Re: [Boost-users] [1.34] [showstopper] autolink doesn't work when not specifyingtoolset version

From: John Maddock (john_at_[hidden])
Date: 2007-05-06 04:19:08

David Abrahams wrote:
>>>> As a Boost user, my point of view that if the docs says I can use
>>>> plain "msvc" and use autolink,
>>>
>>> Where does it say that? If that's the case, that's doc bug.
>>
>> In /more/getting_started/windows.html in the Boost 1.34.0 beta
>> package. Specifically look at section 5.2.4 and section 6.
>
> Well, if it's not a Boost.Build / BoostAutolink bug, it's certainly
> surprising.  In one context, boost code automatically detects the msvc
> version and forces a request to a library whose name contains that
> version number, and in another context, boost code generates a
> complicated library name, ignoring the version number, that can
> **never** be linked to by any Boost code unless autolinking is
> disabled.  This should **just work**, and it's possible (probably
> easy) to implement.  Sorry, I just can't accept that it's the fault of
> the documentation.

I don't think there's anything that autolinking can do to fix this: it 
requires that libraries are named consistently, and there's no way around 
that.

So we either need to update the docs, or preferably fix Boost.Build to 
detect the MSVC version.  As Dave says it does this in other contexts 
already, so it should be possible.

BTW, this is a showstopper for 1.34 release I believe.

John.