Setting up a Windows Build Environment

Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Current Known issues:
- Plugins don't work.
- Socket code doesn't work so files can't be opened in a currently running copy of bluefish.

Setting up your Build Environment

The first step is of course to download all the packages required. You can extract them pretty much anywhere but for the purposes of this guide I used C:\MinGW. Keep in mind that C:\MingGW will be the root directory (/) and that in MSYS /usr is the same as /, therefore /usr/local when viewed from the windows side will be C:\MinGW\local.

/ (C:\MinGW): msysCORE-1.0.11-rc-1-bin.tar.gz; gcc-core-3.4.5-20060117-3.tar.gz; gcc-g++-3.4.5-20060117-3.tar.gz; gcc-g77-3.4.5-20060117-3.tar.gz; binutils-2.19.1-mingw32-bin.tar.gz; gdb-6.8-mingw-3.tar.bz2; api-3.13-mingw32-dev.tar.gz; mingwrt-3.15.2-mingw32-dll.tar.gz; mingwrt-3.15.2-mingw32-dev.tar.gz; mingw-utils-0.3.tar.gz; cvs-1.11.22-MSYS-1.0.11-1-bin.tar.gz; crypt-1.1-1-MSYS-1.0.11-1.tar.bz2; flex-2.5.33-MSYS-1.0.11-1.tar.bz2; gawk-3.1.5-MSYS-1.0.11-1.tar.bz2; gdbm-1.8.3-MSYS-1.0.11-1.tar.bz2; guile-1.8.4-MSYS-1.0.11-1-dev.tar.gz; guile-1.8.4-MSYS-1.0.11-1-bin.tar.gz; guile-1.8.4-MSYS-1.0.11-1-dll17.tar.gz; lndir-6.8.1.0-MSYS-1.0.11-1.tar.bz2; minires-1.01-1-MSYS-1.0.11-1.tar.bz2; zlib-1.2.3-MSYS-1.0.11-1.tar.bz2; vim-7.1-MSYS-1.0.11-1-bin.tar.gz; perl-5.6.1-MSYS-1.0.11-1.tar.bz2; openssl-0.9.8g-1-MSYS-1.0.11-2-dev.tar.gz; openssl-0.9.8g-1-MSYS-1.0.11-2-bin.tar.gz; openssl-0.9.8g-1-MSYS-1.0.11-2-dll098.tar.gz; bison-2.4.1-1-msys-1.0.11-bin.tar.lzma; libltdl-2.2.7a-1-msys-1.0.11-dll-7.tar.lzma; m4-1.4.13-1-msys-1.0.11-bin.tar.lzma; man-1.6f-1-msys-1.0.11-bin.tar.lzma; svn-win32-1.5.3.zip

/usr/local (C:\MinGW\local): atk-dev_1.26.0-1_win32.zip; atk_1.26.0-1_win32.zip; cairo_1.8.8-1_win32.zip; cairo-dev_1.8.8-1_win32.zip; expat_2.0.1-1_win32.zip; expat-dev_2.0.1-1_win32.zip; GConf_2.22.0-2_win32.zip; GConf-dev_2.22.0-2_win32.zip; glib_2.20.4-1_win32.zip; glib-dev_2.20.4-1_win32.zip; gtk+_2.16.5-1_win32.zip; gtk+-dev_2.16.5-1_win32.zip; libjpeg-6b-4.zip; libpng_1.2.38-1_win32.zip; libpng-dev_1.2.38-1_win32.zip; libtiff-3.8.2.zip; libtiff-dev-3.8.2.zip; libxml2_2.7.3-1_win32.zip; libxml2-dev_2.7.3-1_win32.zip; pango_1.24.5-1_win32.zip; pango-dev_1.24.5-1_win32.zip; zlib-1.2.3.zip; zlib-dev-1.2.3.zip

/usr/local (C:\MinGW\local): autoconf-2.64-bin-MinGW-20090825.tbz2; automake-1.11-bin-MinGW-20090825.tbz2; gettext-0.17-bin-MinGW-20090825.tbz2; intltool-0.40.6-bin-MinGW-20090826.tbz2; libiconv-1.13.1-bin-MinGW-20090824.tbz2; libtool-2.2.6-bin-MinGW-20090825.tbz2; mingw-libgnurx-2.5.1-bin-20090825.tbz2; pcre-7.9-bin-MinGW-20090824.tbz2; pkg-config-0.23-bin-MinGW-20090824.tbz2; aspell-0.60.6-bin-MinGW-20090828.tbz2; aspell6-en-6.0-0-bin-MinGW-20090828.tbz2; enchant-1.5.0-bin-MinGW-20090828.tbz2

Note: This last set of binaries were built by me include the full path so if you extract them from windows
make sure to move the contents to the proper locations. If you extract them under msys give tar '-C /'.

You also need to replace /bin/gzip.exe with this copy gzip.exe as there is something wrong with the included version. And finally place gio-unix-2.0.pc in /usr/local/lib/pkgconfig.

The last thing you need is Perl. The MSYS version is 5.6.1 which is not new enough to pass the configure script for a lot of programs including Bluefish. I use the MSYS 5.6.1 version for autoconf/automake/autogen.sh and an external version such as ActiveState's in /perl for anything that needs a newer version.

I only set a few environment variables as follows:

PATH="/bin:/usr/local/bin:/perl/bin"
C_INCLUDE_PATH="/include:/usr/local/include"
LIBRARY_PATH="/lib:/usr/local/lib"
PKG_CONFIG_PATH="/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig"

To strip the prefixes from the Makefiles before you build Bluefish you can download or create this simple script I made, strip_prefix.sh. Place it in /usr/local/bin or somewhere in the path.

strip_prefix.sh:

#!/bin/sh

for i in $(find ./ -name Makefile); do
    echo Checking: $i
    cat $i | sed s/'${prefix}\/'// | sed s/'${exec_prefix}\/'// > ${i}.tst
    rm $i
    mv ${i}.tst $i
done

Building Bluefish

Check out the latest windows branch:

svn checkout https://bluefish.svn.sourceforge.net/svnroot/bluefish/branches/bluefish_windows

Run autogen.sh with perl 5.6.1 and finally switch /bin/perl to your 5.8.1 or newer version or perl and run configure:

./configure LDFLAGS=-lgnurx CFLAGS=-mwindows
./strip_prefix.sh
...edit src/Makefile and set 'SUBDIRS = pixmaps'...
make

Plugins currently aren't built which is why you need to open 'src/Makefile' and set 'SUBDIRS = pixmaps'. When plugins build this will no longer be necessary. Drop the CFLAGS option to configure for a console window for debug output and of course run configure with '--enable-debugging-output' for a full debug build.

Setting up a Windows Build Environment

Setting up your Build Environment

Building Bluefish

Navigation menu

Search