What are libtool's .la
files for? How are they used with a shared object?
It is a textual file that includes a description of the library.
It allows libtool
to create platform-independent names.
For example, libfoo
goes to:
Under Linux:
/lib/libfoo.so # Symlink to shared object
/lib/libfoo.so.1 # Symlink to shared object
/lib/libfoo.so.1.0.1 # Shared object
/lib/libfoo.a # Static library
/lib/libfoo.la # 'libtool' library
Under Cygwin:
/lib/libfoo.dll.a # Import library
/lib/libfoo.a # Static library
/lib/libfoo.la # libtool library
/bin/cygfoo_1.dll # DLL
Under Windows MinGW:
/lib/libfoo.dll.a # Import library
/lib/libfoo.a # Static library
/lib/libfoo.la # 'libtool' library
/bin/foo_1.dll # DLL
So libfoo.la
is the only file that is preserved between platforms by libtool
allowing to understand what happens with:
Without depending on a specific platform implementation of libraries.