The PROLIB utility allows you to create and maintain standard libraries and generate memory-mapped libraries. This is the syntax to start the PROLIB utility:

Operating system Syntax
UNIX Windows 
prolib library-name parameter [ file-name ...] 
   [ parameter [ file-name ...]...]
library-name

Specifies the name of a procedure library. The library name must have a .pl extension.

parameter

Specifies what action to take on the library. The following table lists the parameters and their descriptions.

Parameters Description
-create Creates a new standard library. See Create a standard library.
-codepage Specifies the name of the code page for the library. Used with the -create command. See Create a standard library.
-makeshared Generates a memory-mapped library from a standard library. See Generate a memory-mapped library.
-add Adds files to a standard library. See Add files to a standard library.
-replace Replaces files in a standard library. See Replace files in a standard library.
-delete Deletes files from a standard library. See Delete files from a standard library.
-list Lists library information such as library name, format, code page, and file contents. See List the contents of a library.
-extract Extracts files from a standard library. This parameter creates a copy of a file from the library outside of the library. See Extract files from a standard library.
-yank Extracts files from a standard library and places them in the current working directory. See Extract files to your current directory.
-compress Compresses a standard library by making a copy of it. See Compress a standard library.
-nowarn Suppresses any warning message that might occur during the operation of the primary parameters. If you add a file to a standard library with the -add and -nowarn parameters, and the file already exists in the library, PROLIB replaces the file.
-pf Allows you to supply command-line arguments in a parameter file. You cannot use -pf in a parameter file.
-verbose Directs PROLIB to display processing information that is ordinarily suppressed.
-date Specifies the format of the date as it appears when you use the -list parameter.

When specifying a parameter, you do not have to type the complete parameter name. You can type the minimally unique string for each parameter (for example, -l for -list and -e for -extract).

The -nowarn and -verbose parameters modify the behavior of the -create, -makeshared, -add, -replace, -delete, -list, -extract, and -yank parameters.

You can place the -nowarn, -pf, and -verbose parameters anywhere on the command line. They affect the processing of all other specified parameters.

You must place the -create parameter before all other parameters. PROLIB processes parameters in left-to-right order as they appear on the command line. If an error occurs during the PROLIB command, PROLIB terminates. This behavior occurs so that options specified later in the command line, which might depend on the failed option, do not execute.

You cannot use the -add, -replace, -delete, -extract, -yank, or -compress parameters with a memory-mapped library (that is, when you specify a memory-mapped library in library-name).

file-name

Specifies the name of an r-code file, or a memory-mapped library file when using the -makeshared parameter.

Use wild cards

The -add, -replace, -extract, -list, -delete, and -yank parameters accept wild card arguments. Wild card arguments can contain only the ? or * wild card characters. Depending on the parameter you want to use, you must specify these arguments in one of two ways:

  • Using your operating system's regular wild card conventions
  • Escaping the wild cards

The -add and -replace parameters act on operating system files. PROLIB uses system calls to copy the files. Thus, when you use these parameters, use your operating system's standard conventions to specify wild cards.

The -extract, -list, -delete, and -yank parameters act on members that are already in a library. PROLIB does not use system calls to act on the files, but instead uses its own internal code. On UNIX, you must escape your wild card arguments by either enclosing them in quotes (for example, prolib app.pl -delete "sys*.r") or escaping the wild card characters individually (for example, prolib app.pl -delete sys\*.r). Your operating system might use different techniques to escape wild cards. In Windows, you do not need to escape wild card arguments because the operating system does not expand them before passing them to PROLIB.

Examples

For some examples of how to use the PROLIB command, see PROLIB command examples.