Windows 11 bug: Instead of .exe file StaticCompiler.jl creates two files: hello.ll and wrapper.c

[JohnClaw]

I typed intsructions from readme:

using StaticCompiler, StaticTools
hello() = println(c"Hello, world!")
compile_executable(hello, (), "c:/binary")

[PhilippeMaincon]

I find the same behaviour on Windows 10.

StaticCompiler.jl on Windows would be incredibly useful for me. I am not competent to help with compiling, alas.

[bluebug]

The code causing the problem is here, \c should be /c:

cmd \c clang # Not clear if the cmd \c is necessary

[PhilippeMaincon]

I made the change (on my machine) as @bluebug suggests, and this causes an error (which actually means progress):
'clang' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

I assume clang is a C compiler.

Do I already have clang installed with Julia and/or StaticCompiler.jl and I need to do something to make CMD know about it, or is clang not a part of the installation, and I have to install clang myself?

[bluebug]

I made the change (on my machine) as @bluebug suggests, and this causes an error (which actually means progress): 'clang' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

I assume clang is a C compiler.

Do I already have clang installed with Julia and/or StaticCompiler.jl and I need to do something to make CMD know about it, or is clang not a part of the installation, and I have to install clang myself?

I'm using clang.exe from preinstalled llvm and add "C:\Program Files\LLVM\bin" into windows paths.

clang --version 
clang version 17.0.6 
Target: x86_64-pc-windows-msvc 
Thread model: posix 
InstalledDir: C:\Program Files\LLVM\bin 

maybe you can find clang.exe from the path "C:\Users\yourname\.julia\artifacts"

[Thomas008]

The problem is in the function generate_executable() of StaticCopmiler.jl in the line
cmd \c clang # Not clear ...
It must be
cmd /c clang

It is kind of a typo that was unfortunately integrated.

[Thomas008]

The clang.exe in the artifacts does not work for Windows, as pointed out in JuliaPackaging/Yggdrasil#8015
There are versions of clang that work for Windows. They have to be integrated into the Clang_jll - package, i.e. into the artifacts.

[PhilippeMaincon]

Hi @Thomas008.

First, thank you for developping StaticCompiler, that's a very important work.

From JuliaPackaging/Yggdrasil#8015, I get the impression you have a workaround, using a local clang installation.

If that is the case, a "how to" (starting from installing clang) would be very valuable. Do you get an executable from releases.llvm.org ? Do we need to install LLVM or just Clang...?

[Thomas008]

Hi @PhilippeMaincon
thank you! Just a correction: I did not develop StaticCompiler, but adapt it to Windows. Yes, I did a workaround.
First you would add the package StaticCompiler. However, the file StaticCompiler.jl has still a small bug:
The line must be cmd /c clang (instead of cmd \c clang) as mentioned above.
Second, you need a clang that works for Windows. You probably don't need the whole LLVM project, only clang. The clang versions I used for Windows are e.g. on
https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases/tag/llvmorg-17.0.5
and
https://github.com/mstorsjo/llvm-mingw/releases

However, we want to have repaired the clang in the artifact of the package Clang_jll, such that in StaticCompiler.jl one can use the function clang() provided by the package Clang_jll instead of applying cmd /c clang.

[anthonyanikos]

Hello, can i ask, this is not solved yet? I have absolutely same problems on Windows and dont understand what do ;(

[Thomas008]

One problem is that on Windows the clang in the artifact of Clang_jll does not work yet. You have to install a clang that works on Windows on your own. Do you have clang?

[anthonyanikos]

We made it! (c)

1. Run vs_BuildTools.exe and check:
   a) MSVC 143 - VS 2022.
   b). CMake c++ for Windows
   c). SDK For windows 10 (latest)

2. Get here https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases/tag/llvmorg-17.0.5
   and https://github.com/mstorsjo/llvm-mingw/releases
   LLVM-17.0.5-win64.exe and install

3. My julia was 1.10.5 win 64

after it:

Pkg.add("StaticCompiler") and may be also StaticTools

and:

using StaticCompiler, StaticTools
hello() = println(c"Hello, world!")
compile_executable(hello, (), "c:/binary")

will generate u exe near 100kb.

Thank u a lot to everyone who made it possible!

Can anybody say, how can i compile .jl file?

Anthony

[Thomas008]

Congratulations!

Can anybody say, how can i compile .jl file?

I don't know, what you mean. In the example you described, you compile the function hello() (that is implemented within some jl-file).

[bluebug]

Belated test(√ passed):

1. remove LLVM from path
2. update StaticCompiler to new version
3. switch julia from 1.11.0 rc3 to 1.10.5
4. test hello code

windows 11
julia 1.10.5
StaticCompiler v0.7.2
=============
clang version 18.1.4
Target: x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
Thread model: posix
InstalledDir: D:\llvm18\bin

using StaticCompiler, StaticTools
hello() = println(c"Hello, world!")
paths = ENV["PATH"] * ";D:\\llvm18\\bin"
withenv("PATH"=>paths) do
           compile_executable(hello, (), "./")
end

"E:\\codes\\test\\hello.exe"

Additional test(× not passed):

1. add Clang
2. with path of clang.exe in Clang
3. test hello code

using StaticCompiler, StaticTools
using Clang
hello() = println(c"Hello, world!")
paths = ENV["PATH"] * ";" * Clang.LLVM_DIR * "tools"
withenv("PATH"=>paths) do
           compile_executable(hello, (), "./")
end

ERROR: failed process: Process(`clang -Wno-override-module ./wrapper.c ./hello.ll -o ./hello.exe`, ProcessExited(3221225781)) [3221225781]

some guesses:

1. Clang(v15) is outdated
2. when execute clang.exe in Clang.LLVM_DIR * "tools" has not output in window terminal also

[anthonyanikos]

Hello! Thank u a lot.
I am stucked with stupid may be problem:
How can i use println(c"Hello") with some string variable instead "Hello" ?

my_str="Hello"
println(my_str)

I ve tested tens of variants with C-like string, memory aloc functions with no luck - Julia is arguing me with symbol outrange

error LNK2019: reference to an unresolved external symbol ijl_apply_generic in function julia_println_1162.

thank u a lot!
Anyway it's cool to have highlevel language with C compilation.. Still impressed! WOW! Its like may be Mojo but works on Windows!!!

[bluebug]

Hello! Thank u a lot. I am stucked with stupid may be problem: How can i use println(c"Hello") with some string variable instead "Hello" ?

my_str="Hello" println(my_str)

I ve tested tens of variants with C-like string, memory aloc functions with no luck - Julia is arguing me with symbol outrange

error LNK2019: reference to an unresolved external symbol ijl_apply_generic in function julia_println_1162.

thank u a lot! Anyway it's cool to have highlevel language with C compilation.. Still impressed! WOW! Its like may be Mojo but works on Windows!!!

you should take a look at StaticTools, c"Hello" => StaticTools.@c_str("Hello") => StaticTools.StaticString("Hello"), so you can use StaticTools.@c_str(my_str) or StaticTools.StaticString(my_str).

help?> StaticTools.@c_str
  @c_str -> StaticString

  Construct a StaticString, such as c"Foo".

  A StaticString should generally behave like a base Julia String, but is explicitly null-terminated,
  mutable, and standalone-StaticCompiler safe (does not require libjulia).

  Examples
  ========

  julia> c"Hello there!"
  c"Hello there!"

  julia> c"foo" == "foo"
  true

help?> StaticTools.StaticString
  StaticString{N}

  A stringy type which should generally behave like a base Julia String, but is explicitly null-terminated,
  mutable, and standalone-StaticCompiler safe (does not require libjulia).

  Can be constructed with the c"..." string macro.

  Unlike base Julia Strings, slicing does not create a copy, but rather a view. You are responsible for
  ensuring that any such views are null-terminated if you wish to pass them to any functions (including
  most system IO) that expect null-termination.

  Indexing a StaticString out of bounds does not throw a BoundsError; much as if @inbounds were enabled,
  indexing a StaticString incurs a strict promise by the programmer that the specified index is inbounds.
  Breaking this promise will result in segfaults or memory corruption.

  Examples
  ========

  julia> s = c"Hello world!"
  c"Hello world!"

  julia> s[8:12] = c"there"; s
  c"Hello there!"

  julia> s[1:5]
  StringView: "Hello"

  julia> s[1:5] == "Hello"
  true

  julia> StaticString(s[1:5])
  c"Hello"

  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

  StaticString{N}(undef)

  Construct an uninitialized N-byte StaticString

  StaticString(data::NTuple{N,UInt8})

  Construct a StaticString containing the N bytes specified by data. To yield a valid string, data must be
  null-terminated, i.e., end in 0x00.

  StaticString(s::AbstractStaticString)

  Construct a StaticString containing the same data as the input string s.

  Examples
  ========

  julia> data = (0x48, 0x65, 0x6c, 0x6c, 0x6f, 0x20, 0x77, 0x6f, 0x72, 0x6c, 0x64, 0x21, 0x00);

  julia> s = StaticString(data)
  c"Hello world!"

  julia> StaticString(s[1:5])
  c"Hello"

But this is irrelevant to this topic, so this topic should be closed.