ARM VERSION 1.2 - Manual (Page 346)

Directives Reference
7-64 Copyright © 2000, 2001 ARM Limited. All rights reserved. ARM DUI 0068B
7.7.15 KEEP
The KEEP directive instructs the assembler to retain local symbols in the symbol table in
the object file.
Syntax
KEEP {symbol}
where:
symbol is the name of the local symbol to keep. If symbol is not specified, all local
symbols are kept except register-relative symbols.
Usage
By default, the only symbols that the assembler describes in its output object file are:
• exported symbols
• symbols that are relocated against.
Use KEEP to preserve local symbols that can be used to help debugging. Kept symbols
appear in the ARM debuggers and in linker map files.
KEEP cannot preserve register-relative symbols (see MAP on page 7-15).
Example
label ADC r2,r3,r4
KEEP label ; makes label available to debuggers
ADD r2,r2,r5