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ar -M [ <script ]
If you use the single command-line option `-M' with ar, you can control its operation with a rudimentary command language. This form of ar operates interactively if standard input is coming directly from a terminal. During interactive use, ar prompts for input (the prompt is `AR >'), and continues executing even after errors. If you redirect standard input to a script file, no prompts are issued, and ar abandons execution (with a nonzero exit code) on any error.
The ar command language is not designed to be equivalent to the command-line options; in fact, it provides somewhat less control over archives. The only purpose of the command language is to ease the transition to gnu ar for developers who already have scripts written for the MRI “librarian” program.
The syntax for the ar command language is straightforward:
LIST
is the same as list. In the following descriptions, commands are
shown in upper case for clarity.
Here are the commands you can use in ar scripts, or when using ar interactively. Three of them have special significance:
OPEN or CREATE specify a current archive, which is
a temporary file required for most of the other commands.
SAVE commits the changes so far specified by the script. Prior
to SAVE, commands affect only the temporary copy of the current
archive.
ADDLIB archiveADDLIB archive (module, module, ... module)Requires prior use of OPEN or CREATE.
ADDMOD member, member, ... memberRequires prior use of OPEN or CREATE.
CLEARSAVE. May be executed (with no
effect) even if no current archive is specified.
CREATE archiveSAVE.
You can overwrite existing archives; similarly, the contents of any
existing file named archive will not be destroyed until SAVE.
DELETE module, module, ... moduleRequires prior use of OPEN or CREATE.
DIRECTORY archive (module, ... module)DIRECTORY archive (module, ... module) outputfileVERBOSE specifies the form of the output: when verbose
output is off, output is like that of `ar -t archive
module...'. When verbose output is on, the listing is like
`ar -tv archive module...'.
Output normally goes to the standard output stream; however, if you
specify outputfile as a final argument, ar directs the
output to that file.
END0 exit code to indicate successful
completion. This command does not save the output file; if you have
changed the current archive since the last SAVE command, those
changes are lost.
EXTRACT module, module, ... moduleRequires prior use of OPEN or CREATE.
LISTVERBOSE. The effect is like `ar
tv archive'. (This single command is a gnu ar
enhancement, rather than present for MRI compatibility.)
Requires prior use of OPEN or CREATE.
OPEN archiveSAVE.
REPLACE module, module, ... moduleREPLACE arguments) from files in the current working directory.
To execute this command without errors, both the file, and the module in
the current archive, must exist.
Requires prior use of OPEN or CREATE.
VERBOSEDIRECTORY.
When the flag is on, DIRECTORY output matches output from
`ar -tv '....
SAVECREATE or OPEN
command.
Requires prior use of OPEN or CREATE.