toolchain/share/doc/ld.html/PROVIDE.html

85 lines
4.0 KiB
HTML

<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>PROVIDE - Untitled</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html">
<meta name="description" content="Untitled">
<meta name="generator" content="makeinfo 4.13">
<link title="Top" rel="start" href="index.html#Top">
<link rel="up" href="Assignments.html#Assignments" title="Assignments">
<link rel="prev" href="HIDDEN.html#HIDDEN" title="HIDDEN">
<link rel="next" href="PROVIDE_005fHIDDEN.html#PROVIDE_005fHIDDEN" title="PROVIDE_HIDDEN">
<link href="http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/" rel="generator-home" title="Texinfo Homepage">
<!--
This file documents the GNU linker LD
(GNU Toolchain for the A-profile Architecture 9.2-2019.12 (arm-9.10))
version 2.33.1.
Copyright (C) 1991-2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3
or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation;
with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no
Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the
section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''.-->
<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css">
<style type="text/css"><!--
pre.display { font-family:inherit }
pre.format { font-family:inherit }
pre.smalldisplay { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
pre.smallformat { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
pre.smallexample { font-size:smaller }
pre.smalllisp { font-size:smaller }
span.sc { font-variant:small-caps }
span.roman { font-family:serif; font-weight:normal; }
span.sansserif { font-family:sans-serif; font-weight:normal; }
--></style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="node">
<a name="PROVIDE"></a>
<p>
Next:&nbsp;<a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="PROVIDE_005fHIDDEN.html#PROVIDE_005fHIDDEN">PROVIDE_HIDDEN</a>,
Previous:&nbsp;<a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="HIDDEN.html#HIDDEN">HIDDEN</a>,
Up:&nbsp;<a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Assignments.html#Assignments">Assignments</a>
<hr>
</div>
<h4 class="subsection">3.5.3 PROVIDE</h4>
<p><a name="index-PROVIDE-448"></a>In some cases, it is desirable for a linker script to define a symbol
only if it is referenced and is not defined by any object included in
the link. For example, traditional linkers defined the symbol
&lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">etext</span></samp>&rsquo;. However, ANSI C requires that the user be able to use
&lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">etext</span></samp>&rsquo; as a function name without encountering an error. The
<code>PROVIDE</code> keyword may be used to define a symbol, such as
&lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">etext</span></samp>&rsquo;, only if it is referenced but not defined. The syntax is
<code>PROVIDE(</code><var>symbol</var><code> = </code><var>expression</var><code>)</code>.
<p>Here is an example of using <code>PROVIDE</code> to define &lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">etext</span></samp>&rsquo;:
<pre class="smallexample"> SECTIONS
{
.text :
{
*(.text)
_etext = .;
PROVIDE(etext = .);
}
}
</pre>
<p>In this example, if the program defines &lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">_etext</span></samp>&rsquo; (with a leading
underscore), the linker will give a multiple definition error. If, on
the other hand, the program defines &lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">etext</span></samp>&rsquo; (with no leading
underscore), the linker will silently use the definition in the program.
If the program references &lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">etext</span></samp>&rsquo; but does not define it, the
linker will use the definition in the linker script.
<p>Note - the <code>PROVIDE</code> directive considers a common symbol to be
defined, even though such a symbol could be combined with the symbol
that the <code>PROVIDE</code> would create. This is particularly important
when considering constructor and destructor list symbols such as
&lsquo;<samp><span class="samp">__CTOR_LIST__</span></samp>&rsquo; as these are often defined as common symbols.
</body></html>