Next Previous Contents

2. Basic Usage

The cl65 compile and link utility may be used to compile, assemble and link files. While the separate tools do just one step, cl65 knows how to build object files from C files (by calling the compiler, then the assembler) and other things.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Usage: cl65 [options] file
Short options:
  -c                    Compiler and assemble but don't link
  -d                    Debug mode
  -g                    Add debug info
  -h                    Help (this text)
  -l                    Create an assembler listing
  -m name               Create a map file
  -o name               Name the output file
  -r                    Enable register variables
  -t sys                Set the target system
  -v                    Verbose mode
  -vm                   Verbose map file
  -A                    Strict ANSI mode
  -C name               Use linker config file
  -Cl                   Make local variables static
  -D sym[=defn]         Define a preprocessor symbol
  -I dir                Set a compiler include directory path
  -Ln name              Create a VICE label file
  -O                    Optimize code
  -Oi                   Optimize code, inline functions
  -Or                   Optimize code, honour the register keyword
  -Os                   Optimize code, inline known C funtions
  -S                    Compile but don't assemble and link
  -T                    Include source as comment
  -V                    Print the version number
  -W                    Suppress warnings

Long options:
  --add-source          Include source as comment
  --ansi                Strict ANSI mode
  --asm-include-dir dir Set an assembler include directory
  --bss-name seg        Set the name of the BSS segment
  --check-stack         Generate stack overflow checks
  --code-name seg       Set the name of the CODE segment
  --codesize x          Accept larger code by factor x
  --cpu type            Set cpu type
  --create-dep          Create a make dependency file
  --data-name seg       Set the name of the DATA segment
  --debug               Debug mode
  --debug-info          Add debug info
  --feature name        Set an emulation feature
  --help                Help (this text)
  --include-dir dir     Set a compiler include directory path
  --listing             Create an assembler listing
  --mapfile name        Create a map file
  --register-space b    Set space available for register variables
  --register-vars       Enable register variables
  --rodata-name seg     Set the name of the RODATA segment
  --signed-chars        Default characters are signed
  --start-addr addr     Set the default start address
  --static-locals       Make local variables static
  --target sys          Set the target system
  --version             Print the version number
  --verbose             Verbose mode
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most of the options have the same meaning than the corresponding compiler, assembler or linker option. See the documentation for these tools for an explanation. If an option is available for more than one of the tools, it is set for all tools, where it is available. One example for this is -v: The compiler, the assembler and the linker are all called with the -v switch.

There are a few remaining options that control the behaviour of cl65:

-S

This option forces cl65 to stop after the assembly step. This means that C files are translated into assembler files, but nothing more is done. Assembler files, object files and libraries given on the command line are ignored.

-c

This options forces cl65 to stop after the assembly step. This means that C and assembler files given on the command line are translated into object files, but there is no link step, and object files and libraries given on the command line are ignored.

-o name

The -o option is used for the target name in the final step. This causes problems, if the linker will not be called, and there are several input files on the command line. In this case, the name given with -o will be used for all of them, which makes the option pretty useless. You shouldn't use -o when more than one output file is created.

-t sys, --target sys

The default for this option is different from the compiler and linker in the case that the option is missing: While the other tools (compiler, assembler and linker) will use the "none" system settings by default, cl65 will use the C64 as a target system by default. This was choosen since most people seem to use cc65 to develop for the C64.


Next Previous Contents