ILINK32 [@<respfile>][<options>] <startup> <myobjs>, [<exe>], [<mapfile>], [<libraries>], [<deffile>], [<resfile>] 

To display command line help, enter:  

ilink32 

Linker command-line options are case-sensitive. 

The linker can also use a configuration file called ILINK32.CFG for options that you'd typically type at the command-line.

You can use response files with the command-line linker to specify linker options. 

Response files are ASCII files that list linker options and file names that you would normally type at the command line. Response files allow you longer command lines than most operating systems support, plus you don't have to continually type the same information. Response files can include the same information as configuration files, but they also support the inclusion of file names. 

Unlike the command line, a response file can be several lines long. To specify an added line, end a line with a plus character (+) and continue the command on the next line. Note that if a line ends with an option that uses the plus to turn it on (such as /v+), the + is not treated as a line continuation character (to continue the line, use /v+ +). 

If you separate command-line components (such as .OBJ files from .LIB files) by lines in a response file, you must leave out the comma used to separate them on the command line.  

For example:

/c c0ws+
myprog,myexe +
mymap +
mylib cws

leaves out the commas you'd have to type if you put the information on the command line:

ILINK32 /c c0ws myprog,myexe,mymap,mylib cws

To use response files:

1. Type the command-line options and file names into an ASCII text file and save the file. Response files typically have an .RSP extension.
2. Type: ILINK32 @[<path>]<RESFILE.RSP> where <RESFILE.RSP> is the name of your response file.

ilink32 /c @listobjs.rsp,myexe,mymap,@listlibs.rsp

The module definition file is an ASCII text file that provides information to ILINK32 about the contents and system requirements of a Windows application. You can create a module definition file using IMPDEF.EXE, and you can create import libraries from module definition files using IMPLIB.EXE. 

If no module definition file is specified, the following defaults are assumed:

CODE        PRELOAD MOVEABLE DISCARDABLE
DATA            PRELOAD MOVEABLE MULTIPLE    (for applications)
            PRELOAD MOVEABLE SINGLE    (for DLLs)
HEAPSIZE    4096
STACKSIZE   1048576

To change an application's attributes from these defaults, you need to create a module definition file. 

If you delete the EXETYPE statement, the linker can determine what kind of executable you want to produce from the options you supply on the command line. 

You can include an import library to substitute for the IMPORTS section of the module definition. 

You can use the __declspec(dllexport) or _export keywords in the definitions of export functions in your C and C++ source code to remove the need for an EXPORTS section. Note, however, that if __declspec(dllexport) or _export is used to export a function, that function is exported by name rather than by ordinal. Please also note that __declspec(dllexport) is the preferred method of export

The four linker-state files have file names of <Project>.IL?, where <Project> is taken from the name of the project .BPR file, and the character in place of the question mark (?) identifies each of the four individual linker-state files.

If you include debug information in your final linked executable, ILINK32 will always store the debug information in a separate .TDS file, named <Project Name>.TDS by default. The debugger should be able to read this debugger-information file. ILINK32 will always create this file. If you do not have the -v linker switch set, the TDS file is marked as invalid.

RLINK32.EXE 

IMPDEF.EXE 

Module Definition Files