Step-by-step: How to build EmulationStation on Windows

Nismo

Maybe it's because of this?:

Visual Studio Community 2015:
Use the web setup at https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/community/ selecting the following options:

Custom install
Select Visual C++->Common Tools (nothing else)
Select Common Tools->Git & GitHub
Everything else off

duiz

That's VS 2017

Nismo

@duiz I know it, that's because I use bold in 2015...

All it's working fine for me in Vs 2015.

AndroidKing

I was able to open the sln with 2017, have it update the files and continue to build with no problem. I did build with 2015 before trying 2017.

A Former User

Is there a way to compile this onto a USB? Or is there no difference?

Zigurana

@itsnitro there's no difference, just copy all the required files into the same dir on de usb.

ray3d

I tried to install and all steps run perfect except the last step to build ES in VS 2015 these are the errors are shown. How can I fix:

Severity Code Description Project File Line Suppression State Error (active) identifier "open" is undefined es-core c:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\platform.cpp 87 Error (active) identifier "close" is undefined es-core c:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\platform.cpp 89 Error C3861 'open': identifier not found es-core C:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\platform.cpp 87 Error C3861 'close': identifier not found es-core C:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\platform.cpp 89 Error C2440 'initializing': cannot convert from 'const boost::filesystem::path::value_type *' to 'std::basic_string<char,std::char_traits<char>,std::allocator<char>>' es-core C:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\Util.cpp 105 Error C2440 'initializing': cannot convert from 'const boost::filesystem::path::value_type *' to 'std::basic_string<char,std::char_traits<char>,std::allocator<char>>' es-core C:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\Util.cpp 106

Zigurana

@ray3d please put the output in a code block (three backticks + newline, see compose?) if you want people to be able to parse this.

ray3d

@zigurana Thank you ziguana for answer. I see what was the pro the problem was I made the build for both versions at the same time in same directory. Then what I did was only use the commands at post and on VS to only debug version and the build was made perfectly.

Now sorry for my ignorance but after I made the build of EmulationStation how do you run? I see in the debug directory these files:"nanosvgd.lib" and "pugixmld.lib" but not an exe sorry to ask but how do you run EmulationStation?

Zigurana

@ray3d
Are you sure the linking did succeed successfully after compilation? It would be good if you could post the complete build output logging (in a codeblock)
I have the following library files included in my Debug folder:

boost_date_time-vc140-mt-gd-1_61.dll
boost_filesystem-vc140-mt-gd-1_61.dll
boost_locale-vc140-mt-gd-1_61.dll
boost_system-vc140-mt-gd-1_61.dll
emulationstation.exe
emulationstation.ilk
emulationstation.pdb
es-cored.lib
FreeImage.dll
libcurl.dll
libvlc.dll
libvlccore.dll
nanosvgd.lib
pugixmld.lib

ray3d

You are right there is something wrong. Actually I made a re build and I have this errors now:

**Severity Code Description Project File Line Suppression State
Error C3861 'open': identifier not found es-core C:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\platform.cpp 87
Error C3861 'close': identifier not found es-core C:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\platform.cpp 89
Error C2440 'initializing': cannot convert from 'const boost::filesystem::path::value_type ' to 'std::basic_string<char,std::char_traits<char>,std::allocator<char>>' es-core C:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\Util.cpp 105
Error C2440 'initializing': cannot convert from 'const boost::filesystem::path::value_type ' to 'std::basic_string<char,std::char_traits<char>,std::allocator<char>>' es-core C:\src\EmulationStation\es-core\src\Util.cpp 106
Error C1083 Cannot open include file: 'SDL2/SDL.h': No such file or directory emulationstation C:\src\EmulationStation\es-app\src\views\ViewController.cpp 15

What could be the problem?

Zigurana

You are missing some dependencies, did cmake find all it needed? You are still only showing part of your output. Please use https://pastebin.com/ to show us all the output of a rebuild.

ray3d

Here are the logs of the cmake of EmulationStation via the developer command prompt VS 2015 :

https://pastebin.com/T4dKM21z

And here are the logs of the VS 2015 building EmulationStation:

https://pastebin.com/SNQW0k7J

Zigurana

@ray3d wait, what branch are you trying to build?
my touch() method in platform.cpp looks like:

void touch(const std::string& filename)
{
#ifdef WIN32
	FILE* fp = fopen(filename.c_str(), "ab+");
	if (fp != NULL)
		fclose(fp);
#else
	int fd = open(filename.c_str(), O_CREAT|O_WRONLY, 0644);
	if (fd >= 0)
		close(fd);
#endif
}

Looks like you are trying to build one of the older branches, that did not have the fixes to build on VS2015 yet.

ray3d

I use this like the post say:

git clone https://github.com/fieldofcows/EmulationStation.git EmulationStation

Nothing else and my touch() in platform.cpp I have:

void touch(const std::string& filename)
{
int fd = open(filename.c_str(), O_CREAT|O_WRONLY, 0644);
if (fd >= 0)
close(fd);
}

What I need to download then and from where?

Zigurana

@ray3d I see, you are cloning fieldofcows branch then.
Try this:
git clone https://github.com/RetroPie/EmulationStation.git EmulationStation
That will give you the current repository from the RetroPie branch, which you can consider the main trunk.

ray3d

@zigurana said in Step-by-step: How to build EmulationStation on Windows:

git clone https://github.com/RetroPie/EmulationStation.git EmulationStation

I arrived and tested and on the cmake I have this result now. In this case not finish the cmake:

https://pastebin.com/VyfyGMW6

jdrassa

@ray3d pugixml was converted to a submodule since this guide was written.

You will need to run

git submodule update --init

to pull down the the pugixml code.

Just curious, are you intending to work on the code or are you just looking to get an updated build for Windows?

ray3d

jdrassa thank you for the information I want to use for my personal use and totally your command fix the issue of that library. However when I build in VS 2015 I have this log:

https://pastebin.com/QcXnjAd5

Less errors but it says there it can't generate the package or install. Now I went to configuration manager in VS 2015 in the solution and I checked the deploy on both because both were unchecked. But after check I have this log with worst quantity of errors:

https://pastebin.com/uEgii9va

What could be now?

jdrassa

@ray3d The line below is your current error. Either freetype didn't build properly or the path is configured wrong.

5>LINK : fatal error LNK1104: cannot open file 'c:\src\lib\freetype-2.7\objs\vc2010\Win32\freetype27.lib'

Do you intend to modify the code at all? If not, you can download a windows build here. These builds are automatically generated whenever the RetroPie repository is updated.