[lazarus] win32-how-to 0.8

[Viincent Snijders]

Jeff,

I have used the win32-howto 0.8, that you sent me and I have the following
remarks.

1. Installing the software

The install.exe included in win3209912full.zip doesn't install the source
files. On the source tab the checkkboxes are not enabled. Later I noticed
that you don't need to install the sources, because you are going to check
them out anyway. They could even hinder the CVS checkout.

I only installed the following dll's and no other files from the gtk
zip-files in the \windows\system directory:
gtk+-dev-19990828.zip: gdk-1.3.dll gtk-1.3.dll
glib-dev-19990828.zip: glib-1.3.dll gmodule-1.3.dll gthread-1.3.dll
extralibs-dev-19990828.zip: gnu-intl.dll pthread.dll

2. Updating your AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

In win32-howto it says:
    SET CVSROOT=:cvs:lazarus at cvs.freepascal.org:/FPC/CVS
This must be:
    SET CVSROOT=:pserver:cvs at cvs.freepascal.org:/FPC/CVS

Setting HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH resulted in the following error:
E:\pp\source>cvs login
(Logging in to cvs at cvs.freepascal.org)
CVS password:
CVS.EXE [login aborted]: could not open D: \PROGRA~1\CVS/.cvspass: No such
file
or directory

Notice the space between the drive name and path name. I used the following:
    SET HOME=D:\PROGRA~1\CVS
instead of setting HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH.

3. Downloading the Lazarus code from CVS

I checked out the compiler (and rtl) source as well. I think it is needed,
because later on you do an update, so you must have done a checkout before
to get the CVS-entries, even if you have the sources already from an
archive. And we need the new sources to make the fpc 0.99.13, which we need
for compiling Lazarus.
    cvs -z3 checkout base gtk api fcl docs lazarus compiler rtl

By the way, is the api-module needed? When does it get compiled?

In win32-howto:
  See the Lazarus-developer-HowTo for the complete list of modules
available.
On http://www.lazarus.freepascal.org/how.html it is called "Lazarus Linux
Developer How-To".

4. Create a compiled units directory

Is OK ;-)

5. Create a batch file for rebuilding your compiler.

Add at the end (it's quiet obvious):
   Run this batch file from the command prompt.
If don't do this you will be using 0.99.12 compiler in step 7.

When I tried the batch-file I got a message there was no target for make
libsclean in /pp/source/rtl directory.
I copied the base directory to \pp\source and that solved the problem.
Unfortunately I was not able to reproduce the problem. But it seems that it
has to do something with the newer makefiles in the base directory.
Therefore I suggest moving the line "copy /Y base\*.* >NUL" just after "cd
\pp\source". I don't know why it is needed at the end, actually I am not
sure what went wrong exactly.

6. Create a batch file for updating your sources.

Here again you don't mention the rtl directory to be checked out. Isn't that
necessary? To be on the safe side I included it in my updatesrc.bat:
    cvs -z3 update base gtk api fcl docs lazarus compiler rtl

7. Compile everything

The line:
    make -n junk.bat
should be:
    make -n > junk.bat

rtl compiles,
fcl compiles after a patch in bits.inc,
gtk compiles,
lazarus doesn't compile due to:
forms.pp(67,1) Error: Forward declaration not solved
TCUSTOMFORM.CREATEPARAMS(TCREATEPARAMS)
forms.pp(68,1) Error: Forward declaration not solved TCUSTOMFORM.CREATEWND()
Fatal: There were 2 errors compiling module, stopping
Probably not an installation problem, just being on the bleeding edge ;-)

I hope my remarks are clear enough so you can merge some of them into the
win32-how-to.

Vincent Snijders