Re: [gtkmm] gtkmm-2.4 on MSVC

["Murray Cumming" <murrayc murrayc com>]

[lots of snips]

Please try to be more concise and precise.

> However a lot of us out here are simply ansi c++ programmers, with few
> skills in m4/python and complex building processes. I have read the docs
> in
> glibmm/docs/internal but I fear they only added to my utter confusion. It
> should come as a surprise to nobody that wrapping a huge C library is a
> job
> calling out for the use of script based wrapping, but unfortunately it
> does
> sever a lot of us from the possibility to assist in development. Here's a
> record of the trail of thoughts of a novice, they should explain why at
> least I can't be of any help:

I don't see how it's so difficult. The .hg files do not look that much
different than regular .h files. For instance:
http://cvs.gnome.org/viewcvs/glibmm/glib/src/date.hg?view=markup

As I understand it, you just want to put the macro after the "class"
keyword. So go ahead.

> Would anybody accept a patch touching practically all files without proper
> testing in linux too?

Yes. Leave it to the maintainer (me) to check that it builds and runs on
Linux. But I expect no problem because the macro will be empty on Linux.

> I tentatively tried to add a WINDLL_GTKMM macro in a
> few class declarations and running the configure script under MSys, but
> for
> some reasong that addition didn't make it into the created .h file.

In general, feel free to show us what you have done so far, in the form of
a patch:

Then I can give advice.

> 3) Running autoconf and automake under MSys is not yet possible, so I
> would
> have to install cygwin and do a little bit of path magic. I refused on
> grounds that I just installed MSys NOT to have a huge cygwin install.

We distribute the generated source, so people will not need to do this
when they receive a tarball. But you need to do this so that we reach that
point, so that you can submit a patch.

> Besides I read somewhere else that building with cygwin required adding
> some
> special flags to the compiler and a lot of other cygwin problems. Spend
> some
> time trying to find documentation of the state of affairs of autoconf and
> automake on MSys. They were apparently ready in a premature state. I
> backed
> out.

People can help you with specific problems, if you try.

> 4) Had I decided to install cygwin, I would have been faced with the
> decision of either adding the preprocessor macro WINDLL_GTKMM that Frank
> Naumann mentioned, or writing some sort of m4 wrapper macro to do that.
> What
> would the lead-developers have wanted, since their wish should be honored?
> Probably the m4 wrapper, which I was totally unable to write.

Do whatever is easier for you. Either solution is OK with me, and if I
change my mind then I will improve your patch.

> 5) What 'layer' of macro code should I intercept in order to add
> WINDLL_GTKMM to static functions?

See my comment about .hg files above.

> 6) There still seem to be an issue regarding data members of classes. Msvc
> keeps warning that such a data member can't be used outside. Should all
> data
> members be wrapped too?

I am not the expert in MSVC++ DLL exporting here, but I thought that
putting the macro on the class was enough. Try showing us specific
problems with a specific patch.

> Most of these points took several hours of reading, fumbling, installing,
> reinstalling, attempted compiling etc. to arrive at.

Yes, you do need to learn a little bit. Are you complaining about having
to do some work? Pay me and I'll do it for you.

> They were based on
> scattered documentation which often lacked a date-of-creation or were
> clearly obsolete.

Specifics please, or we can't fix them.

> My last attempt was abandoned silently, and I can imagine I'm not the only
> one who did that. Couldn't we please once and for all integrate MSVC into
> the gtkmm universe, now that Microsoft has finally provided a compiler
> that
> seems to be able to accomplish the job?

Again, are you demanding that someone else just does the work for you?

Murray Cumming
murrayc murrayc com
www.murrayc.com
www.openismus.com