Subversion Repositories or1k

@section File formats

A format is a BFD concept of high level file contents type. The

formats supported by BFD are:

@itemize @bullet

@item

@code{bfd_object}

@end itemize

The BFD may contain data, symbols, relocations and debug info.

@itemize @bullet

@item

@code{bfd_archive}

@end itemize

The BFD contains other BFDs and an optional index.

@itemize @bullet

@item

@code{bfd_core}

@end itemize

The BFD contains the result of an executable core dump.

@findex bfd_check_format

@subsubsection @code{bfd_check_format}

@strong{Synopsis}

@example

boolean bfd_check_format(bfd *abfd, bfd_format format);

@end example

@strong{Description}@*

Verify if the file attached to the BFD @var{abfd} is compatible

with the format @var{format} (i.e., one of @code{bfd_object},

@code{bfd_archive} or @code{bfd_core}).

If the BFD has been set to a specific target before the

call, only the named target and format combination is

checked. If the target has not been set, or has been set to

@code{default}, then all the known target backends is

interrogated to determine a match.  If the default target

matches, it is used.  If not, exactly one target must recognize

the file, or an error results.

The function returns @code{true} on success, otherwise @code{false}

with one of the following error codes:

@itemize @bullet

@item

@code{bfd_error_invalid_operation} -

if @code{format} is not one of @code{bfd_object}, @code{bfd_archive} or

@code{bfd_core}.

@item

@code{bfd_error_system_call} -

if an error occured during a read - even some file mismatches

can cause bfd_error_system_calls.

@item

@code{file_not_recognised} -

none of the backends recognised the file format.

@item

@code{bfd_error_file_ambiguously_recognized} -

more than one backend recognised the file format.

@end itemize

@findex bfd_check_format_matches

@subsubsection @code{bfd_check_format_matches}

@strong{Synopsis}

@example

boolean bfd_check_format_matches(bfd *abfd, bfd_format format, char ***matching);

@end example

@strong{Description}@*

Like @code{bfd_check_format}, except when it returns false with

@code{bfd_errno} set to @code{bfd_error_file_ambiguously_recognized}.  In that

case, if @var{matching} is not NULL, it will be filled in with

a NULL-terminated list of the names of the formats that matched,

allocated with @code{malloc}.

Then the user may choose a format and try again.

When done with the list that @var{matching} points to, the caller

should free it.

@findex bfd_set_format

@subsubsection @code{bfd_set_format}

@strong{Synopsis}

@example

boolean bfd_set_format(bfd *abfd, bfd_format format);

@end example

@strong{Description}@*

This function sets the file format of the BFD @var{abfd} to the

format @var{format}. If the target set in the BFD does not

support the format requested, the format is invalid, or the BFD

is not open for writing, then an error occurs.

@findex bfd_format_string

@subsubsection @code{bfd_format_string}

@strong{Synopsis}

@example

CONST char *bfd_format_string(bfd_format format);

@end example

@strong{Description}@*

Return a pointer to a const string

@code{invalid}, @code{object}, @code{archive}, @code{core}, or @code{unknown},

depending upon the value of @var{format}.