4.4BSD/usr/share/man/cat5/ranlib.0

RANLIB(5)                   BSD Programmer's Manual                  RANLIB(5)

NNAAMMEE
     rraannlliibb - archive (library) table-of-contents format

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     ##iinncclluuddee <<rraannlliibb..hh>>

DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
     The archive table-of-contents command rraannlliibb creates a table of contents
     for archives, containing object files, to be used by the link-editor
     ld(1).  It operates on archives created with the utility ar(1).

     The RRaannlliibb function prepends a new file to the archive which has three
     separate parts.  The first part is a standard archive header, which has a
     special name field,  "__.SYMDEF".

     The second part is a ``long'' followed by a list of ranlib structures.
     The long is the size, in bytes, of the list of ranlib structures.  Each
     of the ranlib structures consists of a zero based offset into the next
     section (a string table of symbols) and an offset from the beginning of
     the archive to the start of the archive file which defines the symbol.
     The actual number of ranlib structures is this number divided by the size
     of an individual ranlib structure.

     The third part is a ``long'' followed by a string table.  The long is the
     size, in bytes of the string table.

SSEEEE AALLSSOO
     ar(1),  ranlib(1)

4.4BSD                           June 6, 1993                                1