Help; RE: [lazarus] Form designer

[Chris Bordeman]

Hi, Sam.  I followed the HOW-TO it exactly, and ended up doing this:

0.  Install the latest stable gtk and glib (1.2.3).  Probably, you should
install the gtk-devel and glib-devel stuff.
1.  Install the compiler via the binary (not source) RPM.  This gives you a
working fpc compiler with which to compile a later (not THE latest) compiler
snapshot.
2.  Set up FPCDIR=/opt/fpc in your ~/.bashrc  (and logout/in again)
3.  Now get the LATEST SNAPSHOT source from the FPC site and extract it into
/usr/local/src/whatever and configure ; make ; make install.  Now edit the
/etc/ppc386.cfg file, adding paths to files that are not found.  If a .ppu
file is missing, find the .pp source directory and "make clean ; make"
there.  Should that work, and the resulting compiler will be able to compile
the BLEEDING EDGE compiler source in the CVS (in /opt/fpc/compiler).

If .inc files are not found, or ppc386 complains of an obsolete -Fu switch,
the include path and that switch, and .ppu/lib paths are all in ppc386.cfg.
Use "make clean ; make" constantly until you get it working!

4.  The executable ppc386 is not in the path now, a link to it is.  Find the
link to it and delete it.  Copy the executable to /opt/fpc/ppc386 AND
/opt/fpc/ppc386.release.  Add /opt/fpc to the path in ~/.bashrc.  (Log
out/in again).  From now on, "ppc386" should refer to _this_ executable,
which will be replaced every time you cycle the compiler.  Time to cycle.
5.  Copy the files in /opt/fpc/base to /opt/fpc.  This puts makefile.fpc
where the makefiles want it.  Try to "make clean ; make" now.  It will fail.
Now edit the /etc/ppc386.cfg file, adding paths to files that are missing.
If a .ppu file is missing, find the .pp source directory and "make clean ;
make" there.  If .inc files are not found, or ppc386 complains of an
obsolete -Fu switch, the include path and that switch, and .ppu/lib paths
are all in ppc386.cfg.
6.  Once you have been SUCCESSFUL in creating the newest compiler/rtl, copy
the rtl/* files to the /units/linux directory and delete ALL the old ppc386
libraries installed wherever
6.  Modify the new_ppc script so that a /opt/fpc/units/linux/* is copied to
/opt/fpc/units/linux.older and I created a ppc_revert script to copy
/opt/fpc/units/linux.older BACK into /opt/fpc/units/linux and also copy -f
/opt/fpc/ppc386.release to /opt/fpc/ppc386.  Add /opt/fpc/units/linux to
/etc/ppc386.cfg.  This script will undo all damage done by a failed cycle.
A cycle at this point will most likely fail in the linker stage if ppc386
references old fpc rtl libs in the library search paths you failed to
delete, so find /usr -name somenastylib.so if you suspect an older lib is
the menace.
7.  do a "make clean" in the fcl, gtk, lazarus,lcl, and rtl directories.  Do
"ldconfig" and run the make_lazarus script.

When I get back into linux, I'll mail my modified scripts (and a few extras)
and my /etc/ppc386.cfg file.  Hope this helps.

Semper Fidelis,

Chris Bordeman