Linux Program can't find Shared Library at run-time

Question

I\'m trying to compile a linux program, id3v2, and it says it is can\'t find the appropriate library:

id3v2: error while loading shared libraries: libid3-3.8.so         


        

Answer 1

Symlinks on libraries work fine, as long as the final target they trace to exists and is accessible.

You have built a dynamically-linked executable, that wishes to be linked against libid3-3.8.so.3 at execution time. This was likely linked during the build phase with something like -L/path/to/libid3/directory -lid3.

You have a few options to make libid3 available, in generally decreasing order of preference (since you didn't mention where the file was, I can only be general):

• Create a symlink to libid3* in a directory listed in /etc/ld.so.conf (or /lib or /usr/lib)
• Copy libid3* to a directory listed in /etc/ld.so.conf (or /lib or /usr/lib) (defaults)
• Add the directory containing libid3* to /etc/ld.so.conf
• Set LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/directory/path/to/libid3* before running your id3v2 executable.
• Recompile id3v2 statically. (It will work, but don't bother.)

After any of the first 3, rerun ldconfig so the linker cache is updated. (You can then run ldconfig -v to verify it's resolvable.)

Note those aren't steps, they're options. You only need to do 1 of them.

Glad you updated the title. #include directives have nothing to do with linking.