Cross platform plugin dev

[Brad Fuller]

Ian Piumarta wrote:

> Hi Brad,
>
>> I'm going thru the unix configuration doc and files to learn how it  
>> is configured for unix development.
>> However, what if you have only Cross platform plugin files? They  
>> would go into the Cross subdirs. What have others done to create  and 
>> build plugins that are cross platform?
>
>
> If you don't need special treatment on Unix then all you need to do  
> is create the Cross/plugins/Whatever/whatever.c file (and any  
> attendant .h files) and run 'autoconf' to recreate the configure  
> script.  Thereafter 'configure' will know about the plugin and will  
> attempt to build it.
>
>> Do you create your own hand-made Makefile (etc)?
>
>
> You only need to do this if you have special compiler flags or header  
> directories that you need to pass to the compiler on Unix.  In that  
> case look at Makefile.inc in one of the other plugin directories to  
> see typical things that you can do.  For very unusual plugins you may  
> even need a complete 'Makefile.in' to replace the automatically  
> generated one entirely.  (The vm has its own Makefile.in, for example.)
>
> You might also (in very demanding plugins) require configuration-time  
> options and tests, or even to disable the plugin entirely if required  
> libraries are not installed.  If you put a file called 'acinclude.m4'  
> in your plugin directory, autoconf will include it in the configure  
> script at the appropriate moment.  (See the other acinclude.m4 files  
> for typical things you can do.)  Of course, you need to run  
> 'autoconf' again after every change to an acinclude.m4 file.
>
> But normally you won't need anything special: put the .c and .h files  
> in Cross/plugins/YourPlugin/ and run autoconf to rebuild the  
> configure script.  See the 'RePlugin' for example, which has no Unix  
> files at all.
>
Thanks. I actually had it working before, but now I can't configure it. 
I can't remember which directory I placed the Makefile.inc!

I'm kinda having some trouble following the directions. You wrote very 
clear directions but probably didn't follow them well ;-)
 I could not get config/configure (is that what you are referring to as 
'autoconfig'? Or is that a new script?)  to find my makefile.inc no 
matter where I put the plugin directory (although it did create the 
Makefile. )

But anyway.... Since I don't really have a unix specific plugin, I want 
to put it in Cross for now and I'll try that.

Have you used VMMakerTool? If so, how do you use it to generate C files 
in the Cross directory?

brad


-- 
Brad Fuller
(408) 799-6124
** Sonaural Audio Studios **
(408) 799-6123  West San Jose
(408) 799-6124  Cambrian
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