diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'contrib/binutils/bfd/doc/archive.texi')
-rw-r--r-- | contrib/binutils/bfd/doc/archive.texi | 95 |
1 files changed, 95 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/contrib/binutils/bfd/doc/archive.texi b/contrib/binutils/bfd/doc/archive.texi new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f8d6b89 --- /dev/null +++ b/contrib/binutils/bfd/doc/archive.texi @@ -0,0 +1,95 @@ +@section Archives + +@* +@strong{Description}@* +An archive (or library) is just another BFD. It has a symbol +table, although there's not much a user program will do with it. + +The big difference between an archive BFD and an ordinary BFD +is that the archive doesn't have sections. Instead it has a +chain of BFDs that are considered its contents. These BFDs can +be manipulated like any other. The BFDs contained in an +archive opened for reading will all be opened for reading. You +may put either input or output BFDs into an archive opened for +output; they will be handled correctly when the archive is closed. + +Use @code{bfd_openr_next_archived_file} to step through +the contents of an archive opened for input. You don't +have to read the entire archive if you don't want +to! Read it until you find what you want. + +Archive contents of output BFDs are chained through the +@code{next} pointer in a BFD. The first one is findable through +the @code{archive_head} slot of the archive. Set it with +@code{bfd_set_archive_head} (q.v.). A given BFD may be in only one +open output archive at a time. + +As expected, the BFD archive code is more general than the +archive code of any given environment. BFD archives may +contain files of different formats (e.g., a.out and coff) and +even different architectures. You may even place archives +recursively into archives! + +This can cause unexpected confusion, since some archive +formats are more expressive than others. For instance, Intel +COFF archives can preserve long filenames; SunOS a.out archives +cannot. If you move a file from the first to the second +format and back again, the filename may be truncated. +Likewise, different a.out environments have different +conventions as to how they truncate filenames, whether they +preserve directory names in filenames, etc. When +interoperating with native tools, be sure your files are +homogeneous. + +Beware: most of these formats do not react well to the +presence of spaces in filenames. We do the best we can, but +can't always handle this case due to restrictions in the format of +archives. Many Unix utilities are braindead in regards to +spaces and such in filenames anyway, so this shouldn't be much +of a restriction. + +Archives are supported in BFD in @code{archive.c}. +@* +@findex bfd_get_next_mapent +@subsubsection @code{bfd_get_next_mapent} +@strong{Synopsis} +@example +symindex bfd_get_next_mapent(bfd *abfd, symindex previous, carsym **sym); +@end example +@strong{Description}@* +Step through archive @var{abfd}'s symbol table (if it +has one). Successively update @var{sym} with the next symbol's +information, returning that symbol's (internal) index into the +symbol table. + +Supply @code{BFD_NO_MORE_SYMBOLS} as the @var{previous} entry to get +the first one; returns @code{BFD_NO_MORE_SYMBOLS} when you've already +got the last one. + +A @code{carsym} is a canonical archive symbol. The only +user-visible element is its name, a null-terminated string. +@* +@findex bfd_set_archive_head +@subsubsection @code{bfd_set_archive_head} +@strong{Synopsis} +@example +boolean bfd_set_archive_head(bfd *output, bfd *new_head); +@end example +@strong{Description}@* +Set the head of the chain of +BFDs contained in the archive @var{output} to @var{new_head}. +@* +@findex bfd_openr_next_archived_file +@subsubsection @code{bfd_openr_next_archived_file} +@strong{Synopsis} +@example +bfd *bfd_openr_next_archived_file(bfd *archive, bfd *previous); +@end example +@strong{Description}@* +Provided a BFD, @var{archive}, containing an archive and NULL, open +an input BFD on the first contained element and returns that. +Subsequent calls should pass +the archive and the previous return value to return a created +BFD to the next contained element. NULL is returned when there +are no more. +@* |