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 - Next: <a href="Adding-symbols-from-an-object-file.html#Adding-symbols-from-an-object-file" accesskey="n" rel="next">Adding symbols from an object file</a>, Previous: <a href="Adding-Symbols-to-the-Hash-Table.html#Adding-Symbols-to-the-Hash-Table" accesskey="p" rel="prev">Adding Symbols to the Hash Table</a>, Up: <a href="Adding-Symbols-to-the-Hash-Table.html#Adding-Symbols-to-the-Hash-Table" accesskey="u" rel="up">Adding Symbols to the Hash Table</a>   [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="BFD-Index.html#BFD-Index" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p>
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 - <a name="Differing-file-formats-1"></a>
 - <h4 class="subsubsection">2.17.2.1 Differing file formats</h4>
 - <p>Normally all the files involved in a link will be of the same
 - format, but it is also possible to link together different
 - format object files, and the back end must support that.  The
 - <code>_bfd_link_add_symbols</code> entry point is called via the target
 - vector of the file to be added.  This has an important
 - consequence: the function may not assume that the hash table
 - is the type created by the corresponding
 - <code>_bfd_link_hash_table_create</code> vector.  All the
 - <code>_bfd_link_add_symbols</code> function can assume about the hash
 - table is that it is derived from <code>struct
 - bfd_link_hash_table</code>.
 - </p>
 - <p>Sometimes the <code>_bfd_link_add_symbols</code> function must store
 - some information in the hash table entry to be used by the
 - <code>_bfd_final_link</code> function.  In such a case the output bfd
 - xvec must be checked to make sure that the hash table was
 - created by an object file of the same format.
 - </p>
 - <p>The <code>_bfd_final_link</code> routine must be prepared to handle a
 - hash entry without any extra information added by the
 - <code>_bfd_link_add_symbols</code> function.  A hash entry without
 - extra information will also occur when the linker script
 - directs the linker to create a symbol.  Note that, regardless
 - of how a hash table entry is added, all the fields will be
 - initialized to some sort of null value by the hash table entry
 - initialization function.
 - </p>
 - <p>See <code>ecoff_link_add_externals</code> for an example of how to
 - check the output bfd before saving information (in this
 - case, the ECOFF external symbol debugging information) in a
 - hash table entry.
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