gcc Tutorial

COMP 444/5201 Revision 1.1 Date: January 25, 2004

August 7, 2003 Serguei A. Mokhov, [email protected] 1

Contents
Intro Options Examples

August 7, 2003

Serguei A. Mokhov, [email protected]

What is gcc?
gcc
stands for GNU C/C++ Compiler a popular console-based compiler for *NIX platforms and others; can cross-compile code for various architectures gcc to compile C programs; g++ for C++ can actually work with also ADA, Java, and a couple other languages gcc performs all of these:
preprocessing, compilation, assembly, and linking

we are to use it for our last C assignment

As always: there is man gcc

August 7, 2003 Serguei A. Mokhov, [email protected] 3

Options
There are zillions of them, but there are some the most often used ones:
To compile: -c Specify output filename: -o <filename> Include debugging symbols: -g GDB friendly output: -ggdb Show all (most) warnings: -Wall Be stubborn about standards: -ansi and -pedantic Optimizations: -O, -O*
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August 7, 2003

Options: -c
gcc performs compilation and assembly of the source file without linking. The output are usually object code files, .o; they can later be linked and form the desired executables. Generates one object file per source file keeping the same prefix (before .) of the filename.
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Options: -o <filename>
Places resulting file into the filename specified instead of the default one. Can be used with any generated files (object, executables, assembly, etc.) If you have the file called source.c; the defaults are:
source.o if -c was specified a.out if executable

These can be overridden with the -o option.

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Options: -g
Includes debugging info in the generated object code. This info can later be used in gdb. gcc allows to use -g with the optimization turned on (-O) in case there is a need to debug or trace the optimized code.

August 7, 2003

Serguei A. Mokhov, [email protected]

Options: -ggdb
In addition to -g produces the most GDBfriendly output if enabled.

August 7, 2003

Serguei A. Mokhov, [email protected]

Options: -Wall
Shows most of the warnings related to possibly incorrect code. -Wall is a combination of a large common set of the -W options together. These typically include:
unused variables possibly uninitialized variables when in use for the first time defaulting return types missing braces and parentheses in certain context that make it ambiguous etc.

Always a recommended option to save your bacon from some hidden bugs. Try always using it and avoid having those warnings.
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Options: -ansi and -pedantic

For those who are picky about standard compliance. -ansi ensures the code compiled complies with the ANSI C standard; -pedantic makes it even more strict. These options can be quite annoying for those who dont know C well since gcc will refuse to compile unkosher C code, which otherwise it has no problems with.
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Options: -O, -O1, -O2, -O3, -O0, -Os

Various levels of optimization of the code -O1 to -O3 are various degrees of optimization targeted for speed If -O is added, then the code size is considered -O0 means no optimization -Os targets generated code size (forces not to use optimizations resulting in bigger code).

August 7, 2003

Serguei A. Mokhov, [email protected]

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Options: -I
Tells gcc where to look for include files (.h). Can be any number of these. Usually needed when including headers from various-depth directories in non-standard places without necessity specifying these directories with the .c files themselves, e.g.: #include myheader.h vs. #include ../foo/bar/myheader.h
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For Your Assignments

For your assignments, Id strongly suggest to always include -Wall and -g. Optionally, you can try to use -ansi and pedantic, which is a bonus thing towards your grade. Do not use any optimization options. You wont need probably the rest as well.
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Example
For example, if you have the following source files in some project of yours:
ccountln.h ccountln.c fileops.h fileops.c process.h process.c parser.h parser.c

You could compile every C file and then link the objet files generated, or use a single command for the entire thing.
This becomes unfriendly when the number of files increases; hence, use Makefiles!

NOTE: you dont NEED to compile .h files explicitly. August 7, 2003 Serguei A. Mokhov,
[email protected]

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Example (2)
One by one:
gcc -g -Wall -ansi -pedantic -c ccountln.c gcc -g -Wall -ansi -pedantic -c parser.c gcc -g -Wall -ansi -pedantic -c fileops.c gcc -g -Wall -ansi -pedantic -c process.c

This will give you four object files that you need to link and produce an executable:
gcc ccountln.o parser.o fileops.o process.o -o ccountln

August 7, 2003

Serguei A. Mokhov, [email protected]

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Example (3)
You can do this as well:
gcc -g -Wall -ansi -pedantic ccountln.c parser.c fileops.c process.c -o ccountln

Instead of typing this all on a command line, again: use a Makefile.

August 7, 2003

Serguei A. Mokhov, [email protected]

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Example (4)
# Simple Makefile with use of gcc could look like this CC=gcc CFLAGS=-g -Wall -ansi -pedantic OBJ:=ccountln.o parser.o process.o fileops.o EXE=ccountln all: $(EXE) $(EXE): $(OBJ) $(CC) $(OBJ) -o $(EXE) ccountln.o: ccountln.h ccountln.c $(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c ccountln.c ...
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