What is this?
-------------
VisualBoyAdvance is a Nintendo (TM) Gameboy and GameboyAdvance emulator with
debugging capabilities.
How to compile the source
-------------------------
1. Unix
-------
ATTENTION: if you extracted the code from CVS, see the README.CVS first or
your build may fail!
The following software is needed in order to compile:
- libpng: http://www.libpng.org/pub/png/libpng.html
- zlib: http://www.gzip.org/zlib/
- libSDL: http://www.libsdl.org
- nasm (optional for x86 MMX support): http://nasm.sourceforge.net/
- GCC 3.x: in order to compile VBA, you will GCC 3.x or greater because of
a really bad bug in GCC 2.95 where it allocates an immense amount of
memory in order to compile GBA.cpp. If you really want to test it with
GCC 2.95, try exporting CXXFLAGS=-g to avoid optimizations (or try
different levels of optimization like -O1 or -O0)
Extra software needed to compile the GTK+ GUI:
- gtkmm (>= 2.0): http://www.gtkmm.org/
- libglademm (>= 2.1): http://www.gtkmm.org/
Unpack the sources from the tar.gz file, then run the configure script.
The following extra options may be used to configure the generated executables:
--enable-c-core enable C core (default is no on x86 targets)
--enable-profiling enable profiling (default is yes)
--enable-dev enable development features (default is yes)
--with-mmx use MMX (default is yes on x86 targets)
GUI selection options:
--enable-sdl build the SDL interface (default is yes)
--enable-gtk build the GTK+ interface (default is no)
--enable-gtk=2.4 build the GTK+ interface with gtkmm 2.4
More options:
--help display all options
After configure completes, just issue the make command. If it all goes well,
you will have the emulator compiled in the src directory. Issuing the
make install command will install the executables into the /usr/local/bin
directory (subject to change).
The emulator code should work in both big and little endian computers.
See the section after the Windows one for more information on the configure
script.
The binaries are called this way:
- the SDL interface: VisualBoyAdvance
- the GTK+ interface: gvba
2. Windows
----------
2.1 Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition
-----------------------------------
If you want to use the free express edition of Visual C++ 2005,
you have to do the following steps prior to the normal setup procedure of Visual C++/Studio 2005:
!!! You will not be able to build the MFC (GUI) version of VBA, only the SDL build will succeed !!!
- First download and install VC++ 2005 Express from http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualC/default.aspx
- Now follow the guide at http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms235626.aspx
- Now continue with section [2.2]
2.2 Visual C++ 2005
-------------------
Needed software:
- Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 (buy if not using Express Edition or if MFC build is required)
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/visualc/
> You do not need the DLL runtimes and the .NET Framework
- Microsoft Platform SDK (free, optional, essential only for express edition)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=E15438AC-60BE-41BD-AA14-7F1E0F19CA0D&displaylang=en
- Microsoft DirectX 9.0 SDK (free, essential)
> http://msdn.com/directx/sdk
(August 2006 version as I write these lines)
- Yasm (free, essential)
> http://www.tortall.net/projects/yasm/
> Follow the install guide at http://www.tortall.net/projects/yasm/wiki/VisualStudio2005
- AMD CodeAnalyst (optional, AMD CPU required)
> http://developer.amd.com/cawin.aspx?session_id=FB$37649@DJEBIGID
> Free and easy profiling for AMD CPUs (32bit and 64bit), Visual Studio 2005 plugin
Those are all packages for now. The VBA source also includes the
sources and/or binaries of various free libraries for zip and image support.
Those can be accessed through the "dependencies" folder in the main
solution file. The main solution file includes references to all files
for all platforms. At the moment, only MFC and SDL build targets for
32bit Windows are configured. GTK+ and 64bit Windows support are also possible,
but are not yet added for several reasons.
You can now open the project file: "win32/vba_vs2005.sln".
Info: If you use the express edition of VC++ 2005, you will receive three neglectable warnings.
2.3 Visual C++ 6.0 and Visual C++ 2002
--------------------------------------
Needed software:
- nasm: see above for URL. Install it in the default directory
- Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 or greater: to compile
The win32 directory contains Microsoft Visual Studio workspace files needed
to compile the project with Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 or greater.
The gba.dsp workspace compiles the full Windows version and gba_sdl.dsp
compiles the Windows SDL version.
Solutions for Visual C++ .NET are also available: gba.sln and gba_sdl.sln
The Windows version contains three possible configurations:
- Debug: full debugging of the emulator is possible
- Release: optimized version for GBA developers
- ReleaseNoDev: optimized version without development features
Basic Installation
==================
These are generic installation instructions.
The `configure' shell script attempts to guess correct values for
various system-dependent variables used during compilation. It uses
those values to create a `Makefile' in each directory of the package.
It may also create one or more `.h' files containing system-dependent
definitions. Finally, it creates a shell script `config.status' that
you can run in the future to recreate the current configuration, a file
`config.cache' that saves the results of its tests to speed up
reconfiguring, and a file `config.log' containing compiler output
(useful mainly for debugging `configure').
If you need to do unusual things to compile the package, please try
to figure out how `configure' could check whether to do them, and mail
diffs or instructions to the address given in the `README' so they can
be considered for the next release. If at some point `config.cache'
contains results you don't want to keep, you may remove or edit it.
The file `configure.in' is used to create `configure' by a program
called `autoconf'. You only need `configure.in' if you want to change
it or regenerate `configure' using a newer version of `autoconf'.
The simplest way to compile this package is:
1. `cd' to the directory containing the package's source code and type
`./configure' to configure the package for your system. If you're
using `csh' on an old version of System V, you might need to type
`sh ./configure' instead to prevent `csh' from trying to execute
`configure' itself.
Running `configure' takes awhile. While running, it prints some
messages telling which features it is checking for.
2. Type `make' to compile the package.
3. Optionally, type `make check' to run any self-tests that come with
the package.
4. Type `make install' to install the programs and any data files and
documentation.
5. You can remove the program binaries and object files from the
source code directory by typing `make clean'. To also remove the
files that `configure' created (so you can compile the package for
a different kind of computer), type `make distclean'. There is
also a `make maintainer-clean' target, but that is intended mainly
for the package's developers. If you use it, you may have to get
all sorts of other programs in order to regenerate files that came
with the distribution.
Compilers and Options
=====================
Some systems require unusual options for compilation or linking that
the `configure' script does not know about. You can give `configure'
initial values for variables by setting them in the environment. Using
a Bourne-compatible shell, you can do that on the command line like
this:
CC=c89 CFLAGS=-O2 LIBS=-lposix ./configure
Or on systems that have the `env' program, you can do it like this:
env CPPFLAGS=-I/usr/local/include LDFLAGS=-s ./configure
Compiling For Multiple Architectures
====================================
You can compile the package for more than one kind of computer at the
same time, by placing the object files for each architecture in their
own directory. To do this, you must use a version of `make' that
supports the `VPATH' variable, such as GNU `make'. `cd' to the
directory where you want the object files and executables to go and run
the `configure' script. `configure' automatically checks for the
source code in the directory that `configure' is in and in `..'.
If you have to use a `make' that does not supports the `VPATH'
variable, you have to compile the package for one architecture at a time
in the source code directory. After you have installed the package for
one architecture, use `make distclean' before reconfiguring for another
architecture.
Installation Names
==================
By default, `make install' will install the package's files in
`/usr/local/bin', `/usr/local/man', etc. You can specify an
installation prefix other than `/usr/local' by giving `configure' the
option `--prefix=PATH'.
You can specify separate installation prefixes for
architecture-specific files and architecture-independent files. If you
give `configure' the option `--exec-prefix=PATH', the package will use
PATH as the prefix for installing programs and libraries.
Documentation and other data files will still use the regular prefix.
In addition, if you use an unusual directory layout you can give
options like `--bindir=PATH' to specify different values for particular
kinds of files. Run `configure --help' for a list of the directories
you can set and what kinds of files go in them.
If the package supports it, you can cause programs to be installed
with an extra prefix or suffix on their names by giving `configure' the
option `--program-prefix=PREFIX' or `--program-suffix=SUFFIX'.
Optional Features
=================
Some packages pay attention to `--enable-FEATURE' options to
`configure', where FEATURE indicates an optional part of the package.
They may also pay attention to `--with-PACKAGE' options, where PACKAGE
is something like `gnu-as' or `x' (for the X Window System). The
`README' should mention any `--enable-' and `--with-' options that the
package recognizes.
For packages that use the X Window System, `configure' can usually
find the X include and library files automatically, but if it doesn't,
you can use the `configure' options `--x-includes=DIR' and
`--x-libraries=DIR' to specify their locations.
Specifying the System Type
==========================
There may be some features `configure' can not figure out
automatically, but needs to determine by the type of host the package
will run on. Usually `configure' can figure that out, but if it prints
a message saying it can not guess the host type, give it the
`--host=TYPE' option. TYPE can either be a short name for the system
type, such as `sun4', or a canonical name with three fields:
CPU-COMPANY-SYSTEM
See the file `config.sub' for the possible values of each field. If
`config.sub' isn't included in this package, then this package doesn't
need to know the host type.
If you are building compiler tools for cross-compiling, you can also
use the `--target=TYPE' option to select the type of system they will
produce code for and the `--build=TYPE' option to select the type of
system on which you are compiling the package.
Sharing Defaults
================
If you want to set default values for `configure' scripts to share,
you can create a site shell script called `config.site' that gives
default values for variables like `CC', `cache_file', and `prefix'.
`configure' looks for `PREFIX/share/config.site' if it exists, then
`PREFIX/etc/config.site' if it exists. Or, you can set the
`CONFIG_SITE' environment variable to the location of the site script.
A warning: not all `configure' scripts look for a site script.
Operation Controls
==================
`configure' recognizes the following options to control how it
operates.
`--cache-file=FILE'
Use and save the results of the tests in FILE instead of
`./config.cache'. Set FILE to `/dev/null' to disable caching, for
debugging `configure'.
`--help'
Print a summary of the options to `configure', and exit.
`--quiet'
`--silent'
`-q'
Do not print messages saying which checks are being made. To
suppress all normal output, redirect it to `/dev/null' (any error
messages will still be shown).
`--srcdir=DIR'
Look for the package's source code in directory DIR. Usually
`configure' can determine that directory automatically.
`--version'
Print the version of Autoconf used to generate the `configure'
script, and exit.
`configure' also accepts some other, not widely useful, options.
