SIZE(1)

📦
version 2.40.50~ti1ubuntu1 · 2 versions
, in ubuntu noble

💖 SIZE(1) — GNU Development Tools 💖

okay bestie, sit down, we're learning size(1) today and honestly? it's giving main character energy for something so tiny. this is the GNU Development Tools manual page, section 1, and by the end you're gonna be reading binary section sizes like it's a group chat. no cap. ✨

✨ NAME ✨

size — list section sizes and total size of binary files 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

size [-A|-B|-G|--format=compatibility]
     [--help]
     [-d|-o|-x|--radix=number]
     [--common]
     [-t|--totals]
     [--target=bfdname] [-V|--version]
     [-f]
     [objfile...]

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

so the GNU size utility lists the section sizes and the total size for each of the binary files objfile on its argument list. by default, one line of output is generated for each file — or for each module, if the file is an archive. periodt. 💅

objfile... are the files to be examined. and if you specify none at all? it's gonna default to the file a.out instead. iconic behavior tbh.

💜 OPTIONS 💜

the command-line options have the following meanings, bestie:

  • -A, -B, -G, --format=compatibility — using one of these options, you can choose whether the output from GNU size resembles output from System V size (using -A, or --format=sysv), or Berkeley size (using -B, or --format=berkeley). the default is the one-line format similar to Berkeley's. alternatively, you can choose the GNU format output (using -G, or --format=gnu) — this is similar to Berkeley's output format, but sizes are counted differently. 🔥

here is an example of the Berkeley (default) format of output from size:

        $ size --format=Berkeley ranlib size
           text    data     bss     dec     hex filename
         294880   81920   11592  388392   5ed28 ranlib
         294880   81920   11888  388688   5ee50 size

the Berkeley style output counts read only data in the text column, not in the data column, and the dec and hex columns both display the sum of the text, data, and bss columns in decimal and hexadecimal respectively. 📊

the GNU format counts read only data in the data column, not the text column, and only displays the sum of the text, data, and bss columns once, in the total column. the --radix option can be used to change the number base for all columns. here is the same data displayed with GNU conventions:

        $ size --format=GNU ranlib size
              text       data        bss      total filename
            279880      96920      11592     388392 ranlib
            279880      96920      11888     388688 size

this is the same data, but displayed closer to System V conventions:

        $ size --format=SysV ranlib size
        ranlib  :
        section         size         addr
        .text         294880         8192
        .data          81920       303104
        .bss           11592       385024
        Total         388392

        size  :
        section         size         addr
        .text         294880         8192
        .data          81920       303104
        .bss           11888       385024
        Total         388688
  • --help, -h, -H, -? — show a summary of acceptable arguments and options. ask and you shall receive, queen. 👑
  • -d, -o, -x, --radix=number — using one of these options, you can control whether the size of each section is given in decimal (-d, or --radix=10); octal (-o, or --radix=8); or hexadecimal (-x, or --radix=16). in --radix=number, only the three values (8, 10, 16) are supported. the total size is always given in two radices; decimal and hexadecimal for -d or -x output, or octal and hexadecimal if you're using -o. 🔢
  • --common — print total size of common symbols in each file. when using Berkeley or GNU format these are included in the bss size. 🍓
  • -t, --totals — show totals of all objects listed (Berkeley or GNU format mode only). ⭐
  • --target=bfdname — specify that the object-code format for objfile is bfdname. this option may not be necessary; size can automatically recognize many formats. it's lowkey flexible like that. 🌈
  • -v, -V, --version — display the version number of size. 🎀
  • -f — ignored. this option is used by other versions of the size program, but it is not supported by the GNU Binutils version. so like... it's there. it does nothing. we don't talk about it. 💀
  • @file — read command-line options from file. the options read are inserted in place of the original @file option. if file does not exist, or cannot be read, then the option will be treated literally, and not removed.

options in file are separated by whitespace. a whitespace character may be included in an option by surrounding the entire option in either single or double quotes. any character (including a backslash) may be included by prefixing the character to be included with a backslash. the file may itself contain additional @file options; any such options will be processed recursively. 🧚 it's giving inception, fr fr.

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

ar(1), objdump(1), readelf(1), and the Info entries for binutils.

Copyright (c) 1991-2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

and that's the whole page, bestie!! you just read an entire manual page and understood it, which is honestly such a flex. go forth and size things. 🫶

binutils-2.40.50 ✨ 2023-07-04 ✨ SIZE(1) — mwah, love u, bye 💖

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