How can I use third party libraries in my project?

[Sim085]

I am trying to use a regex library in my project. I found this regex library from aminet but cannot understand how to include this in my project.

I compile my executable using a make file. I have placed regex.library in my project directory. I then edited my makefile with the -L. and -l flags as follows;

LIBS = -lamiga -lauto -L. -lregex

However when I try to compile I get an error message saying "Cannot open -lregex. No such file or directory."

I have tried -lregex.library or moving the regex.libraty to the System:Libs but to no avail.

Anyone knows how I can include a third party library to my project?

[Steady]

What the compiler library is looking for is a linker library, which is different from an Amiga library, which this is.

To access that library, ensure that all that library's header and proto files are accessible, include them in your source code and then use OpenLibrary() from AmigaOS to open that library and start accessing. Don't forget to CloseLibrary() after you are finished.

-lauto won't automatically open that library for you because it doesn't know that 3rd party library.

[Sim085]

So I have now also placed regex.lib in my source directory. This means that in my source directory I now have regex.library, regex.lib and regex.h. I use the flags -L. and -lregex. The error message has now changed to "Fatal error 11. regex.lib: File format not recognized". Do I need to recompile the library using my compiler for it to work?

Originally Posted by Steady

What the compiler library is looking for is a linker library, which is different from an Amiga library, which this is.

To access that library, ensure that all that library's header and proto files are accessible

[phx]

Originally Posted by Sim085

"Fatal error 11. regex.lib: File format not recognized".

Looks like this is a linker library in Aztec-C "lb" format. Only the Aztec linker might be able to use it.
(Is there a description of that format somewhere?)

Do I need to recompile the library using my compiler for it to work?

This is one solution. Although there may be Aztec-C specific hacks in the source. And the C source is really old, from before even ANSI-C90 existed. So you can expect lots of errors and warnings with modern compilers.

Unfortunately the author didn't provide an FD file for his shared library. Otherwise the normal procedure to use third party libraries would be to simply regenerate the linker library, proto- and inline headers for it with fd2pragma.

You could also try to create an FD file yourself from the information provided in interface.asm.

[Sim085]

I can see some other distributions of regex on aminet that do have an fd file.

Are there any guides how I can regenerate the linker library from this?

Originally Posted by phx

Unfortunately the author didn't provide an FD file for his shared library. Otherwise the normal procedure to use third party libraries would be to simply regenerate the linker library, proto- and inline headers for it with fd2pragma.

[phx]

Linker library with stub functions:

fd2pragma special 12 to vlibos3: hunkname CODE regex.fd

Proto header file:

fd2pragma special 38 to vincludeos3:proto regex.fd

Header file with vbcc assembler inline calls:

fd2pragma special 70 voidbase to vincludeos3:inline regex.fd clib path_to/clib/regex_protos.h

Or use the portable fd2pragma-syntax when running it under Unix/MacOS/Windows: -s to special, -t for to, -c for clib,m -i for the FD-file, etc.

[Sim085]

I am having problems with the last step.

I have modified as follows;

fd2pragma special 70 voidbase to vincludeos3:inline regexp.fd clib vincludeos3:proto/RegExp.h

(i.e. - used the file generated from previous step).

However I get the following output:

SourceFile: regexp.fd
ResultFile: vincludeos3:inline/RegExp_protos.h
Error 27 : No prototupes file (CLIB parameter) was specified.

What is the clib directory referring to? I went to vbcc directory where the proto was generated in previous step.

Originally Posted by phx

fd2pragma special 70 voidbase to vincludeos3:inline regex.fd clib path_to/clib/regex_protos.h

[kamelito]

Originally Posted by phx

Looks like this is a linker library in Aztec-C "lb" format. Only the Aztec linker might be able to use it.
(Is there a description of that format somewhere?)

This is one solution. Although there may be Aztec-C specific hacks in the source. And the C source is really old, from before even ANSI-C90 existed. So you can expect lots of errors and warnings with modern compilers.

Unfortunately the author didn't provide an FD file for his shared library. Otherwise the normal procedure to use third party libraries would be to simply regenerate the linker library, proto- and inline headers for it with fd2pragma.

You could also try to create an FD file yourself from the information provided in interface.asm.

There’s a site about all Aztec C versions including informations at http://www.aztecmuseum.ca/

[Sim085]

Just to clarify that I have moved to this distribution which comes with a .fd file.
https://aminet.net/package/util/libs/RegExpLib

From what I understand the first command creates the linker library from the fd file. The second command is creating the header file (under the proto directory of vbcc), this is what I would include in my source files.

However I do not understand what the third command is doing.

When I open the header file generated I can see there is the following entry but I cannot identify any clib directory under my vbcc installation.

#if !defined(CLIB_REGEXP_PROTOS_H) && !defined(__GNUC__)
#include <clib/RegExp_protos.h>
#endif

I can also see the following;

#elif defined(__VBCC__)
#include <inline/RegExp_protos.h>

I assume is the rule that applies for me given I am using vbcc. However I cannot get this file without the third command

[phx]

Originally Posted by kamelito

There’s a site about all Aztec C versions including informations at http://www.aztecmuseum.ca/

Nice site, although I was unable to find any information about the format of the Aztec-C lb library-tool.

[phx]

Originally Posted by Sim085

From what I understand the first command creates the linker library from the fd file. The second command is creating the header file (under the proto directory of vbcc), this is what I would include in my source files.

Correct.

However I do not understand what the third command is doing.

It generates assembler inlines to call the library functions directly, without going over the stub routines from the linker library. vbcc generally puts these inline-headers into the

inline

directory with the name

libname_protos.h

.

It is automatically included and used as soon as you include

<proto/libname.h>

. If you want to use the stubs, you would include

<clib/libname_protos.h>

instead.

When I open the header file generated I can see there is the following entry but I cannot identify any clib directory under my vbcc installation.

The clib directory is in the official NDK. All third party libraries are expected to provide their function proto types in a clib header file and follow the general naming of

clib/libname_protos.h

.

This doesn't seem to be the case with the RegExp library you found - which is also somewhat old...

Looking into the RegExpLib archive I guess that

regexp.h

is meant as proto/clib header file - it even includes pragmas for SAS/C inline calls.

You can try copying it into your clib directory and rename it to

RegExp_protos.h

. Then use it with the clib option from the "special 70" fd2pragma call. fd2pragma needs these proto types to generate valid inline functions with matching types.

EDIT: If you don't care about optimized library calls, just delete the

#include <inline/RegExp_protos.h>

from your proto-header and you're done.

[Sim085]

Hi phx, I did manage to get it to work by moving the header to the clib directory and then continued the steps from there.

Wanted to thank you for all your help.

[phx]