How Can I Seamlessly Embed Resources into Executables Using GCC?

Embed Resources Seamlessly in Executables with GCC

To effortlessly embed external binary data within C/C applications compiled by GCC, consider the following methods:

Utilizing ld's Object Creation Feature:

ld, the linker, offers the capability to convert any file into an object. To embed a file, run the command:

ld -r -b binary -o binary.o foo.bar  # then link in binary.o

This creates an object file ("binary.o") with symbols such as:

• _binary_foo_bar_start
• _binary_foo_bar_end
• _binary_foo_bar_size

For instance, to access the contents of a simple text file embedded using this method:

#include <stdio.h>

extern char _binary_foo_bar_start[];
extern char _binary_foo_bar_end[];

int main(void)
{
    // Print the contents of the embedded resource
    for (char* p = _binary_foo_bar_start; p != _binary_foo_bar_end; ++p) {
        putchar( *p);
    }

    return 0;
}

Employing a Bin2c/Bin2h Utility:

These utilities convert files into an array of bytes. Integrate the resulting array into your code.

Example with ld Object Creation:

Here's how to incorporate a resource into an object file:

ld -r -b binary -o foo.bar.o foo.bar

The resulting object file contains these symbols:

• _binary_foo_bar_start
• _binary_foo_bar_end
• _binary_foo_bar_size

To access the embedded resource within your code:

unsigned int iSize = (unsigned int)(&_binary_foo_bar_end - &_binary_foo_bar_start);

This provides an alternative method to determine the resource size.

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