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@findex bfd_check_format
27@subsubsection @code{bfd_check_format}
28@strong{Synopsis}
29@example
30bfd_boolean bfd_check_format (bfd *abfd, bfd_format format);
31@end example
32@strong{Description}@*
33Verify if the file attached to the BFD @var{abfd} is compatible
34with the format @var{format} (i.e., one of @code{bfd_object},
35@code{bfd_archive} or @code{bfd_core}).
36
37If the BFD has been set to a specific target before the
38call, only the named target and format combination is
39checked. If the target has not been set, or has been set to
40@code{default}, then all the known target backends is
41interrogated to determine a match.  If the default target
42matches, it is used.  If not, exactly one target must recognize
43the file, or an error results.
44
45The function returns @code{TRUE} on success, otherwise @code{FALSE}
46with one of the following error codes:
47
48@itemize @bullet
49
50@item
51@code{bfd_error_invalid_operation} -
52if @code{format} is not one of @code{bfd_object}, @code{bfd_archive} or
53@code{bfd_core}.
54
55@item
56@code{bfd_error_system_call} -
57if an error occured during a read - even some file mismatches
58can cause bfd_error_system_calls.
59
60@item
61@code{file_not_recognised} -
62none of the backends recognised the file format.
63
64@item
65@code{bfd_error_file_ambiguously_recognized} -
66more than one backend recognised the file format.
67@end itemize
68
69@findex bfd_check_format_matches
70@subsubsection @code{bfd_check_format_matches}
71@strong{Synopsis}
72@example
73bfd_boolean bfd_check_format_matches
74   (bfd *abfd, bfd_format format, char ***matching);
75@end example
76@strong{Description}@*
77Like @code{bfd_check_format}, except when it returns FALSE with
78@code{bfd_errno} set to @code{bfd_error_file_ambiguously_recognized}.  In that
79case, if @var{matching} is not NULL, it will be filled in with
80a NULL-terminated list of the names of the formats that matched,
81allocated with @code{malloc}.
82Then the user may choose a format and try again.
83
84When done with the list that @var{matching} points to, the caller
85should free it.
86
87@findex bfd_set_format
88@subsubsection @code{bfd_set_format}
89@strong{Synopsis}
90@example
91bfd_boolean bfd_set_format (bfd *abfd, bfd_format format);
92@end example
93@strong{Description}@*
94This function sets the file format of the BFD @var{abfd} to the
95format @var{format}. If the target set in the BFD does not
96support the format requested, the format is invalid, or the BFD
97is not open for writing, then an error occurs.
98
99@findex bfd_format_string
100@subsubsection @code{bfd_format_string}
101@strong{Synopsis}
102@example
103const char *bfd_format_string (bfd_format format);
104@end example
105@strong{Description}@*
106Return a pointer to a const string
107@code{invalid}, @code{object}, @code{archive}, @code{core}, or @code{unknown},
108depending upon the value of @var{format}.
109
110