bjam to build libraries with MSVC 8 (especially beta 2)

From: Paul A Bristow (pbristow_at_[hidden])
Date: 2005-05-24 12:26:02

For years I have used Boost by simply adding the location of the unpacked
release zip to the MSVC include path

And I intend to do this more smartly as Victor Wagner suggest:

"in addition, you can permanently put the boost library (and include) 
directories in ALL projects for Visual Studio by going to
Tools->Options..projects..VC++ Directories.
I've added:

$(boost_root)\include\boost-$(boost_version)
to the include directories and:
$(boost_root)\lib
to the library directories.

maintaining the two environment variables is quite easy and causes barely a 
ripple when boost is upgraded.
"

(though I am unclear, as yet, what BOOST_ROOT is, and how it differs from
boost_1_32_0).
(As an aside MS have for VC Express (incredibly) made it more complicated by
leaving out the tool, command, options, project directories, Include
direcorites feature that made this possible, so now you have to do a lot of
messing about to change them. Details on the MS forum or if anyone asks.

And I have hand built the Boost test library and used it OK, copying the
debug and release .lib files to the MSVC .lib directory.

Being a simple chap, I previously thought the bjam method looked a bit too
complicated, and I have recently been proved correct :-((

I'm sure Python is most valuable but my disk and my brain are full, and I
would prefer to avoid using them if possible.

The instructions on the Boost .\boost\tools\build site are far too Unix and
command line orientated for anyone who has degenerated to using the IDE
exclusively (or has never learn how).

The instructions for Visual C++ Users on the WIKI are MUCH better for
Windows folk, but are MSVC version specific (and in my view misguided in
copying vast number of Boost files to the platform SDK rather than simply
adding Boost to the include path to MSVC).

It would also be sensible I believe to advise users to run bjam output to a
log file

bjam install > bjam.log

except that if things go wrong (they did for me) you get :

"The system cannot find the path specified."

very many times, with no clues what path, on the screen, not the log file.

One thing that is wrong is the directory for the compiler, so I used

I:\boost_1_32_0>bjam.exe "-sVC71_ROOT=C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual
Studio 8
\VC" install > bjam.log

(and made environment TOOLS = MSVC = 
and tried -sTOOLS="C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\vc"

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VC98\bin\cl" is wrong

and also

CALL "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VC98\bin\VCVARS32.BAT" d
no longer exists - is C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio
8\VC\vcvarsall.bat ???

I am sure the changes needed are obvious to those familiar with the bjam
system,
but to serve the Microsoft VC++ users (potentially very many, like it or
not) it has to work 'out-of-the-box' much better than this - and be much
better documented how to use it.

Hopefully this can be improved for 1.33?

Thanks

Paul

Paul A Bristow
Prizet Farmhouse, Kendal, Cumbria UK LA8 8AB
[phone] [phone]
mailto: pbristow_at_[hidden]