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<h3 class="section">5.1 How It Works: An Outline of BFD</h3>

<p><a name="index-opening-object-files-682"></a><!-- This summary of BFD is shared by the BFD and LD docs. -->
When an object file is opened, BFD subroutines automatically determine
the format of the input object file.  They then build a descriptor in
memory with pointers to routines that will be used to access elements of
the object file's data structures.

   <p>As different information from the object files is required,
BFD reads from different sections of the file and processes them. 
For example, a very common operation for the linker is processing symbol
tables.  Each BFD back end provides a routine for converting
between the object file's representation of symbols and an internal
canonical format. When the linker asks for the symbol table of an object
file, it calls through a memory pointer to the routine from the
relevant BFD back end which reads and converts the table into a canonical
form.  The linker then operates upon the canonical form. When the link is
finished and the linker writes the output file's symbol table,
another BFD back end routine is called to take the newly
created symbol table and convert it into the chosen output format.

<ul class="menu">
<li><a accesskey="1" href="BFD-information-loss.html#BFD-information-loss">BFD information loss</a>: 	Information Loss
<li><a accesskey="2" href="Canonical-format.html#Canonical-format">Canonical format</a>: 		The BFD	canonical object-file format
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