'''To build and test Tcl''', on [Unix]-like systems, follow the steps detailed
below.
Tcl is frequently obtained by getting the [C] source code and compiling it.
Tcl comes with generic code plus modules specifically designed to compile on
[Unix], [Microsoft Windows%|%Windows], and [MacOS], and other platforms.
** See Also **
[http://www.tcl.tk/doc/howto/compile.html%|%How to Compile Tcl]: The official guide to compiling Tcl
[Installing Tcl]: How to build and installing Tcl on various platforms
[Build Tcl with profile based optimization]: For gccGCC 3.3 or newer
** Overview **
The steps one takes to build a fresh copy of Tcl are frequently something like:
* dDownload a copy of the Tcl source zip or tar file.
* cCreate a directory where you plan on compiling the code.
* eExtract the source code (unzip/tar/whatever).
* dDetermine where you want to install the binaries.
* `cd` into the tcl top level directory.
* rRead the README file (and possibly the [ChangeLog] and changes files).
* `cd` into either the unix, win, mac, or macosx directory.
* If you are on Unix, make certain that you know what C compiler you wish to use to build Tcl, Tk, etc. The same compiler should be used during the configure and build stage across pieces. You may need to set the CC environment variable, etc. to get the right compiler and flags included. * eExecute `./[configure] --help` to determine what flags are available to you on your platform and resolve any errors. This step is non-trivial to complete successfully on at least the Windows and MacOS platforms. Perhaps someone will add in a reference here regaling us with their horror stories, or even better, with steps that someone could take to be successful at the work.
* eExecute `./configure --prefix=/your/install/directory --The --Appropriate --Flags --For --Your --Site`.
* eExecute make and resolve any errors.
* eExecute make test and investigate errors. [Getting help%|%get help] when necessary to complete the task.
* Developers may wish to run `make valgrind` to look for memory issues. See [How to debug memory faults in Tcl and extensions] for more information.
* Execute `make install` and resolve any errors.
** Considerations **
Unix users report problems on a regular basis on some platforms
and with certain combinations of events. For instance [AIX] and [HP/UX]
users, I believe, often have problems when using older versions of compilers,
or Tcl, etc. [Solaris] users report configure problems if their `$PATH` includes `/usr/ucb` but their environment does not include a [C] compiler.
** Configure **
configure has a number of flags from which one can choose.
+++
--with-tcl=''DIR'' Specifies the directory containing the Tcl binaries and Tcl's platform-dependent configuration information. By default the Tcl directory is assumed to be in the location given by (a) above.
--enable-threads If this switch is set, Tcl will compile itself with multithreading support.
--enable-shared If this switch is specified, Tk will compile itself as a shared library if it can figure out how to do that on this platform. This is the default on platforms where we know how to build shared libraries.
--disable-shared If this switch is specified, Tk will compile itself as a static library.
--enable-symbols Build with debugging symbols By default standard debugging symbols are used. Specify `mem` to ''also'' include `TCL_MEM_DEBUG` memory debugging (i.e., to create the `[memory]` command), `compile` for bytecode debugging (see `[tcl_traceExec]`), or `all` to enable all debugging features.
--disable-symbols Build without debugging symbols.
--enable-64bit enable 64bit support (where applicable).
--disable-64bit disable 64bit support (where applicable).
--enable-64bit-vis enable 64bit Sparc VIS support.
--disable-64bit-vis disable 64bit Sparc VIS support.
--enable-man-symlinks Use symlinks for linking the manpages that should be reachable under several names.
--enable-man-compression=''PROG'' Compress the manpages using ''`PROG`''.
+++
Mac OS X only (ignored on other platforms):
+++
--enable-framework package Tk as a framework.
--disable-corefoundation disable use of CoreFoundation API.
--enable-aqua use Aqua windowingsystem rather than X11, requires `--enable-corefoundation` with tcl & tk.
+++
: Note: by default gcc will be used if it can be located on the PATH. if you want to use cc instead of gcc, set the CC environment variable to "cc" before running configure. It is not safe to change the Makefile to use gcc after configure is run.
: Note: be sure to use only absolute path names (those starting with "/") in the --prefix and --exec-prefix options.
----
** Configure Errors **
With newer versions of [bash] (>3.0) and older versions of Tcl, or with Tcl
extensions based on [TEA], `./[configure]` might fail with an error resembling:
configure might give an error resembling:
======none
./configure: line 7624: syntax error near unexpected token `)'
======
Refer to [bash] for the cause and solution of this problem.
** Test **
To pass arguments to test via [make]:
======none
make test TESTFLAGS="-file unixInit.test -match unixInit-3.2"
======
** Discussion **
<<discussion>> Build on 64 bit dual bitesize Linux (CentOS 6)
[HaO] 2012-05-04 `configure --enable-64bit` was installing shared library in `/usr/local/lib` and not `/usr/local/lib64`, where it would be in the library path.
[https://groups.google.com/d/msg/comp.lang.tcl/VqOYBRteEOI/h1FhX6eXO3EJ%|%library in lib and not in lib64 when installing tcl8.6 on CentOS 6 64bit], [comp.lang.tcl], 2012-05-03, [Joe English] suggested using an [autoconf] [https://www.gnu.org/software/autoconf/manual/autoconf.html#Site-Defaults%|%site defaults] file.
For example, `/usr/local/share/config.site` might contain:
======none
# /usr/local/share/config.site for platforms that prefer
# the directory /usr/local/lib64 over /usr/local/lib.
test "$libdir" = '${exec_prefix}/lib' && libdir='${exec_prefix}/lib64'
# to not stop configure if test fails (sqlite and threads in bundled tcl8.6b3)
true
======
[HaO] 2012-10-08: I have added `true`, as configure stopped with tcl8.6b3 bundled package `sqlite` as `exec_prefix` was not defined at all and the test returned 1 and stopped the configure script. Sqlite anyway used already `lib64`
The following line will be printed if `configure --enable-64bit` is executed:
======none
configure: loading site script /usr/local/share/config.site
======
The files will be installed as follows:
'''`/usr/local/lib`''': tcl scripts: '''`tcl8/`''', '''`tcl8.6/`'''
'''/usr/local/lib64''': shared libraries & compile files: '''`libtcl8.6.so`''', '''`libtclstub8.6.so`''', '''`pkconfig/`''', '''`tclConfig.sh`''', '''`tclooConfig.sh`'''
----
If [incr Tcl%|%Itcl] is installed (as a binary extension), scripts and shared libraries go to '''`/usr/local/lib64/itcl4.0b7`'''.
This first felt irritating but is necessary, as Tcl-only extensions may be shared between 32 and 64 bit, but shared libraries not.
The Tcl [auto_path] is:
======none
$ /usr/local/bin/tclsh8.6
% set auto_path
/usr/local/lib/tcl8.6 /usr/local/lib /usr/local/lib64
======
which feels strange to me.
IMHO, the lib64 should be before lib.
This is also like that in the Makefile.
----
It was still necessary to put a link in '''`/usr/lib64`''' that linked packages will find the library (ex: [Rivet]):
======none
# cd /usr/lib64
# ln -s /usr/local/lib64/libtcl.8.6.so
======
'''`/usr/local/bin/tclsh8.6`''' does not require this link.
----
Here is a file list of a freshly compiled tcl/tk8.6b3 on CentOS6.3 64 bit of the (quite empty) folder '''lib''':
======none
drwxr-xr-x. 5 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:40 tcl8
drwxr-xr-x. 6 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:40 tcl8.6
drwxr-xr-x. 6 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:39 tk8.6
======
and the '''lib64''' folder:
======none
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:41 itcl4.0b8
-r-xr-xr-x. 1 root root 1715711 8. Okt 13:40 libtcl8.6.so
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 8028 8. Okt 13:40 libtclstub8.6.a
-r-xr-xr-x. 1 root root 1539775 8. Okt 13:39 libtk8.6.so
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 5472 8. Okt 13:39 libtkstub8.6.a
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:40 pkgconfig
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:41 sqlite3.7.14
drwxr-xr-x. 3 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:41 tcl8
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 7597 8. Okt 13:40 tclConfig.sh
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 786 8. Okt 13:40 tclooConfig.sh
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:41 tdbc1.0b17
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:41 thread2.7b1
drwxr-xr-x. 2 root root 4096 8. Okt 13:39 tk8.6
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 3977 8. Okt 13:39 tkConfig.sh
======
<<discussion>>
----
<<discussion>> Specify test options with Makefile.vc and MSVC++6
[HaO] 2013-03-27:
One may use :
======none
nmake -f Makefile.vc test OPTS=threads TESTFLAGS="-verbose \"body start error\" -file event.test"
======
to specify flags to the test run.
[http://www.tcl.tk/man/tcl8.5/TclCmd/tcltest.htm]
The testflags are passed as parameters to the tcltest.tcl script.
<<discussion>>
----
<<discussion>> Specify test options with Unix
[HaO] 2013-05-29:
One may use :
======none
make test TESTFLAGS="-verbose bst -file event.test" 2>&1 | tee testlog_tcl-trunk.txt
======
To specify flags to the test run.
[http://www.tcl.tk/man/tcl8.5/TclCmd/tcltest.htm]
The testflags are passed as parameters to the tcltest.tcl script.
<<discussion>>
<<categories>> Porting