NAME

ar − archive and library maintainer

SYNOPSIS

ar drqtpmx [ vuaibclo ] [ posname ] afile name ...

DESCRIPTION

Ar maintains groups of files combined into a single archive/library file.  It is normally used to create and update library files used by the loader; it can be used, though, for any similar purpose. 

One of the mandatory keys (drqtpmx) must be used; it may be followed by one or more of the modifiers vuaibclo.  Afile is the archive file.  The names are constituent files in the archive file. 

OPTIONS

d Delete the named files from the archive file. 

r Replace the named files in the archive file. 

q Quick append.  Append the named files to the end of the archive file without searching the archive for duplicate names.  Useful only to avoid quadratic behavior when creating a large archive piece-by-piece. 

t Display a table of contents of the archive file.  If no names are given, all files in the archive are listed; if names are given, only those files are listed. 

p Display the named files in the archive. 

m Move the named files to the end of the archive. 

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

MODIFIERS

v Verbose. Give a file-by-file description of the creation of a new archive file from the old archive and the constituent files.  When used with t, it gives a long listing of all information about the files.  When used with p, it precedes each file with a name. 

c Ar creates afile when it needs to, and displays a message to this effect.  The c modifier suppresses this message. 

l Local.  Ar places its temporary files in the directory /tmp.  The l modifier places them in the local directory. 

o Old date.  When files are extracted with the x option, o sets the “last modified” date to the date recorded in the archive. 

u Replace only those files that have changed since they were put in the archive.  Used with the r option. 

a Place new files after posname (posname argument must be present).  Applies only with the r and m options. 

b Place new files before posname (posname argument must be present).  Applies only with the r and m options. 

i Identical to the b modifier. 

FILES

/tmp/v∗temporaries

SEE ALSO

lorder(1), ld(1), ranlib(1), ar(5), arcv(8)

BUGS

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

The ‘last-modified’ date of a file will not be altered by the o option unless the user is either the owner of the extracted file or the super-user. 

Sun System Release 0.3  —  28 April 1983