diff --git a/gdb/symtab.c b/gdb/symtab.c
index b4316479f53..5f5bbbb33cb 100644
--- a/gdb/symtab.c
+++ b/gdb/symtab.c
@@ -4728,44 +4728,25 @@ search_symbols (const char *regexp, enum search_domain kind,
   return result;
 }
 
-/* Helper function for symtab_symbol_info, this function uses
-   the data returned from search_symbols() to print information
-   regarding the match to gdb_stdout.  If LAST is not NULL,
-   print file and line number information for the symbol as
-   well.  Skip printing the filename if it matches LAST.  */
+/* See symtab.h.  */
 
-static void
-print_symbol_info (enum search_domain kind,
-		   struct symbol *sym,
-		   int block, const char *last)
+std::string
+symbol_to_info_string (struct symbol *sym, int block,
+		       enum search_domain kind)
 {
-  scoped_switch_to_sym_language_if_auto l (sym);
-  struct symtab *s = symbol_symtab (sym);
-
-  if (last != NULL)
-    {
-      const char *s_filename = symtab_to_filename_for_display (s);
+  std::string str;
 
-      if (filename_cmp (last, s_filename) != 0)
-	{
-	  fputs_filtered ("\nFile ", gdb_stdout);
-	  fputs_styled (s_filename, file_name_style.style (), gdb_stdout);
-	  fputs_filtered (":\n", gdb_stdout);
-	}
-
-      if (SYMBOL_LINE (sym) != 0)
-	printf_filtered ("%d:\t", SYMBOL_LINE (sym));
-      else
-	puts_filtered ("\t");
-    }
+  gdb_assert (block == GLOBAL_BLOCK || block == STATIC_BLOCK);
 
   if (kind != TYPES_DOMAIN && block == STATIC_BLOCK)
-    printf_filtered ("static ");
+    str += "static ";
 
   /* Typedef that is not a C++ class.  */
   if (kind == TYPES_DOMAIN
       && SYMBOL_DOMAIN (sym) != STRUCT_DOMAIN)
     {
+      string_file tmp_stream;
+
       /* FIXME: For C (and C++) we end up with a difference in output here
 	 between how a typedef is printed, and non-typedefs are printed.
 	 The TYPEDEF_PRINT code places a ";" at the end in an attempt to
@@ -4775,23 +4756,63 @@ print_symbol_info (enum search_domain kind,
 	 printing of the ";" in this function, which is going to be wrong
 	 for languages that don't require a ";" between statements.  */
       if (TYPE_CODE (SYMBOL_TYPE (sym)) == TYPE_CODE_TYPEDEF)
-	typedef_print (SYMBOL_TYPE (sym), sym, gdb_stdout);
+	typedef_print (SYMBOL_TYPE (sym), sym, &tmp_stream);
       else
-	type_print (SYMBOL_TYPE (sym), "", gdb_stdout, -1);
-      printf_filtered ("\n");
+	type_print (SYMBOL_TYPE (sym), "", &tmp_stream, -1);
+      str += tmp_stream.string ();
     }
   /* variable, func, or typedef-that-is-c++-class.  */
   else if (kind < TYPES_DOMAIN
 	   || (kind == TYPES_DOMAIN
 	       && SYMBOL_DOMAIN (sym) == STRUCT_DOMAIN))
     {
+      string_file tmp_stream;
+
       type_print (SYMBOL_TYPE (sym),
 		  (SYMBOL_CLASS (sym) == LOC_TYPEDEF
 		   ? "" : SYMBOL_PRINT_NAME (sym)),
-		  gdb_stdout, 0);
+		  &tmp_stream, 0);
+
+      str += tmp_stream.string ();
+      str += ";";
+    }
 
-      printf_filtered (";\n");
+  return str;
+}
+
+/* Helper function for symtab_symbol_info, this function uses
+   the data returned from search_symbols() to print information
+   regarding the match to gdb_stdout.  If LAST is not NULL,
+   print file and line number information for the symbol as
+   well.  Skip printing the filename if it matches LAST.  */
+
+static void
+print_symbol_info (enum search_domain kind,
+		   struct symbol *sym,
+		   int block, const char *last)
+{
+  scoped_switch_to_sym_language_if_auto l (sym);
+  struct symtab *s = symbol_symtab (sym);
+
+  if (last != NULL)
+    {
+      const char *s_filename = symtab_to_filename_for_display (s);
+
+      if (filename_cmp (last, s_filename) != 0)
+	{
+	  fputs_filtered ("\nFile ", gdb_stdout);
+	  fputs_styled (s_filename, file_name_style.style (), gdb_stdout);
+	  fputs_filtered (":\n", gdb_stdout);
+	}
+
+      if (SYMBOL_LINE (sym) != 0)
+	printf_filtered ("%d:\t", SYMBOL_LINE (sym));
+      else
+	puts_filtered ("\t");
     }
+
+  std::string str = symbol_to_info_string (sym, block, kind);
+  printf_filtered ("%s\n", str.c_str ());
 }
 
 /* This help function for symtab_symbol_info() prints information
diff --git a/gdb/symtab.h b/gdb/symtab.h
index 1f0fc62a657..f5da8229f2f 100644
--- a/gdb/symtab.h
+++ b/gdb/symtab.h
@@ -2029,6 +2029,14 @@ extern std::vector<symbol_search> search_symbols (const char *,
 						  int,
 						  const char **,
 						  bool);
+
+/* Helper for print_symbol_info, return a string that describes SYM.
+   BLOCK is either GLOBAL_BLOCK or STATIC_BLOCK, and KIND is the type of
+   symbol that was searched for.  */
+
+extern std::string symbol_to_info_string (struct symbol *sym, int block,
+					  enum search_domain kind);
+
 extern bool treg_matches_sym_type_name (const compiled_regex &treg,
 					const struct symbol *sym);
 
