enabling build for windows

[ben-mor]

Currently the build structure only works on linux and mac.
There also are no binaries for windows.
They should be provided.

[ben-mor]

Setup (this is what I did while I did it, this needs to be cleaned up)

1. Install some git element (e.G. GitDesktop)
2. Setup Python
   https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/
   Current Version 3.7.0
   https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.7.0/python-3.7.0-amd64.exe
   Download run, "Install now" (without customization)
   CAREFUL: I hit 'disable Path limit' on the Success page, I suspect not
   doing this is a source of unexpected problems later.

Restart Windows
Test if successful: run pip3 from shell FAIL, even though I selected
pip to be installed :(
...
Found https://mesonbuild.com/Getting-meson.html#windows-python3-quirks
Deinstalled python and installed it again in the way the quirks page
suggested.
I think the 'add Python to PATH' thing is the most important change I
did.
Second Setup Successfull page did no longer contain 'disable Path
Limit', so I assume that the changes of the first install are still
active.

Closing and opening shell, pip3 is now on the PATH.

3. Delta-Core
   git clone ...delta-core, done with Git Desktop
   opened git bash at the directory.
   Actually I downloaded Meson first, but in the middle of figuring out
   how to run it, I cloned this to make sure I have a meson buildfile
   present.

4. Meson
   https://mesonbuild.com/Getting-meson.html
   -> Installing Meson with pip
   I installed it as root.

First round did not work, but suggested that I upgrade pip from Version
10 to Version 18. I tried that.
Permission problems...
Restarted GitBash as root (from Start-Menu -> Right click -> Run as
Admin)
upgrade then worked.
Meson installation then worked.

Test: Run meson on newly opened non-root shell failed.
Restarted Windows.

Searching online, figuring out that its probably called 'meson.py'
instead. Run that, got an error, run
'python /c/Program\ Files/Python37/Scripts/meson.py'
got error from meson, so setup worked so far.

Some errors and tries later:
created a build directory in delta-core and nailed the command down to:
'python /c/Program\ Files/Python37/Scripts/meson.py . build' to be run
in delta-core directory.

Now it misses a C compiler.

5. C Compiler
   Downloading https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/de/vs/express/ Community
   Edition as contributer to an open source project.
   Selecting additional packages:
   Desktopdevelopment with C++
   Mobiledevelopment with C++
   Linuxdevelopment with C++
   (Takes forever, go to lunch here)

Starting Visual C++ for C++ Development in dark theme
Following this instructions:
http://mesonbuild.com/Using-with-Visual-Studio.html
This command worked:
python "C:\Program Files\Python37\Scripts\meson.py" builddir --backend
vs2017

--- Now you have a Visual Studio project in your builddir, that you have to compile in Visual Studio

[ben-mor]

Currently I'm stuck at building the openssl dependency, will try to work with https://wiki.openssl.org/index.php/Compilation_and_Installation#Windows to get it to work.

[ben-mor]

tracking some progress here:
https://github.com/deltachat/deltachat-core/tree/windows

[hpk42]

it'd be better to do this as a personal fork. "git pull" pulls hundred(s?) of MBs on deltachat-core. so i suggest you fork it or move the branch content to your personal fork and then we remove the branch from delta-core to get back to the time where delta-core was nice and tiny to pull :)

…

On Wed, Sep 26, 2018 at 06:43 -0700, Angelo Fuchs wrote: tracking some progress here: https://github.com/deltachat/deltachat-core/tree/windows -- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHub: #306 (comment)

[flub]

thanks for posting the updates. from what i can see you didn't update any code or meson files. from the logs it seems the only dependencies which built where zlib and sqlite. everything else, including delta-core, would need porting work, and more then just figuring the mesonbuild parts.

/cc @r10s

[ben-mor]

@hpk42 Done.
https://github.com/angelo-fuchs/deltachat-core/tree/windows

[ben-mor]

Dependencies that need to be present before delta can be build

• zlib
• sqlite
• cyrussasl
• libetpan
• openssl
• netpgp

[ben-mor]

I don't seem to be getting any progress on this, so I'll leave it for now.
@flub Maybe we can sit together in kyev for this?

[flub]

On Mon 15 Oct 2018 at 00:51 -0700, Angelo Fuchs wrote: @flub Maybe we can sit together in kyev for this?

Yes, that's a good plan

[hpk42]

FWIW mailspring (another mail app project) uses Mailcore ... which uses libetpan ... and builds on all platforms we are interested in ... see https://github.com/MailCore/mailcore2