Building FORM failed by passing `Windows API` option

[TaiXeflar]

I'm trying to make FORM by doing configure with this command in Cygwin environment:

./configure --prefix='/cygdrive/c/FORM' --with-api='windows'

The configuration was success but execute make command and returns make error:(No need to care about Traditional Chinese)

collect2: 錯誤：ld 回傳 1
make[1]: *** [Makefile:951: form.exe] 錯誤 1
make[1]: 離開目錄「/cygdrive/c/Users/TaiXeflar/Desktop/Form/form_x_cyg/sources」
make: *** [Makefile:405: check-recursive] 錯誤 1

Idk whether is somewhere link error or anything else wrong. Is --with-api=windows option not works? Also can I ask if I can select compilers like MSVC by passing some prefix?

Here's full command here:

autoreconf -i
./configure --prefix='/cygdrive/c/FORM' --with-api='windows'
make check

Thanks

[tueda]

The Windows API is not officially supported, and not well tested, in particular on the master branch. But at least it (partially) works on the 4.3 branch with Mingw-w64 tools (see also the Deploy Action). You can select the compilers by, for example, CC=/path/to/cc and CXX=/path/to/c++ in the configuration.

Though you have not shown the link error message, my first guess is that you need to follow the Cygwin FAQ: 6.12. How do I use Windows API calls?. Namely, you may need to explicitly link required libraries, which can be done by using LIBS=-lmissinglibrary etc. in the configuration.

[TaiXeflar]

I've folled windows API calls solution and have cross test on both Cygwin and MSYS2(UCRT, MINGW64). Then I use 4.2 version to make It.

Here's the command line:

autoreconf -i
./configure --prefix="C:/Developer/opt/form/4.2" --with-api="windows"
make

And it returns error like this:

diagrams.c: At top level:
diagrams.c:639:5: error: conflicting types for 'DoShattering'; have 'int(FORM_WORD *, FORM_WORD **, FORM_WORD *, FORM_WORD)' {aka 'int(int *, int **, int *, int)'}
  639 | int DoShattering(PHEAD WORD *connect, WORD *environ, WORD *partitions, WORD nvert)
      |     ^~~~~~~~~~~~
declare.h:534:15: note: previous declaration of 'DoShattering' with type 'int(FORM_WORD *, FORM_WORD *, FORM_WORD *, FORM_WORD)' {aka 'int(int *, int *, int *, int)'}
  534 | extern int    DoShattering(PHEAD WORD *,WORD *,WORD *,WORD);
      |               ^~~~~~~~~~~~
make[2]: *** [Makefile:1397: form-diagrams.o] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory '/c/Users/TaiXeflar/Desktop/MAKE/form-4.2.1/sources'
make[1]: *** [Makefile:404: all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory '/c/Users/TaiXeflar/Desktop/MAKE/form-4.2.1'
make: *** [Makefile:345: all] Error 2

[tueda]

I am not sure why you are using the old 4.2 source, but please use >= 4.3.0 or pick up this patch: https://github.com/vermaseren/form/commit/07ea6e9609a6cfed011b15d5ecc99c08bb683ce5

[TaiXeflar]

Thanks. I re-used 4.3.1 version source code and run make successfully.