9. Librarian

The librarian makes it possible to combine multiple object files into a single library. This is sometimes called an archiver.

The librarian is a command line tool named nlib. Running it from the command line with the ``–help`` option will give a sign-on message and display accepted options:

Calypsi librarian for none version 5.16

Usage: nlib [--version] [FILE...]
  use 'nlib --help' for detailed help

Available options:
  --version                Display version number
  -h,--help                Show this help text

The main use-case for a librarian is to build collections of smaller fragments, which can be anything from support routines to full fledged applications. Such collection is called a library, static library or an archive.

9.1. Creating a library

To create a library, simply list all object files (.o extension) and a single output file (.a extension).

$ nlib lib41.a obj1.o obj2.o ashfx.o xtoal.o

The created library is typically used as input to the lnnut linker by just specifying it on the command line. When linking with a library, only those section fragments that are actually used are included in the final output.