Rules for Module-Definition Statements

The following syntax rules apply to all statements in a .DEF file. Other rules that apply to specific statements are described with each statement.

• Statements and attribute keywords are not case sensitive. User-specified identifiers are case sensitive.
  
  
• Use one or more spaces, tabs, or newline characters to separate a statement keyword from its arguments and to separate statements from each other. A colon (:) or equal sign (=) that designates an argument is surrounded by zero or more spaces, tabs, or newline characters.
  
  
• A NAME or LIBRARY statement, if used, must precede all other statements.
  
  
• Most statements appear only once in the .DEF file and accept one specification of arguments. The arguments follow the statement keyword on the same or subsequent line(s). If the statement is repeated with different arguments later in the file, the latter statement overrides the former.
  
  
• The EXPORTS statement can appear more than once in the .DEF file. Each statement can take multiple specifications, which must be separated by one or more spaces, tabs, or newline characters. The statement keyword must appear once before the first specification and can be repeated before each additional specification.
  
  
• Comments in the .DEF file are designated by a semicolon (;) at the beginning of each comment line. A comment cannot share a line with a statement, but it can appear between specifications in a multiline statement. (EXPORTS is a multiline statement.)
  
  
• Numeric arguments are specified in decimal or in C-language notation.
  
  
• If a string argument matches a reserved word, it must be enclosed in double quotation (" ) marks.

Many statements have an equivalent LINK command-line option. See the Linker Options and Related Information for additional details.