The C++ compiler implements function overloading, operator overloading, and type-safe linking by encoding a function's prototype and namespace in its link-level name. The process of encoding the prototype into the linkname is often referred to as name mangling. When you inspect mangled names, such as in assembly files, disassembler output, or compiler or linker diagnostic messages, it can be difficult to associate a mangled name with its corresponding name in the C++ source code. The C++ name demangler is a debugging aid that translates each mangled name it detects to its original name found in the C++ source code.

These topics tell you how to invoke and use the C++ name demangler. The C++ name demangler reads in input, looking for mangled names. All unmangled text is copied to output unaltered. All mangled names are demangled before being copied to output.