LIBTOOL

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: October 2014
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NAME

libtool - Provide generalized library-building support services

SYNOPSIS

libtool [,OPTION/]... [,MODE-ARG/]...
libtool [,OPTION/]... ,--mode=compile COMPILE-COMMAND/... ,SOURCEFILE/
libtool [,OPTION/]... ,--mode=link LINK-COMMAND/...
libtool [,OPTION/]... ,--mode=execute COMMAND /[,ARGS/]...
libtool [,OPTION/]... ,--mode=install INSTALL-COMMAND/...
libtool [,OPTION/]... ,--mode=finish /[,LIBDIR/]...
libtool [,OPTION/]... ,--mode=uninstall RM /[,RM-OPTION/]... ,FILE/...
libtool [,OPTION/]... ,--mode=clean RM /[,RM-OPTION/]... ,FILE/...

DESCRIPTION

Provide generalized library-building support services.

--config: show all configuration variables
--debug: enable verbose shell tracing
-n, --dry-run: display commands without modifying any files
--features: display basic configuration information and exit
--mode=,MODE/: use operation mode MODE
--preserve-dup-deps: don't remove duplicate dependency libraries
--quiet, --silent: don't print informational messages
--no-quiet, --no-silent: print informational messages (default)
--no-warn: don't display warning messages
--tag=,TAG/: use configuration variables from tag TAG
-v, --verbose: print more informational messages than default
--no-verbose: don't print the extra informational messages
--version: print version information
-h, --help, --help-all: print short, long, or detailed help message

MODE must be one of the following:

clean: remove files from the build directory
compile: compile a source file into a libtool object
execute: automatically set library path, then run a program
finish: complete the installation of libtool libraries
install: install libraries or executables
link: create a library or an executable
uninstall: remove libraries from an installed directory

MODE-ARGS vary depending on the MODE. When passed as first option, `--mode=MODE' may be abbreviated as `MODE' or a unique abbreviation of that.

GNU libtool home page: <http://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/>. General help using GNU software: <http://www.gnu.org/gethelp/>.

Description of compile mode:

Compile a source file into a libtool library object.

This mode accepts the following additional options:

-o OUTPUT-FILE: set the output file name to OUTPUT-FILE
-no-suppress: do not suppress compiler output for multiple passes
-prefer-pic: try to build PIC objects only
-prefer-non-pic: try to build non-PIC objects only
-shared: do not build a `.o' file suitable for static linking
-static: only build a `.o' file suitable for static linking
-Wc,FLAG: pass FLAG directly to the compiler

COMPILE-COMMAND is a command to be used in creating a `standard' object file from the given SOURCEFILE.

The output file name is determined by removing the directory component from SOURCEFILE, then substituting the C source code suffix `.c' with the library object suffix, `.lo'.

Description of link mode:

Link object files or libraries together to form another library, or to create an executable program.

LINK-COMMAND is a command using the C compiler that you would use to create a program from several object files.

The following components of LINK-COMMAND are treated specially:

-all-static: do not do any dynamic linking at all
-avoid-version: do not add a version suffix if possible
-bindir BINDIR: specify path to binaries directory (for systems where libraries must be found in the PATH setting at runtime)
-dlopen FILE: `-dlpreopen' FILE if it cannot be dlopened at runtime
-dlpreopen FILE: link in FILE and add its symbols to lt_preloaded_symbols
-export-dynamic: allow symbols from OUTPUT-FILE to be resolved with dlsym(3)
-export-symbols SYMFILE: try to export only the symbols listed in SYMFILE
-export-symbols-regex REGEX: try to export only the symbols matching REGEX
-LLIBDIR: search LIBDIR for required installed libraries
-lNAME: OUTPUT-FILE requires the installed library libNAME
-module: build a library that can dlopened
-no-fast-install: disable the fast-install mode
-no-install: link a not-installable executable
-no-undefined: declare that a library does not refer to external symbols
-o OUTPUT-FILE: create OUTPUT-FILE from the specified objects
-objectlist FILE: Use a list of object files found in FILE to specify objects
-precious-files-regex REGEX: don't remove output files matching REGEX
-release RELEASE: specify package release information
-rpath LIBDIR: the created library will eventually be installed in LIBDIR
-R[ ]LIBDIR: add LIBDIR to the runtime path of programs and libraries
-shared: only do dynamic linking of libtool libraries
-shrext SUFFIX: override the standard shared library file extension
-static: do not do any dynamic linking of uninstalled libtool libraries
-static-libtool-libs: do not do any dynamic linking of libtool libraries
-version-info CURRENT[:REVISION[:AGE]]: specify library version info [each variable defaults to 0]
-weak LIBNAME: declare that the target provides the LIBNAME interface
-Wc,FLAG
-Xcompiler FLAG: pass linker-specific FLAG directly to the compiler
-Wl,FLAG
-Xlinker FLAG: pass linker-specific FLAG directly to the linker
-XCClinker FLAG: pass link-specific FLAG to the compiler driver (CC)

All other options (arguments beginning with `-') are ignored.

Every other argument is treated as a filename. Files ending in `.la' are treated as uninstalled libtool libraries, other files are standard or library object files.

If the OUTPUT-FILE ends in `.la', then a libtool library is created, only library objects (`.lo' files) may be specified, and `-rpath' is required, except when creating a convenience library.

If OUTPUT-FILE ends in `.a' or `.lib', then a standard library is created using `ar' and `ranlib', or on Windows using `lib'.

If OUTPUT-FILE ends in `.lo' or `.o', then a reloadable object file is created, otherwise an executable program is created.

Description of execute mode:

Automatically set library path, then run a program.

This mode accepts the following additional options:

-dlopen FILE: add the directory containing FILE to the library path

This mode sets the library path environment variable according to `-dlopen' flags.

If any of the ARGS are libtool executable wrappers, then they are translated into their corresponding uninstalled binary, and any of their required library directories are added to the library path.

Then, COMMAND is executed, with ARGS as arguments.

Description of install mode:

Install executables or libraries.

INSTALL-COMMAND is the installation command. The first component should be either the `install' or `cp' program.

The following components of INSTALL-COMMAND are treated specially:

-inst-prefix-dir PREFIX-DIR: Use PREFIX-DIR as a staging area for installation

The rest of the components are interpreted as arguments to that command (only BSD-compatible install options are recognized).

Description of finish mode:

Complete the installation of libtool libraries.

Each LIBDIR is a directory that contains libtool libraries.

The commands that this mode executes may require superuser privileges. Use the `--dry-run' option if you just want to see what would be executed.

Description of uninstall mode:

Remove libraries from an installation directory.

RM is the name of the program to use to delete files associated with each FILE (typically `/bin/rm'). RM-OPTIONS are options (such as `-f') to be passed to RM.

If FILE is a libtool library, all the files associated with it are deleted. Otherwise, only FILE itself is deleted using RM.

Description of clean mode:

Remove files from the build directory.

RM is the name of the program to use to delete files associated with each FILE (typically `/bin/rm'). RM-OPTIONS are options (such as `-f') to be passed to RM.

If FILE is a libtool library, object or program, all the files associated with it are deleted. Otherwise, only FILE itself is deleted using RM.

When reporting a bug, please describe a test case to reproduce it and include the following information:

host-triplet:: x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
shell:: ,/bin/bash/
compiler:: gcc
compiler flags:: -g -O2 -fstack-protector-strong -Wformat -Werror=,format-security/
linker:: ,/usr/bin/ld/ -m elf_x86_64 (gnu? yes)
libtool:: (GNU libtool) 2.4.2 Debian-2.4.2-1.11
automake:: automake (GNU automake) 1.14.1
autoconf:: autoconf (GNU Autoconf) 2.69

AUTHOR

Written by Gordon Matzigkeit <gord@gnu.ai.mit.edu>, 1996

REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to <bug-libtool@gnu.org>.

COPYRIGHT