Instructions for building libsigc++ on Visual Studio

Building libsigc++ on Windows is now supported using Visual Studio

versions 2017 or later in both 32-bit and 64-bit (x64 and ARM64) flavors,

via NMake Makefiles. Due to `C++17` usage, Visual Studio 2015 or

earlier is not supported, and any use of the headers installed with

this package will require the use of the `/std:c++17` compiler flag.

libsigc++ itself has no external dependencies, but building the

benchmark test program will require an installation of the Boost

C++ libraries.

Building with NMake

The following describes what items are built with the following

targets:

* `all`, `examples`: (or no target specified): The libsigc++ DLL and the example programs.

* `tests`: The libsigc++ DLL and the test programs.

* `benchmark`: The libsigc++ DLL and the benchmark program, the Boost C++ headers should be found in one of the paths that are in`%INCLUDE%`.

Building directly from a GIT checkout is now supported, provided that a `PERL`

installation is present (pass the `PERL` interpreter executable in your NMake

command line by using `nmake /f Makefile.vc ... PERL=<path_to_PERL_interpreter_executable>` by using

the `prep-git-build` target.

The following are instructions for performing such a build. A `clean` target is

provided-it is recommended that one cleans the build and redo the build if any

configuration option changed. An `install` target is also provided to copy the built

items in their appropriate

locations under `$(PREFIX)`, which is described below.

Invoke the build by issuing the command:

where:

* `CFG`: Required. Choose from a `release` or `debug` build. Note that

all builds generate a `.pdb` file for each `.dll` and `.exe` built.

* `PREFIX`: Optional. Base directory of where the third-party headers, libraries

and needed tools can be found, i.e. headers in `$(PREFIX)\include`,

libraries in `$(PREFIX)\lib` and tools and DLLs in `$(PREFIX)\bin`. If not

specified, `$(PREFIX)` is set as `$(srcroot)\..\vs$(X)\$(platform)`, where

`$(platform)` is `win32` for 32-bit builds or `x64` for 64-bit (Intel/AMD)

builds or `arm64` for 64-bit (ARM) builds, and `$(X)` is the short version of the

Visual Studio used, as follows:

* 2017: `15`

* 2019: `16`

* 2022: `17`

* `USE_COMPAT_LIBS`: Build the libsigc++ DLL and .lib with the filename

`sigc-vc150(d)-3_0` for all builds. This is for compatibility reasons,

if re-building dependent code is not convenient, for instance

* Options, set by `<option>=1`:

* `BOOST_DLL`: When building the benchmark, link to a DLL build of the Boost

libraries. Required if your installation of the Boost libraries are built as DLLs.

Note that debug builds must link to debug builds of Boost and release builds must

link to release builds of Boost.

* `STATIC`: Optional. Set if building libsigc++ as a static library. Note that

for building items that use this static build, `/DLIBSIGCXX_STATIC`

must be passed into the compiler flags.

MSVC-Builds.md \

See MSVC_NMake/MSVC-Builds.md.