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- .\" XXX standard disclaimer belongs here....
- .\" $Header: /private/postgres/ref/postquel/RCS/load,v 1.5 1992/07/14 05:54:17 ptong Exp $
- .SP LOAD COMMANDS 6/14/90
- .XA 2 Load
- .uh NAME
- .lp
- load \*- dynamically load an object file
- .uh SYNOPSIS
- .lp
- .(l
- \fBload \fR "filename"
- .)l
- .uh DESCRIPTION
- .lp
- .b Load
- loads an object (or ".o") file into \*(PP's address space. Once a file
- is loaded, all functions in that file can be accessed. This function is
- used in support of ADT's.
- .lp
- If a file is not loaded using the
- .b load
- command, the file will be loaded automatically the first time the function
- is called by \*(PP.
- .b Load
- can also be used to reload an object file if it has been edited and recompiled.
- Only objects created from C language files are supported at this time.
- .uh EXAMPLE
- .lp
- .nf
- .ft C
- /* Load the file /usr/postgres/demo/circle.o */
-
- load "/usr/postgres/demo/circle.o"
- .ft
- .fi
- .sp
- .uh CAVEATS
- .sp
- Functions in loaded object files should not call functions in other object
- files loaded through the
- .b load
- command, meaning, for example, that all functions in file A should call
- each other, functions in the standard or math libraries, or in \*(PP itself.
- They should not call functions defined in a different loaded file B. This is
- because if B is reloaded, the \*(PP loader is not "smart" enough to relocate
- the calls from the functions in A into the new address space of B. If B is
- not reloaded, however, there will not be a problem.
- .lp
- On diskless platforms or when running across NFS,
- .b load
- can take two or three minutes or more, depending on network traffic. On
- diskful platforms,
- .b load
- takes from a few seconds on Suns and Sparcs to several minutes on DECstations.
- .lp
- On DECstations, you must use the "-G O" option when compiling object files to
- be loaded.
- .lp
- Note that if you are porting \*(PP to a new platform, the
- .b load
- command will have to work in order to support ADT's.
-