www-content/pages/Compiling_the_native_Windows_EFL.txt

====Compiling the native Windows EFL ====
=== Preparing the build environment  ===

The steps below correspond to the preparation of the **EFL native windows** compilation environment.

<note important>
**[Note!]**

These steps were tested on Windows server 2019 64bit and Windows 10 64bit.
</note>

Except for topic 6 (Environment variables) that can be consulted during the process of preparing the environment, the ideal is that the steps are fulfilled in the proposed order.

    - Visual Studio installation
    - Meson
    - LLVM
    - Vcpkg
    - Environment variables
    - Compiling the EFL

----

=== 1 - Visual Studio installation ===

  * Download the software from the official website: [[https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/|Visual Studio]];

  * Choose the option you want. The most basic and free version is the [[https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/pt-br/thank-you-downloading-visual-studio/?sku=Community&rel=16 |Community]] version;

  * After installation add the build package for C and C++;

  * If there is no list of options for including the package, complete the installation and, in the Start Menu, search for Visual Studio Installer. You can add the package to C/C++, update or check if it was successfully installed.

----

=== 2 - Python ===

Meson depends on Python, so we need to install Python first.

Go to Python website and download the latest Python installation for Windows.

When installing it, select the option to add python to environment variables so it can be used in command-line.

=== 3 - Meson ===

3.1. Install [[https://pypi.org/project/meson/|Meson]] using the following command on the terminal (CMD or Developer Command Prompt from Visual Studio):

<code>
> pip install --user meson
</code>

> The version of meson used in this tutorial is the **0.53.2**. It is possible to directly install this version with:
> <code>> pip install meson==0.53.2</code>
> To check the installed version, use ''meson --version'' (or use ''pip freeze'' to check all installed packages and their versions).

> Check the python version installed on your Windows. In this tutorial we are using Python 3.8

 3.2. At the end of the previous step, open a new terminal, type the command below and press enter:

<code>
> meson --version
</code>

The result should look like this:
<code>
0.53.2
</code>

If the command is not recognized, finish the environment variables step and try again. For additional help, check [[https://mesonbuild.com|The meson Official documentation]].


----

=== 3 - LLVM ===

3.1. Download LLVM from [[https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases/|LLVM's official page]]. The version used in this tutorial is 9.0.1.

> Upon entering the corresponding section with the chosen version, a file with the following description (in this case with version 9.0.1) must be located: ''LLVM-9.0.1-win64.exe''. Download this file.

3.2. When installing, it is important to select at least one of the options below:

>[x] Add LLVM to the system PATH for all users.
>[x] Add LLVM to thr system PATH for current user.

In this tutorial, we install it in ''C:\Program Files\LLVM''.

----

=== 4. VCPKG ===

Vcpkg is not strictly necessary, since you could install each of the dependencies separately and make sure cmake finds it, but it is a more convenient way to do so and it is supported by EFL's current build system.

To manage dependencies with vcpkg:

4.1. Follow the **Vcpkg Installation Guide** in [[https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg|Vcpkg's Github Repository]].

4.2. Install the following dependencies:

 - OpenSSL;
 - Freetype;
 - Check;
 - Libpng;
 - Zlib.

 Or, in a single command line (considering vcpkg is in your PATH or that you're inside vcpkg's directory):

 <code>
 > vcpkg install openssl freetype check libpng zlib
 </code>

 This way vcpkg will download, setup and install all of those dependencies.

4.3. Set vcpkg toolchain file for meson

The cmake found by meson still has to find the dependencies, but vcpkg's installed libraries aren't found by default. For that, [vcpkg's docummentation](https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg#using-vcpkg-with-cmake) recommends using the cmake argument ''CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE'' to point to vcpkg's toolchain file. In current EFL build, to do that, you may set the variable ''VCPKG_TOOLCHAIN_FILE'' which is automatically sent to meson when calling ''configure.bat''.

Create an environment ''env.bat'' file in EFL's root (e.g. ''C:/Users/Someone/efl/env.bat'') before calling ''configure.bat'', containing for example (considering vcpkg is installed in ''C:/Users/Someone/vcpkg''):

<code>
path-to-efl> echo "set vcpkg_toolchain_file=C:/Users/Someone/vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake" > env.bat
</code>

This file is run everytime by ''configure.bat'' as a special way to set local custom environment variables.

----

=== 7 - Compiling EFL ===

    * Choose a directory to clone **EFL** repository;
    * Clone the [[https://github.com/expertisesolutions/efl.git|EFL Native Windows Repository]] repository.
    * Open Visual Studio's **Developer Command Prompt** in the EFL directory and run the following command:
        * <code>> configure.bat</code>
    * If an error occurs in this step, it is generally due to opening a regular Command Prompt (instead of VS's Developer Command Prompt). In that case, you may manually setup the developer prompt by entering the following command:  
        * <code> > "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\<VS version>\<VS edition>\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvars64.bat"</code>   
    * If it still does not work, try to:
  -         Delete the ''build'' directory;
  -         Delete every subdirectory inside ''subprojects'' (**NOTE: Do NOT delete the .wrap files!**)
    * After you finish, rerun **configure.bat**, execute **build.bat**:
         * <code>> build.bat</code>