* objdump.c (dump_reloc_set): Append "()" to symbol names which
[deliverable/binutils-gdb.git] / binutils / doc / binutils.texi
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1\input texinfo @c -*- Texinfo -*-
2@setfilename binutils.info
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3@settitle @sc{gnu} Binary Utilities
4@finalout
5@synindex ky cp
8c2bc687 6
dff70155 7@c man begin INCLUDE
c428fa83 8@include bfdver.texi
dff70155 9@c man end
252b5132 10
0e9517a9 11@copying
0285c67d 12@c man begin COPYRIGHT
2423fbe6 13Copyright @copyright{} 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999,
98ec6e72 142000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
252b5132 15
0285c67d 16Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
793c5807 17under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3
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18or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
19with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no
20Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the
947ed062 21section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
252b5132 22
0285c67d 23@c man end
0e9517a9 24@end copying
252b5132 25
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26@dircategory Software development
27@direntry
28* Binutils: (binutils). The GNU binary utilities.
29@end direntry
30
31@dircategory Individual utilities
32@direntry
33* addr2line: (binutils)addr2line. Convert addresses to file and line.
34* ar: (binutils)ar. Create, modify, and extract from archives.
35* c++filt: (binutils)c++filt. Filter to demangle encoded C++ symbols.
36* cxxfilt: (binutils)c++filt. MS-DOS name for c++filt.
37* dlltool: (binutils)dlltool. Create files needed to build and use DLLs.
38* nlmconv: (binutils)nlmconv. Converts object code into an NLM.
39* nm: (binutils)nm. List symbols from object files.
40* objcopy: (binutils)objcopy. Copy and translate object files.
41* objdump: (binutils)objdump. Display information from object files.
42* ranlib: (binutils)ranlib. Generate index to archive contents.
43* readelf: (binutils)readelf. Display the contents of ELF format files.
44* size: (binutils)size. List section sizes and total size.
45* strings: (binutils)strings. List printable strings from files.
46* strip: (binutils)strip. Discard symbols.
47* windmc: (binutils)windmc. Generator for Windows message resources.
48* windres: (binutils)windres. Manipulate Windows resources.
49@end direntry
50
252b5132 51@titlepage
252b5132 52@title The @sc{gnu} Binary Utilities
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53@ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
54@subtitle @value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
55@end ifset
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56@subtitle Version @value{VERSION}
57@sp 1
36607f99 58@subtitle @value{UPDATED}
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59@author Roland H. Pesch
60@author Jeffrey M. Osier
61@author Cygnus Support
62@page
63
64@tex
65{\parskip=0pt \hfill Cygnus Support\par \hfill
e016ec1f 66Texinfo \texinfoversion\par }
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67@end tex
68
69@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
e016ec1f 70@insertcopying
252b5132 71@end titlepage
4ecceb71 72@contents
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73
74@node Top
75@top Introduction
76
77@cindex version
947ed062 78This brief manual contains documentation for the @sc{gnu} binary
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79utilities
80@ifset VERSION_PACKAGE
81@value{VERSION_PACKAGE}
82@end ifset
83version @value{VERSION}:
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84
85@iftex
86@table @code
87@item ar
88Create, modify, and extract from archives
89
90@item nm
91List symbols from object files
92
93@item objcopy
94Copy and translate object files
95
96@item objdump
97Display information from object files
98
99@item ranlib
100Generate index to archive contents
101
102@item readelf
103Display the contents of ELF format files.
104
105@item size
106List file section sizes and total size
107
108@item strings
109List printable strings from files
110
111@item strip
112Discard symbols
113
114@item c++filt
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115Demangle encoded C++ symbols (on MS-DOS, this program is named
116@code{cxxfilt})
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117
118@item addr2line
119Convert addresses into file names and line numbers
120
121@item nlmconv
122Convert object code into a Netware Loadable Module
123
124@item windres
125Manipulate Windows resources
126
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127@item windmc
128Genertor for Windows message resources
129
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130@item dlltool
131Create the files needed to build and use Dynamic Link Libraries
132@end table
133@end iftex
134
cf055d54 135This document is distributed under the terms of the GNU Free
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136Documentation License version 1.3. A copy of the license is included
137in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.
cf055d54 138
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139@menu
140* ar:: Create, modify, and extract from archives
141* nm:: List symbols from object files
142* objcopy:: Copy and translate object files
143* objdump:: Display information from object files
144* ranlib:: Generate index to archive contents
fff279a7 145* readelf:: Display the contents of ELF format files
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146* size:: List section sizes and total size
147* strings:: List printable strings from files
148* strip:: Discard symbols
149* c++filt:: Filter to demangle encoded C++ symbols
9d51cc66 150* cxxfilt: c++filt. MS-DOS name for c++filt
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151* addr2line:: Convert addresses to file and line
152* nlmconv:: Converts object code into an NLM
153* windres:: Manipulate Windows resources
692ed3e7 154* windmc:: Generator for Windows message resources
252b5132 155* dlltool:: Create files needed to build and use DLLs
07012eee 156* Common Options:: Command-line options for all utilities
fff279a7 157* Selecting the Target System:: How these utilities determine the target
252b5132 158* Reporting Bugs:: Reporting Bugs
cf055d54 159* GNU Free Documentation License:: GNU Free Documentation License
fa0d8a3e 160* Binutils Index:: Binutils Index
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161@end menu
162
163@node ar
164@chapter ar
165
166@kindex ar
167@cindex archives
168@cindex collections of files
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169
170@c man title ar create, modify, and extract from archives
171
252b5132 172@smallexample
3de39064 173ar [-]@var{p}[@var{mod} [@var{relpos}] [@var{count}]] @var{archive} [@var{member}@dots{}]
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174ar -M [ <mri-script ]
175@end smallexample
176
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177@c man begin DESCRIPTION ar
178
c7c55b78 179The @sc{gnu} @command{ar} program creates, modifies, and extracts from
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180archives. An @dfn{archive} is a single file holding a collection of
181other files in a structure that makes it possible to retrieve
182the original individual files (called @dfn{members} of the archive).
183
184The original files' contents, mode (permissions), timestamp, owner, and
185group are preserved in the archive, and can be restored on
c1c0eb9e 186extraction.
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187
188@cindex name length
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189@sc{gnu} @command{ar} can maintain archives whose members have names of any
190length; however, depending on how @command{ar} is configured on your
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191system, a limit on member-name length may be imposed for compatibility
192with archive formats maintained with other tools. If it exists, the
193limit is often 15 characters (typical of formats related to a.out) or 16
194characters (typical of formats related to coff).
195
196@cindex libraries
c7c55b78 197@command{ar} is considered a binary utility because archives of this sort
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198are most often used as @dfn{libraries} holding commonly needed
199subroutines.
200
201@cindex symbol index
c7c55b78 202@command{ar} creates an index to the symbols defined in relocatable
252b5132 203object modules in the archive when you specify the modifier @samp{s}.
c7c55b78 204Once created, this index is updated in the archive whenever @command{ar}
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205makes a change to its contents (save for the @samp{q} update operation).
206An archive with such an index speeds up linking to the library, and
207allows routines in the library to call each other without regard to
208their placement in the archive.
209
210You may use @samp{nm -s} or @samp{nm --print-armap} to list this index
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211table. If an archive lacks the table, another form of @command{ar} called
212@command{ranlib} can be used to add just the table.
252b5132 213
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214@cindex thin archives
215@sc{gnu} @command{ar} can optionally create a @emph{thin} archive,
216which contains a symbol index and references to the original copies
217of the member files of the archives. Such an archive is useful
218for building libraries for use within a local build, where the
219relocatable objects are expected to remain available, and copying the
220contents of each object would only waste time and space. Thin archives
221are also @emph{flattened}, so that adding one or more archives to a
222thin archive will add the elements of the nested archive individually.
223The paths to the elements of the archive are stored relative to the
224archive itself.
225
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226@cindex compatibility, @command{ar}
227@cindex @command{ar} compatibility
228@sc{gnu} @command{ar} is designed to be compatible with two different
252b5132 229facilities. You can control its activity using command-line options,
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230like the different varieties of @command{ar} on Unix systems; or, if you
231specify the single command-line option @option{-M}, you can control it
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232with a script supplied via standard input, like the MRI ``librarian''
233program.
234
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235@c man end
236
252b5132 237@menu
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238* ar cmdline:: Controlling @command{ar} on the command line
239* ar scripts:: Controlling @command{ar} with a script
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240@end menu
241
242@page
243@node ar cmdline
947ed062 244@section Controlling @command{ar} on the Command Line
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245
246@smallexample
0285c67d 247@c man begin SYNOPSIS ar
c7c55b78 248ar [@option{-X32_64}] [@option{-}]@var{p}[@var{mod} [@var{relpos}] [@var{count}]] @var{archive} [@var{member}@dots{}]
0285c67d 249@c man end
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250@end smallexample
251
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252@cindex Unix compatibility, @command{ar}
253When you use @command{ar} in the Unix style, @command{ar} insists on at least two
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254arguments to execute: one keyletter specifying the @emph{operation}
255(optionally accompanied by other keyletters specifying
256@emph{modifiers}), and the archive name to act on.
257
258Most operations can also accept further @var{member} arguments,
259specifying particular files to operate on.
260
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261@c man begin OPTIONS ar
262
c7c55b78 263@sc{gnu} @command{ar} allows you to mix the operation code @var{p} and modifier
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264flags @var{mod} in any order, within the first command-line argument.
265
266If you wish, you may begin the first command-line argument with a
267dash.
268
269@cindex operations on archive
270The @var{p} keyletter specifies what operation to execute; it may be
271any of the following, but you must specify only one of them:
272
c7c55b78 273@table @samp
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274@item d
275@cindex deleting from archive
276@emph{Delete} modules from the archive. Specify the names of modules to
277be deleted as @var{member}@dots{}; the archive is untouched if you
278specify no files to delete.
279
c7c55b78 280If you specify the @samp{v} modifier, @command{ar} lists each module
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281as it is deleted.
282
283@item m
284@cindex moving in archive
285Use this operation to @emph{move} members in an archive.
286
287The ordering of members in an archive can make a difference in how
288programs are linked using the library, if a symbol is defined in more
c1c0eb9e 289than one member.
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290
291If no modifiers are used with @code{m}, any members you name in the
292@var{member} arguments are moved to the @emph{end} of the archive;
293you can use the @samp{a}, @samp{b}, or @samp{i} modifiers to move them to a
294specified place instead.
295
296@item p
297@cindex printing from archive
298@emph{Print} the specified members of the archive, to the standard
299output file. If the @samp{v} modifier is specified, show the member
300name before copying its contents to standard output.
301
302If you specify no @var{member} arguments, all the files in the archive are
303printed.
304
305@item q
306@cindex quick append to archive
307@emph{Quick append}; Historically, add the files @var{member}@dots{} to the end of
308@var{archive}, without checking for replacement.
309
310The modifiers @samp{a}, @samp{b}, and @samp{i} do @emph{not} affect this
311operation; new members are always placed at the end of the archive.
312
c7c55b78 313The modifier @samp{v} makes @command{ar} list each file as it is appended.
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314
315Since the point of this operation is speed, the archive's symbol table
316index is not updated, even if it already existed; you can use @samp{ar s} or
c7c55b78 317@command{ranlib} explicitly to update the symbol table index.
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318
319However, too many different systems assume quick append rebuilds the
947ed062 320index, so @sc{gnu} @command{ar} implements @samp{q} as a synonym for @samp{r}.
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321
322@item r
323@cindex replacement in archive
324Insert the files @var{member}@dots{} into @var{archive} (with
325@emph{replacement}). This operation differs from @samp{q} in that any
326previously existing members are deleted if their names match those being
327added.
328
c7c55b78 329If one of the files named in @var{member}@dots{} does not exist, @command{ar}
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330displays an error message, and leaves undisturbed any existing members
331of the archive matching that name.
332
333By default, new members are added at the end of the file; but you may
334use one of the modifiers @samp{a}, @samp{b}, or @samp{i} to request
335placement relative to some existing member.
336
337The modifier @samp{v} used with this operation elicits a line of
338output for each file inserted, along with one of the letters @samp{a} or
339@samp{r} to indicate whether the file was appended (no old member
340deleted) or replaced.
341
342@item t
343@cindex contents of archive
344Display a @emph{table} listing the contents of @var{archive}, or those
345of the files listed in @var{member}@dots{} that are present in the
346archive. Normally only the member name is shown; if you also want to
347see the modes (permissions), timestamp, owner, group, and size, you can
348request that by also specifying the @samp{v} modifier.
349
350If you do not specify a @var{member}, all files in the archive
351are listed.
352
353@cindex repeated names in archive
354@cindex name duplication in archive
355If there is more than one file with the same name (say, @samp{fie}) in
356an archive (say @samp{b.a}), @samp{ar t b.a fie} lists only the
357first instance; to see them all, you must ask for a complete
358listing---in our example, @samp{ar t b.a}.
359@c WRS only; per Gumby, this is implementation-dependent, and in a more
360@c recent case in fact works the other way.
361
362@item x
363@cindex extract from archive
364@emph{Extract} members (named @var{member}) from the archive. You can
365use the @samp{v} modifier with this operation, to request that
c7c55b78 366@command{ar} list each name as it extracts it.
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367
368If you do not specify a @var{member}, all files in the archive
369are extracted.
370
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371Files cannot be extracted from a thin archive.
372
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373@end table
374
375A number of modifiers (@var{mod}) may immediately follow the @var{p}
376keyletter, to specify variations on an operation's behavior:
377
c7c55b78 378@table @samp
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379@item a
380@cindex relative placement in archive
381Add new files @emph{after} an existing member of the
382archive. If you use the modifier @samp{a}, the name of an existing archive
383member must be present as the @var{relpos} argument, before the
384@var{archive} specification.
385
386@item b
387Add new files @emph{before} an existing member of the
388archive. If you use the modifier @samp{b}, the name of an existing archive
389member must be present as the @var{relpos} argument, before the
390@var{archive} specification. (same as @samp{i}).
391
392@item c
393@cindex creating archives
394@emph{Create} the archive. The specified @var{archive} is always
395created if it did not exist, when you request an update. But a warning is
396issued unless you specify in advance that you expect to create it, by
397using this modifier.
398
399@item f
c7c55b78 400Truncate names in the archive. @sc{gnu} @command{ar} will normally permit file
252b5132 401names of any length. This will cause it to create archives which are
c7c55b78 402not compatible with the native @command{ar} program on some systems. If
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403this is a concern, the @samp{f} modifier may be used to truncate file
404names when putting them in the archive.
405
406@item i
407Insert new files @emph{before} an existing member of the
408archive. If you use the modifier @samp{i}, the name of an existing archive
409member must be present as the @var{relpos} argument, before the
410@var{archive} specification. (same as @samp{b}).
411
412@item l
413This modifier is accepted but not used.
414@c whaffor ar l modifier??? presumably compat; with
c1c0eb9e 415@c what???---doc@@cygnus.com, 25jan91
252b5132 416
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417@item N
418Uses the @var{count} parameter. This is used if there are multiple
419entries in the archive with the same name. Extract or delete instance
420@var{count} of the given name from the archive.
421
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422@item o
423@cindex dates in archive
424Preserve the @emph{original} dates of members when extracting them. If
425you do not specify this modifier, files extracted from the archive
426are stamped with the time of extraction.
427
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428@item P
429Use the full path name when matching names in the archive. @sc{gnu}
c7c55b78 430@command{ar} can not create an archive with a full path name (such archives
3de39064 431are not POSIX complaint), but other archive creators can. This option
c7c55b78 432will cause @sc{gnu} @command{ar} to match file names using a complete path
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433name, which can be convenient when extracting a single file from an
434archive created by another tool.
435
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436@item s
437@cindex writing archive index
438Write an object-file index into the archive, or update an existing one,
439even if no other change is made to the archive. You may use this modifier
440flag either with any operation, or alone. Running @samp{ar s} on an
441archive is equivalent to running @samp{ranlib} on it.
442
443@item S
444@cindex not writing archive index
445Do not generate an archive symbol table. This can speed up building a
446large library in several steps. The resulting archive can not be used
447with the linker. In order to build a symbol table, you must omit the
448@samp{S} modifier on the last execution of @samp{ar}, or you must run
449@samp{ranlib} on the archive.
450
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451@item T
452@cindex creating thin archive
453Make the specified @var{archive} a @emph{thin} archive. If it already
454exists and is a regular archive, the existing members must be present
455in the same directory as @var{archive}.
456
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457@item u
458@cindex updating an archive
459Normally, @samp{ar r}@dots{} inserts all files
460listed into the archive. If you would like to insert @emph{only} those
461of the files you list that are newer than existing members of the same
462names, use this modifier. The @samp{u} modifier is allowed only for the
463operation @samp{r} (replace). In particular, the combination @samp{qu} is
464not allowed, since checking the timestamps would lose any speed
465advantage from the operation @samp{q}.
466
467@item v
468This modifier requests the @emph{verbose} version of an operation. Many
469operations display additional information, such as filenames processed,
470when the modifier @samp{v} is appended.
471
472@item V
c7c55b78 473This modifier shows the version number of @command{ar}.
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474@end table
475
c7c55b78 476@command{ar} ignores an initial option spelt @samp{-X32_64}, for
6e800839 477compatibility with AIX. The behaviour produced by this option is the
947ed062 478default for @sc{gnu} @command{ar}. @command{ar} does not support any of the other
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479@samp{-X} options; in particular, it does not support @option{-X32}
480which is the default for AIX @command{ar}.
6e800839 481
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482@c man end
483
484@ignore
485@c man begin SEEALSO ar
486nm(1), ranlib(1), and the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
487@c man end
488@end ignore
489
252b5132 490@node ar scripts
947ed062 491@section Controlling @command{ar} with a Script
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492
493@smallexample
494ar -M [ <@var{script} ]
495@end smallexample
496
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497@cindex MRI compatibility, @command{ar}
498@cindex scripts, @command{ar}
499If you use the single command-line option @samp{-M} with @command{ar}, you
252b5132 500can control its operation with a rudimentary command language. This
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501form of @command{ar} operates interactively if standard input is coming
502directly from a terminal. During interactive use, @command{ar} prompts for
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503input (the prompt is @samp{AR >}), and continues executing even after
504errors. If you redirect standard input to a script file, no prompts are
c7c55b78 505issued, and @command{ar} abandons execution (with a nonzero exit code)
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506on any error.
507
c7c55b78 508The @command{ar} command language is @emph{not} designed to be equivalent
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509to the command-line options; in fact, it provides somewhat less control
510over archives. The only purpose of the command language is to ease the
c7c55b78 511transition to @sc{gnu} @command{ar} for developers who already have scripts
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512written for the MRI ``librarian'' program.
513
c7c55b78 514The syntax for the @command{ar} command language is straightforward:
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515@itemize @bullet
516@item
517commands are recognized in upper or lower case; for example, @code{LIST}
518is the same as @code{list}. In the following descriptions, commands are
519shown in upper case for clarity.
520
521@item
522a single command may appear on each line; it is the first word on the
523line.
524
525@item
526empty lines are allowed, and have no effect.
527
528@item
529comments are allowed; text after either of the characters @samp{*}
530or @samp{;} is ignored.
531
532@item
c7c55b78 533Whenever you use a list of names as part of the argument to an @command{ar}
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534command, you can separate the individual names with either commas or
535blanks. Commas are shown in the explanations below, for clarity.
536
537@item
538@samp{+} is used as a line continuation character; if @samp{+} appears
539at the end of a line, the text on the following line is considered part
540of the current command.
541@end itemize
542
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543Here are the commands you can use in @command{ar} scripts, or when using
544@command{ar} interactively. Three of them have special significance:
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545
546@code{OPEN} or @code{CREATE} specify a @dfn{current archive}, which is
547a temporary file required for most of the other commands.
548
549@code{SAVE} commits the changes so far specified by the script. Prior
550to @code{SAVE}, commands affect only the temporary copy of the current
551archive.
552
553@table @code
c1c0eb9e 554@item ADDLIB @var{archive}
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555@itemx ADDLIB @var{archive} (@var{module}, @var{module}, @dots{} @var{module})
556Add all the contents of @var{archive} (or, if specified, each named
557@var{module} from @var{archive}) to the current archive.
558
559Requires prior use of @code{OPEN} or @code{CREATE}.
560
561@item ADDMOD @var{member}, @var{member}, @dots{} @var{member}
562@c FIXME! w/Replacement?? If so, like "ar r @var{archive} @var{names}"
563@c else like "ar q..."
564Add each named @var{member} as a module in the current archive.
565
566Requires prior use of @code{OPEN} or @code{CREATE}.
567
568@item CLEAR
569Discard the contents of the current archive, canceling the effect of
570any operations since the last @code{SAVE}. May be executed (with no
571effect) even if no current archive is specified.
572
573@item CREATE @var{archive}
574Creates an archive, and makes it the current archive (required for many
575other commands). The new archive is created with a temporary name; it
576is not actually saved as @var{archive} until you use @code{SAVE}.
577You can overwrite existing archives; similarly, the contents of any
578existing file named @var{archive} will not be destroyed until @code{SAVE}.
579
580@item DELETE @var{module}, @var{module}, @dots{} @var{module}
581Delete each listed @var{module} from the current archive; equivalent to
582@samp{ar -d @var{archive} @var{module} @dots{} @var{module}}.
583
584Requires prior use of @code{OPEN} or @code{CREATE}.
585
586@item DIRECTORY @var{archive} (@var{module}, @dots{} @var{module})
587@itemx DIRECTORY @var{archive} (@var{module}, @dots{} @var{module}) @var{outputfile}
588List each named @var{module} present in @var{archive}. The separate
589command @code{VERBOSE} specifies the form of the output: when verbose
590output is off, output is like that of @samp{ar -t @var{archive}
591@var{module}@dots{}}. When verbose output is on, the listing is like
592@samp{ar -tv @var{archive} @var{module}@dots{}}.
593
594Output normally goes to the standard output stream; however, if you
c7c55b78 595specify @var{outputfile} as a final argument, @command{ar} directs the
252b5132
RH
596output to that file.
597
598@item END
c7c55b78 599Exit from @command{ar}, with a @code{0} exit code to indicate successful
252b5132
RH
600completion. This command does not save the output file; if you have
601changed the current archive since the last @code{SAVE} command, those
602changes are lost.
603
604@item EXTRACT @var{module}, @var{module}, @dots{} @var{module}
605Extract each named @var{module} from the current archive, writing them
606into the current directory as separate files. Equivalent to @samp{ar -x
607@var{archive} @var{module}@dots{}}.
608
609Requires prior use of @code{OPEN} or @code{CREATE}.
610
611@ignore
612@c FIXME Tokens but no commands???
613@item FULLDIR
614
615@item HELP
616@end ignore
617
618@item LIST
619Display full contents of the current archive, in ``verbose'' style
620regardless of the state of @code{VERBOSE}. The effect is like @samp{ar
c7c55b78 621tv @var{archive}}. (This single command is a @sc{gnu} @command{ar}
252b5132
RH
622enhancement, rather than present for MRI compatibility.)
623
624Requires prior use of @code{OPEN} or @code{CREATE}.
625
626@item OPEN @var{archive}
627Opens an existing archive for use as the current archive (required for
628many other commands). Any changes as the result of subsequent commands
629will not actually affect @var{archive} until you next use @code{SAVE}.
630
631@item REPLACE @var{module}, @var{module}, @dots{} @var{module}
632In the current archive, replace each existing @var{module} (named in
633the @code{REPLACE} arguments) from files in the current working directory.
634To execute this command without errors, both the file, and the module in
c1c0eb9e 635the current archive, must exist.
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RH
636
637Requires prior use of @code{OPEN} or @code{CREATE}.
638
639@item VERBOSE
640Toggle an internal flag governing the output from @code{DIRECTORY}.
641When the flag is on, @code{DIRECTORY} output matches output from
642@samp{ar -tv }@dots{}.
643
644@item SAVE
645Commit your changes to the current archive, and actually save it as a
646file with the name specified in the last @code{CREATE} or @code{OPEN}
c1c0eb9e 647command.
252b5132
RH
648
649Requires prior use of @code{OPEN} or @code{CREATE}.
650
651@end table
652
653@iftex
654@node ld
655@chapter ld
656@cindex linker
657@kindex ld
c7c55b78 658The @sc{gnu} linker @command{ld} is now described in a separate manual.
252b5132
RH
659@xref{Top,, Overview,, Using LD: the @sc{gnu} linker}.
660@end iftex
661
662@node nm
663@chapter nm
664@cindex symbols
665@kindex nm
666
0285c67d
NC
667@c man title nm list symbols from object files
668
252b5132 669@smallexample
0285c67d 670@c man begin SYNOPSIS nm
c7c55b78
NC
671nm [@option{-a}|@option{--debug-syms}] [@option{-g}|@option{--extern-only}]
672 [@option{-B}] [@option{-C}|@option{--demangle}[=@var{style}]] [@option{-D}|@option{--dynamic}]
72797995 673 [@option{-S}|@option{--print-size}] [@option{-s}|@option{--print-armap}]
3c9458e9 674 [@option{-A}|@option{-o}|@option{--print-file-name}][@option{--special-syms}]
c7c55b78
NC
675 [@option{-n}|@option{-v}|@option{--numeric-sort}] [@option{-p}|@option{--no-sort}]
676 [@option{-r}|@option{--reverse-sort}] [@option{--size-sort}] [@option{-u}|@option{--undefined-only}]
677 [@option{-t} @var{radix}|@option{--radix=}@var{radix}] [@option{-P}|@option{--portability}]
678 [@option{--target=}@var{bfdname}] [@option{-f}@var{format}|@option{--format=}@var{format}]
679 [@option{--defined-only}] [@option{-l}|@option{--line-numbers}] [@option{--no-demangle}]
680 [@option{-V}|@option{--version}] [@option{-X 32_64}] [@option{--help}] [@var{objfile}@dots{}]
0285c67d 681@c man end
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RH
682@end smallexample
683
0285c67d 684@c man begin DESCRIPTION nm
c7c55b78
NC
685@sc{gnu} @command{nm} lists the symbols from object files @var{objfile}@dots{}.
686If no object files are listed as arguments, @command{nm} assumes the file
252b5132
RH
687@file{a.out}.
688
c7c55b78 689For each symbol, @command{nm} shows:
252b5132
RH
690
691@itemize @bullet
692@item
693The symbol value, in the radix selected by options (see below), or
694hexadecimal by default.
695
696@item
697The symbol type. At least the following types are used; others are, as
698well, depending on the object file format. If lowercase, the symbol is
699local; if uppercase, the symbol is global (external).
700
701@c Some more detail on exactly what these symbol types are used for
702@c would be nice.
703@table @code
704@item A
705The symbol's value is absolute, and will not be changed by further
706linking.
707
708@item B
a1039809 709@itemx b
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RH
710The symbol is in the uninitialized data section (known as BSS).
711
712@item C
713The symbol is common. Common symbols are uninitialized data. When
714linking, multiple common symbols may appear with the same name. If the
715symbol is defined anywhere, the common symbols are treated as undefined
0285c67d
NC
716references.
717@ifclear man
718For more details on common symbols, see the discussion of
252b5132 719--warn-common in @ref{Options,,Linker options,ld.info,The GNU linker}.
0879a67a 720@end ifclear
252b5132
RH
721
722@item D
a1039809 723@itemx d
252b5132
RH
724The symbol is in the initialized data section.
725
726@item G
a1039809 727@itemx g
252b5132
RH
728The symbol is in an initialized data section for small objects. Some
729object file formats permit more efficient access to small data objects,
730such as a global int variable as opposed to a large global array.
731
732@item I
947ed062 733The symbol is an indirect reference to another symbol. This is a @sc{gnu}
252b5132
RH
734extension to the a.out object file format which is rarely used.
735
a1039809
NC
736@item i
737The symbol is in a section specific to the implementation of DLLs.
738
252b5132
RH
739@item N
740The symbol is a debugging symbol.
741
a1039809
NC
742@item p
743The symbols is in a stack unwind section.
744
252b5132 745@item R
a1039809 746@itemx r
252b5132
RH
747The symbol is in a read only data section.
748
749@item S
a1039809 750@itemx s
252b5132
RH
751The symbol is in an uninitialized data section for small objects.
752
753@item T
a1039809 754@itemx t
252b5132
RH
755The symbol is in the text (code) section.
756
757@item U
758The symbol is undefined.
759
fad6fcbb 760@item V
a1039809 761@itemx v
fad6fcbb
NC
762The symbol is a weak object. When a weak defined symbol is linked with
763a normal defined symbol, the normal defined symbol is used with no error.
764When a weak undefined symbol is linked and the symbol is not defined,
a1039809
NC
765the value of the weak symbol becomes zero with no error. On some
766systems, uppercase indicates that a default value has been specified.
fad6fcbb 767
252b5132 768@item W
a1039809 769@itemx w
fad6fcbb
NC
770The symbol is a weak symbol that has not been specifically tagged as a
771weak object symbol. When a weak defined symbol is linked with a normal
772defined symbol, the normal defined symbol is used with no error.
773When a weak undefined symbol is linked and the symbol is not defined,
c87db184 774the value of the symbol is determined in a system-specific manner without
c1c0eb9e 775error. On some systems, uppercase indicates that a default value has been
977cdf5a
NC
776specified.
777
252b5132
RH
778@item -
779The symbol is a stabs symbol in an a.out object file. In this case, the
780next values printed are the stabs other field, the stabs desc field, and
c7c55b78
NC
781the stab type. Stabs symbols are used to hold debugging information.
782@ifclear man
783For more information, see @ref{Top,Stabs,Stabs Overview,stabs.info, The
252b5132 784``stabs'' debug format}.
c7c55b78 785@end ifclear
252b5132
RH
786
787@item ?
788The symbol type is unknown, or object file format specific.
789@end table
790
791@item
792The symbol name.
793@end itemize
794
0285c67d
NC
795@c man end
796
797@c man begin OPTIONS nm
252b5132
RH
798The long and short forms of options, shown here as alternatives, are
799equivalent.
800
c7c55b78 801@table @env
252b5132
RH
802@item -A
803@itemx -o
c1c0eb9e 804@itemx --print-file-name
252b5132
RH
805@cindex input file name
806@cindex file name
807@cindex source file name
f20a759a 808Precede each symbol by the name of the input file (or archive member)
252b5132
RH
809in which it was found, rather than identifying the input file once only,
810before all of its symbols.
811
812@item -a
c1c0eb9e 813@itemx --debug-syms
252b5132
RH
814@cindex debugging symbols
815Display all symbols, even debugger-only symbols; normally these are not
816listed.
817
818@item -B
c7c55b78
NC
819@cindex @command{nm} format
820@cindex @command{nm} compatibility
821The same as @option{--format=bsd} (for compatibility with the MIPS @command{nm}).
252b5132
RH
822
823@item -C
28c309a2 824@itemx --demangle[=@var{style}]
252b5132
RH
825@cindex demangling in nm
826Decode (@dfn{demangle}) low-level symbol names into user-level names.
827Besides removing any initial underscore prepended by the system, this
28c309a2 828makes C++ function names readable. Different compilers have different
c1c0eb9e
RM
829mangling styles. The optional demangling style argument can be used to
830choose an appropriate demangling style for your compiler. @xref{c++filt},
28c309a2 831for more information on demangling.
252b5132
RH
832
833@item --no-demangle
834Do not demangle low-level symbol names. This is the default.
835
836@item -D
837@itemx --dynamic
838@cindex dynamic symbols
839Display the dynamic symbols rather than the normal symbols. This is
840only meaningful for dynamic objects, such as certain types of shared
841libraries.
842
843@item -f @var{format}
844@itemx --format=@var{format}
c7c55b78
NC
845@cindex @command{nm} format
846@cindex @command{nm} compatibility
252b5132
RH
847Use the output format @var{format}, which can be @code{bsd},
848@code{sysv}, or @code{posix}. The default is @code{bsd}.
849Only the first character of @var{format} is significant; it can be
850either upper or lower case.
851
852@item -g
c1c0eb9e 853@itemx --extern-only
252b5132
RH
854@cindex external symbols
855Display only external symbols.
856
857@item -l
858@itemx --line-numbers
859@cindex symbol line numbers
860For each symbol, use debugging information to try to find a filename and
861line number. For a defined symbol, look for the line number of the
862address of the symbol. For an undefined symbol, look for the line
863number of a relocation entry which refers to the symbol. If line number
864information can be found, print it after the other symbol information.
865
866@item -n
867@itemx -v
c1c0eb9e 868@itemx --numeric-sort
252b5132 869Sort symbols numerically by their addresses, rather than alphabetically
c1c0eb9e 870by their names.
252b5132
RH
871
872@item -p
c1c0eb9e 873@itemx --no-sort
252b5132
RH
874@cindex sorting symbols
875Do not bother to sort the symbols in any order; print them in the order
876encountered.
877
878@item -P
879@itemx --portability
880Use the POSIX.2 standard output format instead of the default format.
881Equivalent to @samp{-f posix}.
882
72797995
L
883@item -S
884@itemx --print-size
06a30c77 885Print size, not the value, of defined symbols for the @code{bsd} output format.
72797995 886
252b5132
RH
887@item -s
888@itemx --print-armap
889@cindex symbol index, listing
890When listing symbols from archive members, include the index: a mapping
c7c55b78 891(stored in the archive by @command{ar} or @command{ranlib}) of which modules
252b5132
RH
892contain definitions for which names.
893
894@item -r
c1c0eb9e 895@itemx --reverse-sort
252b5132
RH
896Reverse the order of the sort (whether numeric or alphabetic); let the
897last come first.
898
899@item --size-sort
900Sort symbols by size. The size is computed as the difference between
901the value of the symbol and the value of the symbol with the next higher
c1c0eb9e
RM
902value. If the @code{bsd} output format is used the size of the symbol
903is printed, rather than the value, and @samp{-S} must be used in order
76ed1927 904both size and value to be printed.
252b5132 905
3c9458e9
NC
906@item --special-syms
907Display symbols which have a target-specific special meaning. These
908symbols are usually used by the target for some special processing and
909are not normally helpful when included included in the normal symbol
910lists. For example for ARM targets this option would skip the mapping
b45619c0 911symbols used to mark transitions between ARM code, THUMB code and
3c9458e9
NC
912data.
913
252b5132
RH
914@item -t @var{radix}
915@itemx --radix=@var{radix}
916Use @var{radix} as the radix for printing the symbol values. It must be
917@samp{d} for decimal, @samp{o} for octal, or @samp{x} for hexadecimal.
918
919@item --target=@var{bfdname}
920@cindex object code format
921Specify an object code format other than your system's default format.
922@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
923
924@item -u
c1c0eb9e 925@itemx --undefined-only
252b5132
RH
926@cindex external symbols
927@cindex undefined symbols
928Display only undefined symbols (those external to each object file).
929
930@item --defined-only
931@cindex external symbols
932@cindex undefined symbols
933Display only defined symbols for each object file.
934
935@item -V
936@itemx --version
c7c55b78 937Show the version number of @command{nm} and exit.
252b5132 938
6e800839
GK
939@item -X
940This option is ignored for compatibility with the AIX version of
c7c55b78
NC
941@command{nm}. It takes one parameter which must be the string
942@option{32_64}. The default mode of AIX @command{nm} corresponds
943to @option{-X 32}, which is not supported by @sc{gnu} @command{nm}.
6e800839 944
252b5132 945@item --help
c7c55b78 946Show a summary of the options to @command{nm} and exit.
252b5132
RH
947@end table
948
0285c67d
NC
949@c man end
950
951@ignore
952@c man begin SEEALSO nm
953ar(1), objdump(1), ranlib(1), and the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
954@c man end
955@end ignore
956
252b5132
RH
957@node objcopy
958@chapter objcopy
959
0285c67d
NC
960@c man title objcopy copy and translate object files
961
252b5132 962@smallexample
0285c67d 963@c man begin SYNOPSIS objcopy
c7c55b78
NC
964objcopy [@option{-F} @var{bfdname}|@option{--target=}@var{bfdname}]
965 [@option{-I} @var{bfdname}|@option{--input-target=}@var{bfdname}]
966 [@option{-O} @var{bfdname}|@option{--output-target=}@var{bfdname}]
967 [@option{-B} @var{bfdarch}|@option{--binary-architecture=}@var{bfdarch}]
2593f09a
NC
968 [@option{-S}|@option{--strip-all}]
969 [@option{-g}|@option{--strip-debug}]
c7c55b78
NC
970 [@option{-K} @var{symbolname}|@option{--keep-symbol=}@var{symbolname}]
971 [@option{-N} @var{symbolname}|@option{--strip-symbol=}@var{symbolname}]
bcf32829 972 [@option{--strip-unneeded-symbol=}@var{symbolname}]
c7c55b78 973 [@option{-G} @var{symbolname}|@option{--keep-global-symbol=}@var{symbolname}]
d58c2e3a 974 [@option{--localize-hidden}]
c7c55b78 975 [@option{-L} @var{symbolname}|@option{--localize-symbol=}@var{symbolname}]
7b4a0685 976 [@option{--globalize-symbol=}@var{symbolname}]
c7c55b78 977 [@option{-W} @var{symbolname}|@option{--weaken-symbol=}@var{symbolname}]
5fe11841 978 [@option{-w}|@option{--wildcard}]
2593f09a
NC
979 [@option{-x}|@option{--discard-all}]
980 [@option{-X}|@option{--discard-locals}]
c7c55b78
NC
981 [@option{-b} @var{byte}|@option{--byte=}@var{byte}]
982 [@option{-i} @var{interleave}|@option{--interleave=}@var{interleave}]
983 [@option{-j} @var{sectionname}|@option{--only-section=}@var{sectionname}]
984 [@option{-R} @var{sectionname}|@option{--remove-section=}@var{sectionname}]
985 [@option{-p}|@option{--preserve-dates}]
986 [@option{--debugging}]
2593f09a
NC
987 [@option{--gap-fill=}@var{val}]
988 [@option{--pad-to=}@var{address}]
989 [@option{--set-start=}@var{val}]
990 [@option{--adjust-start=}@var{incr}]
c7c55b78
NC
991 [@option{--change-addresses=}@var{incr}]
992 [@option{--change-section-address} @var{section}@{=,+,-@}@var{val}]
993 [@option{--change-section-lma} @var{section}@{=,+,-@}@var{val}]
994 [@option{--change-section-vma} @var{section}@{=,+,-@}@var{val}]
995 [@option{--change-warnings}] [@option{--no-change-warnings}]
996 [@option{--set-section-flags} @var{section}=@var{flags}]
997 [@option{--add-section} @var{sectionname}=@var{filename}]
998 [@option{--rename-section} @var{oldname}=@var{newname}[,@var{flags}]]
2593f09a 999 [@option{--change-leading-char}] [@option{--remove-leading-char}]
9e48b4c6 1000 [@option{--reverse-bytes=}@var{num}]
2593f09a
NC
1001 [@option{--srec-len=}@var{ival}] [@option{--srec-forceS3}]
1002 [@option{--redefine-sym} @var{old}=@var{new}]
1003 [@option{--redefine-syms=}@var{filename}]
c7c55b78
NC
1004 [@option{--weaken}]
1005 [@option{--keep-symbols=}@var{filename}]
1006 [@option{--strip-symbols=}@var{filename}]
bcf32829 1007 [@option{--strip-unneeded-symbols=}@var{filename}]
c7c55b78
NC
1008 [@option{--keep-global-symbols=}@var{filename}]
1009 [@option{--localize-symbols=}@var{filename}]
7b4a0685 1010 [@option{--globalize-symbols=}@var{filename}]
c7c55b78 1011 [@option{--weaken-symbols=}@var{filename}]
c51238bc
DA
1012 [@option{--alt-machine-code=}@var{index}]
1013 [@option{--prefix-symbols=}@var{string}]
1014 [@option{--prefix-sections=}@var{string}]
1015 [@option{--prefix-alloc-sections=}@var{string}]
ed1653a7 1016 [@option{--add-gnu-debuglink=}@var{path-to-file}]
1637cd90 1017 [@option{--keep-file-symbols}]
ed1653a7 1018 [@option{--only-keep-debug}]
d3e52d40 1019 [@option{--extract-symbol}]
4087920c
MR
1020 [@option{--writable-text}]
1021 [@option{--readonly-text}]
1022 [@option{--pure}]
1023 [@option{--impure}]
c7c55b78 1024 [@option{-v}|@option{--verbose}]
c1c0eb9e 1025 [@option{-V}|@option{--version}]
7c29036b 1026 [@option{--help}] [@option{--info}]
252b5132 1027 @var{infile} [@var{outfile}]
0285c67d 1028@c man end
252b5132
RH
1029@end smallexample
1030
0285c67d 1031@c man begin DESCRIPTION objcopy
c7c55b78
NC
1032The @sc{gnu} @command{objcopy} utility copies the contents of an object
1033file to another. @command{objcopy} uses the @sc{gnu} @sc{bfd} Library to
252b5132
RH
1034read and write the object files. It can write the destination object
1035file in a format different from that of the source object file. The
c7c55b78
NC
1036exact behavior of @command{objcopy} is controlled by command-line options.
1037Note that @command{objcopy} should be able to copy a fully linked file
ccd13d18
L
1038between any two formats. However, copying a relocatable object file
1039between any two formats may not work as expected.
252b5132 1040
c7c55b78
NC
1041@command{objcopy} creates temporary files to do its translations and
1042deletes them afterward. @command{objcopy} uses @sc{bfd} to do all its
252b5132
RH
1043translation work; it has access to all the formats described in @sc{bfd}
1044and thus is able to recognize most formats without being told
1045explicitly. @xref{BFD,,BFD,ld.info,Using LD}.
1046
c7c55b78 1047@command{objcopy} can be used to generate S-records by using an output
252b5132
RH
1048target of @samp{srec} (e.g., use @samp{-O srec}).
1049
c7c55b78
NC
1050@command{objcopy} can be used to generate a raw binary file by using an
1051output target of @samp{binary} (e.g., use @option{-O binary}). When
1052@command{objcopy} generates a raw binary file, it will essentially produce
252b5132
RH
1053a memory dump of the contents of the input object file. All symbols and
1054relocation information will be discarded. The memory dump will start at
1055the load address of the lowest section copied into the output file.
1056
1057When generating an S-record or a raw binary file, it may be helpful to
c7c55b78
NC
1058use @option{-S} to remove sections containing debugging information. In
1059some cases @option{-R} will be useful to remove sections which contain
f20a759a 1060information that is not needed by the binary file.
252b5132 1061
947ed062
NC
1062Note---@command{objcopy} is not able to change the endianness of its input
1063files. If the input format has an endianness (some formats do not),
c7c55b78 1064@command{objcopy} can only copy the inputs into file formats that have the
947ed062 1065same endianness or which have no endianness (e.g., @samp{srec}).
9e48b4c6 1066(However, see the @option{--reverse-bytes} option.)
18356cf2 1067
0285c67d
NC
1068@c man end
1069
1070@c man begin OPTIONS objcopy
1071
c7c55b78 1072@table @env
252b5132
RH
1073@item @var{infile}
1074@itemx @var{outfile}
f20a759a 1075The input and output files, respectively.
c7c55b78 1076If you do not specify @var{outfile}, @command{objcopy} creates a
252b5132
RH
1077temporary file and destructively renames the result with
1078the name of @var{infile}.
1079
c7c55b78 1080@item -I @var{bfdname}
252b5132
RH
1081@itemx --input-target=@var{bfdname}
1082Consider the source file's object format to be @var{bfdname}, rather than
1083attempting to deduce it. @xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
1084
1085@item -O @var{bfdname}
1086@itemx --output-target=@var{bfdname}
1087Write the output file using the object format @var{bfdname}.
1088@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
1089
1090@item -F @var{bfdname}
1091@itemx --target=@var{bfdname}
1092Use @var{bfdname} as the object format for both the input and the output
1093file; i.e., simply transfer data from source to destination with no
1094translation. @xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
1095
43a0748c
NC
1096@item -B @var{bfdarch}
1097@itemx --binary-architecture=@var{bfdarch}
1098Useful when transforming a raw binary input file into an object file.
1099In this case the output architecture can be set to @var{bfdarch}. This
1100option will be ignored if the input file has a known @var{bfdarch}. You
1101can access this binary data inside a program by referencing the special
1102symbols that are created by the conversion process. These symbols are
1103called _binary_@var{objfile}_start, _binary_@var{objfile}_end and
1104_binary_@var{objfile}_size. e.g. you can transform a picture file into
c1c0eb9e 1105an object file and then access it in your code using these symbols.
43a0748c 1106
f91ea849
ILT
1107@item -j @var{sectionname}
1108@itemx --only-section=@var{sectionname}
1109Copy only the named section from the input file to the output file.
1110This option may be given more than once. Note that using this option
1111inappropriately may make the output file unusable.
1112
252b5132
RH
1113@item -R @var{sectionname}
1114@itemx --remove-section=@var{sectionname}
1115Remove any section named @var{sectionname} from the output file. This
1116option may be given more than once. Note that using this option
1117inappropriately may make the output file unusable.
1118
1119@item -S
1120@itemx --strip-all
1121Do not copy relocation and symbol information from the source file.
1122
1123@item -g
1124@itemx --strip-debug
2593f09a 1125Do not copy debugging symbols or sections from the source file.
252b5132
RH
1126
1127@item --strip-unneeded
1128Strip all symbols that are not needed for relocation processing.
1129
1130@item -K @var{symbolname}
1131@itemx --keep-symbol=@var{symbolname}
e7f918ad
NC
1132When stripping symbols, keep symbol @var{symbolname} even if it would
1133normally be stripped. This option may be given more than once.
252b5132
RH
1134
1135@item -N @var{symbolname}
1136@itemx --strip-symbol=@var{symbolname}
1137Do not copy symbol @var{symbolname} from the source file. This option
1138may be given more than once.
1139
bcf32829
JB
1140@item --strip-unneeded-symbol=@var{symbolname}
1141Do not copy symbol @var{symbolname} from the source file unless it is needed
1142by a relocation. This option may be given more than once.
1143
16b2b71c
NC
1144@item -G @var{symbolname}
1145@itemx --keep-global-symbol=@var{symbolname}
1146Keep only symbol @var{symbolname} global. Make all other symbols local
1147to the file, so that they are not visible externally. This option may
1148be given more than once.
1149
d58c2e3a
RS
1150@item --localize-hidden
1151In an ELF object, mark all symbols that have hidden or internal visibility
1152as local. This option applies on top of symbol-specific localization options
1153such as @option{-L}.
1154
252b5132
RH
1155@item -L @var{symbolname}
1156@itemx --localize-symbol=@var{symbolname}
1157Make symbol @var{symbolname} local to the file, so that it is not
1158visible externally. This option may be given more than once.
1159
1160@item -W @var{symbolname}
1161@itemx --weaken-symbol=@var{symbolname}
1162Make symbol @var{symbolname} weak. This option may be given more than once.
1163
7b4a0685
NC
1164@item --globalize-symbol=@var{symbolname}
1165Give symbol @var{symbolname} global scoping so that it is visible
1166outside of the file in which it is defined. This option may be given
1167more than once.
1168
5fe11841
NC
1169@item -w
1170@itemx --wildcard
1171Permit regular expressions in @var{symbolname}s used in other command
1172line options. The question mark (?), asterisk (*), backslash (\) and
1173square brackets ([]) operators can be used anywhere in the symbol
1174name. If the first character of the symbol name is the exclamation
1175point (!) then the sense of the switch is reversed for that symbol.
1176For example:
1177
1178@smallexample
1179 -w -W !foo -W fo*
1180@end smallexample
1181
1182would cause objcopy to weaken all symbols that start with ``fo''
1183except for the symbol ``foo''.
1184
252b5132
RH
1185@item -x
1186@itemx --discard-all
1187Do not copy non-global symbols from the source file.
1188@c FIXME any reason to prefer "non-global" to "local" here?
1189
1190@item -X
1191@itemx --discard-locals
1192Do not copy compiler-generated local symbols.
1193(These usually start with @samp{L} or @samp{.}.)
1194
1195@item -b @var{byte}
1196@itemx --byte=@var{byte}
1197Keep only every @var{byte}th byte of the input file (header data is not
1198affected). @var{byte} can be in the range from 0 to @var{interleave}-1,
c7c55b78 1199where @var{interleave} is given by the @option{-i} or @option{--interleave}
252b5132
RH
1200option, or the default of 4. This option is useful for creating files
1201to program @sc{rom}. It is typically used with an @code{srec} output
1202target.
1203
1204@item -i @var{interleave}
1205@itemx --interleave=@var{interleave}
1206Only copy one out of every @var{interleave} bytes. Select which byte to
c7c55b78
NC
1207copy with the @option{-b} or @option{--byte} option. The default is 4.
1208@command{objcopy} ignores this option if you do not specify either @option{-b} or
1209@option{--byte}.
252b5132
RH
1210
1211@item -p
1212@itemx --preserve-dates
1213Set the access and modification dates of the output file to be the same
1214as those of the input file.
1215
1216@item --debugging
1217Convert debugging information, if possible. This is not the default
1218because only certain debugging formats are supported, and the
1219conversion process can be time consuming.
1220
1221@item --gap-fill @var{val}
1222Fill gaps between sections with @var{val}. This operation applies to
1223the @emph{load address} (LMA) of the sections. It is done by increasing
1224the size of the section with the lower address, and filling in the extra
1225space created with @var{val}.
1226
1227@item --pad-to @var{address}
1228Pad the output file up to the load address @var{address}. This is
1229done by increasing the size of the last section. The extra space is
c7c55b78 1230filled in with the value specified by @option{--gap-fill} (default zero).
252b5132
RH
1231
1232@item --set-start @var{val}
f20a759a 1233Set the start address of the new file to @var{val}. Not all object file
252b5132
RH
1234formats support setting the start address.
1235
1236@item --change-start @var{incr}
1237@itemx --adjust-start @var{incr}
1238@cindex changing start address
1239Change the start address by adding @var{incr}. Not all object file
1240formats support setting the start address.
1241
1242@item --change-addresses @var{incr}
1243@itemx --adjust-vma @var{incr}
1244@cindex changing object addresses
1245Change the VMA and LMA addresses of all sections, as well as the start
1246address, by adding @var{incr}. Some object file formats do not permit
1247section addresses to be changed arbitrarily. Note that this does not
1248relocate the sections; if the program expects sections to be loaded at a
1249certain address, and this option is used to change the sections such
c1c0eb9e 1250that they are loaded at a different address, the program may fail.
252b5132
RH
1251
1252@item --change-section-address @var{section}@{=,+,-@}@var{val}
1253@itemx --adjust-section-vma @var{section}@{=,+,-@}@var{val}
1254@cindex changing section address
1255Set or change both the VMA address and the LMA address of the named
1256@var{section}. If @samp{=} is used, the section address is set to
1257@var{val}. Otherwise, @var{val} is added to or subtracted from the
c7c55b78 1258section address. See the comments under @option{--change-addresses},
252b5132 1259above. If @var{section} does not exist in the input file, a warning will
c7c55b78 1260be issued, unless @option{--no-change-warnings} is used.
252b5132
RH
1261
1262@item --change-section-lma @var{section}@{=,+,-@}@var{val}
1263@cindex changing section LMA
1264Set or change the LMA address of the named @var{section}. The LMA
1265address is the address where the section will be loaded into memory at
1266program load time. Normally this is the same as the VMA address, which
1267is the address of the section at program run time, but on some systems,
1268especially those where a program is held in ROM, the two can be
1269different. If @samp{=} is used, the section address is set to
1270@var{val}. Otherwise, @var{val} is added to or subtracted from the
c7c55b78 1271section address. See the comments under @option{--change-addresses},
252b5132 1272above. If @var{section} does not exist in the input file, a warning
c1c0eb9e 1273will be issued, unless @option{--no-change-warnings} is used.
252b5132
RH
1274
1275@item --change-section-vma @var{section}@{=,+,-@}@var{val}
1276@cindex changing section VMA
1277Set or change the VMA address of the named @var{section}. The VMA
1278address is the address where the section will be located once the
1279program has started executing. Normally this is the same as the LMA
1280address, which is the address where the section will be loaded into
1281memory, but on some systems, especially those where a program is held in
1282ROM, the two can be different. If @samp{=} is used, the section address
1283is set to @var{val}. Otherwise, @var{val} is added to or subtracted
1284from the section address. See the comments under
c7c55b78 1285@option{--change-addresses}, above. If @var{section} does not exist in
252b5132 1286the input file, a warning will be issued, unless
c1c0eb9e 1287@option{--no-change-warnings} is used.
252b5132
RH
1288
1289@item --change-warnings
1290@itemx --adjust-warnings
c7c55b78
NC
1291If @option{--change-section-address} or @option{--change-section-lma} or
1292@option{--change-section-vma} is used, and the named section does not
c1c0eb9e 1293exist, issue a warning. This is the default.
252b5132
RH
1294
1295@item --no-change-warnings
1296@itemx --no-adjust-warnings
c7c55b78
NC
1297Do not issue a warning if @option{--change-section-address} or
1298@option{--adjust-section-lma} or @option{--adjust-section-vma} is used, even
c1c0eb9e 1299if the named section does not exist.
252b5132
RH
1300
1301@item --set-section-flags @var{section}=@var{flags}
1302Set the flags for the named section. The @var{flags} argument is a
1303comma separated string of flag names. The recognized names are
3994e2c6
ILT
1304@samp{alloc}, @samp{contents}, @samp{load}, @samp{noload},
1305@samp{readonly}, @samp{code}, @samp{data}, @samp{rom}, @samp{share}, and
1306@samp{debug}. You can set the @samp{contents} flag for a section which
1307does not have contents, but it is not meaningful to clear the
1308@samp{contents} flag of a section which does have contents--just remove
1309the section instead. Not all flags are meaningful for all object file
1310formats.
252b5132
RH
1311
1312@item --add-section @var{sectionname}=@var{filename}
1313Add a new section named @var{sectionname} while copying the file. The
1314contents of the new section are taken from the file @var{filename}. The
1315size of the section will be the size of the file. This option only
1316works on file formats which can support sections with arbitrary names.
1317
594ef5db
NC
1318@item --rename-section @var{oldname}=@var{newname}[,@var{flags}]
1319Rename a section from @var{oldname} to @var{newname}, optionally
1320changing the section's flags to @var{flags} in the process. This has
1321the advantage over usng a linker script to perform the rename in that
1322the output stays as an object file and does not become a linked
1323executable.
1324
1325This option is particularly helpful when the input format is binary,
1326since this will always create a section called .data. If for example,
1327you wanted instead to create a section called .rodata containing binary
1328data you could use the following command line to achieve it:
1329
1330@smallexample
1331 objcopy -I binary -O <output_format> -B <architecture> \
1332 --rename-section .data=.rodata,alloc,load,readonly,data,contents \
1333 <input_binary_file> <output_object_file>
1334@end smallexample
1335
252b5132
RH
1336@item --change-leading-char
1337Some object file formats use special characters at the start of
1338symbols. The most common such character is underscore, which compilers
c7c55b78 1339often add before every symbol. This option tells @command{objcopy} to
252b5132
RH
1340change the leading character of every symbol when it converts between
1341object file formats. If the object file formats use the same leading
1342character, this option has no effect. Otherwise, it will add a
1343character, or remove a character, or change a character, as
1344appropriate.
1345
1346@item --remove-leading-char
1347If the first character of a global symbol is a special symbol leading
1348character used by the object file format, remove the character. The
1349most common symbol leading character is underscore. This option will
1350remove a leading underscore from all global symbols. This can be useful
1351if you want to link together objects of different file formats with
1352different conventions for symbol names. This is different from
c7c55b78 1353@option{--change-leading-char} because it always changes the symbol name
252b5132
RH
1354when appropriate, regardless of the object file format of the output
1355file.
1356
9e48b4c6
NC
1357@item --reverse-bytes=@var{num}
1358Reverse the bytes in a section with output contents. A section length must
1359be evenly divisible by the value given in order for the swap to be able to
1360take place. Reversing takes place before the interleaving is performed.
1361
1362This option is used typically in generating ROM images for problematic
1363target systems. For example, on some target boards, the 32-bit words
1364fetched from 8-bit ROMs are re-assembled in little-endian byte order
1365regardless of the CPU byte order. Depending on the programming model, the
1366endianness of the ROM may need to be modified.
1367
1368Consider a simple file with a section containing the following eight
1369bytes: @code{12345678}.
1370
1371Using @samp{--reverse-bytes=2} for the above example, the bytes in the
1372output file would be ordered @code{21436587}.
1373
1374Using @samp{--reverse-bytes=4} for the above example, the bytes in the
1375output file would be ordered @code{43218765}.
1376
1377By using @samp{--reverse-bytes=2} for the above example, followed by
1378@samp{--reverse-bytes=4} on the output file, the bytes in the second
1379output file would be ordered @code{34127856}.
1380
420496c1
NC
1381@item --srec-len=@var{ival}
1382Meaningful only for srec output. Set the maximum length of the Srecords
1383being produced to @var{ival}. This length covers both address, data and
1384crc fields.
1385
1386@item --srec-forceS3
c1c0eb9e 1387Meaningful only for srec output. Avoid generation of S1/S2 records,
420496c1
NC
1388creating S3-only record format.
1389
57938635
AM
1390@item --redefine-sym @var{old}=@var{new}
1391Change the name of a symbol @var{old}, to @var{new}. This can be useful
1392when one is trying link two things together for which you have no
1393source, and there are name collisions.
1394
92991082
JT
1395@item --redefine-syms=@var{filename}
1396Apply @option{--redefine-sym} to each symbol pair "@var{old} @var{new}"
1397listed in the file @var{filename}. @var{filename} is simply a flat file,
1398with one symbol pair per line. Line comments may be introduced by the hash
1399character. This option may be given more than once.
1400
252b5132
RH
1401@item --weaken
1402Change all global symbols in the file to be weak. This can be useful
1403when building an object which will be linked against other objects using
c7c55b78 1404the @option{-R} option to the linker. This option is only effective when
252b5132
RH
1405using an object file format which supports weak symbols.
1406
16b2b71c 1407@item --keep-symbols=@var{filename}
c7c55b78 1408Apply @option{--keep-symbol} option to each symbol listed in the file
16b2b71c
NC
1409@var{filename}. @var{filename} is simply a flat file, with one symbol
1410name per line. Line comments may be introduced by the hash character.
1411This option may be given more than once.
1412
1413@item --strip-symbols=@var{filename}
c7c55b78 1414Apply @option{--strip-symbol} option to each symbol listed in the file
16b2b71c
NC
1415@var{filename}. @var{filename} is simply a flat file, with one symbol
1416name per line. Line comments may be introduced by the hash character.
1417This option may be given more than once.
1418
bcf32829
JB
1419@item --strip-unneeded-symbols=@var{filename}
1420Apply @option{--strip-unneeded-symbol} option to each symbol listed in
1421the file @var{filename}. @var{filename} is simply a flat file, with one
1422symbol name per line. Line comments may be introduced by the hash
1423character. This option may be given more than once.
1424
16b2b71c 1425@item --keep-global-symbols=@var{filename}
c7c55b78 1426Apply @option{--keep-global-symbol} option to each symbol listed in the
16b2b71c
NC
1427file @var{filename}. @var{filename} is simply a flat file, with one
1428symbol name per line. Line comments may be introduced by the hash
1429character. This option may be given more than once.
1430
1431@item --localize-symbols=@var{filename}
c7c55b78 1432Apply @option{--localize-symbol} option to each symbol listed in the file
16b2b71c
NC
1433@var{filename}. @var{filename} is simply a flat file, with one symbol
1434name per line. Line comments may be introduced by the hash character.
1435This option may be given more than once.
1436
7b4a0685
NC
1437@item --globalize-symbols=@var{filename}
1438Apply @option{--globalize-symbol} option to each symbol listed in the file
1439@var{filename}. @var{filename} is simply a flat file, with one symbol
1440name per line. Line comments may be introduced by the hash character.
1441This option may be given more than once.
1442
16b2b71c 1443@item --weaken-symbols=@var{filename}
c7c55b78 1444Apply @option{--weaken-symbol} option to each symbol listed in the file
16b2b71c
NC
1445@var{filename}. @var{filename} is simply a flat file, with one symbol
1446name per line. Line comments may be introduced by the hash character.
1447This option may be given more than once.
1448
1ae8b3d2
AO
1449@item --alt-machine-code=@var{index}
1450If the output architecture has alternate machine codes, use the
1451@var{index}th code instead of the default one. This is useful in case
c1c0eb9e 1452a machine is assigned an official code and the tool-chain adopts the
1ae8b3d2 1453new code, but other applications still depend on the original code
f9d4ad2a
NC
1454being used. For ELF based architectures if the @var{index}
1455alternative does not exist then the value is treated as an absolute
1456number to be stored in the e_machine field of the ELF header.
1ae8b3d2 1457
4087920c
MR
1458@item --writable-text
1459Mark the output text as writable. This option isn't meaningful for all
1460object file formats.
1461
1462@item --readonly-text
1463Make the output text write protected. This option isn't meaningful for all
1464object file formats.
1465
1466@item --pure
1467Mark the output file as demand paged. This option isn't meaningful for all
1468object file formats.
1469
1470@item --impure
1471Mark the output file as impure. This option isn't meaningful for all
1472object file formats.
1473
d7fb0dd2
NC
1474@item --prefix-symbols=@var{string}
1475Prefix all symbols in the output file with @var{string}.
1476
1477@item --prefix-sections=@var{string}
1478Prefix all section names in the output file with @var{string}.
1479
1480@item --prefix-alloc-sections=@var{string}
1481Prefix all the names of all allocated sections in the output file with
1482@var{string}.
1483
ed1653a7
NC
1484@item --add-gnu-debuglink=@var{path-to-file}
1485Creates a .gnu_debuglink section which contains a reference to @var{path-to-file}
1486and adds it to the output file.
1487
1637cd90
JB
1488@item --keep-file-symbols
1489When stripping a file, perhaps with @option{--strip-debug} or
1490@option{--strip-unneeded}, retain any symbols specifying source file names,
1491which would otherwise get stripped.
1492
ed1653a7 1493@item --only-keep-debug
36d3b955
MR
1494Strip a file, removing contents of any sections that would not be
1495stripped by @option{--strip-debug} and leaving the debugging sections
c1c0eb9e 1496intact. In ELF files, this preserves all note sections in the output.
ed1653a7
NC
1497
1498The intention is that this option will be used in conjunction with
1499@option{--add-gnu-debuglink} to create a two part executable. One a
1500stripped binary which will occupy less space in RAM and in a
1501distribution and the second a debugging information file which is only
1502needed if debugging abilities are required. The suggested procedure
1503to create these files is as follows:
1504
1505@enumerate
1506@item Link the executable as normal. Assuming that is is called
1507@code{foo} then...
1508@item Run @code{objcopy --only-keep-debug foo foo.dbg} to
1509create a file containing the debugging info.
1510@item Run @code{objcopy --strip-debug foo} to create a
1511stripped executable.
1512@item Run @code{objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.dbg foo}
1513to add a link to the debugging info into the stripped executable.
1514@end enumerate
1515
928a4139 1516Note---the choice of @code{.dbg} as an extension for the debug info
ed1653a7
NC
1517file is arbitrary. Also the @code{--only-keep-debug} step is
1518optional. You could instead do this:
1519
1520@enumerate
1521@item Link the executable as normal.
1522@item Copy @code{foo} to @code{foo.full}
1523@item Run @code{objcopy --strip-debug foo}
1524@item Run @code{objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.full foo}
1525@end enumerate
1526
b45619c0 1527i.e., the file pointed to by the @option{--add-gnu-debuglink} can be the
ed1653a7
NC
1528full executable. It does not have to be a file created by the
1529@option{--only-keep-debug} switch.
1530
928a4139 1531Note---this switch is only intended for use on fully linked files. It
91bb255c
NC
1532does not make sense to use it on object files where the debugging
1533information may be incomplete. Besides the gnu_debuglink feature
1534currently only supports the presence of one filename containing
1535debugging information, not multiple filenames on a one-per-object-file
1536basis.
1537
d3e52d40
RS
1538@item --extract-symbol
1539Keep the file's section flags and symbols but remove all section data.
1540Specifically, the option:
1541
1542@itemize
d3e52d40
RS
1543@item removes the contents of all sections;
1544@item sets the size of every section to zero; and
1545@item sets the file's start address to zero.
1546@end itemize
c1c0eb9e 1547
d3e52d40
RS
1548This option is used to build a @file{.sym} file for a VxWorks kernel.
1549It can also be a useful way of reducing the size of a @option{--just-symbols}
1550linker input file.
1551
252b5132
RH
1552@item -V
1553@itemx --version
c7c55b78 1554Show the version number of @command{objcopy}.
252b5132
RH
1555
1556@item -v
1557@itemx --verbose
1558Verbose output: list all object files modified. In the case of
1559archives, @samp{objcopy -V} lists all members of the archive.
1560
1561@item --help
c7c55b78 1562Show a summary of the options to @command{objcopy}.
7c29036b
NC
1563
1564@item --info
1565Display a list showing all architectures and object formats available.
252b5132
RH
1566@end table
1567
0285c67d
NC
1568@c man end
1569
1570@ignore
1571@c man begin SEEALSO objcopy
1572ld(1), objdump(1), and the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
1573@c man end
1574@end ignore
1575
252b5132
RH
1576@node objdump
1577@chapter objdump
1578
1579@cindex object file information
1580@kindex objdump
1581
0285c67d
NC
1582@c man title objdump display information from object files.
1583
252b5132 1584@smallexample
0285c67d 1585@c man begin SYNOPSIS objdump
c7c55b78
NC
1586objdump [@option{-a}|@option{--archive-headers}]
1587 [@option{-b} @var{bfdname}|@option{--target=@var{bfdname}}]
1588 [@option{-C}|@option{--demangle}[=@var{style}] ]
1589 [@option{-d}|@option{--disassemble}]
1590 [@option{-D}|@option{--disassemble-all}]
1591 [@option{-z}|@option{--disassemble-zeroes}]
1592 [@option{-EB}|@option{-EL}|@option{--endian=}@{big | little @}]
1593 [@option{-f}|@option{--file-headers}]
98ec6e72 1594 [@option{-F}|@option{--file-offsets}]
c7c55b78
NC
1595 [@option{--file-start-context}]
1596 [@option{-g}|@option{--debugging}]
51cdc6e0 1597 [@option{-e}|@option{--debugging-tags}]
c7c55b78
NC
1598 [@option{-h}|@option{--section-headers}|@option{--headers}]
1599 [@option{-i}|@option{--info}]
1600 [@option{-j} @var{section}|@option{--section=}@var{section}]
1601 [@option{-l}|@option{--line-numbers}]
1602 [@option{-S}|@option{--source}]
1603 [@option{-m} @var{machine}|@option{--architecture=}@var{machine}]
1604 [@option{-M} @var{options}|@option{--disassembler-options=}@var{options}]
1605 [@option{-p}|@option{--private-headers}]
1606 [@option{-r}|@option{--reloc}]
1607 [@option{-R}|@option{--dynamic-reloc}]
1608 [@option{-s}|@option{--full-contents}]
4de2ad99 1609 [@option{-W}|@option{--dwarf}]
c7c55b78
NC
1610 [@option{-G}|@option{--stabs}]
1611 [@option{-t}|@option{--syms}]
1612 [@option{-T}|@option{--dynamic-syms}]
1613 [@option{-x}|@option{--all-headers}]
1614 [@option{-w}|@option{--wide}]
1615 [@option{--start-address=}@var{address}]
1616 [@option{--stop-address=}@var{address}]
1617 [@option{--prefix-addresses}]
1618 [@option{--[no-]show-raw-insn}]
1619 [@option{--adjust-vma=}@var{offset}]
3c9458e9 1620 [@option{--special-syms}]
c7c55b78
NC
1621 [@option{-V}|@option{--version}]
1622 [@option{-H}|@option{--help}]
252b5132 1623 @var{objfile}@dots{}
0285c67d 1624@c man end
252b5132
RH
1625@end smallexample
1626
0285c67d
NC
1627@c man begin DESCRIPTION objdump
1628
c7c55b78 1629@command{objdump} displays information about one or more object files.
252b5132
RH
1630The options control what particular information to display. This
1631information is mostly useful to programmers who are working on the
1632compilation tools, as opposed to programmers who just want their
1633program to compile and work.
1634
1635@var{objfile}@dots{} are the object files to be examined. When you
c7c55b78 1636specify archives, @command{objdump} shows information on each of the member
252b5132
RH
1637object files.
1638
0285c67d
NC
1639@c man end
1640
1641@c man begin OPTIONS objdump
1642
252b5132 1643The long and short forms of options, shown here as alternatives, are
1dada9c5 1644equivalent. At least one option from the list
155e0d23 1645@option{-a,-d,-D,-e,-f,-g,-G,-h,-H,-p,-r,-R,-s,-S,-t,-T,-V,-x} must be given.
252b5132 1646
c7c55b78 1647@table @env
252b5132
RH
1648@item -a
1649@itemx --archive-header
1650@cindex archive headers
1651If any of the @var{objfile} files are archives, display the archive
1652header information (in a format similar to @samp{ls -l}). Besides the
1653information you could list with @samp{ar tv}, @samp{objdump -a} shows
1654the object file format of each archive member.
1655
1656@item --adjust-vma=@var{offset}
1657@cindex section addresses in objdump
1658@cindex VMA in objdump
1659When dumping information, first add @var{offset} to all the section
1660addresses. This is useful if the section addresses do not correspond to
1661the symbol table, which can happen when putting sections at particular
1662addresses when using a format which can not represent section addresses,
1663such as a.out.
1664
1665@item -b @var{bfdname}
1666@itemx --target=@var{bfdname}
1667@cindex object code format
1668Specify that the object-code format for the object files is
1669@var{bfdname}. This option may not be necessary; @var{objdump} can
1670automatically recognize many formats.
1671
1672For example,
1673@example
1674objdump -b oasys -m vax -h fu.o
1675@end example
1676@noindent
c7c55b78
NC
1677displays summary information from the section headers (@option{-h}) of
1678@file{fu.o}, which is explicitly identified (@option{-m}) as a VAX object
252b5132 1679file in the format produced by Oasys compilers. You can list the
c7c55b78 1680formats available with the @option{-i} option.
252b5132
RH
1681@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
1682
1683@item -C
28c309a2 1684@itemx --demangle[=@var{style}]
252b5132
RH
1685@cindex demangling in objdump
1686Decode (@dfn{demangle}) low-level symbol names into user-level names.
1687Besides removing any initial underscore prepended by the system, this
28c309a2 1688makes C++ function names readable. Different compilers have different
c1c0eb9e
RM
1689mangling styles. The optional demangling style argument can be used to
1690choose an appropriate demangling style for your compiler. @xref{c++filt},
28c309a2 1691for more information on demangling.
252b5132 1692
947ed062
NC
1693@item -g
1694@itemx --debugging
b922d590
NC
1695Display debugging information. This attempts to parse STABS and IEEE
1696debugging format information stored in the file and print it out using
1697a C like syntax. If neither of these formats are found this option
1698falls back on the @option{-W} option to print any DWARF information in
1699the file.
252b5132 1700
51cdc6e0
NC
1701@item -e
1702@itemx --debugging-tags
1703Like @option{-g}, but the information is generated in a format compatible
1704with ctags tool.
1705
252b5132
RH
1706@item -d
1707@itemx --disassemble
1708@cindex disassembling object code
1709@cindex machine instructions
1710Display the assembler mnemonics for the machine instructions from
1711@var{objfile}. This option only disassembles those sections which are
1712expected to contain instructions.
1713
1714@item -D
1715@itemx --disassemble-all
c7c55b78 1716Like @option{-d}, but disassemble the contents of all sections, not just
252b5132
RH
1717those expected to contain instructions.
1718
1719@item --prefix-addresses
1720When disassembling, print the complete address on each line. This is
1721the older disassembly format.
1722
252b5132
RH
1723@item -EB
1724@itemx -EL
1725@itemx --endian=@{big|little@}
1726@cindex endianness
1727@cindex disassembly endianness
1728Specify the endianness of the object files. This only affects
1729disassembly. This can be useful when disassembling a file format which
1730does not describe endianness information, such as S-records.
1731
1732@item -f
947ed062 1733@itemx --file-headers
252b5132
RH
1734@cindex object file header
1735Display summary information from the overall header of
1736each of the @var{objfile} files.
1737
98ec6e72
NC
1738@item -F
1739@itemx --file-offsets
1740@cindex object file offsets
1741When disassembling sections, whenever a symbol is displayed, also
1742display the file offset of the region of data that is about to be
1743dumped. If zeroes are being skipped, then when disassembly resumes,
1744tell the user how many zeroes were skipped and the file offset of the
32760852
NC
1745location from where the disassembly resumes. When dumping sections,
1746display the file offset of the location from where the dump starts.
98ec6e72 1747
f1563258
TW
1748@item --file-start-context
1749@cindex source code context
1750Specify that when displaying interlisted source code/disassembly
c7c55b78 1751(assumes @option{-S}) from a file that has not yet been displayed, extend the
f1563258
TW
1752context to the start of the file.
1753
252b5132 1754@item -h
947ed062
NC
1755@itemx --section-headers
1756@itemx --headers
252b5132
RH
1757@cindex section headers
1758Display summary information from the section headers of the
1759object file.
1760
1761File segments may be relocated to nonstandard addresses, for example by
c7c55b78
NC
1762using the @option{-Ttext}, @option{-Tdata}, or @option{-Tbss} options to
1763@command{ld}. However, some object file formats, such as a.out, do not
252b5132 1764store the starting address of the file segments. In those situations,
c7c55b78 1765although @command{ld} relocates the sections correctly, using @samp{objdump
252b5132
RH
1766-h} to list the file section headers cannot show the correct addresses.
1767Instead, it shows the usual addresses, which are implicit for the
1768target.
1769
947ed062
NC
1770@item -H
1771@itemx --help
c7c55b78 1772Print a summary of the options to @command{objdump} and exit.
252b5132
RH
1773
1774@item -i
1775@itemx --info
1776@cindex architectures available
1777@cindex object formats available
1778Display a list showing all architectures and object formats available
c7c55b78 1779for specification with @option{-b} or @option{-m}.
252b5132
RH
1780
1781@item -j @var{name}
1782@itemx --section=@var{name}
1783@cindex section information
1784Display information only for section @var{name}.
1785
1786@item -l
1787@itemx --line-numbers
1788@cindex source filenames for object files
1789Label the display (using debugging information) with the filename and
1790source line numbers corresponding to the object code or relocs shown.
c7c55b78 1791Only useful with @option{-d}, @option{-D}, or @option{-r}.
252b5132
RH
1792
1793@item -m @var{machine}
1794@itemx --architecture=@var{machine}
1795@cindex architecture
1796@cindex disassembly architecture
1797Specify the architecture to use when disassembling object files. This
1798can be useful when disassembling object files which do not describe
1799architecture information, such as S-records. You can list the available
c7c55b78 1800architectures with the @option{-i} option.
252b5132 1801
dd92f639
NC
1802@item -M @var{options}
1803@itemx --disassembler-options=@var{options}
1804Pass target specific information to the disassembler. Only supported on
31e0f3cd
NC
1805some targets. If it is necessary to specify more than one
1806disassembler option then multiple @option{-M} options can be used or
1807can be placed together into a comma separated list.
dd92f639
NC
1808
1809If the target is an ARM architecture then this switch can be used to
1810select which register name set is used during disassembler. Specifying
9c092ace 1811@option{-M reg-names-std} (the default) will select the register names as
58efb6c0
NC
1812used in ARM's instruction set documentation, but with register 13 called
1813'sp', register 14 called 'lr' and register 15 called 'pc'. Specifying
c7c55b78
NC
1814@option{-M reg-names-apcs} will select the name set used by the ARM
1815Procedure Call Standard, whilst specifying @option{-M reg-names-raw} will
58efb6c0
NC
1816just use @samp{r} followed by the register number.
1817
1818There are also two variants on the APCS register naming scheme enabled
c7c55b78
NC
1819by @option{-M reg-names-atpcs} and @option{-M reg-names-special-atpcs} which
1820use the ARM/Thumb Procedure Call Standard naming conventions. (Either
947ed062 1821with the normal register names or the special register names).
dd92f639 1822
8f915f68 1823This option can also be used for ARM architectures to force the
c36774d6 1824disassembler to interpret all instructions as Thumb instructions by
c7c55b78 1825using the switch @option{--disassembler-options=force-thumb}. This can be
8f915f68
NC
1826useful when attempting to disassemble thumb code produced by other
1827compilers.
1828
e396998b
AM
1829For the x86, some of the options duplicate functions of the @option{-m}
1830switch, but allow finer grained control. Multiple selections from the
1831following may be specified as a comma separated string.
b89e9eae 1832@option{x86-64}, @option{i386} and @option{i8086} select disassembly for
e396998b 1833the given architecture. @option{intel} and @option{att} select between
9d141669
L
1834intel syntax mode and AT&T syntax mode.
1835@option{intel-mnemonic} and @option{att-mnemonic} select between
1836intel mnemonic mode and AT&T mnemonic mode. @option{intel-mnemonic}
1837implies @option{intel} and @option{att-mnemonic} implies @option{att}.
1838@option{addr64}, @option{addr32},
e396998b
AM
1839@option{addr16}, @option{data32} and @option{data16} specify the default
1840address size and operand size. These four options will be overridden if
b89e9eae 1841@option{x86-64}, @option{i386} or @option{i8086} appear later in the
e396998b 1842option string. Lastly, @option{suffix}, when in AT&T mode,
b9e5d8e5 1843instructs the disassembler to print a mnemonic suffix even when the
e396998b
AM
1844suffix could be inferred by the operands.
1845
802a735e
AM
1846For PPC, @option{booke}, @option{booke32} and @option{booke64} select
1847disassembly of BookE instructions. @option{32} and @option{64} select
c3d65c1c
BE
1848PowerPC and PowerPC64 disassembly, respectively. @option{e300}
1849selects disassembly for the e300 family. @option{440} selects
1850disassembly for the PowerPC 440. @option{ppcps} selects disassembly
1851for the paired single instructions of the PPC750CL.
802a735e 1852
b45619c0 1853For MIPS, this option controls the printing of instruction mnemonic
e39893d7
FF
1854names and register names in disassembled instructions. Multiple
1855selections from the following may be specified as a comma separated
1856string, and invalid options are ignored:
640c0ccd
CD
1857
1858@table @code
e39893d7 1859@item no-aliases
b45619c0
NC
1860Print the 'raw' instruction mnemonic instead of some pseudo
1861instruction mnemonic. I.e., print 'daddu' or 'or' instead of 'move',
e39893d7
FF
1862'sll' instead of 'nop', etc.
1863
640c0ccd
CD
1864@item gpr-names=@var{ABI}
1865Print GPR (general-purpose register) names as appropriate
1866for the specified ABI. By default, GPR names are selected according to
1867the ABI of the binary being disassembled.
1868
1869@item fpr-names=@var{ABI}
1870Print FPR (floating-point register) names as
1871appropriate for the specified ABI. By default, FPR numbers are printed
1872rather than names.
1873
1874@item cp0-names=@var{ARCH}
1875Print CP0 (system control coprocessor; coprocessor 0) register names
1876as appropriate for the CPU or architecture specified by
1877@var{ARCH}. By default, CP0 register names are selected according to
1878the architecture and CPU of the binary being disassembled.
1879
af7ee8bf
CD
1880@item hwr-names=@var{ARCH}
1881Print HWR (hardware register, used by the @code{rdhwr} instruction) names
1882as appropriate for the CPU or architecture specified by
1883@var{ARCH}. By default, HWR names are selected according to
1884the architecture and CPU of the binary being disassembled.
1885
640c0ccd
CD
1886@item reg-names=@var{ABI}
1887Print GPR and FPR names as appropriate for the selected ABI.
1888
1889@item reg-names=@var{ARCH}
af7ee8bf
CD
1890Print CPU-specific register names (CP0 register and HWR names)
1891as appropriate for the selected CPU or architecture.
640c0ccd
CD
1892@end table
1893
1894For any of the options listed above, @var{ABI} or
1895@var{ARCH} may be specified as @samp{numeric} to have numbers printed
1896rather than names, for the selected types of registers.
1897You can list the available values of @var{ABI} and @var{ARCH} using
1898the @option{--help} option.
1899
ec72cfe5
NC
1900For VAX, you can specify function entry addresses with @option{-M
1901entry:0xf00ba}. You can use this multiple times to properly
1902disassemble VAX binary files that don't contain symbol tables (like
1903ROM dumps). In these cases, the function entry mask would otherwise
b45619c0 1904be decoded as VAX instructions, which would probably lead the rest
ec72cfe5
NC
1905of the function being wrongly disassembled.
1906
252b5132
RH
1907@item -p
1908@itemx --private-headers
1909Print information that is specific to the object file format. The exact
1910information printed depends upon the object file format. For some
1911object file formats, no additional information is printed.
1912
1913@item -r
1914@itemx --reloc
1915@cindex relocation entries, in object file
c7c55b78
NC
1916Print the relocation entries of the file. If used with @option{-d} or
1917@option{-D}, the relocations are printed interspersed with the
252b5132
RH
1918disassembly.
1919
1920@item -R
1921@itemx --dynamic-reloc
1922@cindex dynamic relocation entries, in object file
1923Print the dynamic relocation entries of the file. This is only
1924meaningful for dynamic objects, such as certain types of shared
1925libraries.
1926
1927@item -s
1928@itemx --full-contents
1929@cindex sections, full contents
1930@cindex object file sections
155e0d23
NC
1931Display the full contents of any sections requested. By default all
1932non-empty sections are displayed.
252b5132
RH
1933
1934@item -S
1935@itemx --source
1936@cindex source disassembly
1937@cindex disassembly, with source
1938Display source code intermixed with disassembly, if possible. Implies
c7c55b78 1939@option{-d}.
252b5132
RH
1940
1941@item --show-raw-insn
1942When disassembling instructions, print the instruction in hex as well as
1943in symbolic form. This is the default except when
c7c55b78 1944@option{--prefix-addresses} is used.
252b5132
RH
1945
1946@item --no-show-raw-insn
1947When disassembling instructions, do not print the instruction bytes.
c7c55b78 1948This is the default when @option{--prefix-addresses} is used.
252b5132 1949
4de2ad99
L
1950@item -W
1951@itemx --dwarf
1952@cindex DWARF
1953@cindex debug symbols
1954Displays the contents of the DWARF debug sections in the file, if any
1955are present.
1956
1dada9c5 1957@item -G
947ed062 1958@itemx --stabs
252b5132
RH
1959@cindex stab
1960@cindex .stab
1961@cindex debug symbols
1962@cindex ELF object file format
1963Display the full contents of any sections requested. Display the
1964contents of the .stab and .stab.index and .stab.excl sections from an
1965ELF file. This is only useful on systems (such as Solaris 2.0) in which
1966@code{.stab} debugging symbol-table entries are carried in an ELF
1967section. In most other file formats, debugging symbol-table entries are
c7c55b78 1968interleaved with linkage symbols, and are visible in the @option{--syms}
0285c67d
NC
1969output.
1970@ifclear man
1971For more information on stabs symbols, see @ref{Top,Stabs,Stabs
252b5132 1972Overview,stabs.info, The ``stabs'' debug format}.
0285c67d 1973@end ifclear
252b5132
RH
1974
1975@item --start-address=@var{address}
1976@cindex start-address
1977Start displaying data at the specified address. This affects the output
c7c55b78 1978of the @option{-d}, @option{-r} and @option{-s} options.
252b5132
RH
1979
1980@item --stop-address=@var{address}
1981@cindex stop-address
1982Stop displaying data at the specified address. This affects the output
c7c55b78 1983of the @option{-d}, @option{-r} and @option{-s} options.
252b5132
RH
1984
1985@item -t
1986@itemx --syms
1987@cindex symbol table entries, printing
1988Print the symbol table entries of the file.
a1039809
NC
1989This is similar to the information provided by the @samp{nm} program,
1990although the display format is different. The format of the output
1991depends upon the format of the file being dumped, but there are two main
1992types. One looks like this:
1993
1994@smallexample
1995[ 4](sec 3)(fl 0x00)(ty 0)(scl 3) (nx 1) 0x00000000 .bss
1996[ 6](sec 1)(fl 0x00)(ty 0)(scl 2) (nx 0) 0x00000000 fred
1997@end smallexample
1998
1999where the number inside the square brackets is the number of the entry
2000in the symbol table, the @var{sec} number is the section number, the
2001@var{fl} value are the symbol's flag bits, the @var{ty} number is the
2002symbol's type, the @var{scl} number is the symbol's storage class and
2003the @var{nx} value is the number of auxilary entries associated with
2004the symbol. The last two fields are the symbol's value and its name.
2005
2006The other common output format, usually seen with ELF based files,
2007looks like this:
2008
2009@smallexample
201000000000 l d .bss 00000000 .bss
201100000000 g .text 00000000 fred
2012@end smallexample
2013
2014Here the first number is the symbol's value (sometimes refered to as
2015its address). The next field is actually a set of characters and
2016spaces indicating the flag bits that are set on the symbol. These
af3e16d9
NC
2017characters are described below. Next is the section with which the
2018symbol is associated or @emph{*ABS*} if the section is absolute (ie
2019not connected with any section), or @emph{*UND*} if the section is
2020referenced in the file being dumped, but not defined there.
2021
2022After the section name comes another field, a number, which for common
2023symbols is the alignment and for other symbol is the size. Finally
2024the symbol's name is displayed.
a1039809
NC
2025
2026The flag characters are divided into 7 groups as follows:
2027@table @code
2028@item l
2029@itemx g
2030@itemx !
2031The symbol is local (l), global (g), neither (a space) or both (!). A
928a4139 2032symbol can be neither local or global for a variety of reasons, e.g.,
a1039809
NC
2033because it is used for debugging, but it is probably an indication of
2034a bug if it is ever both local and global.
2035
2036@item w
2037The symbol is weak (w) or strong (a space).
2038
2039@item C
2040The symbol denotes a constructor (C) or an ordinary symbol (a space).
2041
2042@item W
2043The symbol is a warning (W) or a normal symbol (a space). A warning
2044symbol's name is a message to be displayed if the symbol following the
2045warning symbol is ever referenced.
2046
2047@item I
171191ba
NC
2048@item i
2049The symbol is an indirect reference to another symbol (I), a function
2050to be evaluated during reloc processing (i) or a normal symbol (a
2051space).
a1039809
NC
2052
2053@item d
2054@itemx D
2055The symbol is a debugging symbol (d) or a dynamic symbol (D) or a
2056normal symbol (a space).
2057
2058@item F
2059@item f
2060@item O
af3e16d9 2061The symbol is the name of a function (F) or a file (f) or an object
a1039809
NC
2062(O) or just a normal symbol (a space).
2063@end table
252b5132
RH
2064
2065@item -T
2066@itemx --dynamic-syms
2067@cindex dynamic symbol table entries, printing
2068Print the dynamic symbol table entries of the file. This is only
2069meaningful for dynamic objects, such as certain types of shared
2070libraries. This is similar to the information provided by the @samp{nm}
c7c55b78 2071program when given the @option{-D} (@option{--dynamic}) option.
252b5132 2072
3c9458e9
NC
2073@item --special-syms
2074When displaying symbols include those which the target considers to be
2075special in some way and which would not normally be of interest to the
2076user.
2077
947ed062
NC
2078@item -V
2079@itemx --version
c7c55b78 2080Print the version number of @command{objdump} and exit.
252b5132
RH
2081
2082@item -x
947ed062 2083@itemx --all-headers
252b5132
RH
2084@cindex all header information, object file
2085@cindex header information, all
2086Display all available header information, including the symbol table and
c7c55b78 2087relocation entries. Using @option{-x} is equivalent to specifying all of
04c34128 2088@option{-a -f -h -p -r -t}.
252b5132
RH
2089
2090@item -w
2091@itemx --wide
2092@cindex wide output, printing
2093Format some lines for output devices that have more than 80 columns.
31104126 2094Also do not truncate symbol names when they are displayed.
aefbdd67
BE
2095
2096@item -z
2c0c15f9 2097@itemx --disassemble-zeroes
aefbdd67
BE
2098Normally the disassembly output will skip blocks of zeroes. This
2099option directs the disassembler to disassemble those blocks, just like
2100any other data.
252b5132
RH
2101@end table
2102
0285c67d
NC
2103@c man end
2104
2105@ignore
2106@c man begin SEEALSO objdump
2107nm(1), readelf(1), and the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
2108@c man end
2109@end ignore
2110
252b5132
RH
2111@node ranlib
2112@chapter ranlib
2113
2114@kindex ranlib
2115@cindex archive contents
2116@cindex symbol index
2117
0285c67d
NC
2118@c man title ranlib generate index to archive.
2119
252b5132 2120@smallexample
0285c67d 2121@c man begin SYNOPSIS ranlib
b14f9da0 2122ranlib [@option{-vVt}] @var{archive}
0285c67d 2123@c man end
252b5132
RH
2124@end smallexample
2125
0285c67d
NC
2126@c man begin DESCRIPTION ranlib
2127
c7c55b78 2128@command{ranlib} generates an index to the contents of an archive and
252b5132 2129stores it in the archive. The index lists each symbol defined by a
c1c0eb9e 2130member of an archive that is a relocatable object file.
252b5132
RH
2131
2132You may use @samp{nm -s} or @samp{nm --print-armap} to list this index.
2133
2134An archive with such an index speeds up linking to the library and
2135allows routines in the library to call each other without regard to
2136their placement in the archive.
2137
c7c55b78
NC
2138The @sc{gnu} @command{ranlib} program is another form of @sc{gnu} @command{ar}; running
2139@command{ranlib} is completely equivalent to executing @samp{ar -s}.
252b5132
RH
2140@xref{ar}.
2141
0285c67d
NC
2142@c man end
2143
2144@c man begin OPTIONS ranlib
2145
c7c55b78 2146@table @env
252b5132
RH
2147@item -v
2148@itemx -V
f20a759a 2149@itemx --version
c7c55b78 2150Show the version number of @command{ranlib}.
b14f9da0
NC
2151
2152@item -t
2153Update the timestamp of the symbol map of an archive.
252b5132
RH
2154@end table
2155
0285c67d
NC
2156@c man end
2157
2158@ignore
2159@c man begin SEEALSO ranlib
2160ar(1), nm(1), and the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
2161@c man end
2162@end ignore
2163
252b5132
RH
2164@node size
2165@chapter size
2166
2167@kindex size
2168@cindex section sizes
2169
0285c67d
NC
2170@c man title size list section sizes and total size.
2171
252b5132 2172@smallexample
0285c67d 2173@c man begin SYNOPSIS size
c7c55b78 2174size [@option{-A}|@option{-B}|@option{--format=}@var{compatibility}]
15c82623
NC
2175 [@option{--help}]
2176 [@option{-d}|@option{-o}|@option{-x}|@option{--radix=}@var{number}]
29422971 2177 [@option{--common}]
15c82623 2178 [@option{-t}|@option{--totals}]
c1c0eb9e 2179 [@option{--target=}@var{bfdname}] [@option{-V}|@option{--version}]
c7c55b78 2180 [@var{objfile}@dots{}]
0285c67d 2181@c man end
252b5132
RH
2182@end smallexample
2183
0285c67d
NC
2184@c man begin DESCRIPTION size
2185
c7c55b78 2186The @sc{gnu} @command{size} utility lists the section sizes---and the total
252b5132
RH
2187size---for each of the object or archive files @var{objfile} in its
2188argument list. By default, one line of output is generated for each
2189object file or each module in an archive.
2190
2191@var{objfile}@dots{} are the object files to be examined.
2192If none are specified, the file @code{a.out} will be used.
2193
0285c67d
NC
2194@c man end
2195
2196@c man begin OPTIONS size
2197
252b5132
RH
2198The command line options have the following meanings:
2199
c7c55b78 2200@table @env
252b5132
RH
2201@item -A
2202@itemx -B
2203@itemx --format=@var{compatibility}
c7c55b78 2204@cindex @command{size} display format
252b5132 2205Using one of these options, you can choose whether the output from @sc{gnu}
c7c55b78
NC
2206@command{size} resembles output from System V @command{size} (using @option{-A},
2207or @option{--format=sysv}), or Berkeley @command{size} (using @option{-B}, or
2208@option{--format=berkeley}). The default is the one-line format similar to
c1c0eb9e 2209Berkeley's.
252b5132
RH
2210@c Bonus for doc-source readers: you can also say --format=strange (or
2211@c anything else that starts with 's') for sysv, and --format=boring (or
2212@c anything else that starts with 'b') for Berkeley.
2213
2214Here is an example of the Berkeley (default) format of output from
c1c0eb9e 2215@command{size}:
252b5132 2216@smallexample
f20a759a 2217$ size --format=Berkeley ranlib size
252b5132
RH
2218text data bss dec hex filename
2219294880 81920 11592 388392 5ed28 ranlib
2220294880 81920 11888 388688 5ee50 size
2221@end smallexample
2222
2223@noindent
2224This is the same data, but displayed closer to System V conventions:
2225
2226@smallexample
f20a759a 2227$ size --format=SysV ranlib size
252b5132
RH
2228ranlib :
2229section size addr
c1c0eb9e
RM
2230.text 294880 8192
2231.data 81920 303104
2232.bss 11592 385024
2233Total 388392
252b5132
RH
2234
2235
2236size :
2237section size addr
c1c0eb9e
RM
2238.text 294880 8192
2239.data 81920 303104
2240.bss 11888 385024
2241Total 388688
252b5132
RH
2242@end smallexample
2243
2244@item --help
2245Show a summary of acceptable arguments and options.
2246
2247@item -d
2248@itemx -o
2249@itemx -x
2250@itemx --radix=@var{number}
c7c55b78 2251@cindex @command{size} number format
252b5132
RH
2252@cindex radix for section sizes
2253Using one of these options, you can control whether the size of each
c7c55b78
NC
2254section is given in decimal (@option{-d}, or @option{--radix=10}); octal
2255(@option{-o}, or @option{--radix=8}); or hexadecimal (@option{-x}, or
2256@option{--radix=16}). In @option{--radix=@var{number}}, only the three
252b5132 2257values (8, 10, 16) are supported. The total size is always given in two
c7c55b78
NC
2258radices; decimal and hexadecimal for @option{-d} or @option{-x} output, or
2259octal and hexadecimal if you're using @option{-o}.
252b5132 2260
29422971
AM
2261@item --common
2262Print total size of common symbols in each file. When using Berkeley
2263format these are included in the bss size.
2264
15c82623
NC
2265@item -t
2266@itemx --totals
2267Show totals of all objects listed (Berkeley format listing mode only).
2268
252b5132
RH
2269@item --target=@var{bfdname}
2270@cindex object code format
2271Specify that the object-code format for @var{objfile} is
c7c55b78 2272@var{bfdname}. This option may not be necessary; @command{size} can
252b5132
RH
2273automatically recognize many formats.
2274@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
2275
2276@item -V
2277@itemx --version
c7c55b78 2278Display the version number of @command{size}.
252b5132
RH
2279@end table
2280
0285c67d
NC
2281@c man end
2282
2283@ignore
2284@c man begin SEEALSO size
2285ar(1), objdump(1), readelf(1), and the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
2286@c man end
2287@end ignore
2288
252b5132
RH
2289@node strings
2290@chapter strings
2291@kindex strings
2292@cindex listings strings
2293@cindex printing strings
2294@cindex strings, printing
2295
0285c67d
NC
2296@c man title strings print the strings of printable characters in files.
2297
252b5132 2298@smallexample
0285c67d 2299@c man begin SYNOPSIS strings
d132876a
NC
2300strings [@option{-afov}] [@option{-}@var{min-len}]
2301 [@option{-n} @var{min-len}] [@option{--bytes=}@var{min-len}]
2302 [@option{-t} @var{radix}] [@option{--radix=}@var{radix}]
2303 [@option{-e} @var{encoding}] [@option{--encoding=}@var{encoding}]
2304 [@option{-}] [@option{--all}] [@option{--print-file-name}]
3bf31ec9 2305 [@option{-T} @var{bfdname}] [@option{--target=}@var{bfdname}]
c7c55b78 2306 [@option{--help}] [@option{--version}] @var{file}@dots{}
0285c67d 2307@c man end
252b5132
RH
2308@end smallexample
2309
0285c67d
NC
2310@c man begin DESCRIPTION strings
2311
c7c55b78 2312For each @var{file} given, @sc{gnu} @command{strings} prints the printable
252b5132
RH
2313character sequences that are at least 4 characters long (or the number
2314given with the options below) and are followed by an unprintable
2315character. By default, it only prints the strings from the initialized
2316and loaded sections of object files; for other types of files, it prints
2317the strings from the whole file.
2318
c7c55b78 2319@command{strings} is mainly useful for determining the contents of non-text
252b5132
RH
2320files.
2321
0285c67d
NC
2322@c man end
2323
2324@c man begin OPTIONS strings
2325
c7c55b78 2326@table @env
252b5132
RH
2327@item -a
2328@itemx --all
2329@itemx -
2330Do not scan only the initialized and loaded sections of object files;
2331scan the whole files.
2332
2333@item -f
2334@itemx --print-file-name
2335Print the name of the file before each string.
2336
2337@item --help
2338Print a summary of the program usage on the standard output and exit.
2339
2340@item -@var{min-len}
2341@itemx -n @var{min-len}
2342@itemx --bytes=@var{min-len}
2343Print sequences of characters that are at least @var{min-len} characters
2344long, instead of the default 4.
2345
2346@item -o
c7c55b78 2347Like @samp{-t o}. Some other versions of @command{strings} have @option{-o}
252b5132
RH
2348act like @samp{-t d} instead. Since we can not be compatible with both
2349ways, we simply chose one.
2350
2351@item -t @var{radix}
2352@itemx --radix=@var{radix}
2353Print the offset within the file before each string. The single
2354character argument specifies the radix of the offset---@samp{o} for
2355octal, @samp{x} for hexadecimal, or @samp{d} for decimal.
2356
d132876a
NC
2357@item -e @var{encoding}
2358@itemx --encoding=@var{encoding}
2359Select the character encoding of the strings that are to be found.
8745eafa
NC
2360Possible values for @var{encoding} are: @samp{s} = single-7-bit-byte
2361characters (ASCII, ISO 8859, etc., default), @samp{S} =
2362single-8-bit-byte characters, @samp{b} = 16-bit bigendian, @samp{l} =
236316-bit littleendian, @samp{B} = 32-bit bigendian, @samp{L} = 32-bit
830bf75c
NC
2364littleendian. Useful for finding wide character strings. (@samp{l}
2365and @samp{b} apply to, for example, Unicode UTF-16/UCS-2 encodings).
d132876a 2366
3bf31ec9
NC
2367@item -T @var{bfdname}
2368@itemx --target=@var{bfdname}
252b5132
RH
2369@cindex object code format
2370Specify an object code format other than your system's default format.
2371@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
2372
2373@item -v
2374@itemx --version
2375Print the program version number on the standard output and exit.
2376@end table
2377
0285c67d
NC
2378@c man end
2379
2380@ignore
2381@c man begin SEEALSO strings
2382ar(1), nm(1), objdump(1), ranlib(1), readelf(1)
2383and the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
2384@c man end
2385@end ignore
2386
252b5132
RH
2387@node strip
2388@chapter strip
2389
2390@kindex strip
2391@cindex removing symbols
2392@cindex discarding symbols
2393@cindex symbols, discarding
2394
0285c67d
NC
2395@c man title strip Discard symbols from object files.
2396
252b5132 2397@smallexample
0285c67d 2398@c man begin SYNOPSIS strip
2593f09a
NC
2399strip [@option{-F} @var{bfdname} |@option{--target=}@var{bfdname}]
2400 [@option{-I} @var{bfdname} |@option{--input-target=}@var{bfdname}]
2401 [@option{-O} @var{bfdname} |@option{--output-target=}@var{bfdname}]
2402 [@option{-s}|@option{--strip-all}]
2403 [@option{-S}|@option{-g}|@option{-d}|@option{--strip-debug}]
2404 [@option{-K} @var{symbolname} |@option{--keep-symbol=}@var{symbolname}]
2405 [@option{-N} @var{symbolname} |@option{--strip-symbol=}@var{symbolname}]
5fe11841 2406 [@option{-w}|@option{--wildcard}]
2593f09a
NC
2407 [@option{-x}|@option{--discard-all}] [@option{-X} |@option{--discard-locals}]
2408 [@option{-R} @var{sectionname} |@option{--remove-section=}@var{sectionname}]
2409 [@option{-o} @var{file}] [@option{-p}|@option{--preserve-dates}]
1637cd90 2410 [@option{--keep-file-symbols}]
ed1653a7 2411 [@option{--only-keep-debug}]
7c29036b
NC
2412 [@option{-v} |@option{--verbose}] [@option{-V}|@option{--version}]
2413 [@option{--help}] [@option{--info}]
252b5132 2414 @var{objfile}@dots{}
0285c67d 2415@c man end
252b5132
RH
2416@end smallexample
2417
0285c67d
NC
2418@c man begin DESCRIPTION strip
2419
c7c55b78 2420@sc{gnu} @command{strip} discards all symbols from object files
252b5132
RH
2421@var{objfile}. The list of object files may include archives.
2422At least one object file must be given.
2423
c7c55b78 2424@command{strip} modifies the files named in its argument,
252b5132
RH
2425rather than writing modified copies under different names.
2426
0285c67d
NC
2427@c man end
2428
2429@c man begin OPTIONS strip
2430
c7c55b78 2431@table @env
252b5132
RH
2432@item -F @var{bfdname}
2433@itemx --target=@var{bfdname}
2434Treat the original @var{objfile} as a file with the object
2435code format @var{bfdname}, and rewrite it in the same format.
2436@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
2437
2438@item --help
c7c55b78 2439Show a summary of the options to @command{strip} and exit.
252b5132 2440
7c29036b
NC
2441@item --info
2442Display a list showing all architectures and object formats available.
2443
947ed062 2444@item -I @var{bfdname}
252b5132
RH
2445@itemx --input-target=@var{bfdname}
2446Treat the original @var{objfile} as a file with the object
2447code format @var{bfdname}.
2448@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
2449
2450@item -O @var{bfdname}
2451@itemx --output-target=@var{bfdname}
2452Replace @var{objfile} with a file in the output format @var{bfdname}.
2453@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
2454
2455@item -R @var{sectionname}
2456@itemx --remove-section=@var{sectionname}
2457Remove any section named @var{sectionname} from the output file. This
2458option may be given more than once. Note that using this option
2459inappropriately may make the output file unusable.
2460
2461@item -s
2462@itemx --strip-all
2463Remove all symbols.
2464
2465@item -g
2466@itemx -S
15c82623 2467@itemx -d
252b5132
RH
2468@itemx --strip-debug
2469Remove debugging symbols only.
2470
2471@item --strip-unneeded
2472Remove all symbols that are not needed for relocation processing.
2473
2474@item -K @var{symbolname}
2475@itemx --keep-symbol=@var{symbolname}
e7f918ad
NC
2476When stripping symbols, keep symbol @var{symbolname} even if it would
2477normally be stripped. This option may be given more than once.
252b5132
RH
2478
2479@item -N @var{symbolname}
2480@itemx --strip-symbol=@var{symbolname}
2481Remove symbol @var{symbolname} from the source file. This option may be
2482given more than once, and may be combined with strip options other than
c7c55b78 2483@option{-K}.
252b5132
RH
2484
2485@item -o @var{file}
2486Put the stripped output in @var{file}, rather than replacing the
2487existing file. When this argument is used, only one @var{objfile}
2488argument may be specified.
2489
2490@item -p
2491@itemx --preserve-dates
2492Preserve the access and modification dates of the file.
2493
5fe11841
NC
2494@item -w
2495@itemx --wildcard
2496Permit regular expressions in @var{symbolname}s used in other command
2497line options. The question mark (?), asterisk (*), backslash (\) and
2498square brackets ([]) operators can be used anywhere in the symbol
2499name. If the first character of the symbol name is the exclamation
2500point (!) then the sense of the switch is reversed for that symbol.
2501For example:
2502
2503@smallexample
2504 -w -K !foo -K fo*
2505@end smallexample
2506
2507would cause strip to only keep symbols that start with the letters
2508``fo'', but to discard the symbol ``foo''.
2509
252b5132
RH
2510@item -x
2511@itemx --discard-all
2512Remove non-global symbols.
2513
2514@item -X
2515@itemx --discard-locals
2516Remove compiler-generated local symbols.
2517(These usually start with @samp{L} or @samp{.}.)
2518
1637cd90
JB
2519@item --keep-file-symbols
2520When stripping a file, perhaps with @option{--strip-debug} or
2521@option{--strip-unneeded}, retain any symbols specifying source file names,
2522which would otherwise get stripped.
2523
ed1653a7 2524@item --only-keep-debug
c1c0eb9e
RM
2525Strip a file, removing contents of any sections that would not be
2526stripped by @option{--strip-debug} and leaving the debugging sections
2527intact. In ELF files, this preserves all note sections in the output.
ed1653a7
NC
2528
2529The intention is that this option will be used in conjunction with
2530@option{--add-gnu-debuglink} to create a two part executable. One a
2531stripped binary which will occupy less space in RAM and in a
2532distribution and the second a debugging information file which is only
2533needed if debugging abilities are required. The suggested procedure
2534to create these files is as follows:
2535
2536@enumerate
2537@item Link the executable as normal. Assuming that is is called
2538@code{foo} then...
2539@item Run @code{objcopy --only-keep-debug foo foo.dbg} to
2540create a file containing the debugging info.
2541@item Run @code{objcopy --strip-debug foo} to create a
2542stripped executable.
2543@item Run @code{objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.dbg foo}
2544to add a link to the debugging info into the stripped executable.
2545@end enumerate
2546
928a4139 2547Note---the choice of @code{.dbg} as an extension for the debug info
ed1653a7
NC
2548file is arbitrary. Also the @code{--only-keep-debug} step is
2549optional. You could instead do this:
2550
2551@enumerate
2552@item Link the executable as normal.
928a4139 2553@item Copy @code{foo} to @code{foo.full}
ed1653a7
NC
2554@item Run @code{strip --strip-debug foo}
2555@item Run @code{objcopy --add-gnu-debuglink=foo.full foo}
2556@end enumerate
2557
928a4139 2558i.e., the file pointed to by the @option{--add-gnu-debuglink} can be the
ed1653a7
NC
2559full executable. It does not have to be a file created by the
2560@option{--only-keep-debug} switch.
2561
928a4139 2562Note---this switch is only intended for use on fully linked files. It
91bb255c
NC
2563does not make sense to use it on object files where the debugging
2564information may be incomplete. Besides the gnu_debuglink feature
2565currently only supports the presence of one filename containing
2566debugging information, not multiple filenames on a one-per-object-file
2567basis.
2568
252b5132
RH
2569@item -V
2570@itemx --version
c7c55b78 2571Show the version number for @command{strip}.
252b5132
RH
2572
2573@item -v
2574@itemx --verbose
2575Verbose output: list all object files modified. In the case of
2576archives, @samp{strip -v} lists all members of the archive.
2577@end table
2578
0285c67d
NC
2579@c man end
2580
2581@ignore
2582@c man begin SEEALSO strip
2583the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
2584@c man end
2585@end ignore
2586
9d51cc66 2587@node c++filt, addr2line, strip, Top
252b5132
RH
2588@chapter c++filt
2589
2590@kindex c++filt
2591@cindex demangling C++ symbols
2592
0285c67d
NC
2593@c man title cxxfilt Demangle C++ and Java symbols.
2594
252b5132 2595@smallexample
0285c67d 2596@c man begin SYNOPSIS cxxfilt
c7c55b78 2597c++filt [@option{-_}|@option{--strip-underscores}]
c7c55b78 2598 [@option{-n}|@option{--no-strip-underscores}]
4e48c9dd 2599 [@option{-p}|@option{--no-params}]
ec948987 2600 [@option{-t}|@option{--types}]
cbf1f5df 2601 [@option{-i}|@option{--no-verbose}]
c7c55b78
NC
2602 [@option{-s} @var{format}|@option{--format=}@var{format}]
2603 [@option{--help}] [@option{--version}] [@var{symbol}@dots{}]
0285c67d 2604@c man end
252b5132
RH
2605@end smallexample
2606
0285c67d
NC
2607@c man begin DESCRIPTION cxxfilt
2608
9d51cc66 2609@kindex cxxfilt
ec948987
NC
2610The C++ and Java languages provide function overloading, which means
2611that you can write many functions with the same name, providing that
2612each function takes parameters of different types. In order to be
2613able to distinguish these similarly named functions C++ and Java
2614encode them into a low-level assembler name which uniquely identifies
2615each different version. This process is known as @dfn{mangling}. The
2616@command{c++filt}
c1c0eb9e 2617@footnote{MS-DOS does not allow @kbd{+} characters in file names, so on
195a97ce 2618MS-DOS this program is named @command{CXXFILT}.}
9d51cc66 2619program does the inverse mapping: it decodes (@dfn{demangles}) low-level
ec948987 2620names into user-level names so that they can be read.
252b5132
RH
2621
2622Every alphanumeric word (consisting of letters, digits, underscores,
cbf1f5df
NC
2623dollars, or periods) seen in the input is a potential mangled name.
2624If the name decodes into a C++ name, the C++ name replaces the
ec948987
NC
2625low-level name in the output, otherwise the original word is output.
2626In this way you can pass an entire assembler source file, containing
2627mangled names, through @command{c++filt} and see the same source file
2628containing demangled names.
252b5132 2629
ec948987
NC
2630You can also use @command{c++filt} to decipher individual symbols by
2631passing them on the command line:
252b5132
RH
2632
2633@example
2634c++filt @var{symbol}
2635@end example
2636
c7c55b78 2637If no @var{symbol} arguments are given, @command{c++filt} reads symbol
ec948987
NC
2638names from the standard input instead. All the results are printed on
2639the standard output. The difference between reading names from the
2640command line versus reading names from the standard input is that
2641command line arguments are expected to be just mangled names and no
b45619c0 2642checking is performed to separate them from surrounding text. Thus
ec948987
NC
2643for example:
2644
2645@smallexample
2646c++filt -n _Z1fv
2647@end smallexample
2648
2649will work and demangle the name to ``f()'' whereas:
2650
2651@smallexample
2652c++filt -n _Z1fv,
2653@end smallexample
2654
2655will not work. (Note the extra comma at the end of the mangled
2656name which makes it invalid). This command however will work:
2657
2658@smallexample
2659echo _Z1fv, | c++filt -n
2660@end smallexample
2661
928a4139 2662and will display ``f(),'', i.e., the demangled name followed by a
ec948987
NC
2663trailing comma. This behaviour is because when the names are read
2664from the standard input it is expected that they might be part of an
2665assembler source file where there might be extra, extraneous
928a4139 2666characters trailing after a mangled name. For example:
ec948987
NC
2667
2668@smallexample
2669 .type _Z1fv, @@function
2670@end smallexample
252b5132 2671
0285c67d
NC
2672@c man end
2673
2674@c man begin OPTIONS cxxfilt
2675
c7c55b78 2676@table @env
252b5132
RH
2677@item -_
2678@itemx --strip-underscores
2679On some systems, both the C and C++ compilers put an underscore in front
2680of every name. For example, the C name @code{foo} gets the low-level
2681name @code{_foo}. This option removes the initial underscore. Whether
c7c55b78 2682@command{c++filt} removes the underscore by default is target dependent.
252b5132
RH
2683
2684@item -j
2685@itemx --java
2686Prints demangled names using Java syntax. The default is to use C++
2687syntax.
2688
2689@item -n
2690@itemx --no-strip-underscores
2691Do not remove the initial underscore.
2692
4e48c9dd
ILT
2693@item -p
2694@itemx --no-params
2695When demangling the name of a function, do not display the types of
2696the function's parameters.
2697
cbf1f5df 2698@item -t
ec948987
NC
2699@itemx --types
2700Attempt to demangle types as well as function names. This is disabled
2701by default since mangled types are normally only used internally in
928a4139 2702the compiler, and they can be confused with non-mangled names. For example,
ec948987
NC
2703a function called ``a'' treated as a mangled type name would be
2704demangled to ``signed char''.
cbf1f5df
NC
2705
2706@item -i
2707@itemx --no-verbose
2708Do not include implementation details (if any) in the demangled
2709output.
2710
252b5132
RH
2711@item -s @var{format}
2712@itemx --format=@var{format}
947ed062
NC
2713@command{c++filt} can decode various methods of mangling, used by
2714different compilers. The argument to this option selects which
252b5132
RH
2715method it uses:
2716
2717@table @code
947ed062
NC
2718@item auto
2719Automatic selection based on executable (the default method)
252b5132 2720@item gnu
947ed062 2721the one used by the @sc{gnu} C++ compiler (g++)
252b5132 2722@item lucid
947ed062 2723the one used by the Lucid compiler (lcc)
252b5132
RH
2724@item arm
2725the one specified by the C++ Annotated Reference Manual
2726@item hp
947ed062 2727the one used by the HP compiler (aCC)
252b5132
RH
2728@item edg
2729the one used by the EDG compiler
b5e2a4f3 2730@item gnu-v3
947ed062
NC
2731the one used by the @sc{gnu} C++ compiler (g++) with the V3 ABI.
2732@item java
2733the one used by the @sc{gnu} Java compiler (gcj)
2734@item gnat
2735the one used by the @sc{gnu} Ada compiler (GNAT).
252b5132
RH
2736@end table
2737
2738@item --help
c7c55b78 2739Print a summary of the options to @command{c++filt} and exit.
252b5132
RH
2740
2741@item --version
c7c55b78 2742Print the version number of @command{c++filt} and exit.
252b5132
RH
2743@end table
2744
0285c67d
NC
2745@c man end
2746
2747@ignore
2748@c man begin SEEALSO cxxfilt
2749the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
2750@c man end
2751@end ignore
2752
252b5132 2753@quotation
c7c55b78 2754@emph{Warning:} @command{c++filt} is a new utility, and the details of its
252b5132 2755user interface are subject to change in future releases. In particular,
b45619c0 2756a command-line option may be required in the future to decode a name
c1c0eb9e 2757passed as an argument on the command line; in other words,
252b5132
RH
2758
2759@example
2760c++filt @var{symbol}
2761@end example
2762
2763@noindent
2764may in a future release become
2765
2766@example
2767c++filt @var{option} @var{symbol}
2768@end example
2769@end quotation
2770
2771@node addr2line
2772@chapter addr2line
2773
2774@kindex addr2line
2775@cindex address to file name and line number
2776
0285c67d
NC
2777@c man title addr2line convert addresses into file names and line numbers.
2778
252b5132 2779@smallexample
0285c67d 2780@c man begin SYNOPSIS addr2line
c7c55b78 2781addr2line [@option{-b} @var{bfdname}|@option{--target=}@var{bfdname}]
bf44dd74 2782 [@option{-C}|@option{--demangle}[=@var{style}]]
c7c55b78
NC
2783 [@option{-e} @var{filename}|@option{--exe=}@var{filename}]
2784 [@option{-f}|@option{--functions}] [@option{-s}|@option{--basename}]
0c552dc1 2785 [@option{-i}|@option{--inlines}]
c5f8c388 2786 [@option{-j}|@option{--section=}@var{name}]
c7c55b78
NC
2787 [@option{-H}|@option{--help}] [@option{-V}|@option{--version}]
2788 [addr addr @dots{}]
0285c67d 2789@c man end
252b5132
RH
2790@end smallexample
2791
0285c67d
NC
2792@c man begin DESCRIPTION addr2line
2793
c5f8c388
EB
2794@command{addr2line} translates addresses into file names and line numbers.
2795Given an address in an executable or an offset in a section of a relocatable
2796object, it uses the debugging information to figure out which file name and
2797line number are associated with it.
252b5132 2798
c5f8c388
EB
2799The executable or relocatable object to use is specified with the @option{-e}
2800option. The default is the file @file{a.out}. The section in the relocatable
2801object to use is specified with the @option{-j} option.
252b5132 2802
c7c55b78 2803@command{addr2line} has two modes of operation.
252b5132
RH
2804
2805In the first, hexadecimal addresses are specified on the command line,
c7c55b78 2806and @command{addr2line} displays the file name and line number for each
252b5132
RH
2807address.
2808
c7c55b78 2809In the second, @command{addr2line} reads hexadecimal addresses from
252b5132 2810standard input, and prints the file name and line number for each
c7c55b78 2811address on standard output. In this mode, @command{addr2line} may be used
252b5132
RH
2812in a pipe to convert dynamically chosen addresses.
2813
2814The format of the output is @samp{FILENAME:LINENO}. The file name and
2815line number for each address is printed on a separate line. If the
c7c55b78 2816@command{-f} option is used, then each @samp{FILENAME:LINENO} line is
252b5132
RH
2817preceded by a @samp{FUNCTIONNAME} line which is the name of the function
2818containing the address.
2819
2820If the file name or function name can not be determined,
c7c55b78
NC
2821@command{addr2line} will print two question marks in their place. If the
2822line number can not be determined, @command{addr2line} will print 0.
252b5132 2823
0285c67d
NC
2824@c man end
2825
2826@c man begin OPTIONS addr2line
2827
252b5132
RH
2828The long and short forms of options, shown here as alternatives, are
2829equivalent.
2830
c7c55b78 2831@table @env
252b5132
RH
2832@item -b @var{bfdname}
2833@itemx --target=@var{bfdname}
2834@cindex object code format
2835Specify that the object-code format for the object files is
2836@var{bfdname}.
2837
2838@item -C
28c309a2 2839@itemx --demangle[=@var{style}]
252b5132
RH
2840@cindex demangling in objdump
2841Decode (@dfn{demangle}) low-level symbol names into user-level names.
2842Besides removing any initial underscore prepended by the system, this
28c309a2 2843makes C++ function names readable. Different compilers have different
c1c0eb9e
RM
2844mangling styles. The optional demangling style argument can be used to
2845choose an appropriate demangling style for your compiler. @xref{c++filt},
28c309a2 2846for more information on demangling.
252b5132
RH
2847
2848@item -e @var{filename}
2849@itemx --exe=@var{filename}
2850Specify the name of the executable for which addresses should be
2851translated. The default file is @file{a.out}.
2852
2853@item -f
2854@itemx --functions
2855Display function names as well as file and line number information.
2856
2857@item -s
2858@itemx --basenames
2859Display only the base of each file name.
0c552dc1
FF
2860
2861@item -i
2862@itemx --inlines
2863If the address belongs to a function that was inlined, the source
2864information for all enclosing scopes back to the first non-inlined
2865function will also be printed. For example, if @code{main} inlines
2866@code{callee1} which inlines @code{callee2}, and address is from
2867@code{callee2}, the source information for @code{callee1} and @code{main}
2868will also be printed.
c5f8c388
EB
2869
2870@item -j
2871@itemx --section
2872Read offsets relative to the specified section instead of absolute addresses.
e107c42f 2873@end table
252b5132 2874
0285c67d
NC
2875@c man end
2876
2877@ignore
2878@c man begin SEEALSO addr2line
2879Info entries for @file{binutils}.
2880@c man end
2881@end ignore
2882
252b5132
RH
2883@node nlmconv
2884@chapter nlmconv
2885
c7c55b78 2886@command{nlmconv} converts a relocatable object file into a NetWare
252b5132
RH
2887Loadable Module.
2888
2889@ignore
c7c55b78 2890@command{nlmconv} currently works with @samp{i386} object
252b5132
RH
2891files in @code{coff}, @sc{elf}, or @code{a.out} format, and @sc{SPARC}
2892object files in @sc{elf}, or @code{a.out} format@footnote{
c7c55b78 2893@command{nlmconv} should work with any @samp{i386} or @sc{sparc} object
252b5132
RH
2894format in the Binary File Descriptor library. It has only been tested
2895with the above formats.}.
2896@end ignore
2897
2898@quotation
c7c55b78 2899@emph{Warning:} @command{nlmconv} is not always built as part of the binary
252b5132
RH
2900utilities, since it is only useful for NLM targets.
2901@end quotation
2902
0285c67d
NC
2903@c man title nlmconv converts object code into an NLM.
2904
252b5132 2905@smallexample
0285c67d 2906@c man begin SYNOPSIS nlmconv
c7c55b78
NC
2907nlmconv [@option{-I} @var{bfdname}|@option{--input-target=}@var{bfdname}]
2908 [@option{-O} @var{bfdname}|@option{--output-target=}@var{bfdname}]
2909 [@option{-T} @var{headerfile}|@option{--header-file=}@var{headerfile}]
2910 [@option{-d}|@option{--debug}] [@option{-l} @var{linker}|@option{--linker=}@var{linker}]
2911 [@option{-h}|@option{--help}] [@option{-V}|@option{--version}]
252b5132 2912 @var{infile} @var{outfile}
0285c67d 2913@c man end
252b5132
RH
2914@end smallexample
2915
0285c67d
NC
2916@c man begin DESCRIPTION nlmconv
2917
c7c55b78 2918@command{nlmconv} converts the relocatable @samp{i386} object file
252b5132
RH
2919@var{infile} into the NetWare Loadable Module @var{outfile}, optionally
2920reading @var{headerfile} for NLM header information. For instructions
2921on writing the NLM command file language used in header files, see the
2922@samp{linkers} section, @samp{NLMLINK} in particular, of the @cite{NLM
2923Development and Tools Overview}, which is part of the NLM Software
2924Developer's Kit (``NLM SDK''), available from Novell, Inc.
c7c55b78 2925@command{nlmconv} uses the @sc{gnu} Binary File Descriptor library to read
0285c67d
NC
2926@var{infile};
2927@ifclear man
2928see @ref{BFD,,BFD,ld.info,Using LD}, for more information.
2929@end ifclear
252b5132 2930
c7c55b78 2931@command{nlmconv} can perform a link step. In other words, you can list
252b5132
RH
2932more than one object file for input if you list them in the definitions
2933file (rather than simply specifying one input file on the command line).
c7c55b78 2934In this case, @command{nlmconv} calls the linker for you.
252b5132 2935
0285c67d
NC
2936@c man end
2937
2938@c man begin OPTIONS nlmconv
2939
c7c55b78 2940@table @env
252b5132
RH
2941@item -I @var{bfdname}
2942@itemx --input-target=@var{bfdname}
c7c55b78 2943Object format of the input file. @command{nlmconv} can usually determine
252b5132
RH
2944the format of a given file (so no default is necessary).
2945@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
2946
2947@item -O @var{bfdname}
2948@itemx --output-target=@var{bfdname}
c7c55b78 2949Object format of the output file. @command{nlmconv} infers the output
252b5132
RH
2950format based on the input format, e.g. for a @samp{i386} input file the
2951output format is @samp{nlm32-i386}.
2952@xref{Target Selection}, for more information.
2953
2954@item -T @var{headerfile}
2955@itemx --header-file=@var{headerfile}
2956Reads @var{headerfile} for NLM header information. For instructions on
2957writing the NLM command file language used in header files, see@ see the
2958@samp{linkers} section, of the @cite{NLM Development and Tools
2959Overview}, which is part of the NLM Software Developer's Kit, available
2960from Novell, Inc.
2961
2962@item -d
2963@itemx --debug
c7c55b78 2964Displays (on standard error) the linker command line used by @command{nlmconv}.
252b5132
RH
2965
2966@item -l @var{linker}
2967@itemx --linker=@var{linker}
2968Use @var{linker} for any linking. @var{linker} can be an absolute or a
2969relative pathname.
2970
2971@item -h
2972@itemx --help
2973Prints a usage summary.
2974
2975@item -V
2976@itemx --version
c7c55b78 2977Prints the version number for @command{nlmconv}.
252b5132
RH
2978@end table
2979
0285c67d
NC
2980@c man end
2981
2982@ignore
2983@c man begin SEEALSO nlmconv
2984the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
692ed3e7
NC
2985@c man end
2986@end ignore
2987
2988@node windmc
2989@chapter windmc
2990
2991@command{windmc} may be used to generator Windows message resources.
2992
2993@quotation
2994@emph{Warning:} @command{windmc} is not always built as part of the binary
2995utilities, since it is only useful for Windows targets.
2996@end quotation
2997
2998@c man title windmc generates Windows message resources.
2999
3000@smallexample
3001@c man begin SYNOPSIS windres
3002windmc [options] input-file
3003@c man end
3004@end smallexample
3005
3006@c man begin DESCRIPTION windmc
3007
3008@command{windmc} reads message definitions from an input file (.mc) and
3009translate them into a set of output files. The output files may be of
3010four kinds:
3011
3012@table @code
3013@item h
3014A C header file containing the message definitions.
3015
3016@item rc
3017A resource file compilable by the @command{windres} tool.
3018
3019@item bin
3020One or more binary files containing the resource data for a specific
3021message language.
3022
3023@item dbg
3024A C include file that maps message id's to their symbolic name.
3025@end table
3026
3027The exact description of these different formats is available in
3028documentation from Microsoft.
3029
3030When @command{windmc} converts from the @code{mc} format to the @code{bin}
3031format, @code{rc}, @code{h}, and optional @code{dbg} it is acting like the
3032Windows Message Compiler.
3033
3034@c man end
3035
3036@c man begin OPTIONS windmc
3037
3038@table @env
3039@item -a
3040@itemx --ascii_in
3041Specifies that the input file specified is ANSI. This is the default
3042behaviour.
3043
3044@item -A
3045@itemx --ascii_out
3046Specifies that messages in the output @code{bin} files should be in ANSI
3047format.
3048
3049@item -b
3050@itemx --binprefix
3051Specifies that @code{bin} filenames should have to be prefixed by the
3052basename of the source file.
3053
3054@item -c
3055@itemx --customflag
3056Sets the customer bit in all message id's.
3057
3058@item -C @var{codepage}
3059@itemx --codepage_in @var{codepage}
3060Sets the default codepage to be used to convert input file to UTF16. The
3061default is ocdepage 1252.
3062
3063@item -d
3064@itemx --decimal_values
3065Outputs the constants in the header file in decimal. Default is using
3066hexadecimal output.
3067
3068@item -e @var{ext}
3069@itemx --extension @var{ext}
3070The extension for the header file. The default is .h extension.
3071
3072@item -F @var{target}
3073@itemx --target @var{target}
3074Specify the BFD format to use for a bin file as output. This
3075is a BFD target name; you can use the @option{--help} option to see a list
3076of supported targets. Normally @command{windmc} will use the default
3077format, which is the first one listed by the @option{--help} option.
3078@ifclear man
3079@ref{Target Selection}.
3080@end ifclear
3081
3082@item -h @var{path}
3083@itemx --headerdir @var{path}
3084The target directory of the generated header file. The default is the
3085current directory.
3086
3087@item -H
3088@itemx --help
3089Displays a list of command line options and then exits.
3090
3091@item -m @var{characters}
3092@itemx --maxlength @var{characters}
3093Instructs @command{windmc} to generate a warning if the length
3094of any message exceeds the number specified.
3095
3096@item -n
3097@itemx --nullterminate
3098Terminate message text in @code{bin} files by zero. By default they are
3099terminated by CR/LF.
3100
3101@item -o
3102@itemx --hresult_use
3103Not yet implemented. Instructs @code{windmc} to generate an OLE2 header
3104file, using HRESULT definitions. Status codes are used if the flag is not
3105specified.
3106
3107@item -O @var{codepage}
3108@itemx --codepage_out @var{codepage}
3109Sets the default codepage to be used to output text files. The default
3110is ocdepage 1252.
3111
3112@item -r @var{path}
3113@itemx --rcdir @var{path}
3114The target directory for the generated @code{rc} script and the generated
3115@code{bin} files that the resource compiler script includes. The default
3116is the current directory.
3117
3118@item -u
3119@itemx --unicode_in
3120Specifies that the input file is UTF16.
3121
3122@item -U
3123@itemx --unicode_out
3124Specifies that messages in the output @code{bin} file should be in UTF16
3125format. This is the default behaviour.
3126
3127@item -v
3128@item --verbose
bd37ed49 3129Enable verbose mode.
692ed3e7
NC
3130
3131@item -V
3132@item --version
bd37ed49 3133Prints the version number for @command{windmc}.
692ed3e7
NC
3134
3135@item -x @var{path}
3136@itemx --xdgb @var{path}
3137The path of the @code{dbg} C include file that maps message id's to the
3138symbolic name. No such file is generated without specifying the switch.
3139@end table
3140
3141@c man end
3142
3143@ignore
3144@c man begin SEEALSO windmc
3145the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
0285c67d
NC
3146@c man end
3147@end ignore
3148
252b5132
RH
3149@node windres
3150@chapter windres
3151
c7c55b78 3152@command{windres} may be used to manipulate Windows resources.
252b5132
RH
3153
3154@quotation
c7c55b78 3155@emph{Warning:} @command{windres} is not always built as part of the binary
252b5132
RH
3156utilities, since it is only useful for Windows targets.
3157@end quotation
3158
0285c67d
NC
3159@c man title windres manipulate Windows resources.
3160
252b5132 3161@smallexample
0285c67d 3162@c man begin SYNOPSIS windres
252b5132 3163windres [options] [input-file] [output-file]
0285c67d 3164@c man end
252b5132
RH
3165@end smallexample
3166
0285c67d
NC
3167@c man begin DESCRIPTION windres
3168
c7c55b78 3169@command{windres} reads resources from an input file and copies them into
252b5132
RH
3170an output file. Either file may be in one of three formats:
3171
3172@table @code
3173@item rc
3174A text format read by the Resource Compiler.
3175
3176@item res
3177A binary format generated by the Resource Compiler.
3178
3179@item coff
3180A COFF object or executable.
3181@end table
3182
3183The exact description of these different formats is available in
3184documentation from Microsoft.
3185
c7c55b78 3186When @command{windres} converts from the @code{rc} format to the @code{res}
252b5132 3187format, it is acting like the Windows Resource Compiler. When
c7c55b78 3188@command{windres} converts from the @code{res} format to the @code{coff}
252b5132
RH
3189format, it is acting like the Windows @code{CVTRES} program.
3190
c7c55b78 3191When @command{windres} generates an @code{rc} file, the output is similar
252b5132
RH
3192but not identical to the format expected for the input. When an input
3193@code{rc} file refers to an external filename, an output @code{rc} file
3194will instead include the file contents.
3195
c7c55b78 3196If the input or output format is not specified, @command{windres} will
252b5132
RH
3197guess based on the file name, or, for the input file, the file contents.
3198A file with an extension of @file{.rc} will be treated as an @code{rc}
3199file, a file with an extension of @file{.res} will be treated as a
3200@code{res} file, and a file with an extension of @file{.o} or
3201@file{.exe} will be treated as a @code{coff} file.
3202
c7c55b78 3203If no output file is specified, @command{windres} will print the resources
252b5132
RH
3204in @code{rc} format to standard output.
3205
c7c55b78 3206The normal use is for you to write an @code{rc} file, use @command{windres}
252b5132
RH
3207to convert it to a COFF object file, and then link the COFF file into
3208your application. This will make the resources described in the
3209@code{rc} file available to Windows.
3210
0285c67d
NC
3211@c man end
3212
3213@c man begin OPTIONS windres
3214
c7c55b78 3215@table @env
252b5132
RH
3216@item -i @var{filename}
3217@itemx --input @var{filename}
3218The name of the input file. If this option is not used, then
c7c55b78
NC
3219@command{windres} will use the first non-option argument as the input file
3220name. If there are no non-option arguments, then @command{windres} will
3221read from standard input. @command{windres} can not read a COFF file from
edbedb71 3222standard input.
252b5132
RH
3223
3224@item -o @var{filename}
3225@itemx --output @var{filename}
3226The name of the output file. If this option is not used, then
c7c55b78 3227@command{windres} will use the first non-option argument, after any used
252b5132 3228for the input file name, as the output file name. If there is no
c7c55b78 3229non-option argument, then @command{windres} will write to standard output.
edbedb71 3230@command{windres} can not write a COFF file to standard output. Note,
b45619c0 3231for compatibility with @command{rc} the option @option{-fo} is also
edbedb71 3232accepted, but its use is not recommended.
252b5132 3233
85eb5110 3234@item -J @var{format}
252b5132
RH
3235@itemx --input-format @var{format}
3236The input format to read. @var{format} may be @samp{res}, @samp{rc}, or
c7c55b78 3237@samp{coff}. If no input format is specified, @command{windres} will
252b5132
RH
3238guess, as described above.
3239
3240@item -O @var{format}
3241@itemx --output-format @var{format}
3242The output format to generate. @var{format} may be @samp{res},
3243@samp{rc}, or @samp{coff}. If no output format is specified,
c7c55b78 3244@command{windres} will guess, as described above.
252b5132
RH
3245
3246@item -F @var{target}
3247@itemx --target @var{target}
3248Specify the BFD format to use for a COFF file as input or output. This
c7c55b78
NC
3249is a BFD target name; you can use the @option{--help} option to see a list
3250of supported targets. Normally @command{windres} will use the default
3251format, which is the first one listed by the @option{--help} option.
3252@ifclear man
252b5132 3253@ref{Target Selection}.
c7c55b78 3254@end ifclear
252b5132
RH
3255
3256@item --preprocessor @var{program}
c7c55b78 3257When @command{windres} reads an @code{rc} file, it runs it through the C
252b5132
RH
3258preprocessor first. This option may be used to specify the preprocessor
3259to use, including any leading arguments. The default preprocessor
3260argument is @code{gcc -E -xc-header -DRC_INVOKED}.
3261
85eb5110
NC
3262@item -I @var{directory}
3263@itemx --include-dir @var{directory}
252b5132 3264Specify an include directory to use when reading an @code{rc} file.
c7c55b78
NC
3265@command{windres} will pass this to the preprocessor as an @option{-I}
3266option. @command{windres} will also search this directory when looking for
85eb5110 3267files named in the @code{rc} file. If the argument passed to this command
c1c0eb9e 3268matches any of the supported @var{formats} (as described in the @option{-J}
85eb5110
NC
3269option), it will issue a deprecation warning, and behave just like the
3270@option{-J} option. New programs should not use this behaviour. If a
3271directory happens to match a @var{format}, simple prefix it with @samp{./}
3272to disable the backward compatibility.
252b5132 3273
751d21b5 3274@item -D @var{target}
ad0481cd 3275@itemx --define @var{sym}[=@var{val}]
c7c55b78 3276Specify a @option{-D} option to pass to the preprocessor when reading an
252b5132
RH
3277@code{rc} file.
3278
29b058f1
NC
3279@item -U @var{target}
3280@itemx --undefine @var{sym}
3281Specify a @option{-U} option to pass to the preprocessor when reading an
3282@code{rc} file.
3283
3126d709
CF
3284@item -r
3285Ignored for compatibility with rc.
3286
751d21b5
DD
3287@item -v
3288Enable verbose mode. This tells you what the preprocessor is if you
3289didn't specify one.
3290
30ff741f
NC
3291@item -c @var{val}
3292@item --codepage @var{val}
3293Specify the default codepage to use when reading an @code{rc} file.
3294@var{val} should be a hexadecimal prefixed by @samp{0x} or decimal
3295codepage code. The valid range is from zero up to 0xffff, but the
3296validity of the codepage is host and configuration dependent.
3297
3077f5d8 3298@item -l @var{val}
252b5132
RH
3299@item --language @var{val}
3300Specify the default language to use when reading an @code{rc} file.
3301@var{val} should be a hexadecimal language code. The low eight bits are
3302the language, and the high eight bits are the sublanguage.
3303
5a298d2d
NC
3304@item --use-temp-file
3305Use a temporary file to instead of using popen to read the output of
c1c0eb9e
RM
3306the preprocessor. Use this option if the popen implementation is buggy
3307on the host (eg., certain non-English language versions of Windows 95 and
5a298d2d
NC
3308Windows 98 are known to have buggy popen where the output will instead
3309go the console).
3310
3311@item --no-use-temp-file
3312Use popen, not a temporary file, to read the output of the preprocessor.
3313This is the default behaviour.
3314
3077f5d8 3315@item -h
252b5132
RH
3316@item --help
3317Prints a usage summary.
3318
3077f5d8 3319@item -V
252b5132 3320@item --version
c7c55b78 3321Prints the version number for @command{windres}.
252b5132
RH
3322
3323@item --yydebug
c7c55b78 3324If @command{windres} is compiled with @code{YYDEBUG} defined as @code{1},
252b5132
RH
3325this will turn on parser debugging.
3326@end table
3327
0285c67d
NC
3328@c man end
3329
3330@ignore
3331@c man begin SEEALSO windres
3332the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
3333@c man end
3334@end ignore
252b5132
RH
3335
3336@node dlltool
2aa9814e 3337@chapter dlltool
252b5132
RH
3338@cindex DLL
3339@kindex dlltool
3340
2aa9814e
BE
3341@command{dlltool} is used to create the files needed to create dynamic
3342link libraries (DLLs) on systems which understand PE format image
3343files such as Windows. A DLL contains an export table which contains
3344information that the runtime loader needs to resolve references from a
3345referencing program.
3346
3347The export table is generated by this program by reading in a
3348@file{.def} file or scanning the @file{.a} and @file{.o} files which
3349will be in the DLL. A @file{.o} file can contain information in
3350special @samp{.drectve} sections with export information.
252b5132
RH
3351
3352@quotation
2aa9814e
BE
3353@emph{Note:} @command{dlltool} is not always built as part of the
3354binary utilities, since it is only useful for those targets which
3355support DLLs.
252b5132
RH
3356@end quotation
3357
0285c67d
NC
3358@c man title dlltool Create files needed to build and use DLLs.
3359
252b5132 3360@smallexample
0285c67d 3361@c man begin SYNOPSIS dlltool
c7c55b78
NC
3362dlltool [@option{-d}|@option{--input-def} @var{def-file-name}]
3363 [@option{-b}|@option{--base-file} @var{base-file-name}]
3364 [@option{-e}|@option{--output-exp} @var{exports-file-name}]
3365 [@option{-z}|@option{--output-def} @var{def-file-name}]
c1c0eb9e 3366 [@option{-l}|@option{--output-lib} @var{library-file-name}]
c7c55b78
NC
3367 [@option{--export-all-symbols}] [@option{--no-export-all-symbols}]
3368 [@option{--exclude-symbols} @var{list}]
3369 [@option{--no-default-excludes}]
3370 [@option{-S}|@option{--as} @var{path-to-assembler}] [@option{-f}|@option{--as-flags} @var{options}]
3371 [@option{-D}|@option{--dllname} @var{name}] [@option{-m}|@option{--machine} @var{machine}]
14288fdc
DS
3372 [@option{-a}|@option{--add-indirect}]
3373 [@option{-U}|@option{--add-underscore}] [@option{--add-stdcall-underscore}]
3374 [@option{-k}|@option{--kill-at}] [@option{-A}|@option{--add-stdcall-alias}]
607dea97 3375 [@option{-p}|@option{--ext-prefix-alias} @var{prefix}]
d4732f7c
CW
3376 [@option{-x}|@option{--no-idata4}] [@option{-c}|@option{--no-idata5}]
3377 [@option{-I}|@option{--identify} @var{library-file-name}] [@option{-i}|@option{--interwork}]
f9346411 3378 [@option{-n}|@option{--nodelete}] [@option{-t}|@option{--temp-prefix} @var{prefix}]
c1c0eb9e 3379 [@option{-v}|@option{--verbose}]
c7c55b78 3380 [@option{-h}|@option{--help}] [@option{-V}|@option{--version}]
252b5132 3381 [object-file @dots{}]
0285c67d 3382@c man end
252b5132
RH
3383@end smallexample
3384
0285c67d
NC
3385@c man begin DESCRIPTION dlltool
3386
c7c55b78
NC
3387@command{dlltool} reads its inputs, which can come from the @option{-d} and
3388@option{-b} options as well as object files specified on the command
3389line. It then processes these inputs and if the @option{-e} option has
3390been specified it creates a exports file. If the @option{-l} option
3391has been specified it creates a library file and if the @option{-z} option
c1c0eb9e
RM
3392has been specified it creates a def file. Any or all of the @option{-e},
3393@option{-l} and @option{-z} options can be present in one invocation of
c7c55b78 3394dlltool.
252b5132
RH
3395
3396When creating a DLL, along with the source for the DLL, it is necessary
c7c55b78 3397to have three other files. @command{dlltool} can help with the creation of
252b5132
RH
3398these files.
3399
2aa9814e 3400The first file is a @file{.def} file which specifies which functions are
252b5132 3401exported from the DLL, which functions the DLL imports, and so on. This
c7c55b78
NC
3402is a text file and can be created by hand, or @command{dlltool} can be used
3403to create it using the @option{-z} option. In this case @command{dlltool}
252b5132
RH
3404will scan the object files specified on its command line looking for
3405those functions which have been specially marked as being exported and
2aa9814e 3406put entries for them in the @file{.def} file it creates.
252b5132
RH
3407
3408In order to mark a function as being exported from a DLL, it needs to
c7c55b78 3409have an @option{-export:<name_of_function>} entry in the @samp{.drectve}
252b5132
RH
3410section of the object file. This can be done in C by using the
3411asm() operator:
3412
3413@smallexample
c1c0eb9e 3414 asm (".section .drectve");
252b5132
RH
3415 asm (".ascii \"-export:my_func\"");
3416
3417 int my_func (void) @{ @dots{} @}
3418@end smallexample
3419
3420The second file needed for DLL creation is an exports file. This file
3421is linked with the object files that make up the body of the DLL and it
3422handles the interface between the DLL and the outside world. This is a
c7c55b78 3423binary file and it can be created by giving the @option{-e} option to
c1c0eb9e 3424@command{dlltool} when it is creating or reading in a @file{.def} file.
252b5132
RH
3425
3426The third file needed for DLL creation is the library file that programs
d4732f7c
CW
3427will link with in order to access the functions in the DLL (an `import
3428library'). This file can be created by giving the @option{-l} option to
3429dlltool when it is creating or reading in a @file{.def} file.
252b5132 3430
c7c55b78 3431@command{dlltool} builds the library file by hand, but it builds the
252b5132 3432exports file by creating temporary files containing assembler statements
c7c55b78 3433and then assembling these. The @option{-S} command line option can be
252b5132 3434used to specify the path to the assembler that dlltool will use,
c7c55b78
NC
3435and the @option{-f} option can be used to pass specific flags to that
3436assembler. The @option{-n} can be used to prevent dlltool from deleting
3437these temporary assembler files when it is done, and if @option{-n} is
252b5132
RH
3438specified twice then this will prevent dlltool from deleting the
3439temporary object files it used to build the library.
3440
3441Here is an example of creating a DLL from a source file @samp{dll.c} and
3442also creating a program (from an object file called @samp{program.o})
3443that uses that DLL:
3444
3445@smallexample
3446 gcc -c dll.c
3447 dlltool -e exports.o -l dll.lib dll.o
3448 gcc dll.o exports.o -o dll.dll
3449 gcc program.o dll.lib -o program
3450@end smallexample
3451
d4732f7c
CW
3452
3453@command{dlltool} may also be used to query an existing import library
3454to determine the name of the DLL to which it is associated. See the
3455description of the @option{-I} or @option{--identify} option.
3456
0285c67d
NC
3457@c man end
3458
3459@c man begin OPTIONS dlltool
3460
252b5132
RH
3461The command line options have the following meanings:
3462
c7c55b78 3463@table @env
252b5132
RH
3464
3465@item -d @var{filename}
3466@itemx --input-def @var{filename}
3467@cindex input .def file
2aa9814e 3468Specifies the name of a @file{.def} file to be read in and processed.
252b5132
RH
3469
3470@item -b @var{filename}
3471@itemx --base-file @var{filename}
3472@cindex base files
3473Specifies the name of a base file to be read in and processed. The
3474contents of this file will be added to the relocation section in the
3475exports file generated by dlltool.
3476
3477@item -e @var{filename}
3478@itemx --output-exp @var{filename}
3479Specifies the name of the export file to be created by dlltool.
3480
3481@item -z @var{filename}
3482@itemx --output-def @var{filename}
2aa9814e 3483Specifies the name of the @file{.def} file to be created by dlltool.
252b5132
RH
3484
3485@item -l @var{filename}
3486@itemx --output-lib @var{filename}
3487Specifies the name of the library file to be created by dlltool.
3488
3489@item --export-all-symbols
3490Treat all global and weak defined symbols found in the input object
3491files as symbols to be exported. There is a small list of symbols which
c7c55b78 3492are not exported by default; see the @option{--no-default-excludes}
252b5132 3493option. You may add to the list of symbols to not export by using the
c7c55b78 3494@option{--exclude-symbols} option.
252b5132
RH
3495
3496@item --no-export-all-symbols
2aa9814e 3497Only export symbols explicitly listed in an input @file{.def} file or in
252b5132
RH
3498@samp{.drectve} sections in the input object files. This is the default
3499behaviour. The @samp{.drectve} sections are created by @samp{dllexport}
3500attributes in the source code.
3501
3502@item --exclude-symbols @var{list}
3503Do not export the symbols in @var{list}. This is a list of symbol names
3504separated by comma or colon characters. The symbol names should not
3505contain a leading underscore. This is only meaningful when
c7c55b78 3506@option{--export-all-symbols} is used.
252b5132
RH
3507
3508@item --no-default-excludes
c7c55b78 3509When @option{--export-all-symbols} is used, it will by default avoid
252b5132
RH
3510exporting certain special symbols. The current list of symbols to avoid
3511exporting is @samp{DllMain@@12}, @samp{DllEntryPoint@@0},
c7c55b78 3512@samp{impure_ptr}. You may use the @option{--no-default-excludes} option
252b5132 3513to go ahead and export these special symbols. This is only meaningful
c7c55b78 3514when @option{--export-all-symbols} is used.
252b5132
RH
3515
3516@item -S @var{path}
3517@itemx --as @var{path}
3518Specifies the path, including the filename, of the assembler to be used
3519to create the exports file.
3520
6364e0b4
NC
3521@item -f @var{options}
3522@itemx --as-flags @var{options}
3523Specifies any specific command line options to be passed to the
252b5132 3524assembler when building the exports file. This option will work even if
c7c55b78 3525the @option{-S} option is not used. This option only takes one argument,
252b5132
RH
3526and if it occurs more than once on the command line, then later
3527occurrences will override earlier occurrences. So if it is necessary to
6364e0b4 3528pass multiple options to the assembler they should be enclosed in
252b5132
RH
3529double quotes.
3530
3531@item -D @var{name}
3532@itemx --dll-name @var{name}
2aa9814e
BE
3533Specifies the name to be stored in the @file{.def} file as the name of
3534the DLL when the @option{-e} option is used. If this option is not
3535present, then the filename given to the @option{-e} option will be
3536used as the name of the DLL.
252b5132
RH
3537
3538@item -m @var{machine}
3539@itemx -machine @var{machine}
3540Specifies the type of machine for which the library file should be
c7c55b78 3541built. @command{dlltool} has a built in default type, depending upon how
252b5132
RH
3542it was created, but this option can be used to override that. This is
3543normally only useful when creating DLLs for an ARM processor, when the
c36774d6 3544contents of the DLL are actually encode using Thumb instructions.
252b5132
RH
3545
3546@item -a
3547@itemx --add-indirect
c7c55b78 3548Specifies that when @command{dlltool} is creating the exports file it
252b5132
RH
3549should add a section which allows the exported functions to be
3550referenced without using the import library. Whatever the hell that
c1c0eb9e 3551means!
252b5132
RH
3552
3553@item -U
3554@itemx --add-underscore
c7c55b78 3555Specifies that when @command{dlltool} is creating the exports file it
c1c0eb9e 3556should prepend an underscore to the names of @emph{all} exported symbols.
14288fdc
DS
3557
3558@item --add-stdcall-underscore
3559Specifies that when @command{dlltool} is creating the exports file it
3560should prepend an underscore to the names of exported @emph{stdcall}
3561functions. Variable names and non-stdcall function names are not modified.
3562This option is useful when creating GNU-compatible import libs for third
3563party DLLs that were built with MS-Windows tools.
252b5132
RH
3564
3565@item -k
3566@itemx --kill-at
c7c55b78 3567Specifies that when @command{dlltool} is creating the exports file it
d67a454c
NC
3568should not append the string @samp{@@ <number>}. These numbers are
3569called ordinal numbers and they represent another way of accessing the
3570function in a DLL, other than by name.
252b5132
RH
3571
3572@item -A
3573@itemx --add-stdcall-alias
c7c55b78 3574Specifies that when @command{dlltool} is creating the exports file it
252b5132
RH
3575should add aliases for stdcall symbols without @samp{@@ <number>}
3576in addition to the symbols with @samp{@@ <number>}.
3577
607dea97
NC
3578@item -p
3579@itemx --ext-prefix-alias @var{prefix}
3580Causes @command{dlltool} to create external aliases for all DLL
3581imports with the specified prefix. The aliases are created for both
3582external and import symbols with no leading underscore.
3583
252b5132
RH
3584@item -x
3585@itemx --no-idata4
c7c55b78
NC
3586Specifies that when @command{dlltool} is creating the exports and library
3587files it should omit the @code{.idata4} section. This is for compatibility
252b5132
RH
3588with certain operating systems.
3589
3590@item -c
3591@itemx --no-idata5
c7c55b78
NC
3592Specifies that when @command{dlltool} is creating the exports and library
3593files it should omit the @code{.idata5} section. This is for compatibility
252b5132
RH
3594with certain operating systems.
3595
d4732f7c
CW
3596@item -I @var{filename}
3597@itemx --identify @var{filename}
3598Specifies that @command{dlltool} should inspect the import library
3599indicated by @var{filename} and report, on @code{stdout}, the name of
3600the associated DLL. This can be performed in addition to any other
3601operations indicated by the other options and arguments. @command{dlltool}
3602@option{--identify} fails if the import library does not exist, is not
3603actually an import library, or (rarely) if the import library somehow
3604specifies more than one associated DLL.
3605
252b5132
RH
3606@item -i
3607@itemx --interwork
c7c55b78 3608Specifies that @command{dlltool} should mark the objects in the library
252b5132 3609file and exports file that it produces as supporting interworking
c36774d6 3610between ARM and Thumb code.
252b5132
RH
3611
3612@item -n
3613@itemx --nodelete
c7c55b78 3614Makes @command{dlltool} preserve the temporary assembler files it used to
252b5132
RH
3615create the exports file. If this option is repeated then dlltool will
3616also preserve the temporary object files it uses to create the library
f9346411
DS
3617file.
3618
3619@item -t @var{prefix}
3620@itemx --temp-prefix @var{prefix}
3621Makes @command{dlltool} use @var{prefix} when constructing the names of
3622temporary assembler and object files. By default, the temp file prefix
c1c0eb9e 3623is generated from the pid.
252b5132
RH
3624
3625@item -v
3626@itemx --verbose
3627Make dlltool describe what it is doing.
3628
3629@item -h
3630@itemx --help
3631Displays a list of command line options and then exits.
3632
3633@item -V
3634@itemx --version
3635Displays dlltool's version number and then exits.
3636
3637@end table
3638
0285c67d
NC
3639@c man end
3640
2aa9814e
BE
3641@menu
3642* def file format:: The format of the dlltool @file{.def} file
3643@end menu
3644
3645@node def file format
3646@section The format of the @command{dlltool} @file{.def} file
3647
3648A @file{.def} file contains any number of the following commands:
3649
3650@table @asis
3651
3652@item @code{NAME} @var{name} @code{[ ,} @var{base} @code{]}
3653The result is going to be named @var{name}@code{.exe}.
3654
3655@item @code{LIBRARY} @var{name} @code{[ ,} @var{base} @code{]}
3656The result is going to be named @var{name}@code{.dll}.
3657
3658@item @code{EXPORTS ( ( (} @var{name1} @code{[ = } @var{name2} @code{] ) | ( } @var{name1} @code{=} @var{module-name} @code{.} @var{external-name} @code{) )}
3659@item @code{[} @var{integer} @code{] [ NONAME ] [ CONSTANT ] [ DATA ] [ PRIVATE ] ) *}
3660Declares @var{name1} as an exported symbol from the DLL, with optional
3661ordinal number @var{integer}, or declares @var{name1} as an alias
3662(forward) of the function @var{external-name} in the DLL
3663@var{module-name}.
3664
3665@item @code{IMPORTS ( (} @var{internal-name} @code{=} @var{module-name} @code{.} @var{integer} @code{) | [} @var{internal-name} @code{= ]} @var{module-name} @code{.} @var{external-name} @code{) ) *}
3666Declares that @var{external-name} or the exported function whose
3667ordinal number is @var{integer} is to be imported from the file
3668@var{module-name}. If @var{internal-name} is specified then this is
3669the name that the imported function will be referred to in the body of
3670the DLL.
3671
3672@item @code{DESCRIPTION} @var{string}
3673Puts @var{string} into the output @file{.exp} file in the
3674@code{.rdata} section.
3675
3676@item @code{STACKSIZE} @var{number-reserve} @code{[, } @var{number-commit} @code{]}
3677@item @code{HEAPSIZE} @var{number-reserve} @code{[, } @var{number-commit} @code{]}
3678Generates @code{--stack} or @code{--heap}
3679@var{number-reserve},@var{number-commit} in the output @code{.drectve}
3680section. The linker will see this and act upon it.
3681
3682@item @code{CODE} @var{attr} @code{+}
3683@item @code{DATA} @var{attr} @code{+}
3684@item @code{SECTIONS (} @var{section-name} @var{attr}@code{ + ) *}
3685Generates @code{--attr} @var{section-name} @var{attr} in the output
3686@code{.drectve} section, where @var{attr} is one of @code{READ},
3687@code{WRITE}, @code{EXECUTE} or @code{SHARED}. The linker will see
3688this and act upon it.
3689
3690@end table
3691
0285c67d
NC
3692@ignore
3693@c man begin SEEALSO dlltool
2aa9814e 3694The Info pages for @file{binutils}.
0285c67d
NC
3695@c man end
3696@end ignore
3697
252b5132
RH
3698@node readelf
3699@chapter readelf
3700
3701@cindex ELF file information
3702@kindex readelf
3703
0285c67d
NC
3704@c man title readelf Displays information about ELF files.
3705
252b5132 3706@smallexample
0285c67d 3707@c man begin SYNOPSIS readelf
c1c0eb9e 3708readelf [@option{-a}|@option{--all}]
c7c55b78
NC
3709 [@option{-h}|@option{--file-header}]
3710 [@option{-l}|@option{--program-headers}|@option{--segments}]
3711 [@option{-S}|@option{--section-headers}|@option{--sections}]
81fc812e 3712 [@option{-g}|@option{--section-groups}]
5477e8a0 3713 [@option{-t}|@option{--section-details}]
c7c55b78
NC
3714 [@option{-e}|@option{--headers}]
3715 [@option{-s}|@option{--syms}|@option{--symbols}]
3716 [@option{-n}|@option{--notes}]
3717 [@option{-r}|@option{--relocs}]
3718 [@option{-u}|@option{--unwind}]
3719 [@option{-d}|@option{--dynamic}]
3720 [@option{-V}|@option{--version-info}]
947ed062 3721 [@option{-A}|@option{--arch-specific}]
c7c55b78 3722 [@option{-D}|@option{--use-dynamic}]
aef1f6d0 3723 [@option{-x} <number or name>|@option{--hex-dump=}<number or name>]
09c11c86 3724 [@option{-p} <number or name>|@option{--string-dump=}<number or name>]
4145f1d5 3725 [@option{-c}|@option{--archive-index}]
a262ae96
NC
3726 [@option{-w[lLiaprmfFsoR]}|
3727 @option{--debug-dump}[=rawline,=decodedline,=info,=abbrev,=pubnames,=aranges,=macro,=frames,=frames-interp,=str,=loc,=Ranges]]
947ed062 3728 [@option{-I}|@option{-histogram}]
c7c55b78 3729 [@option{-v}|@option{--version}]
d974e256 3730 [@option{-W}|@option{--wide}]
c7c55b78 3731 [@option{-H}|@option{--help}]
252b5132 3732 @var{elffile}@dots{}
0285c67d 3733@c man end
252b5132
RH
3734@end smallexample
3735
0285c67d
NC
3736@c man begin DESCRIPTION readelf
3737
c7c55b78 3738@command{readelf} displays information about one or more ELF format object
252b5132
RH
3739files. The options control what particular information to display.
3740
fb52b2f4
NC
3741@var{elffile}@dots{} are the object files to be examined. 32-bit and
374264-bit ELF files are supported, as are archives containing ELF files.
252b5132 3743
9eb20dd8
NC
3744This program performs a similar function to @command{objdump} but it
3745goes into more detail and it exists independently of the @sc{bfd}
3746library, so if there is a bug in @sc{bfd} then readelf will not be
3747affected.
3748
0285c67d
NC
3749@c man end
3750
3751@c man begin OPTIONS readelf
3752
252b5132
RH
3753The long and short forms of options, shown here as alternatives, are
3754equivalent. At least one option besides @samp{-v} or @samp{-H} must be
c1c0eb9e 3755given.
252b5132 3756
c7c55b78 3757@table @env
252b5132
RH
3758@item -a
3759@itemx --all
d95ef3ab 3760Equivalent to specifying @option{--file-header},
c7c55b78
NC
3761@option{--program-headers}, @option{--sections}, @option{--symbols},
3762@option{--relocs}, @option{--dynamic}, @option{--notes} and
c1c0eb9e 3763@option{--version-info}.
252b5132
RH
3764
3765@item -h
3766@itemx --file-header
3767@cindex ELF file header information
3768Displays the information contained in the ELF header at the start of the
3769file.
3770
3771@item -l
3772@itemx --program-headers
3773@itemx --segments
3774@cindex ELF program header information
3775@cindex ELF segment information
3776Displays the information contained in the file's segment headers, if it
3777has any.
3778
3779@item -S
3780@itemx --sections
3781@itemx --section-headers
3782@cindex ELF section information
3783Displays the information contained in the file's section headers, if it
3784has any.
3785
81fc812e
L
3786@item -g
3787@itemx --section-groups
3788@cindex ELF section group information
3789Displays the information contained in the file's section groups, if it
3790has any.
3791
5477e8a0
L
3792@item -t
3793@itemx --section-details
3794@cindex ELF section information
3795Displays the detailed section information. Implies @option{-S}.
81fc812e 3796
252b5132
RH
3797@item -s
3798@itemx --symbols
3799@itemx --syms
3800@cindex ELF symbol table information
3801Displays the entries in symbol table section of the file, if it has one.
3802
3803@item -e
3804@itemx --headers
c7c55b78 3805Display all the headers in the file. Equivalent to @option{-h -l -S}.
252b5132 3806
779fe533
NC
3807@item -n
3808@itemx --notes
1ec5cd37
NC
3809@cindex ELF notes
3810Displays the contents of the NOTE segments and/or sections, if any.
779fe533 3811
252b5132
RH
3812@item -r
3813@itemx --relocs
3814@cindex ELF reloc information
f5e21966
NC
3815Displays the contents of the file's relocation section, if it has one.
3816
3817@item -u
3818@itemx --unwind
3819@cindex unwind information
3820Displays the contents of the file's unwind section, if it has one. Only
3821the unwind sections for IA64 ELF files are currently supported.
252b5132
RH
3822
3823@item -d
3824@itemx --dynamic
3825@cindex ELF dynamic section information
3826Displays the contents of the file's dynamic section, if it has one.
3827
3828@item -V
3829@itemx --version-info
3830@cindex ELF version sections informations
3831Displays the contents of the version sections in the file, it they
3832exist.
3833
947ed062
NC
3834@item -A
3835@itemx --arch-specific
3836Displays architecture-specific information in the file, if there
3837is any.
3838
252b5132
RH
3839@item -D
3840@itemx --use-dynamic
c7c55b78 3841When displaying symbols, this option makes @command{readelf} use the
6dbb55b6 3842symbol table in the file's dynamic section, rather than the one in the
252b5132
RH
3843symbols section.
3844
aef1f6d0
DJ
3845@item -x <number or name>
3846@itemx --hex-dump=<number or name>
252b5132 3847Displays the contents of the indicated section as a hexadecimal dump.
aef1f6d0
DJ
3848A number identifies a particular section by index in the section table;
3849any other string identifies all sections with that name in the object file.
252b5132 3850
09c11c86
NC
3851@item -p <number or name>
3852@itemx --string-dump=<number or name>
3853Displays the contents of the indicated section as printable strings.
3854A number identifies a particular section by index in the section table;
3855any other string identifies all sections with that name in the object file.
3856
4145f1d5
NC
3857@item -c
3858@itemx --archive-index
3859@cindex Archive file symbol index information
3860Displays the file symbol index infomation contained in the header part
3861of binary archives. Performs the same function as the @option{t}
3862command to @command{ar}, but without using the BFD library. @xref{ar}.
3863
a262ae96
NC
3864@item -w[lLiaprmfFsoR]
3865@itemx --debug-dump[=rawline,=decodedline,=info,=abbrev,=pubnames,=aranges,=macro,=frames,=frames-interp,=str,=loc,=Ranges]
252b5132
RH
3866Displays the contents of the debug sections in the file, if any are
3867present. If one of the optional letters or words follows the switch
3868then only data found in those specific sections will be dumped.
3869
a262ae96
NC
3870Note: the @option{=decodedline} option will display the interpreted
3871contents of a .debug_line section whereas the @option{=rawline} option
3872dumps the contents in a raw format.
3873
947ed062
NC
3874@item -I
3875@itemx --histogram
252b5132
RH
3876Display a histogram of bucket list lengths when displaying the contents
3877of the symbol tables.
3878
3879@item -v
3880@itemx --version
3881Display the version number of readelf.
3882
d974e256
JJ
3883@item -W
3884@itemx --wide
3885Don't break output lines to fit into 80 columns. By default
3886@command{readelf} breaks section header and segment listing lines for
388764-bit ELF files, so that they fit into 80 columns. This option causes
3888@command{readelf} to print each section header resp. each segment one a
3889single line, which is far more readable on terminals wider than 80 columns.
3890
252b5132
RH
3891@item -H
3892@itemx --help
c7c55b78 3893Display the command line options understood by @command{readelf}.
252b5132
RH
3894
3895@end table
3896
0285c67d
NC
3897@c man end
3898
3899@ignore
3900@c man begin SEEALSO readelf
3901objdump(1), and the Info entries for @file{binutils}.
3902@c man end
3903@end ignore
252b5132 3904
07012eee
MM
3905@node Common Options
3906@chapter Common Options
3907
3908The following command-line options are supported by all of the
3909programs described in this manual.
3910
dff70155 3911@c man begin OPTIONS
07012eee 3912@table @env
38fc1cb1 3913@include at-file.texi
dff70155 3914@c man end
07012eee
MM
3915
3916@item --help
3917Display the command-line options supported by the program.
3918
3919@item --version
3920Display the version number of the program.
3921
dff70155 3922@c man begin OPTIONS
07012eee 3923@end table
dff70155 3924@c man end
07012eee 3925
fff279a7 3926@node Selecting the Target System
947ed062 3927@chapter Selecting the Target System
252b5132 3928
947ed062 3929You can specify two aspects of the target system to the @sc{gnu}
252b5132
RH
3930binary file utilities, each in several ways:
3931
3932@itemize @bullet
3933@item
3934the target
3935
3936@item
3937the architecture
252b5132
RH
3938@end itemize
3939
3940In the following summaries, the lists of ways to specify values are in
3941order of decreasing precedence. The ways listed first override those
3942listed later.
3943
3944The commands to list valid values only list the values for which the
3945programs you are running were configured. If they were configured with
c7c55b78 3946@option{--enable-targets=all}, the commands list most of the available
252b5132
RH
3947values, but a few are left out; not all targets can be configured in at
3948once because some of them can only be configured @dfn{native} (on hosts
3949with the same type as the target system).
3950
3951@menu
c1c0eb9e
RM
3952* Target Selection::
3953* Architecture Selection::
252b5132
RH
3954@end menu
3955
3956@node Target Selection
3957@section Target Selection
3958
3959A @dfn{target} is an object file format. A given target may be
3960supported for multiple architectures (@pxref{Architecture Selection}).
3961A target selection may also have variations for different operating
3962systems or architectures.
3963
3964The command to list valid target values is @samp{objdump -i}
3965(the first column of output contains the relevant information).
3966
3967Some sample values are: @samp{a.out-hp300bsd}, @samp{ecoff-littlemips},
3968@samp{a.out-sunos-big}.
3969
3970You can also specify a target using a configuration triplet. This is
f20a759a
ILT
3971the same sort of name that is passed to @file{configure} to specify a
3972target. When you use a configuration triplet as an argument, it must be
3973fully canonicalized. You can see the canonical version of a triplet by
252b5132
RH
3974running the shell script @file{config.sub} which is included with the
3975sources.
3976
3977Some sample configuration triplets are: @samp{m68k-hp-bsd},
3978@samp{mips-dec-ultrix}, @samp{sparc-sun-sunos}.
3979
c7c55b78 3980@subheading @command{objdump} Target
252b5132
RH
3981
3982Ways to specify:
3983
3984@enumerate
3985@item
c7c55b78 3986command line option: @option{-b} or @option{--target}
252b5132
RH
3987
3988@item
3989environment variable @code{GNUTARGET}
3990
3991@item
3992deduced from the input file
3993@end enumerate
3994
c7c55b78 3995@subheading @command{objcopy} and @command{strip} Input Target
252b5132
RH
3996
3997Ways to specify:
3998
3999@enumerate
4000@item
c7c55b78 4001command line options: @option{-I} or @option{--input-target}, or @option{-F} or @option{--target}
252b5132
RH
4002
4003@item
4004environment variable @code{GNUTARGET}
4005
4006@item
4007deduced from the input file
4008@end enumerate
4009
c7c55b78 4010@subheading @command{objcopy} and @command{strip} Output Target
252b5132
RH
4011
4012Ways to specify:
4013
4014@enumerate
4015@item
c7c55b78 4016command line options: @option{-O} or @option{--output-target}, or @option{-F} or @option{--target}
252b5132
RH
4017
4018@item
c7c55b78 4019the input target (see ``@command{objcopy} and @command{strip} Input Target'' above)
252b5132
RH
4020
4021@item
4022environment variable @code{GNUTARGET}
4023
4024@item
4025deduced from the input file
4026@end enumerate
4027
c7c55b78 4028@subheading @command{nm}, @command{size}, and @command{strings} Target
252b5132
RH
4029
4030Ways to specify:
4031
4032@enumerate
4033@item
c7c55b78 4034command line option: @option{--target}
252b5132
RH
4035
4036@item
4037environment variable @code{GNUTARGET}
4038
4039@item
4040deduced from the input file
4041@end enumerate
4042
252b5132 4043@node Architecture Selection
947ed062 4044@section Architecture Selection
252b5132
RH
4045
4046An @dfn{architecture} is a type of @sc{cpu} on which an object file is
4047to run. Its name may contain a colon, separating the name of the
4048processor family from the name of the particular @sc{cpu}.
4049
4050The command to list valid architecture values is @samp{objdump -i} (the
4051second column contains the relevant information).
4052
4053Sample values: @samp{m68k:68020}, @samp{mips:3000}, @samp{sparc}.
4054
c7c55b78 4055@subheading @command{objdump} Architecture
252b5132
RH
4056
4057Ways to specify:
4058
4059@enumerate
4060@item
c7c55b78 4061command line option: @option{-m} or @option{--architecture}
252b5132
RH
4062
4063@item
4064deduced from the input file
4065@end enumerate
4066
c7c55b78 4067@subheading @command{objcopy}, @command{nm}, @command{size}, @command{strings} Architecture
252b5132
RH
4068
4069Ways to specify:
4070
4071@enumerate
4072@item
4073deduced from the input file
4074@end enumerate
4075
252b5132
RH
4076@node Reporting Bugs
4077@chapter Reporting Bugs
4078@cindex bugs
4079@cindex reporting bugs
4080
4081Your bug reports play an essential role in making the binary utilities
4082reliable.
4083
4084Reporting a bug may help you by bringing a solution to your problem, or
4085it may not. But in any case the principal function of a bug report is
4086to help the entire community by making the next version of the binary
4087utilities work better. Bug reports are your contribution to their
4088maintenance.
4089
4090In order for a bug report to serve its purpose, you must include the
4091information that enables us to fix the bug.
4092
4093@menu
4094* Bug Criteria:: Have you found a bug?
4095* Bug Reporting:: How to report bugs
4096@end menu
4097
4098@node Bug Criteria
947ed062 4099@section Have You Found a Bug?
252b5132
RH
4100@cindex bug criteria
4101
4102If you are not sure whether you have found a bug, here are some guidelines:
4103
4104@itemize @bullet
4105@cindex fatal signal
4106@cindex crash
4107@item
4108If a binary utility gets a fatal signal, for any input whatever, that is
4109a bug. Reliable utilities never crash.
4110
4111@cindex error on valid input
4112@item
4113If a binary utility produces an error message for valid input, that is a
4114bug.
4115
4116@item
4117If you are an experienced user of binary utilities, your suggestions for
4118improvement are welcome in any case.
4119@end itemize
4120
4121@node Bug Reporting
947ed062 4122@section How to Report Bugs
252b5132
RH
4123@cindex bug reports
4124@cindex bugs, reporting
4125
4126A number of companies and individuals offer support for @sc{gnu}
4127products. If you obtained the binary utilities from a support
4128organization, we recommend you contact that organization first.
4129
4130You can find contact information for many support companies and
4131individuals in the file @file{etc/SERVICE} in the @sc{gnu} Emacs
4132distribution.
4133
ad22bfe8 4134@ifset BUGURL
252b5132 4135In any event, we also recommend that you send bug reports for the binary
ad22bfe8
JM
4136utilities to @value{BUGURL}.
4137@end ifset
252b5132
RH
4138
4139The fundamental principle of reporting bugs usefully is this:
4140@strong{report all the facts}. If you are not sure whether to state a
4141fact or leave it out, state it!
4142
4143Often people omit facts because they think they know what causes the
4144problem and assume that some details do not matter. Thus, you might
4145assume that the name of a file you use in an example does not matter.
4146Well, probably it does not, but one cannot be sure. Perhaps the bug is
4147a stray memory reference which happens to fetch from the location where
4148that pathname is stored in memory; perhaps, if the pathname were
4149different, the contents of that location would fool the utility into
4150doing the right thing despite the bug. Play it safe and give a
4151specific, complete example. That is the easiest thing for you to do,
4152and the most helpful.
4153
4154Keep in mind that the purpose of a bug report is to enable us to fix the bug if
4155it is new to us. Therefore, always write your bug reports on the assumption
4156that the bug has not been reported previously.
4157
4158Sometimes people give a few sketchy facts and ask, ``Does this ring a
947ed062
NC
4159bell?'' This cannot help us fix a bug, so it is basically useless. We
4160respond by asking for enough details to enable us to investigate.
4161You might as well expedite matters by sending them to begin with.
252b5132
RH
4162
4163To enable us to fix the bug, you should include all these things:
4164
4165@itemize @bullet
4166@item
4167The version of the utility. Each utility announces it if you start it
c7c55b78 4168with the @option{--version} argument.
252b5132
RH
4169
4170Without this, we will not know whether there is any point in looking for
4171the bug in the current version of the binary utilities.
4172
4173@item
4174Any patches you may have applied to the source, including any patches
4175made to the @code{BFD} library.
4176
4177@item
4178The type of machine you are using, and the operating system name and
4179version number.
4180
4181@item
4182What compiler (and its version) was used to compile the utilities---e.g.
4183``@code{gcc-2.7}''.
4184
4185@item
4186The command arguments you gave the utility to observe the bug. To
4187guarantee you will not omit something important, list them all. A copy
4188of the Makefile (or the output from make) is sufficient.
4189
4190If we were to try to guess the arguments, we would probably guess wrong
4191and then we might not encounter the bug.
4192
4193@item
4194A complete input file, or set of input files, that will reproduce the
4195bug. If the utility is reading an object file or files, then it is
ad22bfe8 4196generally most helpful to send the actual object files.
252b5132
RH
4197
4198If the source files were produced exclusively using @sc{gnu} programs
c7c55b78 4199(e.g., @command{gcc}, @command{gas}, and/or the @sc{gnu} @command{ld}), then it
252b5132 4200may be OK to send the source files rather than the object files. In
c7c55b78 4201this case, be sure to say exactly what version of @command{gcc}, or
252b5132 4202whatever, was used to produce the object files. Also say how
c7c55b78 4203@command{gcc}, or whatever, was configured.
252b5132
RH
4204
4205@item
4206A description of what behavior you observe that you believe is
4207incorrect. For example, ``It gets a fatal signal.''
4208
4209Of course, if the bug is that the utility gets a fatal signal, then we
4210will certainly notice it. But if the bug is incorrect output, we might
4211not notice unless it is glaringly wrong. You might as well not give us
4212a chance to make a mistake.
4213
4214Even if the problem you experience is a fatal signal, you should still
f20a759a 4215say so explicitly. Suppose something strange is going on, such as your
b45619c0 4216copy of the utility is out of sync, or you have encountered a bug in
252b5132
RH
4217the C library on your system. (This has happened!) Your copy might
4218crash and ours would not. If you told us to expect a crash, then when
4219ours fails to crash, we would know that the bug was not happening for
4220us. If you had not told us to expect a crash, then we would not be able
4221to draw any conclusion from our observations.
4222
4223@item
4224If you wish to suggest changes to the source, send us context diffs, as
c7c55b78 4225generated by @command{diff} with the @option{-u}, @option{-c}, or @option{-p}
252b5132 4226option. Always send diffs from the old file to the new file. If you
c7c55b78 4227wish to discuss something in the @command{ld} source, refer to it by
f20a759a 4228context, not by line number.
252b5132
RH
4229
4230The line numbers in our development sources will not match those in your
4231sources. Your line numbers would convey no useful information to us.
4232@end itemize
4233
4234Here are some things that are not necessary:
4235
4236@itemize @bullet
4237@item
4238A description of the envelope of the bug.
4239
4240Often people who encounter a bug spend a lot of time investigating
4241which changes to the input file will make the bug go away and which
4242changes will not affect it.
4243
4244This is often time consuming and not very useful, because the way we
4245will find the bug is by running a single example under the debugger
4246with breakpoints, not by pure deduction from a series of examples.
4247We recommend that you save your time for something else.
4248
4249Of course, if you can find a simpler example to report @emph{instead}
4250of the original one, that is a convenience for us. Errors in the
4251output will be easier to spot, running under the debugger will take
4252less time, and so on.
4253
4254However, simplification is not vital; if you do not want to do this,
4255report the bug anyway and send us the entire test case you used.
4256
4257@item
4258A patch for the bug.
4259
4260A patch for the bug does help us if it is a good one. But do not omit
4261the necessary information, such as the test case, on the assumption that
4262a patch is all we need. We might see problems with your patch and decide
4263to fix the problem another way, or we might not understand it at all.
4264
4265Sometimes with programs as complicated as the binary utilities it is
4266very hard to construct an example that will make the program follow a
4267certain path through the code. If you do not send us the example, we
4268will not be able to construct one, so we will not be able to verify that
4269the bug is fixed.
4270
4271And if we cannot understand what bug you are trying to fix, or why your
4272patch should be an improvement, we will not install it. A test case will
4273help us to understand.
4274
4275@item
4276A guess about what the bug is or what it depends on.
4277
4278Such guesses are usually wrong. Even we cannot guess right about such
4279things without first using the debugger to find the facts.
4280@end itemize
4281
fff279a7
NC
4282@node GNU Free Documentation License
4283@appendix GNU Free Documentation License
4284
947ed062 4285@include fdl.texi
cf055d54 4286
fa0d8a3e
NC
4287@node Binutils Index
4288@unnumbered Binutils Index
252b5132
RH
4289
4290@printindex cp
4291
252b5132 4292@bye
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