Using the LINK32 -LINK Command (100086)

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LINK32.EXE performs several functions, specified by one of the following command-line options:

   -LINK   Create an executable file (linking)
   -LIB    Create or modify a library (librarian)
   -DUMP   Display information about a library

The -LINK option directs LINK32 to create an executable file. Specifying the -LINK option is not required; creating an executable file from object modules is the utility's default behavior.

LINK32 supports wildcard characters to specify object modules. This behavior is different from that of previous versions of LINK.

The LINK32 -LINK options are as follows:

     -DEBUG:[mapped|notmapped,]{none|minimal|partial|full}
      -DEBUG:NONE is the default. If the command line specifies
      -DEBUG:NONE or omits the -DEBUG option, LINK32 does not write
      any debugging information into the executable file. -DEBUG:FULL
      provides the same information as the LINK /CODEVIEW option in
      the 16-bit linker.

   -DEFAULTLIB:library[,library]
      Specifies the alternate method to specify libraries. If the
      LINK32 command line includes the -DEFAULTLIB option, separate
      the names of successive libraries on the command line with a
      comma; otherwise, use a space.

   -MAP[:filename]
      Specifies map file creation. LINK32 generates map files that
      contain brief summary information about the size of code and
      data followed by considerable detail about the code modules used
      to link the application. The LINK32 -DUMP option provides
      similar information.

   -OUT:filename
      Specifies the name for the executable file.

   -STACK:[reserve][,commit]
      Specifies the stack size for the executable file.

   -VERSION:minor[.major]
      Specifies the version number for the executable file (the
      default version is 0.0).

When you create a LINK32 command line, modify only the options listed above. Specify any other option on the FL32 command line exactly as provided in the documentation.

Do not use the following options: ALIGN, BASE, DEBUGTYPE, NODEFAULTLIB, DLL, ENTRY, FIXED, FORCE, NOPACK, GPSIZE, HEAP, INCLUDE, MACHINE, ORDER, ROM, SECTION, STUB, SUBSYSTEM, and VERBOSE.

Note: The Build Tools Help file in the Visual Workbench version 1.0 provides additional information about LINK32. However, this file does not list all the available options and it contains errors in the description of the DEBUG option. This article provides the most current information about LINK32 -LINK.

The syntax to specify a response file is the same as that used by Microsoft LINK for MS-DOS: LINK32 @<responsefilename>. To add an additional object module, specify it on the same line as the existing object modules (with a space character separating the names) or specify it on the line following the existing object modules.

The minimum LINK32 command line requires only the list of object modules and libraries, as follows:

   LINK32 test.obj libf.lib libc.lib kernel32.lib ntdll.lib

If desired, you could specify the libraries in a response file, such as DEFAULT.LRF, that contains the following line:

  libf.lib libc.lib kernel32.lib ntdll.lib

To specify this response file on the LINK32 command line, use the following syntax:

   LINK32 test.obj @default.lrf

LINK32 uses the .OBJ filename extension to identify object modules and the .LIB filename extension to identify libraries.

LINK32 automatically converts OMF (Intel object module format) object modules to COFF object modules during the linking process if and only if the OMF files contain 32-bit flat memory model object code. For example, Microsoft Macro Assembler (MASM) version 6.1 creates OMF object files. LINK32 can directly process a 32-bit flat memory model file from MASM 6.1; the CVTOMF.EXE utility is not required.

When linking from the command line (separate from a compilation), you must manually run the bind utility from the command line:

   BINDMSF filename.EXE

FL32 spawns the bind utility as part of a compilation; LINK32 does not. FL32 provides an easy method to link from the command line because it generates all required options and default library names. It also recognizes the .LIB and .OBJ filename extensions and acts appropriately. For example, the following FL32 command line links the two object modules with the library and binds the result:

   FL32 file1.obj file2.obj user.lib

The LINK32 command line that FL32 generates typically contains the following options when the FL32 command line contains the -Zi option switch:

   -out:test.exe            Name of the executable file
   -debug:none              No debugging information (default)
   -machine:i386            Intel processor family (386, 486, and so
                            on) Does not apply only to 386.
   -base:0x00010000         Base location (default)
   -subsystem:console       Targets Windows NT console
   -entry:mainCRTStartup    Entry point symbolic name (default)
   -stack:32768,4096        32K stack reserved, 4K committed
   -defaultlib:libf.lib,libc.lib,kernel32.lib,ntdll.lib
                            Default libraries
   -debug:full              Include full debugging information
   -debugtype:cv4           CodeView-type symbolic information
   a.obj

Note that the command line specifies the -DEBUG option twice; the second specification is correct.

Using the LINK32 -LINK Command (100086)

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