Re: [boost] Default variants on windows

Subject: Re: [boost] Default variants on windows
From: Christian Holmquist (c.holmquist_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-04-08 17:56:17

2009/4/8 Edward Diener <eldiener_at_[hidden]>

> Vladimir Prus wrote:
>
>> Per:
>>
>>        https://svn.boost.org/trac/boost/ticket/2899
>>
>> we have a problem that the default set of libraries
>> build on Windows does not match autolink defaults, which
>> causes confusion. In that issue, John say that the only
>> sensible solution for Windows is to build all possible
>> variants by default (IIRC, a total of 6). I would like
>> other Windows developers to comment if that is sensible
>> solution. In particular, is it best to build all possible
>> variants that user might need, or build just the variants
>> that autolink needs by default, so that user can build other
>> later.
>>
>

>From getting started page, I read:
"The option “*--build-type=complete*” causes bjam to build all supported
variants of the libraries. For instructions on how to build only specific
variants, please ask on the Boost.Build mailing
list<http://www.boost.org/more/mailing_lists.htm#jamboost>
.

Now, searching the mail-list is quite time-consuming (in my experience), so
I think it would be better to give a bunch of examples up-front to the user,
so that he/she doesn't need to bother about learning the syntax of bjam or
hunt down how to specify the basic options.

<Suggestion>
"The option “*--build-type=complete*” causes bjam to build all supported
variants of -ALL- the libraries.
If you intend to use only one or a few libraries, you can improve
compilation time by specifying them on the command line:

> bjam --with-thread --with-filesystem link=static threading=multi stage

Note the additional options 'link=static' and 'threading=multi'. This
instructs the build process to create only static libraries with thread
support enabled, which is a reasonable default for most windows executables.
There is however one more option of importance; which version of the runtime
library you want the boost libraries to use.

bjam --with-thread --with-filesystem link=static threading=multi
runtime-link=shared stage

Here we added the option 'runtime-link=shared', which is the bjam equivalent
of the IDE's Runtime Library property (located in Code Generation/Runtime
library). If your IDE project has this property set to 'Multi-threaded DLL'
or Multi-threaded Debug DLL, the above command line should give you
compatible libraries.

Finally, you may want to build the boost libraries of your choice for 64bit
Windows:

bjam --with-thread --with-filesystem link=static threading=multi
runtime-link=shared address-model=64 stage

</Suggestions>

Maybe I got some of the details wrong, but I think something along these
lines would give users a better chance to get the build right. I've not used
boost libraries in dll's so I've no clue on how to specify that, but I guess
it should be added.
Also, I only have (limited) experience in boost build shipped with boost
1.35, so the command lines above are maybe no longer correct.

My 2...

/Christian