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@c Copyright 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998,

@c 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007

@c Free Software Foundation, Inc.

@setfilename bfdint.info

@settitle BFD Internals

@iftex

@titlepage

@title{BFD Internals}

@author{Ian Lance Taylor}

@author{Cygnus Solutions}

@page

@end iftex

@copying

This file documents the internals of the BFD library.

Copyright @copyright{} 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995,

1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007

Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Contributed by Cygnus Support.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document

under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or

any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the

Invariant Sections being ``GNU General Public License'' and ``Funding

Free Software'', the Front-Cover texts being (a) (see below), and with

the Back-Cover Texts being (b) (see below).  A copy of the license is

included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.

(a) The FSF's Front-Cover Text is:

     A GNU Manual

(b) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is:

     You have freedom to copy and modify this GNU Manual, like GNU

     software.  Copies published by the Free Software Foundation raise

     funds for GNU development.

@end copying

@node Top

@top BFD Internals

@raisesections

@cindex bfd internals

This document describes some BFD internal information which may be

helpful when working on BFD.  It is very incomplete.

This document is not updated regularly, and may be out of date.

The initial version of this document was written by Ian Lance Taylor

@email{ian@@cygnus.com}.

@menu

* BFD overview::                BFD overview

* BFD guidelines::              BFD programming guidelines

* BFD target vector::           BFD target vector

* BFD generated files::         BFD generated files

* BFD multiple compilations::   Files compiled multiple times in BFD

* BFD relocation handling::     BFD relocation handling

* BFD ELF support::             BFD ELF support

* BFD glossary::                Glossary

* Index::                       Index

@end menu

@node BFD overview

@section BFD overview

BFD is a library which provides a single interface to read and write

object files, executables, archive files, and core files in any format.

@menu

* BFD library interfaces::      BFD library interfaces

* BFD library users::           BFD library users

* BFD view::                    The BFD view of a file

* BFD blindness::               BFD loses information

@end menu

@node BFD library interfaces

@subsection BFD library interfaces

One way to look at the BFD library is to divide it into four parts by

type of interface.

The first interface is the set of generic functions which programs using

the BFD library will call.  These generic function normally translate

directly or indirectly into calls to routines which are specific to a

particular object file format.  Many of these generic functions are

actually defined as macros in @file{bfd.h}.  These functions comprise

the official BFD interface.

The second interface is the set of functions which appear in the target

vectors.  This is the bulk of the code in BFD.  A target vector is a set

of function pointers specific to a particular object file format.  The

target vector is used to implement the generic BFD functions.  These

functions are always called through the target vector, and are never

called directly.  The target vector is described in detail in @ref{BFD

target vector}.  The set of functions which appear in a particular

target vector is often referred to as a BFD backend.

The third interface is a set of oddball functions which are typically

specific to a particular object file format, are not generic functions,

and are called from outside of the BFD library.  These are used as hooks

by the linker and the assembler when a particular object file format

requires some action which the BFD generic interface does not provide.

These functions are typically declared in @file{bfd.h}, but in many

cases they are only provided when BFD is configured with support for a

particular object file format.  These functions live in a grey area, and

are not really part of the official BFD interface.

The fourth interface is the set of BFD support functions which are

called by the other BFD functions.  These manage issues like memory

allocation, error handling, file access, hash tables, swapping, and the

like.  These functions are never called from outside of the BFD library.

@node BFD library users

@subsection BFD library users

Another way to look at the BFD library is to divide it into three parts

by the manner in which it is used.

The first use is to read an object file.  The object file readers are

programs like @samp{gdb}, @samp{nm}, @samp{objdump}, and @samp{objcopy}.

These programs use BFD to view an object file in a generic form.  The

official BFD interface is normally fully adequate for these programs.

The second use is to write an object file.  The object file writers are

programs like @samp{gas} and @samp{objcopy}.  These programs use BFD to

create an object file.  The official BFD interface is normally adequate

for these programs, but for some object file formats the assembler needs

some additional hooks in order to set particular flags or other

information.  The official BFD interface includes functions to copy

private information from one object file to another, and these functions

are used by @samp{objcopy} to avoid information loss.

The third use is to link object files.  There is only one object file

linker, @samp{ld}.  Originally, @samp{ld} was an object file reader and

an object file writer, and it did the link operation using the generic

BFD structures.  However, this turned out to be too slow and too memory

intensive.

The official BFD linker functions were written to permit specific BFD

backends to perform the link without translating through the generic

structures, in the normal case where all the input files and output file

have the same object file format.  Not all of the backends currently

implement the new interface, and there are default linking functions

within BFD which use the generic structures and which work with all

backends.

For several object file formats the linker needs additional hooks which

are not provided by the official BFD interface, particularly for dynamic

linking support.  These functions are typically called from the linker

emulation template.

@node BFD view

@subsection The BFD view of a file

BFD uses generic structures to manage information.  It translates data

into the generic form when reading files, and out of the generic form

when writing files.

BFD describes a file as a pointer to the @samp{bfd} type.  A @samp{bfd}

is composed of the following elements.  The BFD information can be

displayed using the @samp{objdump} program with various options.

@table @asis

@item general information

The object file format, a few general flags, the start address.

@item architecture

The architecture, including both a general processor type (m68k, MIPS

etc.) and a specific machine number (m68000, R4000, etc.).

@item sections

A list of sections.

@item symbols

A symbol table.

@end table

BFD represents a section as a pointer to the @samp{asection} type.  Each

section has a name and a size.  Most sections also have an associated

block of data, known as the section contents.  Sections also have

associated flags, a virtual memory address, a load memory address, a

required alignment, a list of relocations, and other miscellaneous

information.

BFD represents a relocation as a pointer to the @samp{arelent} type.  A

relocation describes an action which the linker must take to modify the

section contents.  Relocations have a symbol, an address, an addend, and

a pointer to a howto structure which describes how to perform the

relocation.  For more information, see @ref{BFD relocation handling}.

BFD represents a symbol as a pointer to the @samp{asymbol} type.  A

symbol has a name, a pointer to a section, an offset within that

section, and some flags.

Archive files do not have any sections or symbols.  Instead, BFD

represents an archive file as a file which contains a list of

@samp{bfd}s.  BFD also provides access to the archive symbol map, as a

list of symbol names.  BFD provides a function to return the @samp{bfd}

within the archive which corresponds to a particular entry in the

archive symbol map.

@node BFD blindness

@subsection BFD loses information

Most object file formats have information which BFD can not represent in

its generic form, at least as currently defined.

There is often explicit information which BFD can not represent.  For

example, the COFF version stamp, or the ELF program segments.  BFD

provides special hooks to handle this information when copying,

printing, or linking an object file.  The BFD support for a particular

object file format will normally store this information in private data

and handle it using the special hooks.

In some cases there is also implicit information which BFD can not

represent.  For example, the MIPS processor distinguishes small and

large symbols, and requires that all small symbols be within 32K of the

GP register.  This means that the MIPS assembler must be able to mark

variables as either small or large, and the MIPS linker must know to put

small symbols within range of the GP register.  Since BFD can not

represent this information, this means that the assembler and linker

must have information that is specific to a particular object file

format which is outside of the BFD library.

This loss of information indicates areas where the BFD paradigm breaks

down.  It is not actually possible to represent the myriad differences

among object file formats using a single generic interface, at least not

in the manner which BFD does it today.

Nevertheless, the BFD library does greatly simplify the task of dealing

with object files, and particular problems caused by information loss

can normally be solved using some sort of relatively constrained hook

into the library.

@node BFD guidelines

@section BFD programming guidelines

@cindex bfd programming guidelines

@cindex programming guidelines for bfd

@cindex guidelines, bfd programming

There is a lot of poorly written and confusing code in BFD.  New BFD

code should be written to a higher standard.  Merely because some BFD

code is written in a particular manner does not mean that you should

emulate it.

Here are some general BFD programming guidelines:

@itemize @bullet

@item

Follow the GNU coding standards.

@item

Avoid global variables.  We ideally want BFD to be fully reentrant, so

that it can be used in multiple threads.  All uses of global or static

variables interfere with that.  Initialized constant variables are OK,

and they should be explicitly marked with @samp{const}.  Instead of global

variables, use data attached to a BFD or to a linker hash table.

@item

All externally visible functions should have names which start with

@samp{bfd_}.  All such functions should be declared in some header file,

typically @file{bfd.h}.  See, for example, the various declarations near

the end of @file{bfd-in.h}, which mostly declare functions required by

specific linker emulations.

@item

All functions which need to be visible from one file to another within

BFD, but should not be visible outside of BFD, should start with

@samp{_bfd_}.  Although external names beginning with @samp{_} are

prohibited by the ANSI standard, in practice this usage will always

work, and it is required by the GNU coding standards.

@item

Always remember that people can compile using @samp{--enable-targets} to

build several, or all, targets at once.  It must be possible to link

together the files for all targets.

@item

BFD code should compile with few or no warnings using @samp{gcc -Wall}.

Some warnings are OK, like the absence of certain function declarations

which may or may not be declared in system header files.  Warnings about

ambiguous expressions and the like should always be fixed.

@end itemize

@node BFD target vector

@section BFD target vector

@cindex bfd target vector

@cindex target vector in bfd

BFD supports multiple object file formats by using the @dfn{target

vector}.  This is simply a set of function pointers which implement

behaviour that is specific to a particular object file format.

In this section I list all of the entries in the target vector and

describe what they do.

@menu

* BFD target vector miscellaneous::     Miscellaneous constants

* BFD target vector swap::              Swapping functions

* BFD target vector format::            Format type dependent functions

* BFD_JUMP_TABLE macros::               BFD_JUMP_TABLE macros

* BFD target vector generic::           Generic functions

* BFD target vector copy::              Copy functions

* BFD target vector core::              Core file support functions

* BFD target vector archive::           Archive functions

* BFD target vector symbols::           Symbol table functions

* BFD target vector relocs::            Relocation support

* BFD target vector write::             Output functions

* BFD target vector link::              Linker functions

* BFD target vector dynamic::           Dynamic linking information functions

@end menu

@node BFD target vector miscellaneous

@subsection Miscellaneous constants

The target vector starts with a set of constants.

@table @samp

@item name

The name of the target vector.  This is an arbitrary string.  This is

how the target vector is named in command line options for tools which

use BFD, such as the @samp{--oformat} linker option.

@item flavour

A general description of the type of target.  The following flavours are

currently defined:

@table @samp

@item bfd_target_unknown_flavour

Undefined or unknown.

@item bfd_target_aout_flavour

a.out.

@item bfd_target_coff_flavour

COFF.

@item bfd_target_ecoff_flavour

ECOFF.

@item bfd_target_elf_flavour

ELF.

@item bfd_target_ieee_flavour

IEEE-695.

@item bfd_target_nlm_flavour

NLM.

@item bfd_target_oasys_flavour

OASYS.

@item bfd_target_tekhex_flavour

Tektronix hex format.

@item bfd_target_srec_flavour

Motorola S-record format.

@item bfd_target_ihex_flavour

Intel hex format.

@item bfd_target_som_flavour

SOM (used on HP/UX).

@item bfd_target_os9k_flavour

os9000.

@item bfd_target_versados_flavour

VERSAdos.

@item bfd_target_msdos_flavour

MS-DOS.

@item bfd_target_evax_flavour

openVMS.

@item bfd_target_mmo_flavour

Donald Knuth's MMIXware object format.

@end table

@item byteorder

The byte order of data in the object file.  One of

@samp{BFD_ENDIAN_BIG}, @samp{BFD_ENDIAN_LITTLE}, or

@samp{BFD_ENDIAN_UNKNOWN}.  The latter would be used for a format such

as S-records which do not record the architecture of the data.

@item header_byteorder

The byte order of header information in the object file.  Normally the

same as the @samp{byteorder} field, but there are certain cases where it

may be different.

@item object_flags

Flags which may appear in the @samp{flags} field of a BFD with this

format.

@item section_flags

Flags which may appear in the @samp{flags} field of a section within a

BFD with this format.

@item symbol_leading_char

A character which the C compiler normally puts before a symbol.  For

example, an a.out compiler will typically generate the symbol

@samp{_foo} for a function named @samp{foo} in the C source, in which

case this field would be @samp{_}.  If there is no such character, this

field will be @samp{0}.

@item ar_pad_char

The padding character to use at the end of an archive name.  Normally

@samp{/}.

@item ar_max_namelen

The maximum length of a short name in an archive.  Normally @samp{14}.

@item backend_data

A pointer to constant backend data.  This is used by backends to store

whatever additional information they need to distinguish similar target

vectors which use the same sets of functions.

@end table

@node BFD target vector swap

@subsection Swapping functions

Every target vector has function pointers used for swapping information

in and out of the target representation.  There are two sets of

functions: one for data information, and one for header information.

Each set has three sizes: 64-bit, 32-bit, and 16-bit.  Each size has

three actual functions: put, get unsigned, and get signed.

These 18 functions are used to convert data between the host and target

representations.

@node BFD target vector format

@subsection Format type dependent functions

Every target vector has three arrays of function pointers which are

indexed by the BFD format type.  The BFD format types are as follows:

@table @samp

@item bfd_unknown

Unknown format.  Not used for anything useful.

@item bfd_object

Object file.

@item bfd_archive

Archive file.

@item bfd_core

Core file.

@end table

The three arrays of function pointers are as follows:

@table @samp

@item bfd_check_format

Check whether the BFD is of a particular format (object file, archive

file, or core file) corresponding to this target vector.  This is called

by the @samp{bfd_check_format} function when examining an existing BFD.

If the BFD matches the desired format, this function will initialize any

format specific information such as the @samp{tdata} field of the BFD.

This function must be called before any other BFD target vector function

on a file opened for reading.

@item bfd_set_format

Set the format of a BFD which was created for output.  This is called by

the @samp{bfd_set_format} function after creating the BFD with a

function such as @samp{bfd_openw}.  This function will initialize format

specific information required to write out an object file or whatever of

the given format.  This function must be called before any other BFD

target vector function on a file opened for writing.

@item bfd_write_contents

Write out the contents of the BFD in the given format.  This is called

by @samp{bfd_close} function for a BFD opened for writing.  This really

should not be an array selected by format type, as the

@samp{bfd_set_format} function provides all the required information.

In fact, BFD will fail if a different format is used when calling

through the @samp{bfd_set_format} and the @samp{bfd_write_contents}

arrays; fortunately, since @samp{bfd_close} gets it right, this is a

difficult error to make.

@end table

@node BFD_JUMP_TABLE macros

@subsection @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE} macros

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE}

Most target vectors are defined using @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE} macros.

These macros take a single argument, which is a prefix applied to a set

of functions.  The macros are then used to initialize the fields in the

target vector.

For example, the @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_RELOCS} macro defines three

functions: @samp{_get_reloc_upper_bound}, @samp{_canonicalize_reloc},

and @samp{_bfd_reloc_type_lookup}.  A reference like

@samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_RELOCS (foo)} will expand into three functions

prefixed with @samp{foo}: @samp{foo_get_reloc_upper_bound}, etc.  The

@samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_RELOCS} macro will be placed such that those three

functions initialize the appropriate fields in the BFD target vector.

This is done because it turns out that many different target vectors can

share certain classes of functions.  For example, archives are similar

on most platforms, so most target vectors can use the same archive

functions.  Those target vectors all use @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_ARCHIVE}

with the same argument, calling a set of functions which is defined in

@file{archive.c}.

Each of the @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE} macros is mentioned below along with

the description of the function pointers which it defines.  The function

pointers will be described using the name without the prefix which the

@samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE} macro defines.  This name is normally the same as

the name of the field in the target vector structure.  Any differences

will be noted.

@node BFD target vector generic

@subsection Generic functions

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_GENERIC}

The @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_GENERIC} macro is used for some catch all

functions which don't easily fit into other categories.

@table @samp

@item _close_and_cleanup

Free any target specific information associated with the BFD.  This is

called when any BFD is closed (the @samp{bfd_write_contents} function

mentioned earlier is only called for a BFD opened for writing).  Most

targets use @samp{bfd_alloc} to allocate all target specific

information, and therefore don't have to do anything in this function.

This function pointer is typically set to

@samp{_bfd_generic_close_and_cleanup}, which simply returns true.

@item _bfd_free_cached_info

Free any cached information associated with the BFD which can be

recreated later if necessary.  This is used to reduce the memory

consumption required by programs using BFD.  This is normally called via

the @samp{bfd_free_cached_info} macro.  It is used by the default

archive routines when computing the archive map.  Most targets do not

do anything special for this entry point, and just set it to

@samp{_bfd_generic_free_cached_info}, which simply returns true.

@item _new_section_hook

This is called from @samp{bfd_make_section_anyway} whenever a new

section is created.  Most targets use it to initialize section specific

information.  This function is called whether or not the section

corresponds to an actual section in an actual BFD.

@item _get_section_contents

Get the contents of a section.  This is called from

@samp{bfd_get_section_contents}.  Most targets set this to

@samp{_bfd_generic_get_section_contents}, which does a @samp{bfd_seek}

based on the section's @samp{filepos} field and a @samp{bfd_bread}.  The

corresponding field in the target vector is named

@samp{_bfd_get_section_contents}.

@item _get_section_contents_in_window

Set a @samp{bfd_window} to hold the contents of a section.  This is

called from @samp{bfd_get_section_contents_in_window}.  The

@samp{bfd_window} idea never really caught on, and I don't think this is

ever called.  Pretty much all targets implement this as

@samp{bfd_generic_get_section_contents_in_window}, which uses

@samp{bfd_get_section_contents} to do the right thing.  The

corresponding field in the target vector is named

@samp{_bfd_get_section_contents_in_window}.

@end table

@node BFD target vector copy

@subsection Copy functions

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_COPY}

The @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_COPY} macro is used for functions which are

called when copying BFDs, and for a couple of functions which deal with

internal BFD information.

@table @samp

@item _bfd_copy_private_bfd_data

This is called when copying a BFD, via @samp{bfd_copy_private_bfd_data}.

If the input and output BFDs have the same format, this will copy any

private information over.  This is called after all the section contents

have been written to the output file.  Only a few targets do anything in

this function.

@item _bfd_merge_private_bfd_data

This is called when linking, via @samp{bfd_merge_private_bfd_data}.  It

gives the backend linker code a chance to set any special flags in the

output file based on the contents of the input file.  Only a few targets

do anything in this function.

@item _bfd_copy_private_section_data

This is similar to @samp{_bfd_copy_private_bfd_data}, but it is called

for each section, via @samp{bfd_copy_private_section_data}.  This

function is called before any section contents have been written.  Only

a few targets do anything in this function.

@item _bfd_copy_private_symbol_data

This is called via @samp{bfd_copy_private_symbol_data}, but I don't

think anything actually calls it.  If it were defined, it could be used

to copy private symbol data from one BFD to another.  However, most BFDs

store extra symbol information by allocating space which is larger than

the @samp{asymbol} structure and storing private information in the

extra space.  Since @samp{objcopy} and other programs copy symbol

information by copying pointers to @samp{asymbol} structures, the

private symbol information is automatically copied as well.  Most

targets do not do anything in this function.

@item _bfd_set_private_flags

This is called via @samp{bfd_set_private_flags}.  It is basically a hook

for the assembler to set magic information.  For example, the PowerPC

ELF assembler uses it to set flags which appear in the e_flags field of

the ELF header.  Most targets do not do anything in this function.

@item _bfd_print_private_bfd_data

This is called by @samp{objdump} when the @samp{-p} option is used.  It

is called via @samp{bfd_print_private_data}.  It prints any interesting

information about the BFD which can not be otherwise represented by BFD

and thus can not be printed by @samp{objdump}.  Most targets do not do

anything in this function.

@end table

@node BFD target vector core

@subsection Core file support functions

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_CORE}

The @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_CORE} macro is used for functions which deal

with core files.  Obviously, these functions only do something

interesting for targets which have core file support.

@table @samp

@item _core_file_failing_command

Given a core file, this returns the command which was run to produce the

core file.

@item _core_file_failing_signal

Given a core file, this returns the signal number which produced the

core file.

@item _core_file_matches_executable_p

Given a core file and a BFD for an executable, this returns whether the

core file was generated by the executable.

@end table

@node BFD target vector archive

@subsection Archive functions

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_ARCHIVE}

The @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_ARCHIVE} macro is used for functions which deal

with archive files.  Most targets use COFF style archive files

(including ELF targets), and these use @samp{_bfd_archive_coff} as the

argument to @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_ARCHIVE}.  Some targets use BSD/a.out

style archives, and these use @samp{_bfd_archive_bsd}.  (The main

difference between BSD and COFF archives is the format of the archive

symbol table).  Targets with no archive support use

@samp{_bfd_noarchive}.  Finally, a few targets have unusual archive

handling.

@table @samp

@item _slurp_armap

Read in the archive symbol table, storing it in private BFD data.  This

is normally called from the archive @samp{check_format} routine.  The

corresponding field in the target vector is named

@samp{_bfd_slurp_armap}.

@item _slurp_extended_name_table

Read in the extended name table from the archive, if there is one,

storing it in private BFD data.  This is normally called from the

archive @samp{check_format} routine.  The corresponding field in the

target vector is named @samp{_bfd_slurp_extended_name_table}.

@item construct_extended_name_table

Build and return an extended name table if one is needed to write out

the archive.  This also adjusts the archive headers to refer to the

extended name table appropriately.  This is normally called from the

archive @samp{write_contents} routine.  The corresponding field in the

target vector is named @samp{_bfd_construct_extended_name_table}.

@item _truncate_arname

This copies a file name into an archive header, truncating it as

required.  It is normally called from the archive @samp{write_contents}

routine.  This function is more interesting in targets which do not

support extended name tables, but I think the GNU @samp{ar} program

always uses extended name tables anyhow.  The corresponding field in the

target vector is named @samp{_bfd_truncate_arname}.

@item _write_armap

Write out the archive symbol table using calls to @samp{bfd_bwrite}.

This is normally called from the archive @samp{write_contents} routine.

The corresponding field in the target vector is named @samp{write_armap}

(no leading underscore).

@item _read_ar_hdr

Read and parse an archive header.  This handles expanding the archive

header name into the real file name using the extended name table.  This

is called by routines which read the archive symbol table or the archive

itself.  The corresponding field in the target vector is named

@samp{_bfd_read_ar_hdr_fn}.

@item _openr_next_archived_file

Given an archive and a BFD representing a file stored within the

archive, return a BFD for the next file in the archive.  This is called

via @samp{bfd_openr_next_archived_file}.  The corresponding field in the

target vector is named @samp{openr_next_archived_file} (no leading

underscore).

@item _get_elt_at_index

Given an archive and an index, return a BFD for the file in the archive

corresponding to that entry in the archive symbol table.  This is called

via @samp{bfd_get_elt_at_index}.  The corresponding field in the target

vector is named @samp{_bfd_get_elt_at_index}.

@item _generic_stat_arch_elt

Do a stat on an element of an archive, returning information read from

the archive header (modification time, uid, gid, file mode, size).  This

is called via @samp{bfd_stat_arch_elt}.  The corresponding field in the

target vector is named @samp{_bfd_stat_arch_elt}.

@item _update_armap_timestamp

After the entire contents of an archive have been written out, update

the timestamp of the archive symbol table to be newer than that of the

file.  This is required for a.out style archives.  This is normally

called by the archive @samp{write_contents} routine.  The corresponding

field in the target vector is named @samp{_bfd_update_armap_timestamp}.

@end table

@node BFD target vector symbols

@subsection Symbol table functions

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_SYMBOLS}

The @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_SYMBOLS} macro is used for functions which deal

with symbols.

@table @samp

@item _get_symtab_upper_bound

Return a sensible upper bound on the amount of memory which will be

required to read the symbol table.  In practice most targets return the

amount of memory required to hold @samp{asymbol} pointers for all the

symbols plus a trailing @samp{NULL} entry, and store the actual symbol

information in BFD private data.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_get_symtab_upper_bound}.  The corresponding field in the

target vector is named @samp{_bfd_get_symtab_upper_bound}.

@item _canonicalize_symtab

Read in the symbol table.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_canonicalize_symtab}.  The corresponding field in the target

vector is named @samp{_bfd_canonicalize_symtab}.

@item _make_empty_symbol

Create an empty symbol for the BFD.  This is needed because most targets

store extra information with each symbol by allocating a structure

larger than an @samp{asymbol} and storing the extra information at the

end.  This function will allocate the right amount of memory, and return

what looks like a pointer to an empty @samp{asymbol}.  This is called

via @samp{bfd_make_empty_symbol}.  The corresponding field in the target

vector is named @samp{_bfd_make_empty_symbol}.

@item _print_symbol

Print information about the symbol.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_print_symbol}.  One of the arguments indicates what sort of

information should be printed:

@table @samp

@item bfd_print_symbol_name

Just print the symbol name.

@item bfd_print_symbol_more

Print the symbol name and some interesting flags.  I don't think

anything actually uses this.

@item bfd_print_symbol_all

Print all information about the symbol.  This is used by @samp{objdump}

when run with the @samp{-t} option.

@end table

The corresponding field in the target vector is named

@samp{_bfd_print_symbol}.

@item _get_symbol_info

Return a standard set of information about the symbol.  This is called

via @samp{bfd_symbol_info}.  The corresponding field in the target

vector is named @samp{_bfd_get_symbol_info}.

@item _bfd_is_local_label_name

Return whether the given string would normally represent the name of a

local label.  This is called via @samp{bfd_is_local_label} and

@samp{bfd_is_local_label_name}.  Local labels are normally discarded by

the assembler.  In the linker, this defines the difference between the

@samp{-x} and @samp{-X} options.

@item _get_lineno

Return line number information for a symbol.  This is only meaningful

for a COFF target.  This is called when writing out COFF line numbers.

@item _find_nearest_line

Given an address within a section, use the debugging information to find

the matching file name, function name, and line number, if any.  This is

called via @samp{bfd_find_nearest_line}.  The corresponding field in the

target vector is named @samp{_bfd_find_nearest_line}.

@item _bfd_make_debug_symbol

Make a debugging symbol.  This is only meaningful for a COFF target,

where it simply returns a symbol which will be placed in the

@samp{N_DEBUG} section when it is written out.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_make_debug_symbol}.

@item _read_minisymbols

Minisymbols are used to reduce the memory requirements of programs like

@samp{nm}.  A minisymbol is a cookie pointing to internal symbol

information which the caller can use to extract complete symbol

information.  This permits BFD to not convert all the symbols into

generic form, but to instead convert them one at a time.  This is called

via @samp{bfd_read_minisymbols}.  Most targets do not implement this,

and just use generic support which is based on using standard

@samp{asymbol} structures.

@item _minisymbol_to_symbol

Convert a minisymbol to a standard @samp{asymbol}.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_minisymbol_to_symbol}.

@end table

@node BFD target vector relocs

@subsection Relocation support

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_RELOCS}

The @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_RELOCS} macro is used for functions which deal

with relocations.

@table @samp

@item _get_reloc_upper_bound

Return a sensible upper bound on the amount of memory which will be

required to read the relocations for a section.  In practice most

targets return the amount of memory required to hold @samp{arelent}

pointers for all the relocations plus a trailing @samp{NULL} entry, and

store the actual relocation information in BFD private data.  This is

called via @samp{bfd_get_reloc_upper_bound}.

@item _canonicalize_reloc

Return the relocation information for a section.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_canonicalize_reloc}.  The corresponding field in the target

vector is named @samp{_bfd_canonicalize_reloc}.

@item _bfd_reloc_type_lookup

Given a relocation code, return the corresponding howto structure

(@pxref{BFD relocation codes}).  This is called via

@samp{bfd_reloc_type_lookup}.  The corresponding field in the target

vector is named @samp{reloc_type_lookup}.

@end table

@node BFD target vector write

@subsection Output functions

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_WRITE}

The @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_WRITE} macro is used for functions which deal

with writing out a BFD.

@table @samp

@item _set_arch_mach

Set the architecture and machine number for a BFD.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_set_arch_mach}.  Most targets implement this by calling

@samp{bfd_default_set_arch_mach}.  The corresponding field in the target

vector is named @samp{_bfd_set_arch_mach}.

@item _set_section_contents

Write out the contents of a section.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_set_section_contents}.  The corresponding field in the target

vector is named @samp{_bfd_set_section_contents}.

@end table

@node BFD target vector link

@subsection Linker functions

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_LINK}

The @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_LINK} macro is used for functions called by the

linker.

@table @samp

@item _sizeof_headers

Return the size of the header information required for a BFD.  This is

used to implement the @samp{SIZEOF_HEADERS} linker script function.  It

is normally used to align the first section at an efficient position on

the page.  This is called via @samp{bfd_sizeof_headers}.  The

corresponding field in the target vector is named

@samp{_bfd_sizeof_headers}.

@item _bfd_get_relocated_section_contents

Read the contents of a section and apply the relocation information.

This handles both a final link and a relocatable link; in the latter

case, it adjust the relocation information as well.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_get_relocated_section_contents}.  Most targets implement it by

calling @samp{bfd_generic_get_relocated_section_contents}.

@item _bfd_relax_section

Try to use relaxation to shrink the size of a section.  This is called

by the linker when the @samp{-relax} option is used.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_relax_section}.  Most targets do not support any sort of

relaxation.

@item _bfd_link_hash_table_create

Create the symbol hash table to use for the linker.  This linker hook

permits the backend to control the size and information of the elements

in the linker symbol hash table.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_link_hash_table_create}.

@item _bfd_link_add_symbols

Given an object file or an archive, add all symbols into the linker

symbol hash table.  Use callbacks to the linker to include archive

elements in the link.  This is called via @samp{bfd_link_add_symbols}.

@item _bfd_final_link

Finish the linking process.  The linker calls this hook after all of the

input files have been read, when it is ready to finish the link and

generate the output file.  This is called via @samp{bfd_final_link}.

@item _bfd_link_split_section

I don't know what this is for.  Nothing seems to call it.  The only

non-trivial definition is in @file{som.c}.

@end table

@node BFD target vector dynamic

@subsection Dynamic linking information functions

@cindex @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_DYNAMIC}

The @samp{BFD_JUMP_TABLE_DYNAMIC} macro is used for functions which read

dynamic linking information.

@table @samp

@item _get_dynamic_symtab_upper_bound

Return a sensible upper bound on the amount of memory which will be

required to read the dynamic symbol table.  In practice most targets

return the amount of memory required to hold @samp{asymbol} pointers for

all the symbols plus a trailing @samp{NULL} entry, and store the actual

symbol information in BFD private data.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_get_dynamic_symtab_upper_bound}.  The corresponding field in

the target vector is named @samp{_bfd_get_dynamic_symtab_upper_bound}.

@item _canonicalize_dynamic_symtab

Read the dynamic symbol table.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_canonicalize_dynamic_symtab}.  The corresponding field in the

target vector is named @samp{_bfd_canonicalize_dynamic_symtab}.

@item _get_dynamic_reloc_upper_bound

Return a sensible upper bound on the amount of memory which will be

required to read the dynamic relocations.  In practice most targets

return the amount of memory required to hold @samp{arelent} pointers for

all the relocations plus a trailing @samp{NULL} entry, and store the

actual relocation information in BFD private data.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_get_dynamic_reloc_upper_bound}.  The corresponding field in

the target vector is named @samp{_bfd_get_dynamic_reloc_upper_bound}.

@item _canonicalize_dynamic_reloc

Read the dynamic relocations.  This is called via

@samp{bfd_canonicalize_dynamic_reloc}.  The corresponding field in the

target vector is named @samp{_bfd_canonicalize_dynamic_reloc}.

@end table

@node BFD generated files

@section BFD generated files

@cindex generated files in bfd

@cindex bfd generated files

BFD contains several automatically generated files.  This section