Added new bochsrc option 'debugger' to set parameters for the Bochs debugger.

- Parameter 'log' replaces the 'debugger_log' option.
- Parameter 'gui' is a replacement for the already removed 'gui_debug' option.
  Now the debugger gui can be activated either with '-dbg_gui' command line
  option or with '-dbg' in combination with this parameter set to 'true'.
  This should fix issue #532.
TODO: Some more debugger settings could be added there.

Author: vruppert

bochs/.bochsrc

@@ -796,16 +796,25 @@ debug: action=ignore
 #debug: action=ignore, pci=report # report BX_DEBUG from module 'pci'
 
 #=======================================================================
-# DEBUGGER_LOG:
-# Give the path of the log file you'd like Bochs to log debugger output.
-# If you really don't want it, make it /dev/null or '-'. :^(
+# DEBUGGER:
+# This defines the parameters of the Bochs internal debugger:
 #
-# Examples:
-#   debugger_log: ./debugger.out
+#  LOG:
+#  Give the path of the log file you'd like Bochs to log debugger output.
+#  If you really don't want it, make it /dev/null or '-'. :^(
+#
+#  GUI:
+#  If this parameter is set to 'true' or '1' the debugger gui is used instead
+#  of the command line version. This parameter available only if Bochs is built
+#  with debugger gui support and the debugger is activated with the command
+#  line option '-dbg'.
+#
+# Example:
+#   debugger: log=./debugger.out, gui=true
 #=======================================================================
-#debugger_log: /dev/null
-#debugger_log: debugger.out
-debugger_log: -
+#debugger: log=/dev/null
+#debugger: log=debugger.out
+debugger: log=-
 
 #=======================================================================
 # COM1, COM2, COM3, COM4:

bochs/config.cc

@@ -2412,15 +2412,7 @@ int bx_split_option_list(const char *msg, const char *rawopt, char **argv, int m
 
 bool is_deprecated_option(const char *oldparam, const char **newparam)
 {
-  if ((!strcmp(oldparam, "keyboard_serial_delay")) ||
-             (!strcmp(oldparam, "keyboard_paste_delay")) ||
-             (!strcmp(oldparam, "keyboard_type")) ||
-             (!strcmp(oldparam, "keyboard_mapping")) ||
-             (!strcmp(oldparam, "keyboardmapping"))) {
-    // replaced v2.6 / removed v2.6.7
-    *newparam = "keyboard";
-    return 1;
-  } else if (!strcmp(oldparam, "user_shortcut")) {
+  if (!strcmp(oldparam, "user_shortcut")) {
     // replaced v2.6.1 / removed v2.6.9
     *newparam = "keyboard";
     return 1;
@@ -2435,6 +2427,12 @@ bool is_deprecated_option(const char *oldparam, const char **newparam)
     // replaced / removed after v2.6.11
     *newparam = "plugin_ctrl";
     return 1;
+#endif
+#if BX_DEBUGGER
+  } else if (!strcmp(oldparam, "debugger_log")) {
+    // replaced / removed after v3.0
+    *newparam = "debugger";
+    return 1;
 #endif
   }
   return 0;
@@ -2748,11 +2746,6 @@ static int parse_line_formatted(const char *context, int num_params, char *param
       PARSE_ERR(("%s: logprefix directive has wrong # args.", context));
     }
     SIM->get_param_string(BXPN_LOG_PREFIX)->set(params[1]);
-  } else if (!strcmp(params[0], "debugger_log")) {
-    if (num_params != 2) {
-      PARSE_ERR(("%s: debugger_log directive has wrong # args.", context));
-    }
-    SIM->get_param_string(BXPN_DEBUGGER_LOG_FILENAME)->set(params[1]);
   } else if (!strcmp(params[0], "panic")) {
     if (num_params < 2) {
       PARSE_ERR(("%s: panic directive malformed.", context));
@@ -3188,6 +3181,28 @@ static int parse_line_formatted(const char *context, int num_params, char *param
         PARSE_ERR(("%s: port_e9_hack directive malformed.", context));
       }
     }
+  } else if (!strcmp(params[0], "debugger")) {
+#if BX_DEBUGGER
+    for (i=1; i<num_params; i++) {
+      if (!strncmp(params[i], "log=", 4)) {
+        SIM->get_param_string(BXPN_DEBUGGER_LOG_FILENAME)->set(&params[i][4]);
+      } else if (!strncmp(params[i], "gui=", 4)) {
+#if BX_DEBUGGER_GUI
+        if (params[i][4] == '0' || !strcmp(&params[i][4], "false")) {
+          bx_dbg.debugger_gui = false;
+        } else if (params[i][4] == '1' || !strcmp(&params[i][4], "true")) {
+          bx_dbg.debugger_gui = true;
+        }
+#else
+        PARSE_WARN(("%s: Bochs debugger gui not available", context));
+#endif
+      } else {
+        PARSE_WARN(("%s: unknown parameter for debugger ignored.", context));
+      }
+    }
+#else
+    PARSE_WARN(("%s: Bochs is not compiled with internal debugger support", context));
+#endif
   } else if (!strcmp(params[0], "iodebug")) {
 #if BX_SUPPORT_IODEBUG
     if (num_params != 2) {
@@ -3448,7 +3463,8 @@ int bx_write_debugger_options(FILE *fp)
 {
 #if BX_DEBUGGER
   char str[40];
-  fprintf(fp, "debugger_log: %s\n", SIM->get_param_string(BXPN_DEBUGGER_LOG_FILENAME)->getptr());
+  fprintf(fp, "debugger: log=%s, gui=%s\n", SIM->get_param_string(BXPN_DEBUGGER_LOG_FILENAME)->getptr(),
+          bx_dbg.debugger_gui ? "true":"false");
   bx_dbg_get_magic_bp_str_from_mask(bx_dbg.magic_break, str);
   fprintf(fp, "magic_break: enabled=%d%s\n", bx_dbg.magic_break != 0, str);
   // TODO: debug symbols

bochs/doc/docbook/user/user.dbk

@@ -4370,16 +4370,29 @@ problem like "could not find hard drive image."
 </tip>
 </section>
 
-<section><title>debugger_log</title>
+<section><title>debugger</title>
 <para>
 Examples:
 <screen>
-  debugger_log: debugger.out
-  debugger_log: /dev/null              (Unix only)
-  debugger_log: -
+  debugger: log=debugger.out, gui=true
+  debugger: log=/dev/null              (Unix only)
+  debugger: log=-
 </screen>
+</para>
+<para>
+This defines the parameters of the Bochs internal debugger.
+</para>
+<para><command>log</command></para>
+<para>
 Give the path of the log file you'd like Bochs to log debugger output.
-If you really don't want it, make it '/dev/null', or '-'.
+If you really don't want it, make it /dev/null or '-'.
+</para>
+<para><command>gui</command></para>
+<para>
+If this parameter is set to 'true' or '1' the debugger gui is used instead
+of the command line version. This parameter available only if Bochs is built
+with debugger gui support and the debugger is activated with the command
+line option '-dbg'.
 </para>
 </section>
 
@@ -7729,17 +7742,13 @@ For example:
 </screen>
 </para>
 <para>
-At runtime you need to add the value <option>gui_debug</option> to the
-<link linkend="bochsopt-displaylibrary">display_library</link> options parameter
-in order to use the GUI instead of the command line debugger. This example shows
-how to use it with the 'x' GUI:
-<screen>
-display_library: x, options="gui_debug"
-</screen>
+At runtime you need use the command line option <option>-dbg_gui</option> or the
+command option <option>-dbg</option> in combination with the <option>gui</option>
+parameter of the <option>debugger</option> bochsrc option in order to use the GUI
+instead of the command line debugger.
 </para>
-<note><para>The wxWidgets port of Bochs always uses this debugger GUI. Passing
-the option to the display library is not necessary, since the command line
-interface is not available then.
+<note><para>The wxWidgets port of Bochs always uses this debugger GUI, since the
+command line interface is not available then.
 </para></note>
 <section><title>Overview</title>
 <para>
@@ -11688,7 +11697,7 @@ pci: enabled=0
 # no loader
 log: osr5.log
 logprefix: %t-%e-%i%d
-debugger_log: -
+debugger: log=-
 panic: action=ask
 error: action=report
 info: action=report

bochs/doc/man/bochsrc.5

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 .\"Document Author:  Timothy R. Butler   -   tbutler@uninetsolutions.com"
-.TH bochsrc 5 "28 Jan 2026" "bochsrc" "The Bochs Project"
+.TH bochsrc 5 "14 Feb 2026" "bochsrc" "The Bochs Project"
 .\"SKIP_SECTION"
 .SH NAME
 bochsrc \- Configuration file for Bochs.
@@ -853,14 +853,25 @@ Example:
   debug: action=ignore
 
 .TP
-.I "debugger_log:"
+.I "debugger:"
+This defines the parameters of the Bochs internal debugger.
+
+log
+
 Give the path of the log file you'd like Bochs to log debugger output.
-If you really don't want it, make it '/dev/null', or '-'.
+If you really don't want it, make it /dev/null or '-'.
 
-Example:
-  log: debugger.out
-  log: /dev/null              (unix only)
-  log: -
+gui
+
+If this parameter is set to 'true' or '1' the debugger gui is used instead
+of the command line version. This parameter available only if Bochs is built
+with debugger gui support and the debugger is activated with the command
+line option '-dbg'.
+
+Examples:
+  debugger: log=debugger.out, gui=true
+  debugger: log=/dev/null       (unix only)
+  debugger: log=-
 
 .TP
 .I "com1: \fP, \fIcom2: \fP, \fIcom3: \fPor \fIcom4:"