Sections

Table 7-1, ``Object file format'' shows that section headers are followed by the appropriate number of bytes of text or data. The raw data for each section begins on a 4-byte boundary in the file.

Link editor SECTIONS directives allow users to do the following, among other things:

• describe how input sections are to be combined

• direct the placement of output sections

• rename output sections.

If no SECTIONS directives are given, each input section appears in an output section of the same name. For example, if a number of object files, each with a .text section, are linked together, the output object file contains a single .text section made up of the combined input .text sections.