<article>
<title>cl65 Users Guide
-<author>Ullrich von Bassewitz, <htmlurl url="mailto:uz@cc65.org" name="uz@cc65.org">
-<date>01.08.2000, 27.11.2000, 02.10.2001
+<author><url url="mailto:uz@cc65.org" name="Ullrich von Bassewitz">,<newline>
+<url url="mailto:greg.king5@verizon.net" name="Greg King">
+<date>2017-10-16
<abstract>
cl65 is the compile & link utility for cc65, the 6502 C compiler. It was
-designed as a smart frontend for the C compiler (cc65), the assembler (ca65)
-and the linker (ld65).
+designed as a smart frontend for the C compiler (cc65), the assembler (ca65),
+the object file converter (co65), and the linker (ld65).
</abstract>
<!-- Table of contents -->
<sect>Overview<p>
-cl65 is a frontend for cc65, ca65 and ld65. While you may not use the full
-power of the tools when calling them through cl65, most features are
+cl65 is a frontend for cc65, ca65, co65 and ld65. While you may not use the
+full power of the tools when calling them through cl65, most features are
available, and the use of cl65 is much simpler.
<sect>Basic Usage<p>
-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.
+The cl65 compile and link utility may be used to convert, 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.
<tscreen><verb>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Usage: cl65 [options] file
+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
+ -c Compile and assemble but don't link
+ -d Debug mode
+ -g Add debug info
+ -h Help (this text)
+ -l name Create an assembler listing file
+ -m name Create a map file
+ -mm model Set the memory model
+ -o name Name the output file
+ -r Enable register variables
+ -t sys Set the target system
+ -u sym Force an import of symbol `sym'
+ -v Verbose mode
+ -vm Verbose map file
+ -C name Use linker config file
+ -Cl Make local variables static
+ -D sym[=defn] Define a preprocessor symbol
+ -E Stop after the preprocessing stage
+ -I dir Set a compiler include directory path
+ -L path Specify a library search path
+ -Ln name Create a VICE label file
+ -O Optimize code
+ -Oi Optimize code, inline more code
+ -Or Optimize code, honour the register keyword
+ -Os Optimize code, inline standard funtions
+ -S Compile but don't assemble and link
+ -T Include source as comment
+ -V Print the version number
+ -W name[,...] Supress compiler warnings
+ -Wa options Pass options to the assembler
+ -Wc options Pass options to the compiler
+ -Wl options Pass options to the linker
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
+ --add-source Include source as comment
+ --all-cdecl Make functions default to __cdecl__
+ --asm-args options Pass options to the assembler
+ --asm-define sym[=v] Define an assembler symbol
+ --asm-include-dir dir Set an assembler include directory
+ --bin-include-dir dir Set an assembler binary include directory
+ --bss-label name Define and export a BSS segment label
+ --bss-name seg Set the name of the BSS segment
+ --cc-args options Pass options to the compiler
+ --cfg-path path Specify a config file search path
+ --check-stack Generate stack overflow checks
+ --code-label name Define and export a CODE segment label
+ --code-name seg Set the name of the CODE segment
+ --codesize x Accept larger code by factor x
+ --config name Use linker config file
+ --cpu type Set cpu type
+ --create-dep name Create a make dependency file
+ --create-full-dep name Create a full make dependency file
+ --data-label name Define and export a DATA segment label
+ --data-name seg Set the name of the DATA segment
+ --debug Debug mode
+ --debug-info Add debug info
+ --feature name Set an emulation feature
+ --force-import sym Force an import of symbol `sym'
+ --help Help (this text)
+ --include-dir dir Set a compiler include directory path
+ --ld-args options Pass options to the linker
+ --lib file Link this library
+ --lib-path path Specify a library search path
+ --list-targets List all available targets
+ --listing name Create an assembler listing file
+ --list-bytes n Number of bytes per assembler listing line
+ --mapfile name Create a map file
+ --memory-model model Set the memory model
+ --module Link as a module
+ --module-id id Specify a module id for the linker
+ --o65-model model Override the o65 model
+ --obj file Link this object file
+ --obj-path path Specify an object file search path
+ --print-target-path Print the target file path
+ --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
+ --standard std Language standard (c89, c99, cc65)
+ --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
+ --zeropage-label name Define and export a ZEROPAGE segment label
+ --zeropage-name seg Set the name of the ZEROPAGE segment
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
</verb></tscreen>
-Most of the options have the same meaning than the corresponding compiler,
-assembler or linker option. See the documentation for these tools for an
+Most of the options have the same meanings as the corresponding compiler,
+assembler, and linker options. See the documentation for those 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 <tt/-v/:
-The compiler, the assembler and the linker are all called with the <tt/-v/
+is set for all tools where it is available. One example for that is <tt/-v/:
+The compiler, the assembler, and the linker are all called with the <tt/-v/
switch.
There are a few remaining options that control the behaviour of cl65:
<descrip>
+ <tag><tt>-E</tt></tag>
+
+ This option is passed to the cc65 compiler; and, it forces cl65 to stop
+ before the assembly step. That means that C-level preprocessor directives
+ are obeyed; and, macroes are expanded. But, the C source isn't compiled.
+ If the <tt/-o/ option isn't used, then the C code results are written into
+ files with a ".i" suffix on their base names. Assembler files, object
+ files, and libraries given on the command line are ignored.
+
+
<tag><tt>-S</tt></tag>
- 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
+ This option forces cl65 to stop before the assembly step. That 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.
<tag><tt>-c</tt></tag>
- This options forces cl65 to stop after the assembly step. This means
+ This option forces cl65 to stop after the assembly step. That 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
+ object files; but, there is no link step. Object files and libraries
given on the command line are ignored.
<tag><tt>-o name</tt></tag>
- 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
+ The -o option is used for the target name in the final step. That causes
+ problems if the linker will not be called, and there are several input
+ files on the command line. In that 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.
+ shouldn't use <tt/-o/ when more than one output file is created.
+
+
+ <tag><tt>--print-target-path</tt></tag>
+
+ This option prints the absolute path of the target file directory, and exits
+ then. It is supposed to be used with shell backquotes or the GNU make shell
+ function. That way, you can write build scripts or Makefiles accessing target
+ files without any assumption about the cc65 installation path.
<tag><tt>-t sys, --target sys</tt></tag>
- 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
+ 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
+ "c64" as a target system by default. That was chosen because most people
seem to use cc65 to develop for the C64.
+
+ <tag><tt>-Wa options, --asm-args options</tt></tag>
+
+ Pass options directly to the assembler. This may be used to pass options
+ that aren't directly supported by cl65. Several options may be separated by
+ commas; the commas are replaced by spaces when passing them to the
+ assembler. Beware: Passing arguments directly to the assembler might interfere
+ with some of the defaults because cl65 doesn't parse the options passed. So,
+ if cl65 supports an option by itself, do not pass that option to the
+ assembler by means of the <tt/-Wa/ switch.
+
+
+ <tag><tt>-Wc options, --cc-args options</tt></tag>
+
+ Pass options directly to the compiler. This may be used to pass options
+ that aren't directly supported by cl65. Several options may be separated by
+ commas; the commas are replaced by spaces when passing them to the
+ compiler. Beware: Passing arguments directly to the compiler might interfere
+ with some of the defaults because cl65 doesn't parse the options passed. So,
+ if cl65 supports an option by itself, do not pass that option to the
+ compiler by means of the <tt/-Wc/ switch.
+
+
+ <tag><tt>-Wl options, --ld-args options</tt></tag>
+
+ Pass options directly to the linker. This may be used to pass options that
+ aren't directly supported by cl65. Several options may be separated by
+ commas; the commas are replaced by spaces when passing them to the linker.
+ Beware: Passing arguments directly to the linker might interfere with some of
+ the defaults because cl65 doesn't parse the options passed. So, if cl65
+ supports an option by itself, do not pass that option to the linker by means
+ of the <tt/-Wl/ switch.
+
</descrip>
<sect>More usage<p>
-Since cl65 was created to simplify the use of the cc65 development
+Because cl65 was created to simplify the use of the cc65 development
package, it tries to be smart about several things.
<itemize>
<item> If you don't give a target system on the command line, cl65
defaults to the C64.
-<item> When linking, cl65 will supply the names of the startup file and
- library for the target system to the linker, so you don't have to do
- that.
+<item> When linking, cl65 will supply the name of the library file for
+ the target system to the linker; so, you don't have to do that.
<item> If the final step is the linker, and the name of the output file was
not explicitly given, cl65 will use the name of the first input file
- without the extension, provided that the name of this file has an
- extension. So you don't need to name the executable name in most
- cases, just give the name of your "main" file as first input file.
+ without the extension, provided that the name of that file has an
+ extension. So, you don't need to give the executable name in most
+ cases; just give the name of your "main" file as the first input file.
</itemize>
+The command line is parsed from left to right, and the actual processing tool
+(compiler, assembler, ...) is invoked whenever a file name is encountered.
+This means that only the options to the left of a file name are in effect when
+this file is processed. It does also mean that you're able to specify
+different options for different files on the command line. As an example.
+
+<tscreen><verb>
+ cl65 -Oirs main.c -O -g module.c
+</verb></tscreen>
+
+translates main.c with full optimization and module.c with less optimization
+and debug info enabled.
+
+The type of an input file is derived from its extension:
+
+<itemize>
+<item>C files: <tt/.c/
+<item>Assembler files: <tt/.s/, <tt/.asm/, <tt/.a65/
+<item>Object files: <tt/.o/, <tt/.obj/
+<item>Libraries: <tt/.a/, <tt/.lib/
+<item>GEOS resource files: <tt/.grc/
+<item>o65 files: <tt/.o65/, <tt/.emd/, <tt/.joy/, <tt/.tgi/
+</itemize>
+
+Please note that the program cannot handle input files with unknown file
+extensions.
+
<sect>Examples<p>
cc65 -g -Oi -t c64 morse.c
ca65 -g morse.s
ca65 -g irq.s
- ld65 -t c64 -o morse c64.o morse.o irq.o c64.lib
+ ld65 -o morse -t c64 c64.o morse.o irq.o c64.lib
</verb></tscreen>
When using cl65, this is simplified to
-<sect>Bugs/Feedback<p>
-
-If you have problems using the utility, if you find any bugs, or if you're
-doing something interesting with it, I would be glad to hear from you. Feel
-free to contact me by email (<htmlurl url="mailto:uz@cc65.org" name="uz@cc65.org">).
-
-
-
<sect>Copyright<p>
-cl65 (and all cc65 binutils) are (C) Copyright 1998-2000 Ullrich von
+cl65 (and all cc65 binutils) are (C) Copyright 1998-2004 Ullrich von
Bassewitz. For usage of the binaries and/or sources the following
conditions do apply:
</article>
-