Re: [xml] Problem with MSYS and MINGW: undefined reference to _imp__xmlFree

[Roumen Petrov <bugtrack roumenpetrov info>]

Friedrich Beckmann wrote:
> Hi Tobias,
>
> that is of course an alternative to produce a working import library,
> but my problem was that I did not know that the import library of
> mingw and msvc are not compatible. 

The xmlFree issue is related to export/import of variable.
It seems to me that binutils (2.17.50) don't link variables from MSVC 
import library but can link functions.

Since this is common problem between compilers (even same compiler but 
different version) I never spend time to use import libraries produces 
by other complier. Usually compiler suite has a tool that create import 
library from dll- or def-file. Some tools can convert between different 
import libraries (COFF<->OMF? formats).

Also binutils(mingw) can link with dll/def-files directly : 
http://sourceware.org/binutils/docs/ld/WIN32.html .
Another tools that can create def file from a dll is pexports(never tested).


> So I just installed the package
> and you can see in the problem description the long way that I went.
> It is just a proposal to include the mingw compatible import library
> in the package for others to avoid that.

Only def-file is expected to work with different compilers.


> Regards
>
> Friedrich
> [SNIP]

Roumen