[net.micro.atari16] Format of ar68 libraries?

fouts@AMES-NAS.ARPA.UUCP (07/14/86)

     Where can I find documentation on the format of archive libraries?
(Other than the developer's kit, which I can't afford just yet :-)

Marty

tainter@ihlpg.UUCP (Tainter) (07/15/86)

>      Where can I find documentation on the format of archive libraries?
> (Other than the developer's kit, which I can't afford just yet :-)
> Marty

Even the developers kit doesn't document the format of ar68 files.

I would very much like to get this information myself.  Since ar68 doesn't
work (half the time it gives: error reading file ... messages, always gives
this for any file with file static objects) I am hoping to right my own.

Some other questions:

Is there any way to give the kit's linker a file list longer than 128 chars.
I tried the [com[tail.lnk]] option but it seems to truncate that to 128 chars
also.  ar68 heaved it's guts on almost every module for this project.
Has anyone figured out what ar68 is doing wrong?

This was my solution:

link68 [u] h.68k=gs,a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z,0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,gl,lf

where a-z and 0-9 are files renamed to a.o b.o etc.
and gs is gemstart.o renamed and gl is gemlib renamed and lf is libf renamed

Does anyone know how to pass an environment to a program?  Without the
aes/vdi kludge package if possible.

Note: I was promised an update for my developers kit around april.  I still have
not seen hide nor hair of it? Listening Neil@ ?
--j.a.tainter

lbl@druhi.UUCP (07/16/86)

In article <2198@ihlpg.UUCP>, tainter@ihlpg.UUCP writes:
> Even the developers kit doesn't document the format of ar68 files.
> 
> I would very much like to get this information myself.  Since ar68 doesn't
> work (half the time it gives: error reading file ... messages, always gives
> this for any file with file static objects) I am hoping to right my own.

There is a new working version of ar68 that is available via Compuserve.  You might
want to call Atari and have them send you a copy if you aren't a subscriber
to Compuserve.

Barry Locklear

dyer@atari.UUCP (07/16/86)

In article <2198@ihlpg.UUCP>, tainter@ihlpg.UUCP (Tainter) writes:
> Is there any way to give the kit's linker a file list longer than 128 chars.

Sure.  LINK68 can handle *many* files, to wit:

	foo.68k=bar.o, baz.o, bletch.o,
	argle.o, bargle.o, this.o, is.o, a.o,
	silly.o, list.o, of.o, names.o, all.o, ending.o,
	in.o, a.o, period.o, and.o, a.o, letter.o, o.o

Just put a newline wherever a line would exceed 128
characters; that's probably your problem.

>    ar68 heaved it's guts on almost every module for this project.
> Has anyone figured out what ar68 is doing wrong?

AR68 (as shipped with the developer's package) simply
doesn't work.  A working version is available on the ST
Developer's SIG on Compuserve.


-Landon

bammi@cwruecmp.UUCP (07/17/86)

> >      Where can I find documentation on the format of archive libraries?
> > (Other than the developer's kit, which I can't afford just yet :-)
> > Marty
> 
> Even the developers kit doesn't document the format of ar68 files.
	The documentation that comes with the upgraded develeopers kit
specifies all sorts of file formats, including ar68. The format is as
follows:
	The first word is the Magic # 0xff65
Then each constituent file is preceded by a file header
	char fname[14];
	long modti	last mod time
	char userid	
	char gid	group id
	int mode	mode word (see Fattrib)
	long filesize   size of file

	<filesize bytes>

	.. and so on


> 
> I would very much like to get this information myself.  Since ar68 doesn't
> work (half the time it gives: error reading file ... messages, always gives
> this for any file with file static objects) I am hoping to right my own.
> 
	A working version of ar68 is available on CompuServe
	developers  sig and comes with the upgrade too.

> Some other questions:
> 
> Is there any way to give the kit's linker a file list longer than 128 chars.
> I tried the [com[tail.lnk]] option but it seems to truncate that to 128 chars
> also.  ar68 heaved it's guts on almost every module for this project.
> Has anyone figured out what ar68 is doing wrong?
> 
> This was my solution:
> 
> link68 [u] h.68k=gs,a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,o,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z,0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,gl,lf
> 
> where a-z and 0-9 are files renamed to a.o b.o etc.
> and gs is gemstart.o renamed and gl is gemlib renamed and lf is libf renamed
> 
	The continuation character is '\' so lines can be as long as
you wish.  tail.lnk can contain lines continued with \ too.

The alternate linker lo68 is avail. on CompuServe too. At least it
understands paths.


> Does anyone know how to pass an environment to a program?  Without the
> aes/vdi kludge package if possible.
> 
	See Pexec() the third arguement is the environ ment. In the
called program the address of the environment can be accessed via the
base page (i don't  offhand remember the offset into the basepage).
The format of the envoronment is
	<string1>\0<string2>\0 ... <stringn>\0\0
where each string is of the form
	NAME=VALUE
The default environment set up by the OS is null.

Not that if you stuff your envrionment into the buffer set up by the
OS before invoking another program, its total lenght (including all
the \0's) cannot be >20, as that is the size of the buffer allocated
by the OS. But using Pexec() you can set up any length environment you wish.


> Note: I was promised an update for my developers kit around april.  I still have
> not seen hide nor hair of it? Listening Neil@ ?
	It has been avail. now for quite a while, by send $20 to Atari
C/O John Feagans.

> --j.a.tainter
Hope that helps
-- 
					Jwahar R. Bammi
			       Usenet:  .....!decvax!cwruecmp!bammi
			        CSnet:  bammi@case
				 Arpa:  bammi%case@csnet-relay
			   CompuServe:  71515,155

andrew@kcl-cs.UUCP (Andrew Smith) (07/21/86)

In article <675@druhi.UUCP> lbl@druhi.UUCP writes:
>
>There is a new working version of ar68 that is available via Compuserve.  You might
>want to call Atari and have them send you a copy if you aren't a subscriber
>to Compuserve.
>
>Barry Locklear

Is this software in the public domain ? If so could someone post me a copy ?

Many thanks,

Andrew Smith  (..!mcvax!ukc!kcl-cs!andrew)

lbl@druhi.UUCP (LocklearLB) (07/24/86)

In article <719@neon.kcl-cs.UUCP>, andrew@kcl-cs.UUCP writes:
> In article <675@druhi.UUCP> lbl@druhi.UUCP writes:
> >
> >There is a new working version of ar68 that is available via Compuserve.  You might
> >want to call Atari and have them send you a copy if you aren't a subscriber
> >to Compuserve.
> >
> >Barry Locklear
> 
> Is this software in the public domain ? If so could someone post me a copy ?
> 
> Many thanks,
> 
> Andrew Smith  (..!mcvax!ukc!kcl-cs!andrew)

As this is an update to the developer's kit, it is available only 
to registered purchasers of the developer kit software from Atari.  

Sorry, I should have mentioned this in the original posting!

Barry Locklear