Short:        AmigaGuide to AmigaDOS Shared Libraries
Author:       dast@sth.frontec.se
Uploader:     istrice paola dei unipd it
Type:         docs/help
Architecture: generic


   The  original file  I've found  in  `aminet/docs/help/' was a standard
plain file:  short, printable ... readable ..., but  not the  best for  a
quick  consultation. That is why I've translated it to an AmigaGuide for-
mat: a bit longer, more readable, easy to use, ...   8)
The translation  was made with the  great aid of `AGW' by David L. McPaul
(you may find in `aminet/text/hyper/AGWriter???.lha').

P.S.: the  guide has several nodes linked to AutoDocs (in the  AmigaGuide
      format). Then you  are supposed to have propely set AmigaGuide path
      env (try `aminet/text/hyper/GuidePrefs.lha'  if you are not so con-
      fident with  this  issue), and  to  have  the AmigaGuide version of
      AutoDocs.
      You  are also  supposed to  have the assignment `TEXT-INCLUDE:' set
      too. Of course you also need include-files.

   I (the AmigaGuide-er) may be reached at the following addresses:

                E-Mail: istrice@paola.dei.unipd.it
                        istrice2@maya.dei.unipd.it

Ciao
     Alessandro Ponzio

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This is an ASCII formatted article describing most of the things AmigaDOS
shared libraries are all about. This is the table of contents:

1                           Shared Library Overview
  1.1 Shared Library
  1.2 Link Library
  1.3 ROM Based/Disk Based Libraries
  1.4 Memory Usage
  1.5 Other Operating Systems
  1.6 Advantages

2                       Calling Shared Library Functions
  2.1 Address Library Functions
  2.2 Library Base
  2.3 Index
  2.4 Parameters
  2.5 Access Libraries
    2.5.1 OpenLibrary()
    2.5.2 CloseLibrary()
    2.5.3 RemLibrary()
  2.6 Return Code
  2.7 Glue Code
  2.8 C and Register Parameters
    2.8.1 SAS/Dice pragmas
    2.8.2 Aztec/Maxon pragmas
    2.8.3 How to create pragma files
  2.9 Near Data Effects
  2.10 Registers

3                  Parts of an AmigaDOS Shared Library Image
  3.1 Prevent Execution
  3.2 ROMTag Structure
  3.3 Init Table
  3.4 Function Pointer Table
  3.5 Data Table
  3.6 Init Routine
  3.7 Functions

4                           Libraries in the System
  4.1 Library Opening Details
  4.2 Library List
  4.3 Patching Libraries

5                                 Programming
  5.1 Functions
    5.1.1 Open()
    5.1.2 Close()
    5.1.3 Expunge()
    5.1.4 Extfunc()
  5.2 Function Descriptor File
  5.3 Glue Code
  5.4 Compiling
  5.5 Linking
  5.6 Debugging
  5.7 Hints

6                        Support library calls from ARexx
  6.1 How ARexx access the library
  6.2 ARexx calls a library function
  6.3 ARexx function

                                     Appendix
A. Version numbers and shared libraries
B. Further reading
C. Library source examples