Mold as a Library?

[coffeebe4code]

Is it possible to use Mold as a library? Is there a particular reason why it cannot be packaged as so?

[rui314]

What would be the use case? You can always invoke mold as an external program from any program.

[Alcaro]

Error messages are text

[rui314]

Why do you want to see it in json? For IDEs?

[rui314]

Anyway, "linker as a library" was the topic of a (too much) heated discussion when I tried to start writing the current version of lld, and I don't want to repeat that. If you want to bring it up again, please show concrete use cases you want to try to implement and convincing argument why the features are not implementable not as a command.

[heavyrain266]

I meant generic info and error reports, anything that goes to stdout. If you're calling the mold binary as external program that could simplify error reports when you're building the AOSP, other kernels, firmware or games across multiple nodes of the buildfarm. JSON output for errors and any related data could replace the need for library, other tools tends to do that as well (like pijul vcs)

[rui314]

That probably should be brought to the compiler first, and the linker would follow suit.