AR(1)                                SysV                                AR(1)



NAME
     ar - archive and library maintainer for portable archives

SYNOPSIS
     ar key [posname] afile [name] . . .

DESCRIPTION
     ar maintains groups of files combined into a single archive file.
     Although its main use is to create and update library files as used by
     the link editor, ar can be used for any similar purpose.  The magic
     string and the file headers used by ar consist of printable ASCII
     characters.  If an archive is composed of printable files, the entire
     archive is printable.

     When ar creates an archive, it produces headers in a format that is
     portable across all machines.  The portable archive format and structure
     is described in detail in ar(4).  The link editor uses the archive symbol
     table to effect multiple passes over libraries of object files in an
     efficient manner.  The link editor is further described in ld(1).

     ar creates and maintains an archive symbol table and module name table
     only when there is at least one object file in the archive. The archive
     symbol table is in a specially named file which is always the first file
     in the archive.  This file is never mentioned or accessible.  Whenever ar
     creates or updates the contents of such an archive, it also rebuilds the
     symbol table.  Domain/OS SysV ar builds a module name table and a long
     name table in addition to the symbol table; these tables are stored in
     files that are never mentioned or accessible.

     key is an optional dash (-) followed by one character from the drqtpmx
     set, optionally concatenated with one of more characters from the vclsho
     set.  posname is the name of an optional positioning character.  afile is
     the archive file.

OPTION
     A    This option may or may not begin with a dash (-), and is used with
          the mxtd keys to move, extract, list or delete by module name.

KEY CHARACTERS
     d    Deletes named files from the archive file.

     r    Replaces named files in the archive file.  If the optional character
          u is used with r, then only those files with dates of modification
          later than the archive files are replaced.  If an optional
          positioning character from the set abi is used, then the posname
          argument must be present and specifies that new files are to be
          placed after (a) or before (b or i) posname.  Otherwise new files
          are placed at the end.

     q    Quickly appends named files to the end of the archive file.
          Optional positioning characters are invalid.  Do not check whether
          the added members are already in the archive.  Useful for avoiding
          quadratic behavior when creating a large archive piece-by-piece.
          Unchecked, the file can grow exponentially up to the second degree.

     t    Prints a table of contents of the archive file.  If no names are
          given, table all files.  If names are given, table only those files
          named.

     p    Prints named files in the archive.

     m    Moves named files to the end of the archive.  If a positioning
          character is present, then the posname argument must be present and,
          as in r, specifies where the files are to be moved.

     x    Extracts named files.  If no names are given, all files in the
          archive are extracted.  In neither case does x alter the archive
          file.

KEY ARGUMENTS
     v    Gives a file-by-file description of the making of a new archive file
          from the old archive and the constituent files.  When used with t,
          give a long listing of all information about the files.  When used
          with x, precede each file with a name.

     c    Creates afile and suppress the message produced by default when
          afile is created.

     l    Places temporary files in the local (current working) directory
          rather than in the default temporary directory, TMPDIR.

     s    Forces the regeneration of the archive symbol table even if ar(1) is
          not invoked with a command that modifies the archive contents.
          Useful for restoring the archive symbol table after the strip(1)
          command has been used on the archive.

     h    Sets the modification times in the member headers of the named files
          to the current date and time.  If you do not specify any filenames,
          ar sets the time stamps of all member headers.

     o    When used with the x key, sets the modification time of the copied
          file to the modification time of the archive member, instead of the
          current time.

NOTES
     If the same file is mentioned twice in an argument list, it may be put in
     the archive twice.

FILES
     $TMPDIR/*             Temporary files

     $TMPDIR is usually /usr/tmp but can be redefined by setting the
     environment variable TMPDIR [see tempnam() in tmpnam(3S)].

SEE ALSO
     ld(1), lorder(1), strip(1), tmpnam(3S), a.out(4), ar(4) in the SysV
     Programmer's Reference.