NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

       stio - routines that provide a binary read/write interface
       to the symbol table

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

       #include <syms.h>

       long st_readbinary(
               char *filename,
               char how ); long st_readst(
               long fn,
               char how,
               long filebase,
               pCHDRR pchdr,
               long flags ); void st_writebinary(
               char *filename,
               long flags ); void st_writest(
               long fn,
               long flags );

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

       The CHDRR structure  (see  stcu(3))  represents  a  symbol
       table  in  memory. A new CHDRR can be created by reading a
       symbol  table   from   disk.   The   st_readbinary()   and
       st_readst() routines read a symbol table from disk.

       The  st_readbinary()  routine  takes  the file name of the
       symbol table and assumes  the  symbol  table  header  HDRR
       occurs  at the beginning of the file. The st_readst() routine
 assumes that its file number references a file  positioned
  at  the  beginning  of the symbol table header and
       that the filebase parameter specifies where the object  or
       symbol  table  file  is  based  (for  example, nonzero for
       archives).

       The second parameter to the read routines can be  `r'  for
       read only or `a' for appending to the symbol table. Existing
 local symbol, line,  procedure,  auxiliary,  optimization,
  and local string tables cannot be appended. If they
       did not exist on disk, they can be created. This  restriction
  stems from the allocation algorithm for those symbol
       table sections when read in  from  disk  and  follows  the
       standard pattern for building the symbol table.

       The  symbol  table  can be read incrementally. If pchdr is
       zero, st_readst() assumes that no symbol  table  has  been
       read  yet;  therefore, it reads in the symbol table header
       and file descriptors.  The flags argument is  a  bit  mask
       that defines what other tables should be read.  St_p* constants
 for each table can be ORed. If flags equals -1, all
       tables  are read. If pchdr is set, the tables specified by
       flags are added to the tables that have already been read.
       The  value  of pchdr can be gotten from st_current_pchdr()
       (see stcu(3)).

       Line number entries are encoded on disk, and the read routines
 expand them to longs.

       If  the version stamp is out of date, a warning message is
       issued to stderr. If the  magic  number  in  the  HDRR  is
       incorrect,  st_error()  is  called. All other errors cause
       the read routines to read nonzero; otherwise,  a  zero  is
       returned.

       The st_writebinary() and st_writest() routines are symmetric
 to the read routines,  excluding  the  how  and  pchdr
       parameters. The flags parameter is a bit mask that defines
       what table should be written.  St_p*  constants  for  each
       table  can  be  ORed.   If flags equals -1, all tables are
       written.

       The write routines write sections  of  the  table  in  the
       approved order, as specified in the link editor (ld) specification.


       Line numbers are compressed on disk.

       The write routines start all sections of the symbol  table
       on four-byte boundaries.

       If  the  write  routines encounter an error, st_error() is
       called. After writing the symbol table, further access  to
       the table by other routines is undefined.

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

       stcu(3), stfe(3), stfd(3)



                                                          stio(3)