libtool

Compile a source file into a libtool object

$ libtool [[c|compile]] gcc [[-c|--compile]] [path/to/source.c] [[-o|--output]] [path/to/source.lo]

$ libtool [[l|link]] gcc [[-o|--output]] [path/to/library.lo] [path/to/source.lo]

$ libtool [[e|execute]] gdb [path/to/program]

$ libtool [[i|install]] cp [path/to/library.la] [path/to/installation_directory]

$ libtool [[f|finish]] [path/to/installation_dir]

$ libtool [[u|uninstall]] [path/to/installed_library.la]

$ libtool [[cl|clean]] rm [path/to/source.lo] [path/to/library.la]

libtool [OPTION]... [COMMAND] [ARG]...

--mode=MODE
    Specifies the operation mode for Libtool. Common modes include compile (for compiling source files into object files), link (for linking object files into libraries or executables), execute (for running executables built with Libtool), install (for installing libraries), finish (for post-installation setup), uninstall, clean, and init.

--tag=TAG
    Specifies a configuration tag to use. This is often used to select compiler-specific options (e.g., CC for C compiler, CXX for C++ compiler).

--dry-run
    Shows what commands would be executed without actually running them. Useful for debugging.

--debug
    Enables verbose debugging output, showing all commands executed and internal variables.

--config
    Displays the current Libtool configuration variables and settings.

--silent, -s
    Suppresses output from Libtool and the commands it invokes.

--version
    Prints the Libtool version information.

--help
    Displays a help message with available options.

Libtool is a generic library support script that hides the complexity of creating and using shared libraries across various Unix-like platforms.

It provides a consistent interface to compile, link, and install shared and static libraries, abstracting away differences in linker options, library naming conventions, and runtime linking mechanisms. Essentially, Libtool wraps platform-specific commands (like `gcc` and `ld`) with a generic interface, ensuring that software built with it can run on a wide range of systems without modification.

It is a fundamental component of the GNU Autotools build system, commonly used alongside Autoconf and Automake to produce portable software packages.

Debugging issues with Libtool can be complex due to its wrapping nature, often requiring deep understanding of underlying linker/compiler behavior and Libtool's internal logic.

It can introduce slight overheads due to its wrapper scripts, though usually negligible. While extremely powerful for portability, it does add another layer of abstraction to the build process.

Libtool is tightly integrated with Autoconf and Automake. Autoconf detects system capabilities, and Automake generates `Makefile.in` files, which often include Libtool rules for building libraries and executables. This synergy allows developers to write platform-agnostic build rules.

When Libtool builds a library, it generates a `.la` (libtool archive) file in addition to the actual library file (e.g., `.so` or `.a`). This `.la` file contains metadata about the library, such as its dependencies, whether it's shared or static, and its installed location, which Libtool uses during linking and installation.

Libtool was developed by Gordon Matzigkeit and others as part of the GNU project. Its primary motivation was to solve the significant challenge of creating portable shared libraries across the numerous variations of Unix-like operating systems, each with its own quirks regarding dynamic linking, library naming conventions, and runtime library loading mechanisms. It became a crucial component of the GNU Autotools build system, which aimed to make software compilation truly portable. Its development has mirrored the evolution of shared library support on various platforms, continuously adapting to new systems and linking paradigms.

autoconf(1), automake(1), gcc(1), ld(1)