Hello all, I am looking for a way to portably tell libtool to link in all objects of a given static library. Basically, my problem is this:
I have an object file containing "constructor" and "destructor" functions, which are not called from any program using my library, but which are run automagically at startup (constructor) or shutdown (destructor) time. Under gcc, this is implemented using __attribute__((constructor)) resp. __attribute__((destructor)). This scheme works like a charm when my libraries are shared: the program using the library loads the library into memory and the proper functions are automagically run. However, when the library is not shared, the object files containing the constructor and destructor functions don't get linked into the program, because the program has no business calling anything in the corresponding source file - and so doesn't. Hence, the constructor function doesn't get called at startup and all hell breaks loose. One way I've thought about to work around this thing is to make a static object of which the constructor does its thing, resp. the destructor does its thing, for which I put an "extern" in the library's (only) API header file. This will probably work and, as most of the library is written in C++ anyway, will probably do as a solution. However, I was hoping there is some option I've overlooked in Libtool that makes static libraries and shared libraries behave the same in this respect - i.e. be linked completely into an executable (considering a shared library an executable as per the Libtool paradigm). Though this option would not be "satisfactory" in all situations, it would help here. I know of the --whole-archive and --no-whole-archive linker options, but they probably won't help much for my problem, mostly because: 1. having to link the entire archive is a library attribute possibly unknown to users of the library 2. the order in which libraries are linked and the options passed to them are, and should be, the domain of Libtool *only* - I shouldn't have to mess with that. Hence, the option should be passable at the link stage *of the library*. My questions (finally): * does this feature already exist? | + if so: where is it documented? | - if not: would it be considered useful? | | + if so: would you consider patches *without* a copyright waiver for | | | FSF? (don't have one - can't get one) | | | - if not: would someone else consider implementing it? (I'd be happy | | | | to help out, if I could without infringing copyright restrictions) | | - if not: why not? Thanks! rlc _______________________________________________ Libtool mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/libtool
