IDA 9.1/8.5 Support, Arch Fixes & Stability

[shuimu5418]

This is a comprehensive update that significantly improves Ponce's compatibility with modern IDA Pro versions, enhances stability by fixing critical bugs, and refines the overall codebase and user experience.

This PR addresses and resolves issues #143 and #138.

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Major Features & Compatibility Updates

• Adds support for IDA Pro 9.1 and 8.5. Fixes IDA 9 Support? #143

• Overhauls architecture detection. The core logic in ponce_set_triton_architecture() has been updated to use inf_is_64bit() instead of the legacy ph.useXX() checks. This is critical for modern IDA versions (8.5+) which use a single executable, and ensures the correct 32-bit or 64-bit Triton context is selected. This directly resolves the architecture mismatch bug that led to crashes. Fixes Unhandled C++ exception: x8664Cpu::setConcreteRegisterValue() #138

Stability and Bug Fixes

• Resolved a critical memory leak located in snapshot.cpp.

• Fixed an unhandled C++ exception that caused IDA to crash when the "Functions" window was clicked while the "Ponce Symbolic Variables" window was open.

UX and Code Quality Improvements

• Refined context menu options. The right-click menu items have been renamed for better clarity, adopting a style inspired by Kaspersky's hrtng plugin.

• Resolved variable shadowing. Addressed numerous variable shadowing warnings by renaming variables, which improves code safety and readability.

Tested Environments

• This branch has been successfully built and tested against IDA Pro 7.7 and 9.1.

[illera88]

Hi,

Thank you for the PR!

Unfortunately the CI is not working. I'll work on fixing that before merging so we make sure the changes are compatible.

Do you happen to have access to the IDA latests C++ SDK?

Cheers

[shuimu5418]

Yes, I have access to the SDKs and can help test the changes. The versions I've tested against are 7.7 and 9.1. Let me know if you need me to check against a different one or require any other help.

[shuimu5418]

Hi @illera88, I saw you've been actively working on the CI, thanks for the effort!

While looking through the latest failed run, I spotted a specific error message that might be a helpful clue:

CMake Error at CMakeLists.txt:103 (message):
You should add hexrays.hpp to C:/a/Ponce/Ponce/IDA_SDKs/idasdk70/include

This reminded me of an issue I've run into before. The hexrays.hpp file is a bit tricky as it usually comes with the full IDA Pro installation, not the standalone SDK package. It often needs to be manually copied into the SDK's include directory for the decompiler-related parts to build correctly.

Just sharing this thought in case it saves you some debugging time. Let me know if you need me to test anything on my end.

Cheers.

[illera88]

Hi @shuimu5418 ,

yes! I had documentation to know about that https://github.com/illera88/Ponce/blob/master/docs/misc/building.md

I'll keep working on it today.

Can you please prepare the IDA 7.7 and 9.1 SDK and send it to me privately? I can add them to the list of supported ones. My email is agarciaillera@gmail.com

I'll keep working on fixing the CI today.

Thanks! :)

[shuimu5418]

Copy that🫡
Please check your inbox.@illera88

All with hexrays.hpp.

[infernosalex]

Any updates?
Is Ponce supported on IDA 9.0?

[Maple38]

Hiya, would you mind sharing your build so this PR can be used without having to build it ourselves? At least until it gets merged. Would greatly appreciate that!

[shuimu5418]

Hiya, would you mind sharing your build so this PR can be used without having to build it ourselves? At least until it gets merged. Would greatly appreciate that!

https://github.com/copythere/Ponce/releases/