Re: How to create shared library(dll) without lib prefix ?

[Roumen Petrov]

I prepare two possible patches against libtool version 1.5.22. Both 
patches change "soname_spec" if flag to avoid lib-prefix is set.

1.) libtool-1.5.22.ACNOPREFIX.patch
This patch define autoconf macro AC_LIBTOOL_NOSHPREFIX.
In is suitable for  project, as example libiconv, where build with 
non-gcc win32 compilers produce dlls without lib-prefix. In this case 
author{s} can put AC_LIBTOOL_NOSHPREFIX in configure[.in|ac] to ensure 
compatible dlls for mingw builds.

2.) libtool-1.5.22.ARGPREFIX.patch
This patch add argument --without-dllprefix to configure, so that 
package creator(distributors) can decide how to create dlls.


Please comment,
Roumen


Roumen Petrov wrote:
> Let a project use libtool to make libraries.
>
> In case of mingw build (cross-compilation) in many cases is good dll 
> to be without lib prefix.
> In these cases cross-compilation can create dlls with same names as 
> native build and those dlls can be used instead native build.
> The name of import library can left libNAME.dll.a.
>
> When building shared libraries on unix usually Makefile.am contain 
> lib_LTLIBRARIES = lib<NAME>.la and result is lib<NAME>.so...
> It is similar to case for pcre.la (topic "dll names on windows") but 
> with lib-prefix for la-file.
>
>
> How to do this?
>
>
> Notes:
>
> - libtool macro AC_LIBTOOL_SYS_DYNAMIC_LINKER don't preserve 
> "libname_spec" set by CONFIG_SITE so that I cannot use 
> "libname_spec="\$name"" in CONFIG_SITE file;
>
> - same for "soname_spec";
>
> - LDFLAGS -module is only to inform automake that we use "nonstandard" 
> name, i.e without lib prefix.
> This is not my case since for other systems lib prefix is fine.
> Also note that with argument "-module" file is installed in libdir (!) 
> and without in bindir;
>
> - to use def-file with content "LIBRARY NAME.dll" and to pass to 
> linker by example with -export-symbols.
> In this case import library "libNAME.dll.a" is created for "NAME.dll" 
> but dll-name is "libNAME.dll".
> We can rename dll (to remove lib prefix) and in file "libNAME.la" to 
> remove lib-prefix in dlname.
> In this case libtool will install "NAME.dll", i.e. without lib prefix, 
> but create in libdir la-file with dlname='../bin/libNAME.dll' so that 
> we should edit again.
>
>
> More info:
> Command:
> $i386-mingw32msvc-gcc -shared  ... -o .libs/<NAME>.dll ... -Xlinker 
> --out-implib -Xlinker .libs/lib<NAME>.dll.a"
> create dll without lib prefix and put <NAME>.dll in import library.
>
>
> Roumen


--- libtool.m4.SHPREFIX 2006-01-18 04:42:04.000000000 +0200
+++ libtool.m4  2007-07-23 00:04:51.000000000 +0300
@@ -200,6 +200,8 @@
 AC_PROVIDE_IFELSE([AC_LIBTOOL_DLOPEN], enable_dlopen=yes, enable_dlopen=no)
 AC_PROVIDE_IFELSE([AC_LIBTOOL_WIN32_DLL],
 enable_win32_dll=yes, enable_win32_dll=no)
+AC_PROVIDE_IFELSE([AC_LIBTOOL_NOSHPREFIX],
+avoid_shprefix=yes, avoid_shprefix=no)
 
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([libtool-lock],
     [AC_HELP_STRING([--disable-libtool-lock],
@@ -1328,8 +1330,12 @@
       sys_lib_search_path_spec="/usr/lib /lib/w32api /lib /usr/local/lib"
       ;;
     mingw*)
-      # MinGW DLLs use traditional 'lib' prefix
+      if test x$avoid_shprefix = xyes; then
+        soname_spec='${name}`echo ${release} | $SED -e 
's/[[.]]/-/g'`${versuffix}${shared_ext}'
+      else
+        # use traditional 'lib' prefix
       soname_spec='${libname}`echo ${release} | $SED -e 
's/[[.]]/-/g'`${versuffix}${shared_ext}'
+      fi
       sys_lib_search_path_spec=`$CC -print-search-dirs | grep "^libraries:" | 
$SED -e "s/^libraries://" -e "s,=/,/,g"`
       if echo "$sys_lib_search_path_spec" | [grep ';[c-zC-Z]:/' >/dev/null]; 
then
         # It is most probably a Windows format PATH printed by
@@ -1902,6 +1908,14 @@
 ])# AC_LIBTOOL_WIN32_DLL
 
 
+# AC_LIBTOOL_NOSHPREFIX
+# --------------------
+# blabla...
+AC_DEFUN([AC_LIBTOOL_NOSHPREFIX],
+[AC_BEFORE([$0], [AC_LIBTOOL_SETUP])
+])# AC_LIBTOOL_NOSHPREFIX
+
+
 # AC_ENABLE_SHARED([DEFAULT])
 # ---------------------------
 # implement the --enable-shared flag

--- libtool.m4.ARGPREFIX        2006-01-18 04:42:04.000000000 +0200
+++ libtool.m4  2007-07-24 23:13:04.000000000 +0300
@@ -1328,8 +1328,17 @@
       sys_lib_search_path_spec="/usr/lib /lib/w32api /lib /usr/local/lib"
       ;;
     mingw*)
-      # MinGW DLLs use traditional 'lib' prefix
-      soname_spec='${libname}`echo ${release} | $SED -e 
's/[[.]]/-/g'`${versuffix}${shared_ext}'
+      AC_ARG_WITH([dllprefix],
+        [AS_HELP_STRING([--without-dllprefix],
+          [disable traditional 'lib' dll-prefix])],
+        [],
+        [with_dllprefix=no])
+      if test x$with_dllprefix = xyes; then
+        # use traditional 'lib' prefix
+        soname_spec='${libname}`echo ${release} | $SED -e 
's/[[.]]/-/g'`${versuffix}${shared_ext}'
+      else
+        soname_spec='${name}`echo ${release} | $SED -e 
's/[[.]]/-/g'`${versuffix}${shared_ext}'
+      fi
       sys_lib_search_path_spec=`$CC -print-search-dirs | grep "^libraries:" | 
$SED -e "s/^libraries://" -e "s,=/,/,g"`
       if echo "$sys_lib_search_path_spec" | [grep ';[c-zC-Z]:/' >/dev/null]; 
then
         # It is most probably a Windows format PATH printed by