When trying to compile a static library with RDMD, the output file is always 72 bytes long, which of course is not valid. Using DMD to compile the library works correctly.

To reproduce, I use this basic D file:

===============
module lib;
import std.stdio;

void libraryFunction()
{
	writeln("You have executed the library function!");
}
===============

If I try to compile it with RDMD using this syntax:

===============
rdmd --build-only -lib lib.d
===============

I get a lib.a file that is 72 bytes long. However, if I use the standalone DMD like this:

===============
dmd -lib lib.d
===============

The resulting file is 43.5 kibibytes of size and valid. If I make RDMD chatty and enable both standard and informational warnings, it shows that a lib.d.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX file is created in the /tmp/.rdmd directory and is of 43.5 kibibytes size. I assume it is the correct file (the size matches exactly) that somehow doesn't get copied to the directory I am building the library in.

I am using RDMD build 20110706, DMD64 v2.054, openSUSE 11.4 x86_64.