4 / __| ___ / _` | '__/ _ \/ __|
5 | (_ |___| (_| | | | __/\__ \
6 \___| \__,_|_| \___||___/
9 How to build c-ares using MSVC or Visual Studio
10 =================================================
14 How to build using MSVC from the command line
15 ---------------------------------------------
17 Open a command prompt window and ensure that the environment is properly
18 set up in order to use MSVC or Visual Studio compiler tools.
20 Change to c-ares source folder where Makefile.msvc file is located and run:
22 > nmake -f Makefile.msvc
24 This will build all c-ares libraries as well as three sample programs.
26 Once the above command has finished a new folder named MSVCXX will exist
27 below the folder where makefile.msvc is found. The name of the folder
28 depends on the MSVC compiler version being used to build c-ares.
30 Below the MSVCXX folder there will exist four folders named 'cares',
31 'ahost', 'acountry', and 'adig'. The 'cares' folder is the one that
32 holds the c-ares libraries you have just generated, the other three
33 hold sample programs that use the libraries.
35 The above command builds four versions of the c-ares library, dynamic
36 and static versions and each one in release and debug flavours. Each
37 of these is found in folders named dll-release, dll-debug, lib-release,
38 and lib-debug, which hang from the 'cares' folder mentioned above. Each
39 sample program also has folders with the same names to reflect which
40 library version it is using.
43 How to install using MSVC from the command line
44 -----------------------------------------------
46 In order to allow easy usage of c-ares libraries it may be convenient to
47 install c-ares libraries and header files to a common subdirectory tree.
49 Once that c-ares libraries have been built using procedure described above,
50 use same command prompt window to define environment variable INSTALL_DIR
51 to designate the top subdirectory where installation of c-ares libraries and
52 header files will be done.
54 > set INSTALL_DIR=c:\c-ares
56 Afterwards, run following command to actually perform the installation:
58 > nmake -f Makefile.msvc install
60 Installation procedure will copy c-ares libraries to subdirectory 'lib' and
61 c-ares header files to subdirectory 'include' below the INSTALL_DIR subdir.
63 When environment variable INSTALL_DIR is not defined, installation is done
64 to c-ares source folder where Makefile.msvc file is located.
68 Relationship between c-ares library file names and versions
69 -----------------------------------------------------------
71 c-ares static release library version files:
73 libcares.lib -> static release library
75 c-ares static debug library version files:
77 libcaresd.lib -> static debug library
79 c-ares dynamic release library version files:
81 cares.dll -> dynamic release library
82 cares.lib -> import library for the dynamic release library
83 cares.exp -> export file for the dynamic release library
85 c-ares dynamic debug library version files:
87 caresd.dll -> dynamic debug library
88 caresd.lib -> import library for the dynamic debug library
89 caresd.exp -> export file for the dynamic debug library
90 caresd.pdb -> debug symbol file for the dynamic debug library
93 How to use c-ares static libraries
94 ----------------------------------
96 When using the c-ares static library in your program, you will have to
97 define preprocessor symbol CARES_STATICLIB while building your program,
98 otherwise you will get errors at linkage stage.