Feature request: Add a checkbox to enable group linked library

[fanghuaqi]

Hi @ilg-ul ,

I would like to request a feature like below:

Adding a checkbox in Settings -> Linker -> Libraries, this checkbox is used to control group libraries or not

• Group libraries(-Wl,start-group $LIBS -Wl, end-group)

When this checkbox is clicked, the generated Makefile will be like this:

Otherwise, it will be like this, which is the default behavior

This feature is used to fix issue like this If a symbol in that archive is needed to resolve an undefined symbol referred to by an object in an archive that appears later on the command line, the linker would not be able to resolve that reference.

See reference links below:

• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5651869/what-are-the-start-group-and-end-group-command-line-options
• https://ftp.gnu.org/old-gnu/Manuals/ld-2.9.1/html_chapter/ld_2.html

Thanks
Huaqi

[ilg-ul]

Thank you for the suggestion, I'll think about it.

@jonahgraham, do you know of something similar in CDT? If not, are there any plans to implement it?

[fanghuaqi]

Thank you for the suggestion, I'll think about it.

@jonahgraham, do you know of something similar in CDT? If not, are there any plans to implement it?

Thank you.

[TommyMurphyTM1234]

In case it's of any relevance, this 10 year old CDT bug relates to the same issue:

• https://bugs.eclipse.org/bugs/show_bug.cgi?id=398355

I'm not sure about "impossible" though, given that there seem to be workarounds - for example:

• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/58817617/how-to-link-intel-mkl-using-eclipse-start-group-end-group

[fanghuaqi]

Hi @TommyMurphyTM1234 , it seems to be a CDT issue, workaround is not in an clean way, but I will take a try.

[TommyMurphyTM1234]

Hi @TommyMurphyTM1234 , it seems to be a CDT issue, workaround is not in an clean way, but I will take a try.

I think it's more or less what @ilg-ul previously suggested for Embedded CDT.
I just posted the links in case they were relevant to the comments about the base CDT.

[ilg-ul]

I think it's more or less what @ilg-ul previously suggested for Embedded CDT.

That's correct. With the current implementation there are two solutions:

• add the group as Miscellaneous -> Other linker flags
• add the --start-group/--end-group in the Linker -> Expert settings -> Command line pattern

[laomaolaile]

Adding to Linker -> Misc -> Other Objects is not working.

[laomaolaile]

Put it in other linker flags is also not working

[laomaolaile]

Workaround like this, seems to work, but it is not a good way for normal user.

[fanghuaqi]

Hi @ilg-ul @jonahgraham @jld01 , I see eclipse-cdt/cdt#608 this issue is fixed, maybe embedded cdt plugin can support this group library feature now using this release https://github.com/eclipse-cdt/cdt/releases/tag/CDT_11_4_0, is there any work to do in this embedded cdt plugin?

[laomaolaile]

Hi @ilg-ul @jonahgraham @jld01

I created a MinGW GCC project using eclipse-embedcpp-2023-12-R-win32-x86_64, which already supports the Group libraries feature.

However, the created risc-v project currently does not support the Group libraries feature.

If want the risc-v project to also support Group libraries, do need to complete some development work?

If I want to achieve it and contribute, what should I do?

[ilg-ul]

The ARM & RISC-V managed build plug-ins and the MinGW managed build plug-in are different plug-ins and do not share code, so that button and the associated functionality must be reimplemented.

I currently don't know how complex this can be, the MinGW plug-in must be studied and a similar solution used, if possible.