1
2
3                          ___       __ _ _ __ ___  ___
4                         / __| ___ / _` | '__/ _ \/ __|
5                        | (_  |___| (_| | | |  __/\__ \
6                         \___|     \__,_|_|  \___||___/
7
8
9                How to build c-ares using MSVC or Visual Studio
10               =================================================
11
12
13
14  How to build using MSVC from the command line
15  ---------------------------------------------
16
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.
19
20  Change to c-ares source folder where Makefile.msvc file is located and run:
21
22  > nmake -f Makefile.msvc
23
24  This will build all c-ares libraries as well as three sample programs.
25
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.
29
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.
34
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.
41
42
43  How to install using MSVC from the command line
44  -----------------------------------------------
45
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.
48
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.
53
54  > set INSTALL_DIR=c:\c-ares
55
56  Afterwards, run following command to actually perform the installation:
57
58  > nmake -f Makefile.msvc install
59
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.
62
63  When environment variable INSTALL_DIR is not defined, installation is done
64  to c-ares source folder where Makefile.msvc file is located.
65
66
67
68  Relationship between c-ares library file names and versions
69  -----------------------------------------------------------
70
71  c-ares static release library version files:
72
73      libcares.lib -> static release library
74
75  c-ares static debug library version files:
76
77      libcaresd.lib -> static debug library
78
79  c-ares dynamic release library version files:
80
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
84
85  c-ares dynamic debug library version files:
86
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
91
92
93  How to use c-ares static libraries
94  ----------------------------------
95
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.
99
100
101Have Fun!
102
103