o

Syntax

    -o file_spec

Purpose
Specifies an output location for the object, assembler, or executable files created by the compiler. When the -o option is used during compiler invocation, file_spec can be the name of either a file or a directory. When the -o option is used during direct linkage-editor invocation, file_spec can only be the name of a file.

Notes
When -o is specified as part of a complier invocation, file_spec can be the relative or absolute path name of either a directory or a file.

1. If file_spec is the name of a directory, files created by the compiler are placed into that directory.
2. If a directory with the name file_spec does not exist, the -o option specifies that the name of the file produced by the compiler will be file_spec. Otherwise, files created by the compiler will take on their default names. For example, the following compiler invocation:
   
   xlC test.c -c -o new.o
   
   produces the object file new.o instead of test.o , and
   
   xlC test.c -o new
   
   produces the object file new instead of a.out
   
   A file_spec with a C or C++ source file suffix (.C, .c, or .i), such as my_text.c or bob.i, results in an error and neither the compiler nor the linkage editor is invoked.
   
   To use -c and -o together, you can only compile one source file at a time. If you specify both -c and -ofile_spec, and only one file is being compiled, the output is placed in file_spec. If more than one source file name is listed in the compiler invocation, the compiler issues a warning message and ignores -o.

The -E, -P, and -qsyntaxonly options override the -ofilename option.

Example

1. To compile myprogram.c so that the resulting file is called myaccount, assuming that no directory with name myaccount exists, enter:

    xlC myprogram.c -o myaccount

If the directory myaccount does exist, the executable file produced by the compiler is placed in the myaccount directory.

List of Compiler Options and Their Defaults
Options that Specify Linkage Options