How Can I Embed Resources into My GCC Executable?

Embedding Resources in Executables with GCC

When developing C/C applications with GCC, it can be convenient to embed external binary data directly into the executable. This simplifies distribution by eliminating the need for separate resource files.

GCC's Embedding Capabilities

GCC offers two main approaches for resource embedding:

1. Using ld:

   • Utilize ld's -r option to convert external files into object files.
   • Link these object files with your program to access the binary data.

2. Using bin2c/bin2h Utilities:

   • Convert external files into C arrays representing binary data.
   • Include these arrays in your code and access them as needed.

Example with ld

Here's a more detailed example using ld:

#include <stdio.h>

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

int main(void)
{
    printf("Address of start: %p\n", &_binary_foo_bar_start);
    printf("Address of end: %p\n", &_binary_foo_bar_end);

    for (char* p = _binary_foo_bar_start; p != _binary_foo_bar_end; ++p) {
        putchar(*p);
    }

    return 0;
}

In this example, a file named foo.bar is converted into an object file (foo.bar.o) using:

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

The linker then includes foo.bar.o when building the executable, allowing access to the binary data through the symbols _binary_foo_bar_start and _binary_foo_bar_end.

Size Determination

To determine the size of the embedded resource, use:

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

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