1@section File formats 2A format is a BFD concept of high level file contents type. The 3formats supported by BFD are: 4 5@itemize @bullet 6 7@item 8@code{bfd_object} 9@end itemize 10The BFD may contain data, symbols, relocations and debug info. 11 12@itemize @bullet 13 14@item 15@code{bfd_archive} 16@end itemize 17The BFD contains other BFDs and an optional index. 18 19@itemize @bullet 20 21@item 22@code{bfd_core} 23@end itemize 24The BFD contains the result of an executable core dump. 25 26@subsection File format functions 27 28 29@findex bfd_check_format 30@subsubsection @code{bfd_check_format} 31@deftypefn {Function} bool bfd_check_format (bfd *abfd, bfd_format format); 32Verify if the file attached to the BFD @var{abfd} is compatible 33with the format @var{format} (i.e., one of @code{bfd_object}, 34@code{bfd_archive} or @code{bfd_core}). 35 36If the BFD has been set to a specific target before the 37call, only the named target and format combination is 38checked. If the target has not been set, or has been set to 39@code{default}, then all the known target backends is 40interrogated to determine a match. If the default target 41matches, it is used. If not, exactly one target must recognize 42the file, or an error results. 43 44The function returns @code{TRUE} on success, otherwise @code{FALSE} 45with one of the following error codes: 46 47@itemize @bullet 48 49@item 50@code{bfd_error_invalid_operation} - 51if @code{format} is not one of @code{bfd_object}, @code{bfd_archive} or 52@code{bfd_core}. 53 54@item 55@code{bfd_error_system_call} - 56if an error occured during a read - even some file mismatches 57can cause bfd_error_system_calls. 58 59@item 60@code{file_not_recognised} - 61none of the backends recognised the file format. 62 63@item 64@code{bfd_error_file_ambiguously_recognized} - 65more than one backend recognised the file format. 66@end itemize 67 68@end deftypefn 69@findex bfd_check_format_matches 70@subsubsection @code{bfd_check_format_matches} 71@deftypefn {Function} bool bfd_check_format_matches (bfd *abfd, bfd_format format, char ***matching); 72Like @code{bfd_check_format}, except when it returns FALSE with 73@code{bfd_errno} set to @code{bfd_error_file_ambiguously_recognized}. In that 74case, if @var{matching} is not NULL, it will be filled in with 75a NULL-terminated list of the names of the formats that matched, 76allocated with @code{malloc}. 77Then the user may choose a format and try again. 78 79When done with the list that @var{matching} points to, the caller 80should free it. 81 82@end deftypefn 83@findex bfd_set_format 84@subsubsection @code{bfd_set_format} 85@deftypefn {Function} bool bfd_set_format (bfd *abfd, bfd_format format); 86This function sets the file format of the BFD @var{abfd} to the 87format @var{format}. If the target set in the BFD does not 88support the format requested, the format is invalid, or the BFD 89is not open for writing, then an error occurs. 90 91@end deftypefn 92@findex bfd_format_string 93@subsubsection @code{bfd_format_string} 94@deftypefn {Function} const char *bfd_format_string (bfd_format format); 95Return a pointer to a const string 96@code{invalid}, @code{object}, @code{archive}, @code{core}, or @code{unknown}, 97depending upon the value of @var{format}. 98 99@end deftypefn 100