15.6 Scripts

If you use the single command line option -M with the archiver, you can control its operation with a rudimentary command language.

xc32-ar -M [ <SCRIPT ]

Note: Command line options are case sensitive.

This form of the MPLAB XC32 archiver/librarian operates interactively if standard input is coming directly from a terminal. During interactive use, the archiver 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 the XC32 archiver/librarian abandons execution (with a nonzero exit code) on any error.

The archiver 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 the XC32 archiver/librarian for developers who already have scripts written for the MRI “librarian” program.

The syntax for the XC32 archiver/librarian command language is straightforward:

commands are recognized in upper or lower case; for example, LIST is the same as list. In the following descriptions, commands are shown in upper case for clarity.
a single command may appear on each line; it is the first word on the line.
empty lines are allowed, and have no effect.
comments are allowed; text after either of the characters “*” or “;” is ignored.
Whenever you use a list of names as part of the argument to an xc32-ar command, you can separate the individual names with either commas or blanks. Commas are shown in the explanations below, for clarity.
“+” is used as a line continuation character; if “+” appears at the end of a line, the text on the following line is considered part of the current command.

The table below shows the commands you can use in archiver scripts, or when using the archiver interactively. Three of them have special significance.

Table 15-3. Archiver Scripts Commands
Option	Function
`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 ARCHIVE` `ADDLIB ARCHIVE (MODULE,  MODULE,...MODULE)`	Add all the contents of `ARCHIVE` (or, if specified, each named `MODULE` from `ARCHIVE`) to the current archive. Requires prior use of `OPEN` or `CREATE`.
`ADDMOD MEMBER, MEMBER, ... MEMBER`	Add each named `MEMBER` as a module in the current archive. Requires prior use of `OPEN` or `CREATE`.
`CLEAR`	Discard the contents of the current archive, canceling the effect of any operations since the last `SAVE`. May be executed (with no effect) even if no current archive is specified.
`CREATE ARCHIVE`	Creates an archive, and makes it the current archive (required for many other commands). The new archive is created with a temporary name; it is not actually saved as `ARCHIVE` until you use `SAVE`. You can overwrite existing archives; similarly, the contents of any existing file named `ARCHIVE` will not be destroyed until `SAVE`.
`DELETE MODULE, MODULE, ... MODULE`	Delete each listed `MODULE` from the current archive; equivalent to `xc32-ar -d ARCHIVE MODULE ... MODULE`. Requires prior use of `OPEN` or `CREATE`.
`DIRECTORY ARCHIVE (MODULE, ... MODULE) [OUTPUTFILE]`	List each named `MODULE` present in `ARCHIVE`. The separate command `VERBOSE` specifies the form of the output: when verbose output is off, output is like that of `xc32-ar -t ARCHIVE MODULE....` When verbose output is on, the listing is like `xc32-ar -tv ARCHIVE MODULE....` Output normally goes to the standard output stream; however, if you specify `OUTPUTFILE` as a final argument, the XC32 archiver/librarian directs the output to that file.
`END`	Exit from the archiver with a 0 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, ... MODULE`	Extract each named `MODULE` from the current archive, writing them into the current directory as separate files. Equivalent to `xc32-ar -x ARCHIVE MODULE....` Requires prior use of `OPEN` or `CREATE`.
`LIST`	Display full contents of the current archive, in “verbose” style regardless of the state of `VERBOSE`. The effect is like `xc32-ar tv ARCHIVE`. (This single command is a XC32 archiver/librarian enhancement, rather than present for MRI compatibility.) Requires prior use of `OPEN` or `CREATE`.
`OPEN ARCHIVE`	Opens an existing archive for use as the current archive (required for many other commands). Any changes as the result of subsequent commands will not actually affect `ARCHIVE` until you next use `SAVE`.
`REPLACE MODULE, MODULE, ... MODULE`	In the current archive, replace each existing `MODULE` (named in the `REPLACE` 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`.
`VERBOSE`	Toggle an internal flag governing the output from `DIRECTORY`. When the flag is on, `DIRECTORY` output matches output from `xc32-ar -tv ....`
`SAVE`	Commits your changes to the current archive and actually saves it as a file with the name specified in the last `CREATE` or `OPEN` command. Requires prior use of `OPEN` or `CREATE`.