Create docs directory; begin "Decompiling C++"

documentation/decompilingcpp.md

@@ -0,0 +1,152 @@
+# Decompiling C++
+Like most (all?) Xbox titles and most sixth-generation games more generally,
+JSRF is not written in assembly or C as those before it were, but rather C++.
+C++ introduces new features that both complicate the final machine code and
+weaken the correspondence between said machine code and the original C++
+source.
+
+This guide will cover various C++ features appearing in JSRF, explaining how
+they manifest in the game's executable and how to properly decompile them, to
+the extent possible.  Basic familiarity with C features (e.g. functions,
+structs) and how to decompile them is assumed.
+
+
+## Name Mangling
+(on the off chance you actually get symbol names, like from debug info; also
+why symbol names don't match in objdiff)
+
+
+## Classes
+C++ classes evolve the C struct to associate the data structure with code,
+which are called methods in this context.  Classes can also inherit from one or
+more other classes, sharing their data members and access to their methods.
+Certain special methods called constructors and destructors can also be added
+to a class, and these can be called implicitly when an instance of a class goes
+in or out of scope.  Classes can also have fields and methods marked as
+private, but these permissions are usually completely erased during
+compilation and don't need to be respected by a decompilation.
+
+### `class` vs. `struct`
+The `struct` keyword can still be used in C++ and is equivalent to `class`,
+except that the former makes all members public by default and the latter makes
+all private by default.  Since there's not much reason to make anything private
+in a decompilation, one will usually use `struct` declarations in
+decompilations rather than `class`.
+
+```c++
+// These two declarations are equivalent
+class SomeClass {
+public: // Makes everything after public
+    float    someMemberVariable;
+    unsigned anotherMemberVariable;
+};
+
+struct SomeStruct {
+    float    someMemberVariable;
+    unsigned anotherMemberVariable;
+};
+```
+
+A reasonable way to implement an inherited struct in Ghidra is to define the
+base class normally, and then define the child with a first member called
+`super` of the parent class type.  Members specific to the child class can then
+be inserted afterwards.
+
+### Class Methods
+Methods are functions declared within a class's namespace, like so:
+```c++
+class SomeClass {
+    // Regular data members
+    float    someMemberVariable;
+    unsigned anotherMemberVariable;
+
+    // Methods declared in class definition
+    SomeClass(int anArgument); // Constructor
+    ~SomeClass();              // Destructor
+
+            void regularMethod(unsigned anArgument);
+    virtual void virtualMethod(char *   anArgument);
+    static  void staticMethod (char *   anArgument);
+
+    // Can also provide entire definition in class
+    float anotherMethod(float x) {
+        this->someMemberVariable += x;
+        return this->someMemberVariable;
+    }
+};
+
+// Definition of a method declared in class
+void SomeClass::regularMethod(unsigned anArgument) {
+    this->anotherMemberVariable -= anArgument;
+}
+```
+
+Methods can then be accessed and called with member access syntax, like
+`classInstance.regularMethod(3)` and `instancePtr->anotherMethod(1.2)`.
+
+Static methods are indistinguishable from regular functions in compiled code,
+so they probably won't see much use in decompilations.  They don't have access
+to the `this` pointer that other types of methods can use.
+
+Regular methods are similar to regular functions, but have an implicit first
+argument called `this` representing a pointer to the object that the method
+was called from.  Some C++ implementations use a different calling convention
+for method calls, such as Microsoft's implementation for the Xbox using the
+`__thiscall` convention where the `this` pointer is passed in the ECX register
+while all other arguments are passed on the stack.
+
+Constructors and destructors function largely like regular methods, but
+implicitly return the `this` pointer.
+
+Virtual methods are methods that can be overridden on child classes.  They're
+not called directly, but instead called through a hidden first member that
+points to an array of method function pointers, usually called a vtable (Visual
+C++ 7 calls it `` ClassName::`vftable' ``).  If a destructor specifically is
+made virtual, additional "deleting destructors" may be generated as well, which
+are methods taking one boolean argument that call the destructor and then,
+depending on the argument, free the object's memory.
+
+(TODO: how to implement methods and vtables in Ghidra)
+
+### Inheritance
+Child classes can be used in most places that their parent class can be used:
+```c++
+// Class inheriting from SomeStruct
+struct SomeStructChild : SomeStruct {
+    // Inherits these from SomeStruct:
+    //     float    someMemberVariable;
+    //     unsigned anotherMemberVariable;
+    char * additionalMemberVariable;
+};
+
+// Could call this with either a SomeStruct* or SomeStructChild* argument
+float getSomeMemberVariable(SomeStruct const * const ss) {
+    return ss->someMemberVariable;
+}
+```
+
+
+## The `new` and `delete` Operators
+One way to allocate an object in C++ is using `new` and `delete`.  The former
+can both allocate and construct the object, while the latter is analogous to
+calling `free()`.  Each has a corresponding `operator new()`  or
+`operator delete()` function called implicitly.
+
+The generated code for a use of `new` with a constructor (like
+`SomeStruct ss = new SomeStruct(7)`) performs the allocator and constructor
+calls separately, roughly as follows (as it would appear in Ghidra; note that
+Ghidra shows explicitly the passing of the `this` pointer):
+```c++
+SomeStruct *ss;
+ss = (SomeStruct *)operator_new(0xc);
+if (ss == NULL) {
+    ss = NULL; // No, I'm not sure what the point of reassigning NULL is
+}
+else {
+    SomeStruct::SomeStruct(7);
+}
+```
+
+
+## Exception Handling
+

documentation/gettingstarted.md

@@ -170,13 +170,9 @@ importing headers from `decompile/src/` into Ghidra
 (`File > Parse C Source...`) to get access to JSRF classes, and use Ghidra's
 decompilation of the function in the CodeBrowser as a starting point for
 writing your matching function, exercising whatever C++ and x86 assembly
-knowledge you have.  Exception handling code in particular can appear in
+knowledge you have.  If you have basic decompilation experience but are new to
-unexpected places (e.g. around `new` statements and in constructors) and has
+decompiling C++ specifically, you might want to take a look at the
-unambiguous but nonobvious signs in the disassembly, so it might be worth
+[Decompiling C++](decompilingcpp.md) article.
-[reading](https://www.openrce.org/articles/full_view/21) up
-[on](https://www.openrce.org/articles/full_view/23) how they're
-[implemented](https://web.archive.org/web/20101007110629/http://www.microsoft.com/msj/0197/exception/exception.aspx)
-to learn to recognize them in disassembly and recreate them in C++ code.
 
 Whenever you have some decompiled code that you'd like to contribute to the
 repository, commit it to your local copy of the repository and create a merge
@@ -280,12 +276,3 @@ actually been implemented yet.
 
 When you have it all sorted out, make a merge request to share your work with
 us!
-
-
-# Special Topics
-This would be a good place to include guidance on some trickier aspects of
-reverse engineering C++ code, like an accessible explanation of navigating
-exception handling in Ghidra, implementing classes with virtual methods or
-inheritance Ghidra and writing decompiled code for them, or what in the world a
-COM object is and how to make Ghidra understand it (especially the one wrapping
-all of JSRF's Direct3D calls).

readme.md

@@ -16,9 +16,10 @@ The approach of this decompilation is to:
 
 We are currently engaging in the first two steps simultaneously, decompiling
 code as it's delinked.  Further details on these steps can be found in the
-[contribution guide](contributing.md).  Step 3 will use the linker from the
+[contribution guide](documentation/gettingstarted.md).  Step 3 will use the
-same Visual C++ 7.0 already used to compile object files.  Step 4 is expected
+linker from the same Visual C++ 7.0 already used to compile object files.  Step
-to use the `cxbe` tool found in e.g. [nxdk](https://github.com/XboxDev/nxdk).
+4 is expected to use the `cxbe` tool found in e.g.
+[nxdk](https://github.com/XboxDev/nxdk).
 
 ## Contributing
 Anybody interested in joining the effort is welcome to read the