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LINKER->Linker Scripts->Linker Script Language->Output Section Definition

An output section definition specifies the location and contents of an output section.

The format for a section definition is as follows:

<output section name>  <output section attributes> :
{
    <section definition content>    
} > <memory region name>

If the output section attributes define the run-time location of the output section then the allocation to memory region name is omitted.

Also it the output section is part of a group then the allocation to memory region name is normally omitted.

The output section attributes are optional and can include a run-time address expression, a storage address expression, an alignment specification and a type specification.  These are described later.

The section definition content consists of the input sections to be included in the output sections and assigment expressions.

A simple example of an output section definition is:

__mysegment :
{
__mysegment_start = .;
    *(.mysegment)
    __mysegment_end = .;
} > flash_memory

This tells the linker to put the output section named __mysegment into the memory region named flash_memory.

This output section contains only one input section and this is the relocatable section named .mysegment.

The identifier __mysegment_start is assigned the execution address of the beginning of the .mysegments input section.

The identifier __mysegment_end is assigned the execution address one byte past the end of the .mysegment input section.

The identifiers __mysegment_start and __mysegment_end can be used later in the script file and also within the program source code.