<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Overview - 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="prev" href="index.html#Top" title="Top">
<link rel="next" href="Invocation.html#Invocation" title="Invocation">
<link href="http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/" rel="generator-home" title="Texinfo Homepage">
<!--
This file documents the GNU linker LD
(Sourcery G++ Lite 2011.03-41)
version 2.20.51.

Copyright (C) 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000,
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 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>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../cs.css">
</head>
<body>
<div class="node">
<a name="Overview"></a>
<p>
Next:&nbsp;<a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="Invocation.html#Invocation">Invocation</a>,
Previous:&nbsp;<a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="index.html#Top">Top</a>,
Up:&nbsp;<a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="index.html#Top">Top</a>
<hr>
</div>

<h2 class="chapter">1 Overview</h2>

<p><a name="index-g_t_0040sc_007bgnu_007d-linker-1"></a><a name="index-what-is-this_003f-2"></a>

<!-- man begin DESCRIPTION -->
   <p><samp><span class="command">ld</span></samp> combines a number of object and archive files, relocates
their data and ties up symbol references. Usually the last step in
compiling a program is to run <samp><span class="command">ld</span></samp>.

   <p><samp><span class="command">ld</span></samp> accepts Linker Command Language files written in
a superset of AT&amp;T's Link Editor Command Language syntax,
to provide explicit and total control over the linking process.

   <p>This version of <samp><span class="command">ld</span></samp> uses the general purpose BFD libraries
to operate on object files. This allows <samp><span class="command">ld</span></samp> to read, combine, and
write object files in many different formats&mdash;for example, COFF or
<code>a.out</code>.  Different formats may be linked together to produce any
available kind of object file.  See <a href="BFD.html#BFD">BFD</a>, for more information.

   <p>Aside from its flexibility, the <span class="sc">gnu</span> linker is more helpful than other
linkers in providing diagnostic information.  Many linkers abandon
execution immediately upon encountering an error; whenever possible,
<samp><span class="command">ld</span></samp> continues executing, allowing you to identify other errors
(or, in some cases, to get an output file in spite of the error).

<!-- man end -->
   </body></html>