README.msvc

WINDOWS / VISUAL STUDIO BUILD INSTRUCTIONS
==========================================

[For Linux/Unix/OSX/... instructions see README.cmake]


Directory Structure
===================

On Windows, assumptions on the directory structure are made to automate
the discovery of dependencies.
This recommended directory structure is described below:

${MSVC_3RDPARTY_ROOT} /
      3rdParty /                 ( includes plib, fltk, zlib, libpng,
                                   libjpeg, libtiff, freetype, libsvn,
                                   gdal, ... )
         bin /
         include /
         lib /
      3rdParty.x64 /             ( 64 bit version )
         ...
      boost_1_44_0 /
         boost /
      install /
         msvc100 /               ( for VS2010 32 bits, or msvc90,
                                   msvc90-64 or msvc100-64 for VS2008 32,
                                   VS2008 64 and VS2010 64 )
            OpenSceneGraph /     ( OSG CMake install )
               bin /
               include /
               lib /
            SimGear /
               include /
               lib /

If you do not use the recommended structure you will need to enter paths
by hand. Source and build directories can be located anywhere.


Running CMake GUI
=================

The suggested inputs to cmake are :
  MSVC_3RDPARTY_ROOT : location of the above directory structure
  CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX : ${MSVC_3RDPARTY_ROOT}/install/msvc100/FlightGear
     (or any variation for the compiler version described above)

1. Set up a work directory as described above.

2. Open the CMake gui.

3. Set "Where is the source code" to wherever you put the FlightGear
   sources (from the released tarball or the git repository).

4. Set "Where to build the binaries" to an empty directory.

5. Press the "Configure" button. The first time that the project is
   configured, CMake will bring up a window asking which compiler you wish
   to use. Normally just accept Cmakes suggestion, and press Finish. CMake
   will now do a check on your system and will produce a preliminary build
   configuration.

6. CMake adds new configuration variables in red. Some have a value ending
   with -NOTFOUND. These variables should receive your attention. Some
   errors will prevent FlightGear to build and others will simply
   invalidate some options without provoking build errors. First check the
   MSVC_3RDPARTY_ROOT variable. If it is not set, chances are that there
   will be a lot of -NOTFOUND errors. Instead of trying to fix every error
   individually, set that variable and press the "Configure" button again.

7. Also check the lines with a checkbox. These are build options and may
   impact the feature set of the built program.

8. Change the CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX to
   ${MSVC_3RDPARTY_ROOT}/install/msvc100/FlightGear because
   C:\Program Files is likely unwritable to ordinary Windows users and
   will integrate better with the above directory structure (this is
   mandatory for SimGear if you don't want to solve errors by hand).

10. Repeat the process until the "Generate" button is enabled.

11. Press the "Generate" button.

12. Start Visual Studio 2010 and load the FlightGear solution
    (FlightGear.sln) located in "Where to build the binaries" (point 4.)

13. Choose the "Release" build in the VS2010 "Generation" toolbar

14. Generate the solution.

15. If there are build errors, return to CMake, clear remaining errors,
    "Configure" and "Generate"

16. When Visual Studio is able to build everything without errors, build
    the INSTALL project to put the product files in ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}

17. Enjoy!


Rebuilding Updated Sources
==========================

When updating the sources from Git, it is usually unnecessary to restart
CMake as the solution is able to reconfigure itself when CMake files are
changed. Simply rebuild the solution from Visual Studio and accept the
reload of updated projects. It also possible to edit CMakeList.txt files
directly in Visual Studio as they also appear in the solution, and projects
will be reconfigured on the next generation. To change build options or
directory path, it is mandatory to use the CMake Gui. In case of problems,
locate the CMakeCache.txt in "Where to build the binaries" directory and
delete it to reconfigure from scratch or use the menu item
File->Delete Cache.