A linker combines and arranges the object code in libraries and object code generated by compilers and assemblers into a single file or image, ready to execute on the target platform. The CodeWarrior linker builds an executable image in several steps:
- Configure settings requested from the linker to the CodeWarrior IDE or passed to the linker from the command-line
- Read settings from a linker control file
- Read object code
- Search for and ignore unused objects ("deadstripping")
- Build and output the executable file
- Optionally output a map file