# Building Boost Libraries

Read This First! Boost.Build is not mature yet. Some features are missing or incomplete. Instructions for accomplishing basic tasks (this page) are rudimentary. But enough functionality is working well to make using Boost.Build worthwhile. The important bits-and-pieces are all there - what's left is some of the relatively minor glue to make the system smooth and easy to use. Don't expect building a full Boost object library for any random compiler to work yet. If there isn't a jam configuration file for your favorite compiler, consider contributing one. Secondary tasks like copying libraries to installation specific directories are also weak. Note that the underlying Jam build engine is mature software, and has been widely used for many years. The FTJam and Boost specific extensions are well on their way to becoming stable, and have begun to attract interest and use outside of Boost.

Introduction
Preliminaries
Building Boost Libraries
More on using the tools
Tools available

## Introduction

These instructions explain how to accomplish common tasks using Boost.Build, the Boost Build System.

For tasks not covered here, see the full build system documentation.

Note that many Boost libraries are implemented entirely within their headers, and so can be used without building object libraries. Libraries that do require building object libraries first include the Boost Python, Regular Expression, and Thread libraries.

## Preliminaries

- Download Boost, and unpack the full directory structure into some root directory.
- Download FTJam, and install the binary executable where it will be found when invoked from the command line.

> - For easy-to-build source files, see the FTJam site on SourceForge.
> - For Linux and Win32 pre-built executables, see the ftjam section of the FreeType file list.

- Set any environmental variables required to run your compiler and related tools from the command line. (It might be a good idea to verify your command line compiler is working if you don't use it regularly.) If you don't want to clutter your environment, see More on using the tools for alternatives.

## Building Boost Libraries

Using your operating system's command line interpreter, execute the following steps. The sample commands given will work for both UNIX and Windows.

- Change to the Boost root directory. (The directory you unpacked the distribution into. Among others, it contain the file c++boost.gif, subdirectories boost, libs, more, etc.)

> > `chdir my_boost`

- Build the Boost libraries for your tools. The example is for the GNU and Metrowerks compilers.

> > `jam -ftools/build/allyourbase.jam``-sTOOLS="``gcc metrowerks``"`

## More on using the tools

The build system's toolsets are designed to work in either of two ways:

1. The user sets up all of the environment for each toolset he wants to use, in the normal way. For example, for Microsoft VC++, ...vc98/bin is in the path, vcvars32.bat or equivalent has been invoked, etc. For Metrowerks CodeWarrior, cwenv.bat or equivalent has been called and ...Other Metrowerks Tools/Command Line Tools is in the path.
2. The user doesn't want his environment cluttered with this junk and wants to avoid the many other things done by the vendor's script files. Instead, he or she sets variables which point to the toolset installation directories (possibly in the Jamrules, or a user-setup.jam file invoked by the Jamrules). These variables are used by the build system to locate the tools and invoke the necessary setup. They are described in the comments in each toolset's .jam file.

## Tools available

TOOLS Name | Description
`borland` | Borland command line compiler tools
como | Comeau command line compiler tools
`gcc` | GNU GCC command line compiler tools
`gcc-stlport` | GNU GCC command line compiler tools, using the STLport library
intel-win32 | Intel command line compiler tools, in the Win32 environment using the Microsoft library
`kcc` | KAI command line compiler tools
`metrowerks` | Metrowerks CodeWarrior command line compiler tools
`msvc` | Microsoft Visual C++ command line compiler tools
vacpp | IBM Visual Age C++ command line compiler tools

Unless otherwise specified, the library is assumed to be the one shipped with the compiler.

Additional tools can be supplied by adding an appropriate xxxx-tools.jam file to the tools/build subdirectory, where xxxx is the name of the tool being added. If you write an additional toolset file, please submit it to Boost so others may benefit from your work.

Revised 02 November, 2001

© Copyright 2001 Beman Dawes