Directives Reference

7.7.9EXTERN

The EXTERN directive provides the assembler with a name that is not defined in the current assembly.

EXTERN is very similar to IMPORT, except that the name is not imported if no reference to it is found in the current assembly (see IMPORT on page 7-62, and EXPORT or GLOBAL on page 7-58).

Syntax

EXTERN symbol{[WEAK]}

where:

symbol is a symbol name defined in a separately assembled source file, object file, or library. The symbol name is case-sensitive.

[WEAK] prevents the linker generating an error message if the symbol is not defined elsewhere. It also prevents the linker searching libraries that are not already included.

Usage

The name is resolved at link time to a symbol defined in a separate object file. The symbol is treated as a program address. If [WEAK] is not specified, the linker generates an error if no corresponding symbol is found at link time.

If [WEAK] is specified and no corresponding symbol is found at link time:

If the reference is the destination of a B or BL instruction, the value of the symbol is taken as the address of the following instruction. This makes the B or BL instruction effectively a NOP.

Otherwise, the value of the symbol is taken as zero.

Example

This example tests to see if the C++ library has been linked, and branches conditionally on the result.

AREA

Example, CODE, READONLY

 

 

EXTERN

__CPP_INITIALIZE[WEAK]

; If C++

library linked, gets the address of

 

 

; __CPP_INITIALIZE function.

LDR

r0,__CPP_INITIALIZE

; If not

linked, address is zeroed.

CMP

r0,#0

; Test if zero.

BEQ

nocplusplus

; Branch

on the result.

7-60

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ARM DUI 0068B

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