C or C++ Program Development Cycle
The linkage editor link-edits all of the specified object files to create one executable file. Invoking the compiler with one of the invocation commands automatically calls the linkage editor unless you specify one of the following compiler options: -E, -P, -c, or -#.
Input Files
Object files, library files, and unstripped executable files
serve as input to the linkage editor.
Object Files
Object files must have a .o suffix, for example,
year.o.
Library Files
Static library file names have a .a suffix, for
example, libold.a. Dynamic library file names
have a .so suffix, for example, libold.so.
Library files are created by combining one or more files into a
single archive file with the AIX ar command. For
a description of the ar command, refer to the AIX
Version 4 Commands Reference.
Output Files
The linkage editor generates an executable file and places
it in your current directory. The default name for an executable
file is a.out. To name the executable file
explicitly, use the -ofile_name
option with the xlC command, where file_name
is the name you want to give to the executable file. If you use
the -ofile_name
option, the resulting executable file is called file_name.
Using the ld Command
You can invoke the linkage editor explicitly with the ld
command. However, the compiler invocation commands set several
linkage-editor options, and link some standard files into the
executable output by default. In most cases, it is better to use
one of the compiler invocation commands to link-edit your .o
files.
Note: When link-editing .o files, do not use the -e option of the ld command. The default entry point of the executable output is __start. Changing this label with the -e flag can cause erratic results.
C or C++ Program Development
Cycle
