man(1) Manual page archive


     AR(1)                                                       AR(1)

     NAME
          ar, ranlib - archive and library maintainer

     SYNOPSIS
          ar key [ posname ] afile name ...

          ranlib archive ...

     DESCRIPTION
          Ar maintains groups of files combined into a single archive
          file.  Its main use is to create and update library files
          for the loader ld(1). It can be used, though, for any simi-
          lar purpose.

          Key is one character from the set drqtpmx, optionally con-
          catenated with one or more of vuaibcl. Afile is the archive
          file.  The names are constituent files in the archive file.
          The meanings of the key characters are:

          d    Delete the named files from the archive file.

          r    Replace the named files in the archive file.  If the
               optional character u is used with r, then only those
               files with modified dates later than the archive files
               are replaced.  If an optional positioning character
               from the set abi is used, then the posname argument
               must be present and specifies that new files are to be
               placed after (a) or before (b or i) posname. Otherwise
               new files are placed at the end.

          q    Quickly append the named files to the end of the
               archive file.  Optional positioning characters are
               invalid.  The command does not check whether the added
               members are already in the archive.  Useful only to
               avoid quadratic behavior when creating a large archive
               piece-by-piece.

          t    Print a table of contents of the archive file.  If no
               names are given, all files in the archive are tabled.
               If names are given, only those files are tabled.

          p    Print the named files in the archive.

          m    Move the named files to the end of the archive.  If a
               positioning character is present, then the posname
               argument must be present and, as in r, specifies where
               the files are to be moved.

          x    Extract the named files.  If no names are given, all
               files in the archive are extracted.  In neither case

     AR(1)                                                       AR(1)

               does x alter the archive file.

          v    Verbose.  Under the verbose option, ar gives a file-
               by-file description of the making of a new archive file
               from the old archive and the constituent files.  When
               used with t, it gives a long listing of all information
               about the files.  When used with p, it precedes each
               file with a name.

          c    Create.  Normally ar will create afile when it needs
               to.  The create option suppresses the normal message
               that is produced when afile is created.

          l    Local.  Normally ar places its temporary files in the
               directory /tmp.  This option causes them to be placed
               in the local directory.

          Ranlib adds a table of contents `__SYMDEF' to each library
          archive. This makes it possible for the loader ld(1) to
          extract all necessary files from an archive in one pass
          regardless of the order of the archive.

     FILES
          /tmp/v*  temporaries

     SEE ALSO
          ld(1), ar(5)

     BUGS
          If the same file is mentioned twice in an argument list, it
          may be put in the archive twice.
          Failure to do both ar and ranlib steps may cause phase
          errors in libraries.  Consequently the loader ld warns when
          a library is newer than its table of contents; but this
          means you get the warning even if you only copy the library.