This is libtool.info, produced by makeinfo version 3.12k from
libtool.texi.

INFO-DIR-SECTION GNU programming tools
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Libtool: (libtool).           Generic shared library support script.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

INFO-DIR-SECTION Individual utilities
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* libtoolize: (libtool)Invoking libtoolize.     Adding libtool support.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

   This file documents GNU Libtool 1.3.5

   Copyright (C) 1996-1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

   Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the
entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
permission notice identical to this one.

   Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a
translation approved by the Foundation.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Libltdl interface,  Next: Modules for libltdl,  Up: Using libltdl

How to use libltdl in your programs
===================================

The libltdl API is similar to the dlopen interface of Solaris and Linux,
which is very simple but powerful.

To use libltdl in your program you have to include the header file
`ltdl.h':

     #include <ltdl.h>

Note that libltdl is not threadsafe, i.e. a multithreaded application
has to use a mutex for libltdl.  It was reported that GNU/Linux's glibc
2.0's `dlopen' with `RTLD_LAZY' (which libltdl uses by default) is not
thread-safe, but this problem is supposed to be fixed in glibc 2.1.  On
the other hand, `RTLD_NOW' was reported to introduce problems in
multi-threaded applications on FreeBSD.  Working around these problems
is left as an exercise for the reader; contributions are certainly
welcome.

The following types are defined in `ltdl.h':

 - Type: lt_ptr_t
     `lt_ptr_t' is a generic pointer.

 - Type: lt_dlhandle
     `lt_dlhandle' is a module "handle".  Every dlopened module has a
     handle associated with it.

 - Type: lt_dlsymlist
     `lt_dlsymlist' is a symbol list for dlpreopened modules.  This
     structure is described in *note Dlpreopening::.

libltdl provides the following functions:

 - Function: int lt_dlinit (void)
     Initialize libltdl.  This function must be called before using
     libltdl and may be called several times.  Return 0 on success,
     otherwise the number of errors.

 - Function: int lt_dlexit (void)
     Shut down libltdl and close all modules.  This function will only
     then shut down libltdl when it was called as many times as
     `lt_dlinit' has been successfully called.  Return 0 on success,
     otherwise the number of errors.

 - Function: lt_dlhandle lt_dlopen (const char *FILENAME)
     Open the module with the file name FILENAME and return a handle
     for it.  `lt_dlopen' is able to open libtool dynamic modules,
     preloaded static modules, the program itself and native dynamic
     libraries.

     Unresolved symbols in the module are resolved using its dependency
     libraries (not implemented yet) and previously dlopened modules.
     If the executable using this module was linked with the
     `-export-dynamic' flag, then the global symbols in the executable
     will also be used to resolve references in the module.

     If FILENAME is NULL and the program was linked with
     `-export-dynamic' or `-dlopen self', `lt_dlopen' will return a
     handle for the program itself, which can be used to access its
     symbols.

     If libltdl cannot find the library and the file name FILENAME does
     not have a directory component it will additionally search in the
     following search paths for the module (in the order as follows):

       1. user-defined search path: This search path can be set by the
          program using the functions `lt_dlsetsearchpath' and
          `lt_dladdsearchdir'.

       2. libltdl's search path: This search path is the value of the
          environment variable LTDL_LIBRARY_PATH.

       3. system library search path: The system dependent library
          search path (e.g. on Linux it is LD_LIBRARY_PATH).

     Each search path must be a colon-separated list of absolute
     directories, for example, `"/usr/lib/mypkg:/lib/foo"'.

     If the same module is loaded several times, the same handle is
     returned.  If `lt_dlopen' fails for any reason, it returns NULL.

 - Function: lt_dlhandle lt_dlopenext (const char *FILENAME)
     The same as `lt_dlopen', except that it tries to append different
     file name extensions to the file name.  If the file with the file
     name FILENAME cannot be found libltdl tries to append the
     following extensions:

       1. the libtool archive extension `.la'

       2. the extension used for native dynamic libraries on the host
          platform, e.g., `.so', `.sl', etc.

     This lookup strategy was designed to allow programs that don't
     have knowledge about native dynamic libraries naming conventions
     to be able to `dlopen' such libraries as well as libtool modules
     transparently.

 - Function: int lt_dlclose (lt_dlhandle HANDLE)
     Decrement the reference count on the module HANDLE.  If it drops
     to zero and no other module depends on this module, then the
     module is unloaded.  Return 0 on success.

 - Function: lt_ptr_t lt_dlsym (lt_dlhandle HANDLE, const char *NAME)
     Return the address in the module HANDLE, where the symbol given by
     the null terminated string NAME is loaded.  If the symbol cannot
     be found, NULL is returned.

 - Function: const char * lt_dlerror (void)
     Return a human readable string describing the most recent error
     that occurred from any of libltdl's functions.  Return NULL if no
     errors have occurred since initialization or since it was last
     called.

 - Function: int lt_dlpreload (const lt_dlsymlist *PRELOADED)
     Register the list of preloaded modules PRELOADED.  If PRELOADED is
     NULL, then all previously registered symbol lists, except the list
     set by `lt_dlpreload_default', are deleted. Return 0 on success.

 - Function: int lt_dlpreload_default (const lt_dlsymlist *PRELOADED)
     Set the default list of preloaded modules to PRELOADED, which
     won't be deleted by `lt_dlpreload'.  Note that this function does
     _not_ require libltdl to be initialized using `lt_dlinit' and can
     be used in the program to register the default preloaded modules.
     Instead of calling this function directly, most programs will use
     the macro `LTDL_SET_PRELOADED_SYMBOLS'.

     Return 0 on success.

 - Macro: LTDL_SET_PRELOADED_SYMBOLS()
     Set the default list of preloaded symbols.  Should be used in your
     program to initialize libltdl's list of preloaded modules.

          #include <ltdl.h>
          
          int main() {
            /* ... */
            LTDL_SET_PRELOADED_SYMBOLS();
            /* ... */
          }

 - Function: int lt_dladdsearchdir (const char *SEARCH_DIR)
     Add the search directory SEARCH_DIR to the user-defined library
     search path. Return 0 on success.

 - Function: int lt_dlsetsearchpath (const char *SEARCH_PATH)
     Replace the current user-defined library search path with
     SEARCH_PATH, which must be a colon-separated list of absolute
     directories.  Return 0 on success.

 - Function: const char * lt_dlgetsearchpath (void)
     Return the current user-defined library search path.

 - Variable: lt_ptr_t (* lt_dlmalloc ) (size_t size)
 - Variable: void (* lt_dlfree ) (lt_ptr_t ptr)
     These variables are set to `malloc' and `free', by default, but
     you can set them to any other functions that provides equivalent
     functionality.  However, you must not modify their values after
     calling any libltdl function other than `lt_dlpreopen_default' or
     the macro `LTDL_SET_PRELOADED_SYMBOLS'.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Modules for libltdl,  Next: Distributing libltdl,  Prev: Libltdl interface,  Up: Using libltdl

Creating modules that can be `dlopen'ed
=======================================

   Libtool modules are like normal libtool libraries with a few
exceptions:

   You have to link the module with libtool's `-module' switch, and you
should link any program that is intended to dlopen the module with
`-dlopen modulename.la' so that libtool can dlpreopen the module on
platforms which don't support dlopening.  If the module depends on any
other libraries, make sure you specify them either when you link the
module or when you link programs that dlopen it.  If you want to
disable *note Versioning:: for a specific module you should link it
with the `-avoid-version' switch.  Note that libtool modules don't need
to have a "lib" prefix.  However, automake 1.4 or higher is required to
build such modules.

   Usually a set of modules provide the same interface, i.e, exports
the same symbols, so that a program can dlopen them without having to
know more about their internals.  In order to avoid symbol conflicts
all exported symbols must be prefixed with "modulename_LTX_"
(`modulename' is the name of the module).  Internal symbols must be
named in such a way that they won't conflict with other modules, for
example, by prefixing them with "_modulename_".  Although some
platforms support having the same symbols defined more than once it is
generally not portable and it makes it impossible to dlpreopen such
modules.  libltdl will automatically cut the prefix off to get the real
name of the symbol.  Additionally, it supports modules which don't use
a prefix so that you can also dlopen non-libtool modules.

   `foo1.c' gives an example of a portable libtool module.  Exported
symbols are prefixed with "foo1_LTX_", internal symbols with "_foo1_".
Aliases are defined at the beginning so that the code is more readable.

     /* aliases for the exported symbols */
     #define foo	foo1_LTX_foo
     #define bar	foo1_LTX_bar
     
     /* a global variable definition */
     int bar = 1;
     
     /* a private function */
     int _foo1_helper() {
       return bar;
     }
     
     /* an exported function */
     int foo() {
       return _foo_helper();
     }

The `Makefile.am' contains the necessary rules to build the module
`foo1.la':

     ...
     lib_LTLIBRARIES = foo1.la
     
     foo1_la_SOURCES = foo1.c
     foo1_la_LDFLAGS = -module
     ...


File: libtool.info,  Node: Distributing libltdl,  Prev: Modules for libltdl,  Up: Using libltdl

How to distribute libltdl with your package
===========================================

   Even though libltdl is installed together with libtool, you may wish
to include libltdl in the distribution of your package, for the
convenience of users of your package that don't have libtool or libltdl
installed.  In this case, you may decide which flavor of libltdl you
want to use: a convenience library or an installable libtool library.

   One advantage of the convenience library is that it is not
installed, so the fact that you use libltdl will not be apparent to the
user, and it will not overwrite a pre-installed version of libltdl a
user might have.  On the other hand, if you want to upgrade libltdl for
any reason (e.g. a bugfix) you'll have to recompile your package
instead of just replacing an installed version of libltdl.  However, if
your programs or libraries are linked with other libraries that use
such a pre-installed version of libltdl, you may get linker errors or
run-time crashes.  Another problem is that you cannot link the
convenience library into more than one libtool library, then link a
single program with these libraries, because you may get duplicate
symbols. In general you can safely use the convenience library in
programs which don't depend on other libraries that might use libltdl
too.  In order to enable this flavor of libltdl, you should add the
line `AC_LIBLTDL_CONVENIENCE' to your `configure.in', _before_
`AM_PROG_LIBTOOL'.

   In order to select the installable version of libltdl, you should
add a call of the macro `AC_LIBLTDL_INSTALLABLE' to your `configure.in'
_before_ `AM_PROG_LIBTOOL'.  This macro will check whether libltdl is
already installed and, if not, request the libltdl embedded in your
package to be built and installed.  Note, however, that no version
checking is performed.  The user may override the test and determine
that the libltdl embedded must be installed, regardless of the
existence of another version, using the configure switch
`--enable-ltdl-install'.

   In order to embed libltdl into your package, just add `--ltdl' to
the `libtoolize' command line. It will copy the libltdl sources to a
subdirectory `libltdl' in your package.  Both macros accept an optional
argument to specify the location of the `libltdl' directory. By the
default both macros assume that it is `${top_builddir}/libltdl'.

   Whatever macro you use, it is up to you to ensure that your
`configure.in' will configure libltdl, using `AC_CONFIG_SUBDIRS', and
that your `Makefile's will start sub-makes within libltdl's directory,
using automake's SUBDIRS, for example.  Both macros define the shell
variables LIBLTDL, to the link flag that you should use to link with
libltdl, and INCLTDL, to the preprocessor flag that you should use to
compile with programs that include `ltdl.h'.  It is up to you to use
`AC_SUBST' to ensure that this variable will be available in
`Makefile's, or add them to variables that are `AC_SUBST'ed by default,
such as LIBS and CPPFLAGS.

   If you're using the convenience libltdl, LIBLTDL will be the
pathname for the convenience version of libltdl and INCLTDL will be
`-I' followed by the directory that contains libltdl, both starting
with `${top_builddir}/'.

   If you request an installed version of libltdl and one is found(1),
LIBLTDL will be set to `-lltdl' and INCLTDL will be empty (which is
just a blind assumption that `ltdl.h' is somewhere in the include path
if libltdl is in the library path).  If an installable version of
libltdl must be built, its pathname, starting with `${top_builddir}/',
will be stored in LIBLTDL, and INCLTDL will be set just like in the
case of convenience library.

   So, when you want to link a program with libltdl, be it a
convenience, installed or installable library, just compile with
`$(INCLTDL)' and link it with `$(LIBLTDL)', using libtool.

   You should probably also add `AC_LIBTOOL_DLOPEN' to your
`configure.in' _before_ `AM_PROG_LIBTOOL', otherwise libtool will
assume no dlopening mechanism is supported, and revert to dlpreopening,
which is probably not what you want.

   Avoid using the `-static' or `-all-static' switches when linking
programs with libltdl.  This will not work on all platforms, because
the dlopening functions may not be available for static linking.

   The following example shows you how to embed the convenience libltdl
in your package.  In order to use the installable variant just replace
`AC_LIBLTDL_CONVENIENCE' with `AC_LIBLTDL_INSTALLABLE'.  We assume that
libltdl was embedded using `libtoolize --ltdl'.

   configure.in:
     ...
     dnl Enable building of the convenience library
     dnl and set LIBLTDL accordingly
     AC_LIBLTDL_CONVENIENCE
     dnl Substitute INCLTDL and LIBLTDL in the Makefiles
     AC_SUBST(INCLTDL)
     AC_SUBST(LIBLTDL)
     dnl Check for dlopen support
     AC_LIBTOOL_DLOPEN
     dnl Configure libtool
     AM_PROG_LIBTOOL
     dnl Configure libltdl
     AC_CONFIG_SUBDIRS(libltdl)
     ...

   Makefile.am:
     ...
     SUBDIRS = libltdl
     
     INCLUDES = $(INCLTDL)
     
     myprog_LDFLAGS = -export-dynamic
     # The quotes around -dlopen below fool automake into accepting it
     myprog_LDADD = $(LIBLTDL) "-dlopen" self "-dlopen" libfoo.la
     myprog_DEPENDENCIES = $(LIBLTDL) libfoo.la
     ...

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) Even if libltdl is installed, `AC_LIBLTDL_INSTALLABLE' may fail
to detect it, if libltdl depends on symbols provided by libraries other
than the C library.  In this case, it will needlessly build and install
libltdl.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Other languages,  Next: Troubleshooting,  Prev: Using libltdl,  Up: Top

Using libtool with other languages
**********************************

   Libtool was first implemented in order to add support for writing
shared libraries in the C language.  However, over time, libtool is
being integrated with other languages, so that programmers are free to
reap the benefits of shared libraries in their favorite programming
language.

   This chapter describes how libtool interacts with other languages,
and what special considerations you need to make if you do not use C.

* Menu:

* C++ libraries::


File: libtool.info,  Node: C++ libraries,  Up: Other languages

Writing libraries for C++
=========================

   Creating libraries of C++ code should be a fairly straightforward
process, because its object files differ from C ones in only three ways:

  1. Because of name mangling, C++ libraries are only usable by the C++
     compiler that created them.  This decision was made by the
     designers of C++ in order to protect users from conflicting
     implementations of features such as constructors, exception
     handling, and RTTI.

  2. On some systems, the C++ compiler must take special actions for the
     dynamic linker to run dynamic (i.e., run-time) initializers.  This
     means that we should not call `ld' directly to link such
     libraries, and we should use the C++ compiler instead.

  3. C++ compilers will link some Standard C++ library in by default,
     but libtool does not know which are these libraries, so it cannot
     even run the inter-library dependence analyzer to check how to
     link it in.  Therefore, running `ld' to link a C++ program or
     library is deemed to fail.  However, running the C++ compiler
     directly may lead to problems related with inter-library
     dependencies.

   The conclusion is that libtool is not ready for general use for C++
libraries.  You should avoid any global or static variable
initializations that would cause an "initializer element is not
constant" error if you compiled them with a standard C compiler.

   There are other ways of working around this problem, but they are
beyond the scope of this manual.

   Furthermore, you'd better find out, at configure time, what are the
C++ Standard libraries that the C++ compiler will link in by default,
and explicitly list them in the link command line.  Hopefully, in the
future, libtool will be able to do this job by itself.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Troubleshooting,  Next: Maintaining,  Prev: Other languages,  Up: Top

Troubleshooting
***************

   Libtool is under constant development, changing to remain up-to-date
with modern operating systems.  If libtool doesn't work the way you
think it should on your platform, you should read this chapter to help
determine what the problem is, and how to resolve it.

* Menu:

* Libtool test suite::          Libtool's self-tests.
* Reporting bugs::              How to report problems with libtool.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Libtool test suite,  Next: Reporting bugs,  Up: Troubleshooting

The libtool test suite
======================

   Libtool comes with its own set of programs that test its
capabilities, and report obvious bugs in the libtool program.  These
tests, too, are constantly evolving, based on past problems with
libtool, and known deficiencies in other operating systems.

   As described in the `INSTALL' file, you may run `make check' after
you have built libtool (possibly before you install it) in order to
make sure that it meets basic functional requirements.

* Menu:

* Test descriptions::           The contents of the test suite.
* When tests fail::             What to do when a test fails.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Test descriptions,  Next: When tests fail,  Up: Libtool test suite

Description of test suite
-------------------------

   Here is a list of the current programs in the test suite, and what
they test for:

`cdemo-conf.test'
`cdemo-exec.test'
`cdemo-make.test'
`cdemo-static.test'
`cdemo-shared.test'
     These programs check to see that the `cdemo' subdirectory of the
     libtool distribution can be configured and built correctly.

     The `cdemo' subdirectory contains a demonstration of libtool
     convenience libraries, a mechanism that allows build-time static
     libraries to be created, in a way that their components can be
     later linked into programs or other libraries, even shared ones.

     The tests `cdemo-make.test' and `cdemo-exec.test' are executed
     three times, under three different libtool configurations:
     `cdemo-conf.test' configures `cdemo/libtool' to build both static
     and shared libraries (the default for platforms that support
     both), `cdemo-static.test' builds only static libraries
     (`--disable-shared'), and `cdemo-shared.test' builds only shared
     libraries (`--disable-static').

`demo-conf.test'
`demo-exec.test'
`demo-inst.test'
`demo-make.test'
`demo-unst.test'
`demo-static.test'
`demo-shared.test'
`demo-nofast.test'
     These programs check to see that the `demo' subdirectory of the
     libtool distribution can be configured, built, installed, and
     uninstalled correctly.

     The `demo' subdirectory contains a demonstration of a trivial
     package that uses libtool.  The tests `demo-make.test',
     `demo-exec.test', `demo-inst.test' and `demo-unst.test' are
     executed four times, under four different libtool configurations:
     `demo-conf.test' configures `demo/libtool' to build both static
     and shared libraries, `demo-static.test' builds only static
     libraries (`--disable-shared'), and `demo-shared.test' builds only
     shared libraries (`--disable-static').  `demo-nofast.test'
     configures `demo/libtool' to disable the fast-install mode
     (`--enable-fast-install=no'.

`deplibs.test'
     Many systems cannot link static libraries into shared libraries.
     libtool uses a `deplibs_check_method' to prevent such cases.  This
     tests checks whether libtool's `deplibs_check_method' works
     properly.

`hardcode.test'
     On all systems with shared libraries, the location of the library
     can be encoded in executables that are linked against it *note
     Linking executables::.  This test checks the conditions under
     which your system linker hardcodes the library location, and
     guarantees that they correspond to libtool's own notion of how
     your linker behaves.

`build-relink.test'
     Checks whether variable SHLIBPATH_OVERRIDES_RUNPATH is properly
     set.  If the test fails and VERBOSE is set, it will indicate what
     the variable should have been set to.

`noinst-link.test'
     Checks whether libtool will not try to link with a previously
     installed version of a library when it should be linking with a
     just-built one.

`mdemo-conf.test'
`mdemo-exec.test'
`mdemo-inst.test'
`mdemo-make.test'
`mdemo-unst.test'
`mdemo-static.test'
`mdemo-shared.test'
     These programs check to see that the `mdemo' subdirectory of the
     libtool distribution can be configured, built, installed, and
     uninstalled correctly.

     The `mdemo' subdirectory contains a demonstration of a package that
     uses libtool and the system independent dlopen wrapper `libltdl' to
     load modules.  The library `libltdl' provides a dlopen wrapper for
     various platforms (Linux, Solaris, HP/UX etc.) including support
     for dlpreopened modules (*note Dlpreopening::).

     The tests `mdemo-make.test', `mdemo-exec.test', `mdemo-inst.test'
     and `mdemo-unst.test' are executed three times, under three
     different libtool configurations: `mdemo-conf.test' configures
     `mdemo/libtool' to build both static and shared libraries,
     `mdemo-static.test' builds only static libraries
     (`--disable-shared'), and `mdemo-shared.test' builds only shared
     libraries (`--disable-static').

`dryrun.test'
     This test checks whether libtool's `--dry-run' mode works properly.

`assign.test'
     Checks whether we don't put break or continue on the same line as
     an assignment in the libtool script.

`link.test'
     This test guarantees that linking directly against a non-libtool
     static library works properly.

`link-2.test'
     This test makes sure that files ending in `.lo' are never linked
     directly into a program file.

`nomode.test'
     Check whether we can actually get help for libtool.

`quote.test'
     This program checks libtool's metacharacter quoting.

`sh.test'
     Checks whether a `test' command was forgotten in libtool.

`suffix.test'
     When other programming languages are used with libtool (*note
     Other languages::), the source files may end in suffixes other
     than `.c'.  This test validates that libtool can handle suffixes
     for all the file types that it supports, and that it fails when
     the suffix is invalid.


File: libtool.info,  Node: When tests fail,  Prev: Test descriptions,  Up: Libtool test suite

When tests fail
---------------

   Each of the above tests are designed to produce no output when they
are run via `make check'.  The exit status of each program tells the
`Makefile' whether or not the test succeeded.

   If a test fails, it means that there is either a programming error in
libtool, or in the test program itself.

   To investigate a particular test, you may run it directly, as you
would a normal program.  When the test is invoked in this way, it
produces output which may be useful in determining what the problem is.

   Another way to have the test programs produce output is to set the
VERBOSE environment variable to `yes' before running them.  For
example, `env VERBOSE=yes make check' runs all the tests, and has each
of them display debugging information.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Reporting bugs,  Prev: Libtool test suite,  Up: Troubleshooting

Reporting bugs
==============

   If you think you have discovered a bug in libtool, you should think
twice: the libtool maintainer is notorious for passing the buck (or
maybe that should be "passing the bug").  Libtool was invented to fix
known deficiencies in shared library implementations, so, in a way, most
of the bugs in libtool are actually bugs in other operating systems.
However, the libtool maintainer would definitely be happy to add support
for somebody else's buggy operating system.  [I wish there was a good
way to do winking smiley-faces in Texinfo.]

   Genuine bugs in libtool include problems with shell script
portability, documentation errors, and failures in the test suite
(*note Libtool test suite::).

   First, check the documentation and help screens to make sure that the
behaviour you think is a problem is not already mentioned as a feature.

   Then, you should read the Emacs guide to reporting bugs (*note
Reporting Bugs: (emacs)Bugs).  Some of the details listed there are
specific to Emacs, but the principle behind them is a general one.

   Finally, send a bug report to the libtool bug reporting address
<bug-libtool@gnu.org> with any appropriate _facts_, such as test suite
output (*note When tests fail::), all the details needed to reproduce
the bug, and a brief description of why you think the behaviour is a
bug.  Be sure to include the word "libtool" in the subject line, as
well as the version number you are using (which can be found by typing
`ltconfig --version').


File: libtool.info,  Node: Maintaining,  Next: Index,  Prev: Troubleshooting,  Up: Top

Maintenance notes for libtool
*****************************

   This chapter contains information that the libtool maintainer finds
important.  It will be of no use to you unless you are considering
porting libtool to new systems, or writing your own libtool.

* Menu:

* New ports::                   How to port libtool to new systems.
* Tested platforms::            When libtool was last tested.
* Platform quirks::             Information about different library systems.
* libtool script contents::     Configuration information that libtool uses.
* Cheap tricks::                Making libtool maintainership easier.


File: libtool.info,  Node: New ports,  Next: Tested platforms,  Up: Maintaining

Porting libtool to new systems
==============================

   Before you embark on porting libtool to an unsupported system, it is
worthwhile to send e-mail to the libtool mailing list
<libtool@gnu.org>, to make sure that you are not duplicating existing
work.

   If you find that any porting documentation is missing, please
complain!  Complaints with patches and improvements to the
documentation, or to libtool itself, are more than welcome.

* Menu:

* Information sources::         Where to find relevant documentation
* Porting inter-library dependencies::  Implementation details explained


File: libtool.info,  Node: Information sources,  Next: Porting inter-library dependencies,  Up: New ports

Information sources
-------------------

   Once it is clear that a new port is necessary, you'll generally need
the following information:

canonical system name
     You need the output of `config.guess' for this system, so that you
     can make changes to the libtool configuration process without
     affecting other systems.

man pages for `ld' and `cc'
     These generally describe what flags are used to generate PIC, to
     create shared libraries, and to link against only static
     libraries.  You may need to follow some cross references to find
     the information that is required.

man pages for `ld.so', `rtld', or equivalent
     These are a valuable resource for understanding how shared
     libraries are loaded on the system.

man page for `ldconfig', or equivalent
     This page usually describes how to install shared libraries.

output from `ls -l /lib /usr/lib'
     This shows the naming convention for shared libraries on the
     system, including which names should be symbolic links.

any additional documentation
     Some systems have special documentation on how to build and install
     shared libraries.

   If you know how to program the Bourne shell, then you can complete
the port yourself; otherwise, you'll have to find somebody with the
relevant skills who will do the work.  People on the libtool mailing
list are usually willing to volunteer to help you with new ports, so
you can send the information to them.

   To do the port yourself, you'll definitely need to modify the
`ltconfig' script in order to make platform-specific changes to the
configuration process.  You should search the script for the `PORTME'
keyword, which will give you some hints on what you'll need to change.
In general, all that is involved is modifying the appropriate
configuration variables (*note libtool script contents::).

   Your best bet is to find an already-supported system that is similar
to yours, and make your changes based on that.  In some cases, however,
your system will differ significantly from every other supported system,
and it may be necessary to add new configuration variables, and modify
the `ltmain.sh' script accordingly.  Be sure to write to the mailing
list before you make changes to `ltmain.sh', since they may have advice
on the most effective way of accomplishing what you want.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Porting inter-library dependencies,  Prev: Information sources,  Up: New ports

Porting inter-library dependencies support
------------------------------------------

   Since version 1.2c, libtool has re-introduced the ability to do
inter-library dependency on some platforms, thanks to a patch by Toshio
Kuratomi <badger@prtr-13.ucsc.edu>.  Here's a shortened version of the
message that contained his patch:

   The basic architecture is this: in `ltconfig.in', the person who
writes libtool makes sure `$deplibs' is included in `$archive_cmds'
somewhere and also sets the variable `$deplibs_check_method', and maybe
`$file_magic_cmd' when `deplibs_check_method' is file_magic.

   `deplibs_check_method' can be one of five things:
`file_magic [REGEX]'
     looks in the library link path for libraries that have the right
     libname.  Then it runs `$file_magic_cmd' on the library and checks
     for a match against `regex' using `egrep'.  When
     FILE_MAGIC_TEST_FILE is set in `ltconfig', it is used as an
     argument to `$file_magic_cmd' in order to verify whether the
     regular expression matches its output, and warn the user otherwise.

`test_compile'
     just checks whether it is possible to link a program out of a list
     of libraries, and checks which of those are listed in the output of
     `ldd'.  It is currently unused, and will probably be dropped in the
     future.

`pass_all'
     will pass everything without any checking.  This may work on
     platforms in which code is position-independent by default and
     inter-library dependencies are properly supported by the dynamic
     linker, for example, on DEC OSF/1 3 and 4.

`none'
     It causes deplibs to be reassigned deplibs="".  That way
     `archive_cmds' can contain deplibs on all platforms, but not have
     deplibs used unless needed.

`unknown'
     is the default for all systems unless overridden in `ltconfig.in'.
     It is the same as `none', but it documents that we really don't
     know what the correct value should be, and we welcome patches that
     improve it.

   Then in `ltmain.in' we have the real workhorse: a little
initialization and postprocessing (to setup/release variables for use
with eval echo libname_spec etc.) and a case statement that decides
which method is being used.  This is the real code... I wish I could
condense it a little more, but I don't think I can without function
calls.  I've mostly optimized it (moved things out of loops, etc) but
there is probably some fat left.  I thought I should stop while I was
ahead, work on whatever bugs you discover, etc before thinking about
more than obvious optimizations.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Tested platforms,  Next: Platform quirks,  Prev: New ports,  Up: Maintaining

Tested platforms
================

   This table describes when libtool was last known to be tested on
platforms where it claims to support shared libraries:

     -------------------------------------------------------
     canonical host name          compiler  libtool results
       (tools versions)                     release
     -------------------------------------------------------
     alpha-dec-osf4.0*               gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2)
     alpha-dec-osf4.0*               cc       1.3.3    ok
     alpha-dec-osf3.2                gcc      0.8      ok
     alpha-dec-osf3.2                cc       0.8      ok
     alpha-dec-osf2.1                gcc      1.2f     NS
     alpha*-unknown-linux-gnu        gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2, GNU ld 2.9.1.0.23)
     hppa2.0w-hp-hpux11.00           cc       1.2f     ok
     hppa2.0-hp-hpux10.20            cc       1.3.4    ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux10.20            gcc      1.3.4    ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux10.20            cc       1.3.4    ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux10.10            gcc      1.2f     ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux10.10            cc       1.2f     ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux9.07             gcc      1.2f     ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux9.07             cc       1.2f     ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux9.05             gcc      1.2f     ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux9.05             cc       1.2f     ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux9.01             gcc      1.2f     ok
     hppa1.1-hp-hpux9.01             cc       1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-beos                     gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-bsdi4.0                  gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-bsdi4.0.1                gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-bsdi3.1                  gcc      1.2e     NS
     i*86-*-bsdi3.0                  gcc      1.2e     NS
     i*86-*-bsdi2.1                  gcc      1.2e     NS
     i*86-pc-cygwin                  gcc      1.3.4    NS
       (egcs-1.1 stock b20.1 compiler)
     i*86-*-dguxR4.20MU01            gcc      1.2      ok
     i*86-*-freebsdelf4.0            gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-freebsdelf3.1            gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-freebsd3.0               gcc      1.2e     ok
     i*86-*-freebsd2.2.8             gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-freebsd2.2.6             gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1 & gcc-2.7.2.1, native ld)
     i*86-*-freebsd2.1.5             gcc      0.5      ok
     i*86-*-gnu                      gcc      1.3.3    ok
     i*86-*-netbsd1.4                gcc      1.3      ok
       (egcs-1.1.1)
     i*86-*-netbsd1.3.3              gcc      1.3      ok
       (gcc-2.7.2.2)
     i*86-*-netbsd1.3.2              gcc      1.2e     ok
     i*86-*-netbsd1.3I               gcc      1.2e     ok
       (egcs 1.1?)
     i*86-*-netbsd1.2                gcc      0.9g     ok
     i*86-*-linux-gnu                gcc      1.3.4    ok
       (gcc-2.95.2, GNU ld 2.9.5)
     i*86-*-linux-gnulibc1           gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-openbsd2.4               gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-solaris2.7               gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2, native ld)
     i*86-*-solaris2.6               gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-*-solaris2.5.1             gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-ncr-sysv4.3.03             gcc      1.2f     ok
     i*86-ncr-sysv4.3.03             cc       1.2e     ok
       (cc -Hnocopyr)
     m68k-next-nextstep3             gcc      1.2f     NS
     m68k-sun-sunos4.1.1             gcc      1.2f     NS
       (gcc-2.5.7)
     m88k-dg-dguxR4.12TMU01          gcc      1.2      ok
     m88k-motorola-sysv4             gcc      1.3      ok
       (egcs-1.1.2)
     mips-sgi-irix6.5                gcc      1.2f     ok
       (gcc-2.8.1)
     mips-sgi-irix6.4                gcc      1.2f     ok
     mips-sgi-irix6.3                gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2, native ld)
     mips-sgi-irix6.3                cc       1.3.3    ok
       (cc 7.0)
     mips-sgi-irix6.2                gcc      1.2f     ok
     mips-sgi-irix6.2                cc       0.9      ok
     mips-sgi-irix5.3                gcc      1.2f     ok
       (egcs-1.1.1)
     mips-sgi-irix5.3                gcc      1.2f     NS
       (gcc-2.6.3)
     mips-sgi-irix5.3                cc       0.8      ok
     mips-sgi-irix5.2                gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2, native ld)
     mips-sgi-irix5.2                cc       1.3.3    ok
       (cc 3.18)
     mipsel-unknown-openbsd2.1       gcc      1.0      ok
     powerpc-ibm-aix4.3.1.0          gcc      1.2f     ok
       (egcs-1.1.1)
     powerpc-ibm-aix4.2.1.0          gcc      1.2f     ok
       (egcs-1.1.1)
     powerpc-ibm-aix4.1.5.0          gcc      1.2f     ok
       (egcs-1.1.1)
     powerpc-ibm-aix4.1.5.0          gcc      1.2f     NS
       (gcc-2.8.1)
     powerpc-ibm-aix4.1.4.0          gcc      1.0      ok
     powerpc-ibm-aix4.1.4.0          xlc      1.0i     ok
     rs6000-ibm-aix4.1.5.0           gcc      1.2f     ok
       (gcc-2.7.2)
     rs6000-ibm-aix4.1.4.0           gcc      1.2f     ok
       (gcc-2.7.2)
     rs6000-ibm-aix3.2.5             gcc      1.0i     ok
     rs6000-ibm-aix3.2.5             xlc      1.0i     ok
     sparc-sun-solaris2.7            gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2, GNU ld 2.9.1 & native ld)
     sparc-sun-solaris2.6            gcc      1.3.2    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2, GNU ld 2.9.1 & native ld)
     sparc-sun-solaris2.5.1          gcc      1.2f     ok
     sparc-sun-solaris2.5            gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2, GNU ld 2.9.1 & native ld)
     sparc-sun-solaris2.5            cc       1.3.3    ok
       (SC 3.0.1)
     sparc-sun-solaris2.4            gcc      1.0a     ok
     sparc-sun-solaris2.4            cc       1.0a     ok
     sparc-sun-solaris2.3            gcc      1.2f     ok
     sparc-sun-sunos4.1.4            gcc      1.2f     ok
     sparc-sun-sunos4.1.4            cc       1.0f     ok
     sparc-sun-sunos4.1.3_U1         gcc      1.2f     ok
     sparc-sun-sunos4.1.3C           gcc      1.2f     ok
     sparc-sun-sunos4.1.3            gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2, GNU ld 2.9.1 & native ld)
     sparc-sun-sunos4.1.3            cc       1.3.3    ok
     sparc-unknown-bsdi4.0           gcc      1.2c     ok
     sparc-unknown-linux-gnulibc1    gcc      1.2f     ok
     sparc-unknown-linux-gnu         gcc      1.3.3    ok
       (egcs-1.1.2, GNU ld 2.9.1.0.23)
     sparc64-unknown-linux-gnu       gcc      1.2f     ok
     
     Notes:
     - "ok" means "all tests passed".
     - "NS" means "Not Shared", but OK for static libraries

   Note: The vendor-distributed HP-UX `sed'(1) programs are horribly
broken, and cannot handle libtool's requirements, so users may report
unusual problems.  There is no workaround except to install a working
`sed' (such as GNU `sed') on these systems.

   Note: The vendor-distributed NCR MP-RAS `cc' programs emits
copyright on standard error that confuse tests on size of
`conftest.err'.  The workaround is to specify `CC' when run `configure'
with `CC='cc -Hnocopyr''.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Platform quirks,  Next: libtool script contents,  Prev: Tested platforms,  Up: Maintaining

Platform quirks
===============

   This section is dedicated to the sanity of the libtool maintainers.
It describes the programs that libtool uses, how they vary from system
to system, and how to test for them.

   Because libtool is a shell script, it can be difficult to understand
just by reading it from top to bottom.  This section helps show why
libtool does things a certain way.  Combined with the scripts
themselves, you should have a better sense of how to improve libtool, or
write your own.

* Menu:

* References::                  Finding more information.
* Compilers::                   Creating object files from source files.
* Reloadable objects::          Binding object files together.
* Archivers::                   Programs that create static archives.


File: libtool.info,  Node: References,  Next: Compilers,  Up: Platform quirks

References
----------

   The following is a list of valuable documentation references:

   * SGI's IRIX Manual Pages, which can be found at
     <http://techpubs.sgi.com/cgi-bin/infosrch.cgi?cmd=browse&db=man>.

   * Sun's free service area
     (<http://www.sun.com/service/online/free.html>) and documentation
     server (<http://docs.sun.com/>).


File: libtool.info,  Node: Compilers,  Next: Reloadable objects,  Prev: References,  Up: Platform quirks

Compilers
---------

   The only compiler characteristics that affect libtool are the flags
needed (if any) to generate PIC objects.  In general, if a C compiler
supports certain PIC flags, then any derivative compilers support the
same flags.  Until there are some noteworthy exceptions to this rule,
this section will document only C compilers.

   The following C compilers have standard command line options,
regardless of the platform:

`gcc'
     This is the GNU C compiler, which is also the system compiler for
     many free operating systems (FreeBSD, GNU/Hurd, GNU/Linux, Lites,
     NetBSD, and OpenBSD, to name a few).

     The `-fpic' or `-fPIC' flags can be used to generate
     position-independent code.  `-fPIC' is guaranteed to generate
     working code, but the code is slower on m68k, m88k, and Sparc
     chips.  However, using `-fpic' on those chips imposes arbitrary
     size limits on the shared libraries.

   The rest of this subsection lists compilers by the operating system
that they are bundled with:

`aix3*'
`aix4*'
     AIX compilers have no PIC flags, since AIX has been ported only to
     PowerPC and RS/6000 chips. (1)

`hpux10*'
     Use `+Z' to generate PIC.

`osf3*'
     Digital/UNIX 3.x does not have PIC flags, at least not on the
     PowerPC platform.

`solaris2*'
     Use `-KPIC' to generate PIC.

`sunos4*'
     Use `-PIC' to generate PIC.

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) All code compiled for the PowerPC and RS/6000 chips
(`powerpc-*-*', `powerpcle-*-*', and `rs6000-*-*') is
position-independent, regardless of the operating system or compiler
suite.  So, "regular objects" can be used to build shared libraries on
these systems and no special PIC compiler flags are required.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Reloadable objects,  Next: Archivers,  Prev: Compilers,  Up: Platform quirks

Reloadable objects
------------------

   On all known systems, a reloadable object can be created by running
`ld -r -o OUTPUT.o INPUT1.o INPUT2.o'.  This reloadable object may be
treated as exactly equivalent to other objects.


File: libtool.info,  Node: Archivers,  Prev: Reloadable objects,  Up: Platform quirks

Archivers
---------

   On all known systems, building a static library can be accomplished
by running `ar cru libNAME.a OBJ1.o OBJ2.o ...', where the `.a' file is
the output library, and each `.o' file is an object file.

   On all known systems, if there is a program named `ranlib', then it
must be used to "bless" the created library before linking against it,
with the `ranlib libNAME.a' command.  Some systems, like Irix, use the
`ar ts' command, instead.

