eclipse cdt: add include path from pkg-config

Question

i want to add a dynamic configuration path (generated from pkg-config) to my project. (this is basically for third-party dependencies like boost, so workspace includes is not appropiate, and filesystem include neither because that would be hardcoded and every developer would have to change that manually)

i am on project properties->c++ general->paths and symbols->includes tab->add...->add directory path->variables but i can only select among existing variables, how do i create a new variable dynamically generated from a command line program? like pkg-config --cflags boost-1.43?

this is easy to do in netbeans; you just add the pkg-config commandline with the backquotes in the build additional options and it resolves the build include and even in theory it should update the indexer (although truth be said, last time the indexer was correctly updating from pkg-config was on netbeans 6.8, it has been broken on 6.9 and 6.9.1)

i read this StackOverflow post but i still not sure how it helps this specific case

i read somewhere that you can use $(shell pkg-config...) to generate environment variables but not sure where to place the command

if there is no easy out of the box solution i'll try the script in this blog post

btw, i'm using eclipse helios -cdt 7

thanks!

Answer 1

Pkg-config support is finally coming to CDT and will be finished on August.

http://code.google.com/p/pkg-config-support-for-eclipse-cdt/

Answer 2

you can use $(shell pkg-config --cflags your_libs) in:

Project properties->C/C++ Build->Settings->"Tools Settings" tab->**C Compiler**->Miscellaneous->Other Flags

and

you can use

$(shell pkg-config **--libs** your_libs) 

in

Project properties->C/C++ Build->Settings->"Tools Settings" tab->**C Linker**->Miscellaneous->Other Flags

if the linker doesn't link, make sure (for example in the build console window) that the pkg-config flags appear after the objects to link. you can do this in properties->C/C++ Build->Settings->"Tools Settings" tab->C Linker->Command line pattern moving ${FLAGS} to the end :

from this (for example) :

${COMMAND} **${FLAGS}** ${OUTPUT_FLAG} ${OUTPUT_PREFIX}${OUTPUT} **${INPUTS}**

to this :

${COMMAND} ${OUTPUT_FLAG} ${OUTPUT_PREFIX}${OUTPUT} **${INPUTS} ${FLAGS}**

Answer 3

In eclipse 4.3.2 at least, it looks as though it's possible to simply add

`pkg-config --libs <mylibname>`

in Project->Properties->C/C++ Build->Settings->GCC {C|C++} Linker->Miscellaneous->Linker Flags

similarly

`pkg-config --cflags <mylibname>`

in Project->Properties->C/C++ Build->Settings->GCC {C|C++} Compiler->Miscellaneous->Other Flags

Answer 4

what i found so far is that you can do

project-> properties-> c++ build-> build variables

add a new variable of string type. Call it whatever you like:

UNITTEST_CPP_CXXFLAGS

then set as its value: $(shell pkg-config --cflags unittest-cpp)

the go to project properties-> c++ general -> path and symbols, includes. Select languages c++, otherwise it defaults to assembly source file. Click add. On the add directory path, click variables... (because we want to add the variable we have just created)

type the name of the variable (UNITTEST_CPP_CXXFLAGS), press enter and ok

when you rebuild the result of the shell command is replaced in a -I option (for the gnu gcc toolchain at least), in general pkg-config output might include one or more -I so this won't work. Lets go to c++ build->settings->tool settings->gcc c++ compiler->miscellaneous. In there, add ${UNITTEST_CPP_CXXFLAGS} to the other flags.

now the include will be added, but there is no hope of getting the indexer to browse those include!