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Build System Documentation

This document provides an overview of the build system for the desktop-client repository, including its usage, limitations, and pitfalls. For a concise version, refer to the TL;DR document.

About the desktop-client Repository​

  • Windows Build: Only supported as a cross-build from Linux to Windows using MinGW.
  • macOS Build: Supports cross-building from Intel to Apple Silicon and vice versa.
  • Dependencies: The README.md lists all required packages for installation.
  • Incremental Builds: ⚠️ ⚠️ Not supported. Avoid running the default build command multiple times. ⚠️ ⚠️
  • Subcomponent Builds: After the initial build, individual subcomponents can be rebuilt, sometimes requiring specific workarounds (e.g., rebuilding a specific avserver contrib).

Global Approach​

  1. Follow the README.md instructions to set up the build environment and complete the initial build.
  2. After the first successful build, focus on building only the components you are working on.

Build Scripts​

The build-<platform>.sh scripts provide the following options:

  • -o <path>: Specifies the output directory for the build.
  • -s: Skips rebuilding contrib dependencies.

For root repositories (desktop-client, web-client, android-client, ios-client), additional options are available:

  • -n: Prevents workspace updates.
  • -p (Windows and macOS only): Packages the application.

All build scripts can be run independently to rebuild specific subcomponents, targeting the default output directory.

contrib Build Structure​

The contrib build scripts generate a directory structure under a work folder, containing:

  • src: Source archives for dependencies (e.g., ffmpeg-7.1.tar.xz, zlib-1.3.1.tar.gz).
  • Target folders (e.g., x86_64-linux-gnu, x86_64-w64-mingw32): Each contains build directories for dependencies.

Example structure:

work
├── src
│   ├── 15.0.0.tar.gz
│   ├── ffmpeg-7.1.tar.xz
│   ├── lua-5.4.6.tar.gz
│   ├── opus-1.3.1.tar.gz
│   ├── v1.4.33.tar.gz
│   ├── v2.10.1.tar.gz
│   ├── v7.349.0.tar.gz
│   ├── vulkan-sdk-1.3.296.0.tar.gz
│   ├── x264-a8b68ebfaa68621b5ac8907610d3335971839d52.zip
│   └── zlib-1.3.1.tar.gz
├── x86_64-linux-gnu
│   ├── nv-codec-headers
│   └── x264
└── x86_64-w64-mingw32
    ├── amf
    ├── ffmpeg
    ├── glslang
    ├── libplacebo
    ├── lua
    ├── nv-codec-headers
    ├── opus
    ├── SPIRV-Cross
    ├── SPIRV-Headers
    ├── SPIRV-Tools
    ├── txproto
    ├── vpl
    ├── x264
    └── zlib

To rebuild a specific contrib, navigate to its build directory and run the appropriate build command. Contribs are typically written in C/C++ and use build systems like autotools, CMake, or Ninja.

Cleaning Up​

There is no dedicated command to clean all build folders. To remove all build artifacts, use the following command:

rm -rf avserver/contrib/work libclient/contrib/work libkynput/contrib/work rootfs-x86_64-linux-gnu/* rootfs-x86_64-w64-mingw32/*

Special Notes for Windows Builds​

  • -w Option: For build-win32.sh, the -w flag targets the WINDOWS subsystem instead of the default CONSOLE subsystem. See MSDN documentation for details.
  • controller.exe Behavior: When built with the CONSOLE subsystem, controller.exe opens a cmd.exe window where all subprocesses log output. Note that println!() does not work when targeting the WINDOWS subsystem.
  • Packaging: The build scripts generate a Unix-like folder structure. For Windows, the -p option packages the output into a flat structure in the kyber-windows-x86_64 folder.