elf_rawfile(3E)                DG/UX 5.4R3.00                elf_rawfile(3E)


NAME
       elfrawfile - retrieve uninterpreted file contents

SYNOPSIS
       cc [flag ...] file ...  -lelf [library ...]

       #include <libelf.h>
       char *elfrawfile(Elf *elf, sizet *ptr);

DESCRIPTION
       elfrawfile  returns  a pointer to an uninterpreted byte image of the
       file.  This function should be used only to  retrieve  a  file  being
       read.   For  example, a program might use elfrawfile to retrieve the
       bytes for an archive member.

       A program may not  close  or  disable  [see  elfcntl(3E)]  the  file
       descriptor   associated   with   elf   before  the  initial  call  to
       elfrawfile, because elfrawfile might have to read the data from the
       file  if  it  does  not  already  have  the original bytes in memory.
       Generally, this function is more efficient  for  unknown  file  types
       than  for  object  files.   The  library implicitly translates object
       files in memory, while it  leaves  unknown  files  unmodified.   Thus
       asking  for  the  uninterpreted  image of an object file may create a
       duplicate copy in memory.

       elfrawdata [see elfgetdata(3E)] is a  related  function,  providing
       access to sections within a file.

       If  ptr  is  non-null,  the  library  also stores the file's size, in
       bytes, in the location to which ptr points.  If no data are  present,
       elf  is null, or an error occurs, the return value is a null pointer,
       with zero optionally stored through ptr.

SEE ALSO
       elf(3E), elfbegin(3E), elfcntl(3E), elfgetdata(3E),
       elfgetehdr(3E), elfgetident(3E), elfkind(3E).

NOTE
       A program that uses elfrawfile and that also interprets the same
       file as an object file potentially has two copies of the bytes in
       memory.  If such a program requests the raw image first, before it
       asks for translated information (through such functions as
       elfgetehdr, elfgetdata, and so on), the library ``freezes'' its
       original memory copy for the raw image.  It then uses this frozen
       copy as the source for creating translated objects, without reading
       the file again.  Consequently, the application should view the raw
       file image returned by elfrawfile as a read-only buffer, unless it
       wants to alter its own view of data subsequently translated.  In any
       case, the application may alter the translated objects without
       changing bytes visible in the raw image.

       Multiple calls to elfrawfile with the same ELF descriptor return the
       same value; the library does not create duplicate copies of the file.




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