docs/reference/gtk/compiling.sgml

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<refentry id="gtk-compiling">
<refmeta>
<refentrytitle>Compiling GTK+ Applications</refentrytitle>
<manvolnum>3</manvolnum>
<refmiscinfo>GTK Library</refmiscinfo>
</refmeta>

<refnamediv>
<refname>Compiling GTK+ Applications</refname>
<refpurpose>
How to compile your GTK+ application
</refpurpose>
</refnamediv>

<refsect1>
<title>Compiling GTK+ Applications on UNIX</title>

<para>
To compile a GTK+ application, you need to tell the compiler where to
find the GTK+ header files and libraries. This is done with the
<literal>pkg-config</literal> utility.
</para>
<para>
The following interactive shell session demonstrates how
<literal>pkg-config</literal> is used (the actual output on
your system may be different):
<programlisting>
$ pkg-config --cflags gtk+-3.0
 -pthread -I/usr/include/gtk-3.0 -I/usr/lib64/gtk-3.0/include -I/usr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/cairo -I/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0 -I/usr/lib64/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/include/pixman-1 -I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/libpng12
$ pkg-config --libs gtk+-3.0
 -pthread -lgtk-3 -lgdk-3 -latk-1.0 -lgio-2.0 -lpangoft2-1.0 -lgdk_pixbuf-2.0 -lpangocairo-1.0 -lcairo -lpango-1.0 -lfreetype -lfontconfig -lgobject-2.0 -lgmodule-2.0 -lgthread-2.0 -lrt -lglib-2.0
</programlisting>
</para>
<para>
The simplest way to compile a program is to use the "backticks"
feature of the shell. If you enclose a command in backticks
(<emphasis>not single quotes</emphasis>), then its output will be
substituted into the command line before execution. So to compile
a GTK+ Hello, World, you would type the following:
<programlisting>
$ cc `pkg-config --cflags gtk+-3.0` hello.c -o hello `pkg-config --libs gtk+-3.0`
</programlisting>
</para>

<para>
Deprecated GTK+ functions are annotated to make the compiler
emit warnings when they are used (e.g. with gcc, you need to use
the -Wdeprecated-declarations option). If these warnings are
problematic, they can be turned off by defining the preprocessor
symbol %GDK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS by using the commandline
option <literal>-DGDK_DISABLE_DEPRECATION_WARNINGS</literal>
</para>

<para>
GTK+ deprecation annotations are versioned; by defining the
macros %GDK_VERSION_MIN_REQUIRED and %GDK_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED,
you can specify the range of GTK+ versions whose API you want
to use. APIs that were deprecated before or introduced after
this range will trigger compiler warnings.
</para>

<para>
Here is how you would compile hello.c if you want to allow it
to use symbols that were not deprecated in 3.2:
<programlisting>
$ cc `pkg-config --cflags gtk+-3.0` -DGDK_VERSION_MIN_REQIRED=GDK_VERSION_3_2 hello.c -o hello `pkg-config --libs gtk+-3.0`
</programlisting>
</para>

<para>
And here is how you would compile hello.c if you don't want
it to use any symbols that were introduced after 3.4:
<programlisting>
$ cc `pkg-config --cflags gtk+-3.0` -DGDK_VERSION_MAX_ALLOWED=GDK_VERSION_3_4 hello.c -o hello `pkg-config --libs gtk+-3.0`
</programlisting>
</para>

<para>
The older deprecation mechanism of hiding deprecated interfaces
entirely from the compiler by using the preprocessor symbol
GTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATED is still used for deprecated macros,
enumeration values, etc. To detect uses of these in your code,
use the commandline option <literal>-DGTK_DISABLE_DEPRECATED</literal>.
There are similar symbols GDK_DISABLE_DEPRECATED,
GDK_PIXBUF_DISABLE_DEPRECATED and G_DISABLE_DEPRECATED for GDK, GdkPixbuf and
GLib.
</para>

<para>
Similarly, if you want to make sure that your program doesn't use any
functions which may be problematic in a multidevice setting, you can
define the preprocessor symbol GDK_MULTIDEVICE_SAFE by using the command
line option <literal>-DGTK_MULTIDEVICE_SAFE=1</literal>.
</para>

  <refsect2>
    <title>Useful autotools macros</title>

    <para>
      GTK+ provides various macros for easily checking version and backends
      supported. The macros are
      <variablelist>
        <varlistentry>
          <term>AM_PATH_GTK_3_0([minimum-version], [if-found], [if-not-found], [modules])</term>
          <listitem>This macro should be used to check that GTK+ is installed
          and available for compilation. The four arguments are optional, and
          they are: <emphasis>minimum-version</emphasis>, the minimum version
          of GTK+ required for compilation; <emphasis>if-found</emphasis>, the
          action to perform if a valid version of GTK+ has been found;
          <emphasis>if-not-found</emphasis>, the action to perform if a valid
          version of GTK+ has not been found; <emphasis>modules</emphasis>, a
          list of modules to be checked along with GTK+.</listitem>
        </varlistentry>
        <varlistentry>
          <term>GTK_CHECK_BACKEND([backend-name], [minimum-version], [if-found], [if-not-found])</term>
          <listitem>This macro should be used to check if a specific backend
          is supported by GTK+. The <emphasis>minimum-version</emphasis>,
          <emphasis>if-found</emphasis> and <emphasis>if-not-found</emphasis>
          arguments are optional.</listitem>
        </varlistentry>
      </variablelist>
    </para>
  </refsect2>

</refsect1>
</refentry>