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JULY 29, 2026
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bfd/elf

arm: Fix stray backslash in warning message

Corrects a misplaced backslash in an ARM ELF linker warning message.

This commit corrects a stray backslash in a warning message within the ARM ELF linker code. The issue, introduced in 2004, could lead to malformed error messages when handling BLX instructions targeting thumb functions.

In Details

The fix addresses a formatting issue in the _bfd_error_handler call within bfd/elf32-arm.c. A stray backslash was present before a format specifier (%pB), causing incorrect rendering of warning messages related to ARM BLX instructions. This corrects an error that has persisted for many years.

For Context
BFD
The Binary File Descriptor library, a core component of GNU Binutils that provides an abstraction for handling various object file formats.
ELF
Executable and Linkable Format, a common standard file format for object files, executables, and shared libraries on many Unix-like systems.
BLX instruction
An ARM instruction that performs a branch and exchange instruction set, allowing a switch between ARM and Thumb states.
Filed Under: armlinkerwarningbugfix