• Home
  • Line#
  • Scopes#
  • Navigate#
  • Raw
  • Download
1This document contains instructions on how to cross-build the FreeType
2library on Unix systems, for example, building binaries for Linux/MIPS
3on  FreeBSD/i386.  Before  reading this  document, please  consult the
4file  `INSTALL.UNIX' for  required tools  and the  basic self-building
5procedure.
6
7
8  1. Required Tools
9  -----------------
10
11    For self-building the FreeType library  on a Unix system, GNU Make
12    3.81 or newer  is required.  `INSTALL.UNIX' contains  hints how to
13    check the installed `make'.
14
15    The GNU C  compiler to cross-build the target  system is required.
16    Currently, using a non-GNU cross  compiler is untested.  The cross
17    compiler is  expected to be  installed with a system  prefix.  For
18    example, if  your building system  is FreeBSD/i386 and  the target
19    system is Linux/MIPS, the cross  compiler should be installed with
20    the name `mips-ip22-linuxelf-gcc'.
21
22    A C  compiler for a self-build  is required also, to  build a tool
23    (`apinames') that is executed during the build procedure.  Non-GNU
24    self compilers are acceptable, but such a setup is untested.
25
26
27  2. Configuration
28  ----------------
29
30    2.1. Building and target system
31
32      To configure  a cross-build,  the options  `--host=<system>' and
33      `--build=<system>'  must be  passed to  the `configure'  script.
34      For example, if your build system is FreeBSD/i386 and the target
35      system is Linux/MIPS, say
36
37        ./configure \
38          --build=i386-unknown-freebsd \
39          --host=mips-ip22-linuxelf \
40          [other options]
41
42      It should  be noted that `--host=<system>'  specifies the system
43      where the built binaries will  be executed, not the system where
44      the build actually happens.   Older versions of GNU autoconf use
45      the option  pair `--host=' and `--target='.  This  is broken and
46      doesn't work.  Similarly, an explicit CC specification like
47
48        env CC=mips-ip22-linux-gcc ./configure                 # BAD
49
50      or
51
52        env CC=/usr/local/mips-ip22-linux/bin/gcc ./configure  # BAD
53
54      doesn't   work  either;  such   a  configuration   confuses  the
55      `configure' script while  trying to find the cross  and native C
56      compilers.
57
58
59    2.2. The prefix to install FreeType2
60
61      Setting `--prefix=<prefix>'  properly is important.   The prefix
62      to  install  FreeType2  is written  into  the  `freetype-config'
63      script and `freetype2.pc' configuration file.
64
65      If  the built  FreeType  2 library  is  used as  a  part of  the
66      cross-building system,  the prefix  is expected to  be different
67      from  the self-building  system.  For  example, a  configuration
68      with   `--prefix=/usr/local'   installs    binaries   into   the
69      system-wide `/usr/local' directory, which then can't be executed
70      due  to the  incorrect architecture.   This causes  confusion in
71      configuration of all applications  that use FreeType2.  Instead,
72      use a prefix  to install the cross-build into  a separate system
73      tree, for example, `--prefix=/usr/local/mips-ip22-linux/'.
74
75      On the other hand, if the built  FreeType 2 library is used as a
76      part of the target system,  the prefix to install should reflect
77      the file system structure of the target system.
78
79
80    2.3. Library dependencies
81
82      FreeType normally depends on external libraries like `libpng' or
83      `libharfbuzz'.   The  easiest case  is  to  deactivate all  such
84      dependencies  using the  `--without-XXX' configuration  options.
85      However, if you  want to use those libraries,  you should ensure
86      that  they  are available  both  on  the  target system  and  as
87      (cross-compiled) libraries on the build system.
88
89      FreeType uses  `pkg-config' to find  most of the  libraries; the
90      other libraries it links to  are expected in the standard system
91      directories.   Since the  default pkg-config's  meta-information
92      files (like `harfbuzz.pc') of the build platform don't work, use
93      one of the two possible solutions below.
94
95        o Use pkg-config's meta-information files that are adjusted to
96          cross-compile  and  cross-link  with the  target  platform's
97          libraries.  Make sure those files are found before the build
98          system's default files.  Example:
99
100            ./configure \
101              --build=i386-unknown-freebsd \
102              --host=mips-ip22-linuxelf \
103              PKG_CONFIG_LIBDIR="/usr/local/mips-ip22-linux/lib/pkgconfig" \
104              [other options]
105
106          See the manpage of `pkg-config' for more details.
107
108        o Set variables like LIBPNG_LIBS  as additional options to the
109          `configure' script, overriding the values `pkg-config' would
110          provide.  `configure --help' shows the available environment
111          variables.  Example:
112
113            ./configure \
114              --build=i386-unknown-freebsd \
115              --host=mips-ip22-linuxelf \
116              LIBPNG_CFLAGS="-I/usr/local/mips-ip22-linux/include" \
117              LIBPNG_LIBS="-L/usr/local/mips-ip22-linux/lib -lpng12" \
118              [other options]
119
120
121  3. Building command
122  -------------------
123
124    If  the  configuration  finishes successfully,  invoking  GNU make
125    builds FreeType2.  Just say
126
127      make
128
129    or
130
131      gmake
132
133    depending on the name the GNU make binary actually has.
134
135
136  4. Installation
137  ---------------
138
139    Saying
140
141      make install
142
143    as usual to install FreeType2 into the directory tree specified by
144    the argument of the `--prefix' option.
145
146    As noted in section 2.2,  FreeType2  is sometimes configured to be
147    installed  into the  system directory  of the  target  system, and
148    should  not be installed  in the  cross-building system.   In such
149    cases, the  make variable `DESTDIR'  is useful to change  the root
150    directory in the installation.  For example, after
151
152      make DESTDIR=/mnt/target_system_root/ install
153
154    the built FreeType2 library files are installed into the directory
155    `/mnt/target_system_root/<prefix_in_configure>/lib'.
156
157
158  5. TODO
159  -------
160
161    Cross building between Cygwin (or MSys) and Unix must be tested.
162
163
164----------------------------------------------------------------------
165
166Copyright 2006-2018 by
167suzuki toshiya, David Turner, Robert Wilhelm, and Werner Lemberg.
168
169
170This  file is  part of  the FreeType  project, and  may only  be used,
171modified,  and distributed  under the  terms of  the  FreeType project
172license,  LICENSE.TXT.  By  continuing to  use, modify,  or distribute
173this file you  indicate that you have read  the license and understand
174and accept it fully.
175
176
177--- end of INSTALL.CROSS ---
178