Mokona / CMakeSDLCross

This project can serve as a reference on how to use CMake on Ubuntu to compile a SDL2 application natively and cross-compiling it to Windows.

CMakeSDLCross

Tests are made from Ubuntu 20.04.

Compilation for Ubuntu

Prerequisites

• sudo apt install build-essential
• sudo apt install libsdl2-dev
• sudo apt install cmake
  • or snap install cmake --classic to get a recent version

Build

• mkdir build
• cd build
• cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release .. (or Debug)
• make

Run

• ./sdl_sample

Thoughts

The Ubuntu version is build against system-wide installed libraries. It's ok as long as the objective is to build and run locally.

Compilation for Windows from Ubuntu

Prerequisites

• sudo apt install mingw-w64
• sudo apt install cmake
  • or snap install cmake --classic to get a recent version
• Then choose Method 1 or Method 2 below.

Build

• mkdir build_win
• cd build-win
• cmake -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=ubuntu-mingw64.cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release .. (or Debug)
• make

Run

• Some DLL needs to be accessible. By putting them in the same folder as the .exe file for example.
  • libgcc_s_sjlj-1.dll
  • libwinpthread-1.dll
  • SDL2d.dll in Debug and SDL2.dll in Release.
• wine sdl_sample.exe

Thoughts

The cross-compilation needs a SDL version compiled for the target system.

Method 1

Use the provided pre-compiled release on the SDL2 site (for example SDL2-devel-2.0.16-mingw.tar.gz).

The main problem with this prebuilt release is that it's made to be installed system-wide, but without being packaged.

Method 2

Extract SDL sources in the extern folder and use add_subdirectory.

About the Toolchain File

• The end of two paths contains a hardcoded version. Can it be made better?