AR(1)

NAME
ar - archive and library maintainer

SYNOPSIS
ar [-]key [ posname ] afile [ name ... ]

DESCRIPTION
Ar maintains groups of files combined into a single archive file. Its main use is to create and update library files as used by the loader. It can be used, though, for any similar purpose. N.B: This version of ar uses a ASCII-format archive which is portable among the various machines running UNIX. Programs for dealing with older formats are available: see arcv(8).

Key is one character from the set drqtpmx, optionally concatenated with one or more of vuaibclo. Afile is the archive file. The names are constituent files in the archive file. The meanings of the key characters are:

d   Delete the named files from the archive file.

r   Replace the named files in the archive file. If the optional character u is used with r, then only those files with `last-modified' dates later than the archive files are replaced. If an optional positioning character from the set abi is used, then the posname argument must be present and specifies that new files are to be placed after (a) or before (b or i) posname. Otherwise new files are placed at the end.

q   Quickly append the named files to the end of the archive file. Optional positioning characters are invalid. The command does not check whether the added members are already in the archive. Useful only to avoid quadratic behavior when creating a large archive piece-by-piece.

t   Print a table of contents of the archive file. If no names are given, all files in the archive are tabled. If names are given, only those files are tabled.

p   Print the named files in the archive.

m   Move the named files to the end of the archive. If a positioning character is present, then the posname argument must be present and, as in r, specifies where the files are to be moved.

x   Extract the named files. If no names are given, all files in the archive are extracted. In neither case does x alter the archive file. Normally the `last-modified' date of each extracted file is the date when it is extracted. However, if o is used, the `last-modified' date is reset to the date recorded in the archive.

v   Verbose. Under the verbose option, ar gives a file-by-file description of the making of a new archive file from the old archive and the constituent files. When used with t, it gives a long listing of all information about the files. When used with p, it precedes each file with a name.

c   Create. Normally ar will create afile when it needs to. The create option suppresses the normal message that is produced when afile is created.

l   Local. Normally ar places its temporary files in the directory specified by the environment variable TMPDIR (with /var/tmp as the default if TMPDIR is not defined). This option causes them to be placed in the current working directory instead.

FILES
/var/tmp/v*    temporaries

SEE ALSO
lorder(1), ld(1), ranlib(1), ar(5), arcv(8)

BUGS
If the same file is mentioned twice in an argument list, it may be put in the archive twice.

The `last-modified' date of a file will not be altered by the o option if the user is not the owner of the extracted file, or the super-user.