or of local variables. For this reason, the jump command requests confirmation if the specified line is not in the function currently executing. However, even bizarre results are predictable if you are well acquainted with the machine-language code of your program.

jump *address Resume execution at the instruction at address address.

On many systems, you can get much the same effect as the jump command by storing a new value into the register $pc. This does not start the execution of your program at the specified address, instead only changes the program counter.

For example,

set $pc = 0x485

makes the next continue command or stepping command execute at address 0x485, rather than at the address where your program stopped. See “Continuing and stepping” (page 64).

The most common occasion to use the jump command is to back up―perhaps with more breakpoints set―over a portion of a program that has already executed, in order to examine its execution in more detail.

11.3 Giving your program a signal

You can use the following command to send signals to your program:

signal signal Resume execution where your program stopped, but immediately give it the signal signal. signal can be the name or the number of a signal. For example, on many systems signal 2 and signal SIGINT are both ways of sending an interrupt signal.

Alternatively, if signal is zero, continue execution without giving a signal. This is useful when your program stopped on account of a signal and would ordinary see the signal when resumed with the continue command; 'signal 0' causes it to resume without a signal.

signal does not repeat when you press RET a second time after executing the command.

Invoking the signal command is not the same as invoking the kill utility from the shell. Sending a signal with kill causes GDB to decide what to do with the signal depending on the signal handling tables (see “Signals” (page 67)). The signal command passes the signal directly to your program.

11.4 Returning from a function

You can use the following command to return from a function:

11.3 Giving your program a signal 121