Editing GNU Libtool

{{Short description|Shared library creation tool from GNU}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2010}}

{{infobox software
| name = GNU Libtool
| logo = [[File:Libtool.jpg|frameless]]
| developer = [[GNU Project]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://directory.fsf.org/wiki/GNU|title=GNU|accessdate=25 June 2012}}</ref>
| released = {{Start date and age|1997|07|09}}
| operating_system = [[Cross-platform]]
| genre = [[Library (computing)|Library]]
| license = [[GNU General Public License|GPLv2]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/}}
}}

'''GNU Libtool''' is a [[software development tool]], part of the [[GNU build system]], consisting of a [[shell script]]<ref name="libtool is a shell script">{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The GNU Libtool manual |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/manual/libtool.html#Postmortem |date=2015-02-15 |publisher=The GNU project |chapter=A postmortem analysis of other implementations |chapter-url=https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/manual/html_node/Postmortem.html |accessdate=2021-02-02}}</ref> created to address the [[Software_portability#Effort_to_port_source_code|software portability problem]] when [[Compiler|compiling]] [[Shared_library#Shared_libraries|shared libraries]] from [[source code]].
It [[Abstraction_(computer_science)|hides]] the differences between [[Computing platform|computing platforms]] for the commands which compile shared libraries.<ref name="libtool: portability via abstraction">{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The GNU Libtool manual |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/manual/libtool.html#Introduction |date=2015-02-15 |publisher=The GNU project |chapter=Introduction |chapter-url=https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/manual/html_node/Introduction.html |accessdate=2021-02-02}}</ref>
It provides a [[command-line interface]] that is identical across platforms and it executes the platform's [[Native_(computing)#Applications|native commands]].

== Rationale ==

Different [[operating system]]s handle [[shared library|shared libraries]] differently.
Some platforms do not use shared libraries at all.
It can be difficult to make a software program portable: the C compiler differs from system to system; certain library functions are missing on some systems; header files may have different names.

Libtool helps manage the creation of [[static library|static]] and [[dynamic library|dynamic]] [[library (computing)|libraries]] on various [[Unix-like]] operating systems.
Libtool accomplishes this by abstracting the library-creation process, hiding differences between various systems (e.g. [[Linux]] systems vs. [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]]).

GNU Libtool is designed to simplify the process of compiling a computer program on a new system, by "encapsulating both the platform-specific dependencies, and the user interface, in a single script".
<ref name="Libtool manual">[https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/manual/libtool.html Libtool Manual]</ref>
When porting a program to a new system, Libtool is designed so the porter need not read low-level documentation for the shared libraries to be built, rather just run a ''configure'' script (or equivalent).
<ref name="Libtool manual" />

== Use ==

Libtool is used by [[Autoconf]] and [[Automake]], two other portability tools in the GNU build system.
It can also be used directly.
<ref name="automake uses libtool">{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The GNU Libtool manual |url=https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/manual/libtool.html#Makefile-rules |date=2015-02-15 |publisher=The GNU project |chapter=Writing Makefile rules for libtool |chapter-url=https://www.gnu.org/software/libtool/manual/html_node/Makefile-rules.html |accessdate=2021-02-02}}</ref>

== Clones and derivatives ==

Since GNU Libtool was released, other [[free software]] projects have created drop-in replacements under different [[software license]]s.<ref name="BSD-licensed libtool">[http://BXR.SU/OpenBSD/usr.bin/libtool/ BSD-licensed libtool].</ref> [https://git.foss21.org/slibtool slibtool] is one such implementation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Slibtool - Gentoo wiki |url=https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Slibtool |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=wiki.gentoo.org}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}

* {{Annotated link|GNU Compiler Collection}}
* {{Annotated link|pkg-config}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{official website}}
* [http://sources.redhat.com/autobook/ Autobook homepage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101220095404/http://sources.redhat.com/autobook/ |date=2010-12-20 }}
* [http://www.lrde.epita.fr/~adl/autotools.html Autotools Tutorial]
* [http://metastatic.org/text/libtool.html Avoiding libtool minefields when cross-compiling] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328140823/http://metastatic.org/text/libtool.html |date=2009-03-28 }}
* [https://autotools.info/ Autotools Mythbuster]

{{GNU}}
{{Portal bar|Computer programming|Technology|Science}}
[[Category:Compiling tools]]
[[Category:GNU Project software|Libtool]]
[[Category:Free computer libraries]]
[[Category:Cross-platform software]]