enoft Manual

The ar Utility
eNOFT Manual—527507-005
3-6
object file and target-independent files contain an archive symbol table and are suitable
for use by Binder or the linkers(nld, ld or eld).
If ar detects mixing of the kinds of HP object files, it generates the archive but does
not generate a symbol table, issuing an appropriate warning message instead.
When an archive contains a mix of TNS, TNS/R, or TNS/E object files, it is not usable
by either Binder or the linkers (nld, ld, or eld)because no symbol table is
generated. When such an archive is generated on Windows platforms, however, no
error message is displayed because TNS files are not recognized as object files in that
environment.
An archive symbol table is created as the first file member of the archive file for a
successful archive operation when there is at least one object file in the archive. The
symbol table is maintained by ar and is used by Binder or the linkers(nld, ld or
eld) to search the archive. Whenever ar is used to create or update the contents of
such an archive, ar rebuilds the symbol table. The -s option of ar forces the symbol
table to be rebuilt.
An archive file embedded as a member of another archive file is not usable by Binder
or the linkers(nld, ld or eld).
A file within an archive is named by a filename, which is the last component of the
pathname used when the file was entered into the archive. The comparison of a file
operand to the name of a file in an archive is performed by comparing the last
component of the operand to the name of the archive file. In the Guardian environment
and on platforms running Windows, this comparison is case-insensitive.
Multiple files in an archive can have the same name. In such a case, however, each
file and position-name operand matches only the first archive file having a name
that is the same as the last component of the operand.
In the OSS environment, ar accepts OSS files as archive members. Archive libraries
built by ar in any environment can be used for linking in any environment where
Binder or the linkers(nld, ld or eld) run, provided the archive contains a symbol
table and the appropriate kind of HP object file for the linker used.
It is your responsibility to ensure that archive members are appropriate for the target
environment; for example, archive members must be compiled as OSS targets when
they are to be used to construct an application that will run in the OSS environment.
For more information on the ar utility, see the Open System Services Shell and
Utilities Manual.