Re: [Boost-users] building boost libraries for cross-compiled project

Subject: Re: [Boost-users] building boost libraries for cross-compiled project
From: Grant Erickson (gerickson_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-07-13 00:52:35

On 7/12/09 10:31 AM, Steve Drake wrote:
> I am trying to use boost (specifically the regex part) in a cross-compiled
> environment. The target is a single board computer running Linux on ARM. My
> development computer is a Windows 2000 machine.
> 
> The cross compiler is a GNU C++ compiler that I got from the SBC vendor. It
> is located here:
> 
> 
> c:\TechnologicToolchain\devel-tools\crosstool-cygwin\bin\arm-unknown-linux-g
> nu-g++.exe
> 
> When I build my ARM application program, by PATH on the PC is set to this:
> 
>     c:\TechnologicToolchain\devel-tools\crosstool-win\bin; \
>     c:\TechnologicToolchain\devel-tools\crosstool-cygwin\bin; \
>     c:\TechnologicToolchain\devel-tools\cygwin
> 
> How do I build the boost libraries on my development PC so I can link them
> with my cross-compiled application code and run them on the ARM target? I am
> unfamiliar with bjam so I am having trouble figuring out how to configure it
> to use a specific compiler executable.
> 
> Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Steve:

I employ a "shim" makefile for this task. It looks something akin to the
following for the 1_35_0 vintage Boost:

    include pre.mak
    
    PackageName         := boost
    
    PackageExtension    := tar.gz
    PackageSeparator    := _
    
    PackagePatchArgs    := -p1
    
    PackageArchive      := $(PackageName).$(PackageExtension)
    PackageSourceDir    :=
$(PackageName)$(PackageSeparator)$(PackageVersion)/
    
    BoostToolset        = $(ToolProduct)
    
    # We don't want versioned headers and libraries, so specify the
    # 'system' layout. Also, we do not want all the various combinations
    # of shared/static, release/debug, stripped/unstripped and
    # non-threaded/threaded libraries, so just specify 'minimal'.
    
    BoostJamConfig        = "--layout=system --build-type=minimal"
    
    # The Boost libraries we want (e.g filesystem, threads, etc.). At this
    # point, just the filesystem library.
    
    BoostLibraries        = filesystem
    BoostLibrariesList    = $(subst $(SPACE),$(COMMA),$(strip
$(BoostLibraries)))
    
    BoostConfigure        = $(call GenerateBuildPaths,configure)
    BoostMakefile         = $(call GenerateBuildPaths,Makefile)
    BoostUserConfig       = $(call GenerateBuildPaths,user-config.jam)

    CleanDirectories      += $(PackageSourceDir)    \
                             $(BuildDirectory)      \
                             $(ResultDirectory)

    all: stage
    
    # Generate the package license contents.
    
    $(PackageSourceDir)/LICENSE_1_0.txt: source
    
    $(PackageLicenseFile): $(PackageSourceDir)/LICENSE_1_0.txt
        $(Verbose)cat $< > $@
    
    # Extract the source from the archive and apply patches, if any.
    
    $(PackageSourceDir): $(PackageArchive) $(PackagePatchPaths)
        $(expand-and-patch-package)
    
    # Prepare the sources.
    
    .PHONY: source
    source: | $(PackageSourceDir)
    
    # Patch the sources, if necessary.
    
    .PHONY: patch
    patch: source
    
    # Generate the package build makefile.
    
    $(BoostConfigure): | $(PackageSourceDir) $(BuildDirectory)
        $(Verbose)lndir -silent $(CURDIR)/$(PackageSourceDir)
$(BuildDirectory)
    
    # Generate the build-specific makefile and user configuration. We have
    # to post-process the generated user configuration since Boost's
    # build system--at present--appears to have no other way to override the
    # actual C++ compiler executable used (see
    # http://goodliffe.blogspot.com/2008/05/ cross-compiling-boost.html).
    
    $(BoostMakefile) $(BoostUserConfig): $(BoostConfigure)
        $(Verbose)cd $(BuildDirectory) && \
        configure \
        --prefix=$(ResultDirectory) \
        --with-toolset=$(BoostToolset) \
        --without-icu \
        --with-libraries=$(BoostLibrariesList)
        $(Verbose)$(SED) -e
"s,^\(using\)[[:space:]]\+\($(BoostToolset)\)[[:space:]]\+;,\1 \2 : : $(CXX)
;,g" \
        < $(BoostUserConfig) > $(BoostUserConfig).N
        $(Verbose)mv -f $(BoostUserConfig) $(BoostUserConfig).O
        $(Verbose)mv -f $(BoostUserConfig).N $(BoostUserConfig)
    
    # Configure the source for building.
    
    .PHONY: configure
    configure: source $(BoostUserConfig) $(BoostMakefile)
    
    # Build the source.
    
    .PHONY: build
    build: configure
        $(Verbose)$(MAKE) -C $(BuildDirectory) \
        BJAM_CONFIG=$(BoostJamConfig) \
        all
    
    # Stage the build to a temporary installation area.
    
    .PHONY: stage
    stage: build | $(ResultDirectory)
        $(Verbose)$(MAKE) -C $(BuildDirectory) \
        BJAM_CONFIG=$(BoostJamConfig) \
        install
    
    clean:
        $(Verbose)$(RM) $(RMFLAGS) -r $(PackageSourceDir)
        $(Verbose)$(RM) $(RMFLAGS) -r $(BuildDirectory)
        $(Verbose)$(RM) $(RMFLAGS) -r $(ResultDirectory)
    
    include post.mak

Clearly, there's a lot of filling-in-the-blanks to do and things have
changed slightly for 1_39_0; however, that should get you started.

Regards,

Grant