README.crosser

 Notes about Crosser-based Windows Installers
=============================================

Crosser is an environment used to cross-compile freeciv
Installers for Windows targets on a linux build host.
Crosser home page is at https://www.cazfi.net/crosser/
Crosser development happens on Debian and Ubuntu LTS
versions - be prepared to adjusting things yourself
if you try to use some distribution not a Debian derivative.


 Crosser version
================

Scripts to create installers require specific crosser version
(MAJOR.MINOR, or "CROSSER_FEATURE_LEVEL") to know what exact files
they need to package with freeciv.
See CROSSER_FEATURE_LEVEL on top of winbuild.sh and meson-winbuild.sh
under platforms/windows/installer_cross/ to see what is
the crosser version currently supported and required.


 Using docker container for building with crosser
=================================================

Later chapters tell how to setup crosser build environment
to a linux environment. Alternatively, one can now use
docker container for which the environment is set up
automatically. Setup script for such a container is available from
https://github.com/freeciv/freeciv-environments
git repository, in directory "dockers/builders/crosser/"


 Setting up crosser build environment
=====================================

Download win64stack-full-<version>.7z from
https://sourceforge.net/projects/crosser/

Unpack downloaded package under /usr/crosser/
(likely you need to create that directory - or to create
it as a symbolic link to another location)
so that after unpacking you will have, e.g.
/usr/crosser/win64stack-full-2.5/

Install MinGW cross-compiler, also for C++.
On Debian derivatives those packages are
- mingw-w64
- g++-mingw-w64

Other requirements
- nsis

TODO: Find out what other native side requirements
      crosser build has and list them.
      At least 'ninja' is needed, in case of meson
      based build.


 Building Windows Installers with crosser
=========================================

If everything is set up correctly, easiest way
to do the build is to run either
> ./meson-build_all_installer.sh (meson based build)
or
> ./build_all_installer.sh (autotools based build)
on platforms/windows/installer_cross/.
Currently these scripts need to be run on their own
directory, and they produce their output there
(within freeciv tree). If everything success, final
installers are generated to meson/output/
or autotools/output/