IntroductiontoGCC

by
J.DavidOrtegaPacheco
FirstVersion
2009

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GCC:TheGNUCompilerCollection

TheoriginalauthoroftheGNUCCompiler
(GCC) is Richard Stallman, the founder of
theGNUProject.
The GNU project was started in 1984 to
create a complete Unixlike operating
systemasfreesoftware,inordertopromote
freedom and cooperation among computer
usersandprogrammers.

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GCC:TheGNUCompilerCollection

Every Unixlike operating system needs a C compiler,

and as there were no free compilers in existence at that
time.
Richard Stallman started GCCin 1985.Heextended an
existing compiler to compile C, the compiler originally
compilePastel.

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GCC:TheGNUCompilerCollection

Rewritten in C by Len Tower and Stallman, the first

release of GCC was in 1987 as the compiler for the
GNUProject,inordertohaveacompileravailablethat
wasfreesoftware.

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GCC:TheGNUCompilerCollection
This was a significant breakthrough, being the first
portable ANSI C optimizing compiler released as free
software.SincethattimeGCChasbecomeoneofthemost
importanttoolsinthedevelopmentoffreesoftware.
Isanintegrateddistributionofcompilersforseveralmajor
programminglanguages
C,C++,ObjectiveC,ObjectiveC++,Fortran,JavaandAda

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GCC:TheGNUCompilerCollection

Languageindependent component of GCC: code hared

among the compilers for all supported languages. Includes
the majority of the optimizers, as well as the back ends
thatgeneratemachinecodeforvariousprocessors
The part of a compiler that is specific to a particular
language is called the front end, there are several other
front ends that are maintained separately, such as Pascal,
MercuryandCOBOL

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GCC:TheGNUCompilerCollection

MostofthecompilersforlanguagesotherthanChavetheir
ownnames:
Ccompiler(gcc)
C++compiler(g++)
Fortrancompiler(gfortran)
ObjectiveCcompiler(gobjc)
ObjectiveC++compiler(gobjc++)
Javacompiler(gcj)
Adacompiler(GNAT)

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CompilingaCprogram

GCC

Sourcefile:hello.c

$gccWallhello.cohello

#include<stdio.h>
intmain(void)
{
printf("Hello,world!\n");
return0;
}

Wall:Warnings
o:Outputfile
$./hello
Hello,world!

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Findingerrors
GCC
$gccbad.cobad

Sourcefile:bad.c
#include<stdio.h>
intmain(void)
{
printf("Twoplustwois%f\n",4);
return0;
}

./bad
Two
plus
two
is
0.047119
$ gcc Wall bad.c o
bad
Wall:Warningoption

bad.c:Infunctionmain:
bad.c:6: warning: format %f expects type
double,butargument2hastypeint

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Findingerrors

bad.c:6: warning: format %f expects type double, but

argument2hastypeint
MessagesproducedbyGCC:
file:linenumber:message
Distinguishes between error messages and warning
messages

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Compilingmultiplesourcefiles

Aprogramcanbesplitupintomultiplefiles.Thismakes
iteasiertoeditandunderstand,especiallyinthecaseof
large programs. It also allows the individual parts to be
compiledindependently
Example
main.c
hello.c

hello_fn.c
hello.h

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Compilingmultiplesourcefiles
Example
main.c
#include"hello.h"
intmain(void)
{
hello("world");
return0;
}

The call to the printf system function

inhello.chasbeenreplacedbyacallto
a new external function hello, defined
inaseparatefilehello_fn.c
The main program also includes the
header file hello.h which contain the
declarationofthefunctionhello

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Compilingmultiplesourcefiles
Example
hello_fn.c

hello.h

#include<stdio.h>
#include"hello.h"
Declaration of the function voidhello(constchar*name)
{
hello
printf("Hello,%s!\n",name);
}
voidhello(constchar*name);

Definition of the function

hello

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Compilingmultiplesourcefiles
Diferencebetween#include<FILE.h>and#include"FILE.h"
The former searches for FILE.h in the current directory
beforelookinginthesystemheaderfiledirectories.
#include <FILE.h> searches the system header files, but
doesnotlookinthecurrentdirectorybydefault.

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Compilingmultiplesourcefiles

Compilingthesourcefiles
$gccWallmain.chello_fn.conewhello
The header file hello.h is not specified. The directive
#include"hello.h"inthesourcefilesinstructsthecompiler
toincludeitautomaticallyattheappropriatepoints.
$./newhello
Hello,world!

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Compilingmultiplesourcefiles

Compilingsourcefilesindependently
Whenprogramsarestoredinindependentsourcefiles,only
the files which have changed need to be recompiled after
the source code has been modified. The source files are
compiled separately and then linked together a two stage
process:
Secondstage
Firststage
Afileiscompiledwithout
creating an executable.
The result is referred to
asanobjectfile

Theobjectfilesaremergedtogether
by a separate program called the
linker. The linker combines all the
object files together to create a

singleexecutable

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Compilingmultiplesourcefiles

Compilingsourcefilesindependently
Firststage
$gccWallcmain.c
cisusedtocompileasourcefiletoanobjectfile
This produces the file main.o containing the machine code
forthemainfunction
$gccWallchello_fn.c
Thisproducestheobjectfilehello_fn.o

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Compilingmultiplesourcefiles

Compilingsourcefilesindependently
Whencompilingwithcthecompilerautomaticallycreates
an object file whose name is the same as the source file,
with.oinsteadoftheoriginalextension.
There is no need to put the header file hello.h on the
command line, since it is automatically included by the
#includestatementsinmain.candhello_fn.c

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Compilingmultiplesourcefiles

Compilingsourcefilesindependently
Secondstage
$gccmain.ohello_fn.oohello
ocreatetheexecutablefilehello
There is no need to use the Wall warning option
since the individual source files have already been
successfullycompiledtoobjectcode.
$./hello

Hello,world!

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Linkorderforobjectfiles

The object file which contains the definition of a function

shouldappearafteranyfileswhichcallthatfunction
$gccmain.ohello_fn.oohello
The file hello_fn.o containing the function hello should be
specifiedaftermain.oitself,sincemaincallshello

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Recompilingandrelinking

Ifweeditthemainprogrammain.candmodifyittoprint
agreetingtoeveryoneinsteadofworld
Theupdatedfilemain.ccannowberecompiled:
$gccWallcmain.c
Thisproducesanewobjectfilemain.o

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Recompilingandrelinking

Thereisnoneedtocreateanewobjectfileforhello_fn.c,
sincethatfileandtherelatedfilesthatitdependson,such
asheaderfiles,havenotchanged
Thenewobjectfilecanberelinkedwiththehellofunction
tocreateanewexecutablefile:
$gccmain.ohello_fn.oohello
$./hello
Hello,everyone!

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Recompilingandrelinking

Only the file main.c has been recompiled, and then

relinkedwiththeexistingobjectfileforthehellofunction.
If the file hello_fn.c had been modified instead, we could
have recompiled hello_fn.c to create a new object file
hello_fn.oandrelinkedthiswiththeexistingfilemain.o.

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Linkingwithexternallibraries

A library is a collection of precompiled object files which

canbelinkedintoprograms.
Are typically stored in special archive files with the
extension.a,referredtoasstaticlibraries.
Theyarecreatedfromobjectfileswithaseparatetool,the
GNUarchiverar.

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Recompilingandrelinking

The standard system libraries are usually found in the

directories/usr/liband/lib.
The C standard library itself is stored in /usr/lib/libc.a
and contains functions specified in the ANSI/ISO C
standard, such as printf. This library is linked by default
foreveryCprogram.

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Recompilingandrelinking
Incorrect
$gccWallcalc.cocalc

Example
Sorcefile:calc.c
#include<math.h>
#include<stdio.h>
intmain(void)
{
doublex=sqrt(2.0);
printf("Squarerootof2.0is%f\n",x);
return0;
}

The problem is that the

reference to the sqrt
function
cannot
be
resolved without the
external math library
libm.a.Thefunctionsqrt
is not defined in the
program or the default
library libc.a, and the
compilerdoesnotlinkto
the file libm.a unless it
isexplicitlyselected.

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Recompilingandrelinking
Example
Correct

Oneobviousbutcumbersomeway:
$gccWallcalc.c/usr/lib/libm.aocalc
$./calc
Thesquarerootof2.0is1.414214

Toavoidtheneedtospecifylongpaths,thecompilerprovides
ashortcutoptionlforlinkingagainstlibraries
$gccWallcalc.clmocalc
ThecompileroptionlNAMEwillattempttolinkobjectfiles
with a library file libNAME.a in the standard library

directories

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Linkorderoflibraries

Theorderingoflibrariesonthecommandlinefollowsthe
same convection as for object files : they are searched
from left to right a library containing the definition of a
function should appear after any source files or object
fileswhichuseit.
$gccWallcalc.clmocalc(correct)
$ccWalllmcalc.cocalc(incorrect),becausethereisno
library or object file containing sqrt after calc.c. The
optionlmshouldappearafterthefilecalc.c

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Linkorderoflibraries

Whenseverallibrariesarebeingused,thesameconvention
should be followed for the libraries themselves. A library
whichcallsanexternalfunctiondefinedinanotherlibrary
shouldappearbeforethelibrarycontainingthefunction.
$gccWalldata.clglpklm
The object files in libglpk.a use functions defined in
libm.a

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Usinglibraryheaders
Sorcefile:calc.c
#include<stdio.h>
intmain(void)
{
doublex=sqrt(2.0);
printf("Squarerootof2.0is%f\n",x);
return0;
}

#inlcude<math.h>ismissing
Compiling the program without any warning options will
produceanexecutablefilewhichgivesincorrectresults

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Usinglibraryheaders

ThiscanbedetectedbyturningonthewarningoptionWall
$gccWallbadpow.clm

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CreatingalibrarywiththeGNUarchiver

TheGNUarchiverarcombinesacollectionofobjectfilesinto
asinglearchivefile,alsoknownasalibrary.

Example
hello_fn.c

bye_fn.c

#include<stdio.h>
#include"hello.h"
voidhello(constchar*name)
{
printf("Hello,%s!\n",name);
}

#include<stdio.h>
#include"hello.h"
voidbye(void)
{
printf("Goodbye!\n");
}

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CreatingalibrarywiththeGNUarchiver
Example

hello.h
voidhello(constchar*name);
voidbye(void);

The source code can be compiled

to the object files hello_fn.o and
bye_fn.o:
$gccWallchello_fn.c
$gccWallcbye_fn.c

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CreatingalibrarywiththeGNUarchiver
Example
Theseobjectfilescanbecombinedintoastaticlibrary:
$arcrlibhello.ahello_fn.obye_fn.o
cr stands for create and replace. If the library does not
exist, it is first created. If the library already exists, any
original files in it with the same names are replaced by the
new files specified on the command line. The first argument
libhello.a is the name of the library. The remaining
argumentsarethenamesofthe objectfilestobecopiedinto
thelibrary.

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CreatingalibrarywiththeGNUarchiver
Example
main.c
#include"hello.h"
intmain(void)
{
hello("everyone");
bye();
return0;
}

Assumingthelibrarylibhello.aisstored
inthecurrentdirectory:
$gccWallmain.clibhello.aohello
$./hello
Hello,everyone!
Goodbye!

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CreatingalibrarywiththeGNUarchiver
Example
The shortcut library linking option l can also be used to link
the program, without needing to specify the full filename of the
libraryexplicitly
$gccWallL.main.clhelloohello
The option L. is needed to add the current directory to the
librarysearchpath

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Howthecompilerworks?

Compilationisamultistageprocessinvolvingseveraltools:
GNUCompileritself(gccfrontend)
GNUAssembleras
GNULinkerld.
Thecompletesetoftoolsusedinthecompilationprocessis
referredtoasatoolchain

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Howthecompilerworks?
Compilationprocess
Source
file

Preprocessing

Toexpand
macros

Fromsourcecodeto
Compilation
assemblylanguage
Assembly

Executable
file

From assembly language

tomachinecode

To create the
linking
finalexecutable

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Howthecompilerworks?
Example
Sourcefile:hello.c
#include<stdio.h>
intmain(void)
{
printf("Hello,world!\n");
return0;
}

Preprocessing
$cpphello.c>hello.i
To expand macros and
includedheaderfiles

hello.i:containsthesourcecode
withallmacrosexpanded.

Note:Inpractice,thepreprocessedfileisnotsavedtodisk

unlessthesavetempsoptionisused.

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Howthecompilerworks?
Compilation

Example

$gccWallShello.i

Preprocessing

Compilation of preprocessed source code

to assembly language, for a specific
processor

hello.i

S: Convert the preprocessed C source

code to assembly language without
creatinganobjectfile

hello.s:Fileinassemblylanguage

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Howthecompilerworks?
Example
Compilation
hello.s

Assembly
$ashello.sohello.o
To convert assembly language into
machinecodeandgenerateanobjectfile.
The output file is specified with the o
option

hello.o: Contains the machine instructions for the

hello.cprogram,withanundefinedreferencetoprintf

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Howthecompilerworks?
Example
Assembly
hello.s

Linking
$ ld dynamiclinker /lib/ldlinux.so.2
/usr/lib/crt1.o /usr/lib/crti.o /usr/lib/gcc
lib/i686/3.3.1/crtbegin.o
L/usr/lib/gcc
lib/i686/3.3.1 hello.o lgcc lgcc_eh lc lgcc
lgcc_eh/usr/lib/gcclib/i686/3.3.1/crtend.o
/usr/lib/crtn.o
Linkingofobjectfilestocreateanexecutable

Anexecutablerequiresmanyexternalfunctionsfromsystem
andCruntime(crt)libraries.Consequently,theactuallink

commandsusedinternallybyGCCarecomplicated

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Howthecompilerworks?
Example

Assembly
hello.s

Fortunatelythereisneveranyneedtotypethe
commandabovedirectlytheentirelinkingprocess
ishandledtransparentlybygcc
Linking
$gcchello.o
Linkstheobjectfilehello.ototheCstandard
library,andproducesanexecutablefilea.out
Executablefile

$./a.out
Hello,world!