merge_lib - Static Library Object File Merger

A Python tool to merge all object files (.o) from a static library (.a) into a single object file. Supports custom paths for ar and ld commands.

Features

• Extracts object files from static libraries using ar command
• Merges extracted object files into one using ld -r
• Supports custom paths for ar and ld commands
• Option to keep temporary files for debugging
• Verbose output mode

Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• ar and ld commands available in PATH (or specify custom paths)

Installation

No installation required. Just ensure Python 3 is installed and the script has execute permissions:

chmod +x merge_lib.py

Usage

Basic syntax:

./merge_lib.py input_library.a [-o output.o] [options]

Command Line Options

Option	Description
input_library.a	Input static library file (required)
-o, --output	Output object filename (default: same as library name with .o extension)
--ar	Custom path to ar command (default: ar)
--ld	Custom path to ld command (default: ld)
--keep-temp	Keep temporary directory for debugging
--verbose	Show verbose output
-h, --help	Show help message

Examples

1. Basic usage:

./merge_lib.py libexample.a

Outputs: libexample.o

2. Custom output filename:

./merge_lib.py libexample.a -o combined.o

3. With custom tool paths:

./merge_lib.py libexample.a --ar /custom/path/to/ar --ld /custom/path/to/ld

4. Keep temporary files and show verbose output:

./merge_lib.py libexample.a --keep-temp --verbose

Notes

• The tool creates a temporary directory during operation (cleaned up unless --keep-temp is specified)
• Requires both ar and ld commands to be available (either in PATH or specified)
• Tested on Linux systems, may require adjustments for other platforms