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Symbol System Overview

Symbols provide human-readable names for addresses, functions, and data throughout the program.
The SymbolTreePlugin and SymbolTablePlugin provide comprehensive symbol management through tree and table views.

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Symbol Types

Named locations in code:
  • Entry points
  • Jump targets
  • Data locations
  • User-defined markers

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Symbol Tree

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Opening Symbol Tree

1

Open Window

Access symbol tree:
  • Window > Symbol Tree
  • Default: docked on left
  • Hierarchical symbol view
2

View Organization

Tree structure shows:
  • Global namespace (root)
  • Organized by namespace
  • Functions, labels, classes
  • Expandable hierarchy
1

Expand Nodes

Explore hierarchy:
  • Click triangles to expand
  • Double-click to navigate to symbol
  • Shows child symbols
  • Group threshold: 200 symbols (configurable)
2

Sync with Listing

Tree tracks location:
  • Current location highlighted
  • Implemented via ProgramLocationPluginEvent
  • Auto-scrolls to current symbol
  • Bidirectional sync
Adjust the group threshold in Edit > Tool Options > Symbol Tree if dealing with very large symbol sets.

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Symbol Table

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Symbol Table Window

1

Open Table View

Access symbol table:
  • Window > Symbol Table
  • Tabular display of all symbols
  • Sortable and filterable
2

Use Columns

Table displays:
  • Name: Symbol name
  • Location: Address
  • Type: Symbol type
  • Namespace: Containing namespace
  • Source: Origin (user, analysis, import)
  • References: Reference count
3

Filter and Sort

Organize view:
  • Click column headers to sort
  • Use filter bar to search
  • Select symbols for operations

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Creating Symbols

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Creating Labels

1

Position Cursor

Navigate to address:
  • Place cursor on instruction or data
  • Address to be labeled
2

Add Label

Create label:
  • Press L key
  • Right-click > Label > Add Label
  • Or use label field in listing
3

Enter Name

Name the label:
  • Type meaningful name
  • Follow naming conventions
  • Press Enter to apply
Label names must be unique within their namespace. Ghidra will warn if a duplicate name is used.

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Symbol Naming Rules

Valid symbol names:
  • Start with letter or underscore
  • Contain letters, digits, underscores
  • No spaces (use underscores)
  • Case-sensitive
  • Should be descriptive

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Auto-Generated Symbols

Ghidra creates default symbols:
  • FUN_<address> for functions
  • DAT_<address> for data
  • LAB_<address> for labels
  • SUB_<address> for subroutines
Replace auto-generated names with meaningful names to improve code readability.

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Renaming Symbols

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Interactive Rename

1

Select Symbol

Choose symbol to rename:
  • Click on symbol in listing
  • Or select in Symbol Tree/Table
2

Rename Action

Execute rename:
  • Press L on existing label
  • Right-click > Rename
  • In Symbol Tree: right-click > Rename Symbol
3

Enter New Name

Provide new name:
  • Type replacement name
  • Press Enter
  • Updates throughout program

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Batch Renaming

Rename multiple symbols:
  • Use BatchRename.java script
  • Pattern-based renaming
  • Regular expression support
  • Bulk operations
1

Select Symbols

Choose symbols to rename:
  • Select in Symbol Table
  • Or script-based selection
2

Apply Pattern

Execute batch rename:
  • Define naming pattern
  • Preview changes
  • Apply to selection

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Symbol Sources

Symbols have source types:
Manually created:
  • Highest priority
  • User-specified names
  • Won’t be auto-renamed
Symbol source determines priority - user symbols won’t be overwritten by analysis.

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Namespaces

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Understanding Namespaces

Namespaces organize symbols hierarchically:
  • Global: Top-level namespace
  • Libraries: External library symbols
  • Classes: C++ classes, structures
  • Functions: Function-scoped symbols
  • Custom: User-defined namespaces

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Creating Namespaces

1

Create Namespace

Add new namespace:
  • Right-click in Symbol Tree
  • Create Namespace
  • Enter namespace name
2

Organize Symbols

Move symbols to namespace:
  • Drag symbols in tree
  • Or change namespace in symbol properties
  • Creates hierarchy

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Namespace Notation

Fully qualified names:
  • Format: namespace::symbol
  • Example: MyClass::myFunction
  • Multiple levels: Lib::Module::Function
  • Global namespace: ::symbol

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Symbol Operations

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Deleting Symbols

1

Select Symbol

Choose symbol to delete:
  • In Symbol Tree or Table
  • Or in listing view
2

Delete Action

Remove symbol:
  • Press Delete key
  • Right-click > Delete Symbol
  • Confirm deletion
3

Result

After deletion:
  • Symbol name removed
  • References become addresses
  • May create default symbol
Deleting a function symbol also deletes the function definition, but not the code itself.

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Pinning Symbols

Prevent symbol changes:
1

Pin Symbol

Lock symbol name:
  • Right-click symbol > Pin Symbol
  • Uses PinSymbolCmd
  • Prevents auto-rename
2

Unpin Symbol

Allow changes:
  • Right-click > Unpin Symbol
  • Symbol can be modified
  • Analysis can update
Pin important symbols to prevent analysis from changing names you’ve carefully chosen.

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Symbol Analysis

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Symbol Analyzers

ArmSymbolAnalyzer:
  • ARM-specific symbol detection
  • Thumb mode symbols
  • ARM/Thumb transitions

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Auto-Rename Operations

Scripts for symbol cleanup:
1

Auto Rename Labels

Use naming scripts:
  • AutoRenameLabelsScript.java: Sophisticated renaming
  • AutoRenameSimpleLabels.java: Simple patterns
  • Creates meaningful names from context
2

Label Data

Name data automatically:
  • LabelDataScript.java: Label data references
  • LabelIndirectReferencesScript.java: Indirect refs
  • LabelIndirectStringReferencesScript.java: String refs

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Finding Symbols

1

Search in Table

Use symbol table filter:
  • Open Symbol Table window
  • Type in filter bar
  • Supports wildcards
  • Results update live
2

Go To Symbol

Direct navigation:
  • Press G for Go To
  • Type symbol name
  • Jump to symbol location
3

Advanced Search

Program text search:
  • Search > Program Text
  • Search in label field
  • Regular expressions supported

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Symbol References

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Viewing Symbol Usage

1

Show References

See where symbol is used:
  • Right-click symbol > References > Show References to
  • Lists all uses
  • Code and data references
2

Navigate Usage

Explore references:
  • Click reference to navigate
  • See context of use
  • Analyze data flow

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Symbol Import/Export

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Importing Symbols

1

Import Symbol File

Load external symbols:
  • File > Import File
  • Select symbol file format
  • Map file, symbol file, etc.
2

Import Debug Symbols

Load debug information:
  • PDB files (Windows)
  • DWARF symbols (Linux)
  • Automatically applied

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Exporting Symbols

1

Export Symbol List

Save symbols to file:
  • File > Export Program
  • Choose symbol format
  • Save for other tools

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Symbol Tree Service

Programmatic symbol access: 
// Symbol tree provides SymbolTreeService
SymbolTreeService service = tool.getService(SymbolTreeService.class);
// Access to symbol hierarchy
// Navigate and manipulate symbols
Use the IterateFunctionsScript.java and similar scripts as templates for programmatic symbol manipulation.

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Special Symbol Operations

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Symbol Quotes

Handling special characters:
  • Some imports have quoted names
  • Use RemoveSymbolQuotesScript.java to clean
  • Improves readability

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Primary Symbols

Multiple symbols at same address:
  • One symbol is “primary”
  • Primary shown in listing
  • Others accessible via references
  • Set via symbol properties
The primary symbol is the default display name for an address. Non-primary symbols are alternate names.

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