A Compilier Program for Windows

RPG · Post by **RPG** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:23 pm

Right now I use Dev-C++ to compile the CVS version of BZFlag. Recently, though, I've noticed that the .dev file in CVS doesn't contain the most recent files, giving me a bogus compile. It is also too much of a program than I really need. I'm just wondering, does anyone know of a good program for Windows XP that will just compile and link the CVS of BZFlag?

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 12:37 am

for a command line solution you would want mingw. it works like the command line builds on linux and OSX. It works but it can be tricky to set up. There should be instructions somehwere.

A majority of the windows developers use Microsoft Visual Stuidio, so we keep those projects very much up to date ( the stuff in the VC71 dir). Sadly it is not a free application, so it may not be viable for you.

Post by **DTRemenak** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 12:50 am

Basically on windows you have four options:

1. Pay Microsoft a ton of money for Visual C++ 2003. The VC71 projects are kept up to date by (at least) three developers.

2. Read README.MINGW32, and go get MingW, MSYS, and the MSYS DTK from http://www.mingw.org. This will give you a commandline development environment much like that you'd get on a unix-like system, complete with autotools and so on. If you follow the directions it's not that hard to set up, but there are quite a few steps and lots of opportunities to screw up^w^w troubleshoot.

3. Use Dev-C++. There's basically only one dev who tries to keep the .dev projects up to date, so they often aren't. You can add the new files as they come in (essentially keeping your local copy up to date until the dev gets around to it). If you'd like to help keep our copy up to date, do a cvs diff -u on the .dev files after you've updated them and submit it via the patch tracker. If you keep it up for a little while you'll likely get added to the project and you can maintain them with cvs write access.

4. Find a copy of Visual C++ 6 somewhere. Unfortunately, the VC6 projects aren't really kept up to date either, so you'd be stuck in the same place as with Dev-C++ but out a chunk of money

.

Lan · Post by **Lan** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:45 am

I'll take a look at the .dev files ASAP, probably tonight. I don't forget about them, I just get higher priorities during the week, so this may not always be a problem of them being out of date.

RPG · Post by **RPG** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:46 am

I hate giving other people my money, especially Microsoft. Since I already have Dev-C++, I think I'll learn how to update it, and then maybe share the job of updating those files with lan56. The first problem is I have NO clue how to find the new files and then add them! Guess I'll be reading the help alot tonight.

EDIT: Sorry, lan56, our posts got criscrossed.

Post by **DTRemenak** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 4:02 am

For finding new files, there are two strategies. One is to subscribe to the bzflag-commit mailing list (go to the sourceforge project page, then to mailing lists, etc), and watch for notifications of new files, or to just carefully watch for files which are marked U when you do a cvs update...
e.g.

P SomeFile.h
U SomeOtherFile.h
P SomeThirdFile.h
P SomeFourthFile.h
M SomeFifthFile.h

Then you know that SomeOtherFile.h is new, and needs to be added to the project.

The other strategy is to wait until it doesn't link, find out what symbol it complains about, and do a "Find in files" over the directory to find out what file you need to add.

Getting rid of removed files is easier, since it will complain about the file not existing when you try to compile.

RPG · Post by **RPG** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 9:52 pm

OK, but how do you add files to the project in Dev-C++?

btw, thanks to... uh...

1.52
Author: lan56
Comment:
who touch' mah files, man? I got dem updated, yo

1.53
Author: dtremenak
Comment:
un-b0rk dev-c++ project

for updating the files.

Lan · Post by **Lan** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 1:05 am

Let me inspect what was wrong with them (the b0rked version). I looked at the files when I updated (CVS said there were conflicts, so I had to), and to me it looked as if there was nothing significant, and since it jacked up the size of the files, and it worked a-ok as it was (at least for me), I reverted it, and updated the new files.

RPG: as for updating the files, often times you will get linker errors telling you what functions/variables it is missing, and often times the new files are named something similar, so you may not need to subscribe to anything.

Lan · Post by **Lan** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 1:28 am

Ahh, I took a look at the bork edit thing, and indeed it was a good commit. I believe I owe an apology to DTRemenak, at the time I made that revert I was:

1. tired
2. had a headache
3. upset that I waited for the commit to be commited, then only to realise I had to CVS update the .dev files, then redo the commit (on my junk 56k, this can get annoying to waste a single second)

therefore under normal circumstances I would not have made such a revert.

RPG · Post by **RPG** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 1:35 am

OK, thanks, I won't get into the 'adding files' job. I'll go CVS and see if it works. Thanks

JeffM · Post by **JeffM** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 1:40 am

Lan56 this thread is about how to compile on windows, not why you messed up the commits, that I think you should take up with DTRemenak in IRC.

RPG if you find they are not updated, you can allways come into IRC and ask and somone should be able to help you figure out what files got added or what to do.

Lan · Post by **Lan** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 3:46 am

Patlabor221: huh? I was responding to RPG's message of the two commits, not going OT reasonless and senseless. It didn't change the topic at all, of the two responses since my last message, neither have been in response to my last response about the commits, therefore no topic has been changed, and the two responses about the commits were in response to RPG talking about it, therefore I reasonably posted, without unreasonable after-effects. My two commit-related responses were also not in favor of asking for further discussion, judgeable by how they were written (no further questions asked in them, no-heldback information, etc.).

RPG · Post by **RPG** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 4:01 am

O...K... then, I'm staying with Dev-C++ because I don't feel like giving my life to microsoft and I don't want anything that will take me a year to learn.