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(bfd.info)Hash Tables

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Hash Tables
===========

   BFD provides a simple set of hash table functions.  Routines are
provided to initialize a hash table, to free a hash table, to look up a
string in a hash table and optionally create an entry for it, and to
traverse a hash table.  There is currently no routine to delete an
string from a hash table.

   The basic hash table does not permit any data to be stored with a
string.  However, a hash table is designed to present a base class from
which other types of hash tables may be derived.  These derived types
may store additional information with the string.  Hash tables were
implemented in this way, rather than simply providing a data pointer in
a hash table entry, because they were designed for use by the linker
back ends.  The linker may create thousands of hash table entries, and
the overhead of allocating private data and storing and following
pointers becomes noticeable.

   The basic hash table code is in `hash.c'.

Creating and Freeing a Hash Table

Looking Up or Entering a String

Traversing a Hash Table

Deriving a New Hash Table Type