.\"	$NetBSD: elf_hash.3,v 1.3 2016/02/20 02:43:42 christos Exp $
.\"
.\" Copyright (c) 2006,2008 Joseph Koshy.  All rights reserved.
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.\" This software is provided by Joseph Koshy ``as is'' and
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.\" Id: elf_hash.3 189 2008-07-20 10:38:08Z jkoshy 
.\"
.Dd August 15, 2006
.Os
.Dt ELF_HASH 3
.Sh NAME
.Nm elf_hash
.Nd compute a hash value for a string
.Sh LIBRARY
.Lb libelf
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.In libelf.h
.Ft "unsigned long"
.Fn elf_hash "const char *name"
.Sh DESCRIPTION
Function
.Fn elf_hash
computes a portable hash value for the null terminated string
pointed to by argument
.Ar name .
.Pp
The hash value returned is will be identical across
machines of different architectures.
This allows hash tables to be built on one machine and
correctly used on another of a different architecture.
The hash value returned is also guaranteed
.Em not
to be the bit pattern of all ones (~0UL).
.Sh IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
The library internally uses unsigned 32 bit arithmetic to compute
the hash value.
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Xr elf 3 ,
.Xr gelf 3