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Building Boost Libraries

Many of the Boost libraries are implemented entirely in their header files, and so are ready to use without performing a library build.

For libraries which must be built before use, build scripts are provided for a number of platforms and compilers.  If there isn't yet a build script for your platform or compiler, please consider creating one and submitting it for inclusion in Boost.

Script Operating System Compiler
win32-vc6 Windows Microsoft Visual C++ Version 6.0
win32-bc55 Windows Borland C++ Version 5.5

Script use

Script behavior

All scripts follow the same basic behavior:

FAQ

Q. Can I build libraries for multiple compilers?  A. Yes, no problem.  A separate sub-directory will be created for each.

Q. Can I build libraries for multiple Boost versions?  A. Yes, just be sure to install each version in a different root directory.  All directories and files created are relative to the current directory, so there is no problem if other versions exist elsewhere.

Q. Can I build libraries for multiple OS's?  A. Yes, but scripts are only provided in the native scripting language for each platform.  The separate sub-directories will keep the various libraries separated and identified.


Design

Design of a build system for Boost was unexpectedly difficult.  Design issues are documented here to preserve rationale.

Assumptions

The requirements are driven by several basic assumptions:

Requirements


© Copyright Beman Dawes, 2001

Revised 09 January, 2001