynamicSymbols - if true, the iterator will include dynamic symbols
      Returns:
      an iterator over the symbols

    • getSymbol

      Symbol getSymbol(Reference ref)
      Get the symbol that a given reference associates
      Parameters:
      ref - the reference for the associated symbol
      Returns:
      the associated symbol

    • getPrimarySymbol

      Symbol getPrimarySymbol(Address addr)
      Get the primary label or function symbol at the given address

      This method will return null if the address specified is neither a memory address nor an external address.

      Parameters:
      addr - the address of the symbol
      Returns:
      the symbol, or null if no symbol is at the address

    • getSymbols

      Symbol[] getSymbols(Address addr)
      Get all the symbols at the given address. This method will include a dynamic memory symbol if one exists at the specified address.

      For a memory address the primary symbol will be returned at array index 0. WARNING! Use of this method with non-memory addresses is discouraged. Example: Variable address could be used multiple times by many functions.

      NOTE: unless all the symbols are needed at once, and a dynamic symbol can be ignored, consider using getSymbolsAsIterator(Address) instead.

      Parameters:
      addr - the address of the symbols
      Returns:
      an array, possibly empty, of the symbols at the given address
      See Also:

    • getSymbolsAsIterator

      SymbolIterator getSymbolsAsIterator(Address addr)
      Get an iterator over the symbols at the given address. Any dynamic symbol at the address will be excluded.

      Use this instead of getSymbols(Address) when you do not need to get all symbols, but rather are searching for a particular symbol. This method prevents all symbols at the given address from being loaded up front.

      Parameters:
      addr - the address of the symbols
      Returns:
      an iterator over the symbols at the given address
      See Also:

    • getUserSymbols

      Symbol[] getUserSymbols(Address addr)
      Get an array of defined symbols at the given address (i.e., those with database record). Any dynamic memory symbol at the address will be excluded.

      WARNING! Use of this method with non-memory addresses is discouraged. Example: Variable address could be used multiple times by many functions.

      NOTE: unless all the symbols are needed at once, consider using getSymbolsAsIterator(Address) instead.

      Parameters:
      addr - the address of the symbols
      Returns:
      an array, possibly empty, of the symbols

    • getSymbols

      SymbolIterator getSymbols(Namespace namespace)
      Get an iterator over all the symbols in the given namespace

      NOTE: The resulting iterator will not return default thunks (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type).

      Parameters:
      namespace - the namespace to search for symbols
      Returns:
      an iterator over the symbols
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table

    • getSymbols

      SymbolIterator getSymbols(long namespaceID)
      Get an iterator over all the symbols in the given namespace

      NOTE: The resulting iterator will not return default thunks (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type).

      Parameters:
      namespaceID - the namespace ID to search for symbols.
      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • hasSymbol

      boolean hasSymbol(Address addr)
      Check if there exists any symbol at the given address
      Parameters:
      addr - address to check for an existing symbol
      Returns:
      true if any symbol exists

    • getDynamicSymbolID

      long getDynamicSymbolID(Address addr)
      Get the unique symbol ID for a dynamic symbol at the specified address

      Having a dynamic symbol ID does not imply that a dynamic symbol actually exists. Rather, this just gives the ID that a dynamic symbol at that address would have, should it ever exist.

      NOTE: This symbol ID should not be permanently stored since the encoding may change between software releases.

      Parameters:
      addr - the dynamic symbol memory address
      Returns:
      unique symbol ID
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if a non-memory address is specified

    • getSymbolIterator

      SymbolIterator getSymbolIterator(String searchStr, boolean caseSensitive)
      Get an iterator over all symbols that match the given query

      NOTE: The iterator is in the forward direction only and will not return default thunks (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type).

      Parameters:
      searchStr - the query, which may contain * to match any sequence or ? to match a single char
      caseSensitive - flag to specify whether the search is case sensitive
      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • getSymbols

      SymbolIterator getSymbols(AddressSetView addressSet, SymbolType type, boolean forward)
      Get all the symbols of the given type within the given address set.

      NOTE: All external symbols will be omiitted unless the full AddressSpace.EXTERNAL_SPACE range is included within the specified address set or a null addressSet is specified. All global dynamic label symbols will be omitted.

      Parameters:
      addressSet - the address set containing the symbols. A null value may be specified to include all memory and external primary symbols.
      type - the type of the symbols
      forward - the direction of the iterator, by address
      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • scanSymbolsByName

      SymbolIterator scanSymbolsByName(String startName)
      Scan symbols lexicographically by name

      If a symbol with the given start name does not exist, the iterator will start at the first symbol following it. This includes only symbols whose addresses are in memory. In particular, it excludes external symbols and dynamic symbols, i.e., those generated as a reference destination.

      Parameters:
      startName - the starting point
      Returns:
      an iterator over the symbols in lexicographical order

    • getNumSymbols

      int getNumSymbols()
      Get the total number of symbols in the table
      Returns:
      total number of symbols

    • getSymbolIterator

      SymbolIterator getSymbolIterator()
      Get all label symbols

      Labels are defined on memory locations.

      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • getDefinedSymbols

      SymbolIterator getDefinedSymbols()
      Get all defined symbols in no particular order. All global dynamic memory labels will be excluded.
      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • getExternalSymbol

      Symbol getExternalSymbol(String name)
      Get the external symbol with the given name. The first occurrence of the named symbol found within any external namespace will be returned. If all matching symbols need to be considered the getExternalSymbols(String) should be used.
      Parameters:
      name - the name of the symbol
      Returns:
      the symbol, or null if no external symbol has that name

    • getExternalSymbols

      SymbolIterator getExternalSymbols(String name)
      Get all the external symbols with the given name
      Parameters:
      name - the name of symbols
      Returns:
      an iterator over the symbols

    • getExternalSymbols

      SymbolIterator getExternalSymbols()
      Get all defined external symbols in no particular order
      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • getSymbolIterator

      SymbolIterator getSymbolIterator(boolean forward)
      Get all the symbols defined with program memory.

      NOTE: The returned symbols will not include any external symbols defined within the AddressSpace.EXTERNAL_SPACE. In addition, all global dynamic label symbols will be omitted.

      Parameters:
      forward - the direction of the iterator, by address
      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • getSymbolIterator

      SymbolIterator getSymbolIterator(Address startAddr, boolean forward)
      Get all the symbols starting at the specified memory address.

      NOTE: The returned symbols will not include any external symbols defined within the AddressSpace.EXTERNAL_SPACE. In addition, all global dynamic label symbols will be omitted.

      Parameters:
      startAddr - the starting address
      forward - true means the iterator is in the forward direction
      Returns:
      symbol iterator
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if startAddr is not a memory address

    • getPrimarySymbolIterator

      SymbolIterator getPrimarySymbolIterator(boolean forward)
      Get all primary label and function symbols defined within program memory address. Iteration may span multiple memory spaces.

      NOTE: The returned symbols will not include any external symbols defined within the AddressSpace.EXTERNAL_SPACE. In addition, all global dynamic label symbols will be omitted.

      Parameters:
      forward - true means the iterator is in the forward direction
      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • getPrimarySymbolIterator

      SymbolIterator getPrimarySymbolIterator(Address startAddr, boolean forward)
      Get all primary label and function symbols starting at the specified memory address through to the program's maximum memory address. Iteration may span multiple memory spaces.

      NOTE: The returned symbols will not include any external symbols defined within the AddressSpace.EXTERNAL_SPACE. In addition, all global dynamic label symbols will be omitted.

      Parameters:
      startAddr - the starting memory address
      forward - true means the iterator is in the forward direction
      Returns:
      symbol iterator
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if a non-memory address is specified

    • getPrimarySymbolIterator

      SymbolIterator getPrimarySymbolIterator(AddressSetView addressSet, boolean forward)
      Get primary label and function symbols within the given address set.

      NOTE: All external symbols will be omitted unless the full AddressSpace.EXTERNAL_SPACE range is included within the specified address set or a null addressSet is specified. All global dynamic label symbols will be omitted.

      Parameters:
      addressSet - the set of address containing the symbols. A null value may be specified to include all memory and external primary symbols.
      forward - true means the iterator is in the forward direction
      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • addExternalEntryPoint

      void addExternalEntryPoint(Address addr)
      Add a memory address to the external entry points.
      Parameters:
      addr - the memory address to add
      Throws:
      IllegalArgumentException - if a non-memory is specified

    • removeExternalEntryPoint

      void removeExternalEntryPoint(Address addr)
      Remove an address from the external entry points
      Parameters:
      addr - the address to remove

    • isExternalEntryPoint

      boolean isExternalEntryPoint(Address addr)
      Check if the given address is an external entry point
      Parameters:
      addr - address to check
      Returns:
      true if specified address has been marked as an entry point, otherwise false

    • getExternalEntryPointIterator

      AddressIterator getExternalEntryPointIterator()
      Get the external entry points (addresses)
      Returns:
      entry-point address iterator

    • getLabelHistory

      LabelHistory[] getLabelHistory(Address addr)
      Get the label history for the given address

      Each entry records a change made to the labels at the given address

      Parameters:
      addr - address of the label change
      Returns:
      array of history objects

    • getLabelHistory

      Iterator<LabelHistory> getLabelHistory()
      Get the complete label history of the program
      Returns:
      an iterator over history entries

    • hasLabelHistory

      boolean hasLabelHistory(Address addr)
      Check if there is a history of label changes at the given address
      Parameters:
      addr - the address to check
      Returns:
      true if a label history exists for specified address, otherwise false

    • getNamespace

      Namespace getNamespace(Address addr)
      Get the deepest namespace containing the given address
      Parameters:
      addr - the address contained in the namespace
      Returns:
      the deepest namespace which contains the address

    • getClassNamespaces

      Iterator<GhidraClass> getClassNamespaces()
      Get all class namespaces defined within the program, in no particular order
      Returns:
      an iterator over the classes

    • createClass

      GhidraClass createClass(Namespace parent, String name, SourceType source) throws DuplicateNameException, InvalidInputException
      Create a class namespace in the given parent namespace
      Parameters:
      parent - the parent namespace, or null for the global namespace
      name - the name of the namespace
      source - the source of this class namespace's symbol
      Returns:
      the new class namespace
      Throws:
      DuplicateNameException - thrown if another non function or label symbol exists with the given name
      InvalidInputException - throw if the name has invalid characters or is null
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table or if source is SourceType.DEFAULT

    • getChildren

      SymbolIterator getChildren(Symbol parentSymbol)
      Get all symbols that have the given parent symbol

      NOTE: The resulting iterator will not return default thunks (i.e., thunk function symbol with default source type) or global dynamic label symbols.

      Parameters:
      parentSymbol - the parent symbol
      Returns:
      symbol iterator

    • createExternalLibrary

      Library createExternalLibrary(String name, SourceType source) throws DuplicateNameException, InvalidInputException
      Create a library namespace with the given name
      Parameters:
      name - the name of the new library namespace
      source - the source of this external library's symbol
      Returns:
      the new library namespace
      Throws:
      InvalidInputException - if the name is invalid
      IllegalArgumentException - if you try to set the source to SourceType.DEFAULT
      DuplicateNameException - thrown if another non function or label symbol exists with the given name

    • createNameSpace

      Namespace createNameSpace(Namespace parent, String name, SourceType source) throws DuplicateNameException, InvalidInputException
      Create a new namespace
      Parameters:
      parent - the parent of the new namespace, or null for the global namespace
      name - the name of the new namespace
      source - the source of this namespace's symbol
      Returns:
      the new namespace
      Throws:
      DuplicateNameException - if another non function or label symbol exists with the given name
      InvalidInputException - if the name is invalid
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table or if source is SourceType.DEFAULT

    • convertNamespaceToClass

      GhidraClass convertNamespaceToClass(Namespace namespace)
      Convert the given namespace to a class namespace
      Parameters:
      namespace - the namespace to convert
      Returns:
      the new class
      Throws:
      ConcurrentModificationException - if the given parent namespace has been deleted
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table or the namespace not allowed (e.g., global or library namespace).

    • getOrCreateNameSpace

      Namespace getOrCreateNameSpace(Namespace parent, String name, SourceType source) throws DuplicateNameException, InvalidInputException
      Get or create the namespace with the given name in the given parent

      If the namespace does not already exists, then it will be created.

      Parameters:
      parent - the parent namespace
      name - the namespace name
      source - the source type for the namespace if it is created
      Returns:
      the namespace
      Throws:
      DuplicateNameException - if another non function or label symbol exists with the given name
      InvalidInputException - if the name is invalid
      IllegalArgumentException - if the given parent namespace is from a different program than that of this symbol table
      ConcurrentModificationException - if the given parent namespace has been deleted