Can someone help explain how to access object (.o) files?

[cosmic raft]

I'm trying to learn more about object files in C, but it is hard to study them when I can't read .o files. Can someone explain to me how to access .o files in a compiler if it's possible?

[urban pike]

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[zinc pond]

So you need a header file that has the function names and argument types inside the associated object file.

If you have that, include that header file, then just add he object file to your compilation.

gcc myfile.c otherfile.o

[cosmic raft]

So otherfile.o is the name of the file you are creating, or is it related to the .h file?

I made a .c file (side.c) that prints out a name, and I included an h file (side.h) of the same name in there that declares the function I defomed in side.c

side.c

#include "side.h"

void PrintName(char* name){
        printf("Hello, my name is %s\n", name);
}```



side.h
```void PrintName(char* name);```

I tried using your command and it says side.o: no such file or directory

Do I need to include -o?

[zinc pond]

Otherfile.o is the outside object file you are trying to access
Perhaps I am misunderstanding the question

What do you mean by "access an object file"?

[cosmic raft]

Being able to create one then print out its contents

I think I figured it out though

gcc -c -o side.o side.c

c stands for compile I believe, and by using -c it doesn't do the linker phase and it only creates an object file instead of the executable.

!solved

[urban pike]

Thank you and let us know if you have any more questions!

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[river saffron]

If you want to view an object file's contents you can use objdump

But you're just going to get a bunch of dissasembled machine code

[dapper tendon]

hexdump a.out , through this you can acess the file but its in hexcodes 🙂

[thick tulip]

To learn about object files in C....,,, you basically want to learn assembly

since assembly is basically a compiled program in human readable format.

I'd recommend

chapter 3

I'd actually recommend that entire book. But chapter 3 teachers you x86 AT&T syntax assembly.

....... the book assumes you know C