Compilation instructions

General Tools

First of all, install Git for Windows from https://git-for-windows.github.io/. Choose Use Git from the Windows command prompt. This isn't mandatory, so if you choose Use Git from Git Bash only make sure you set the MPCHC_GIT variable in build.user.bat.

Part A: Preparing the Visual Studio environment

Visual Studio 2017 or 2015

1. Install Visual C++, part of Visual Studio (any edition will work fine). Make sure to select Windows 8.1 SDK and MFC and ATL support during installation.
2. Make sure you have installed all available updates from Microsoft Update
3. Install the DirectX SDK (June 2010) → https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=71193

Part B: Preparing the GCC environment

1. Download MSYS2 from http://www.msys2.org/. If you are on a 64-bit Operating System, which you should be, get the 64-bit version.

2. Install it on C:\MSYS\. You can always install it somewhere else, but these instructions assume the aforementioned place.

3. Run msys2_shell.bat (if you didn't use the installer you must restart MSYS2 after first run).

4. Install the needed software by running these commands:

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   pacman -Syu
   pacman -Su
   pacman -S make pkg-config
   

   Note that this is the bare minimum, you can install more packages that can be useful to you.

5. Download YASM and save it as yasm.exe in C:\MSYS\usr\bin:

   • 32-bit: http://www.tortall.net/projects/yasm/releases/yasm-1.3.0-win32.exe
   • 64-bit: http://www.tortall.net/projects/yasm/releases/yasm-1.3.0-win64.exe (Recommended)

6. Download and extract MinGW to C:\MSYS\mingw\ from http://files.1f0.de/mingw/ (you might use the one that ships with MSYS2, but we recommend this one)

7. Create a file named build.user.bat in C:\mpc-hc\ containing the following entries, adapted for your system:

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   @ECHO OFF
   SET "MSYSTEM=MINGW32"
   SET "MPCHC_MSYS=C:\MSYS"
   SET "MPCHC_MINGW32=%MPCHC_MSYS%\mingw"
   SET "MPCHC_MINGW64=%MPCHC_MINGW32%"
   REM You can set `MSYS2_PATH_TYPE` here or in environment variables so that Git is properly added to your `PATH`
   REM SET "MSYS2_PATH_TYPE=inherit"
   REM `MPCHC_GIT` is optional to set if you chose to add it in `PATH` when installing it and have set `MSYS2_PATH_TYPE`
   SET "MPCHC_GIT=C:\Program Files\Git"
   REM Optional, if you plan to modify the translations, install Python 2.7 or set the variable to its path
   SET "MPCHC_PYTHON=C:\Python27"
   REM Optional, If you want to customize the Windows SDK version used, set the variable
   SET "MPCHC_WINSDK_VER=8.1"
   

NOTES

• For Visual Studio 2017, we will try to detect the VS installation path automatically. If that fails you need to specify the installation path yourself. For example:
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  SET "MPCHC_VS_PATH=%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community\"
  

• If you installed the MSYS/MinGW package in another directory you will have to use that path in the previous steps.
• If you don't have Git installed then the revision number will be a hard-coded one, like 1.6.3.0.

Part C: Downloading and compiling the MPC-HC source

1. Use Git to clone MPC-HC's repository to C:\mpc-hc (or anywhere else you like).

   1. Download Git from https://git-for-windows.github.io/

   2. Run:

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      git clone --recursive https://github.com/mpc-hc/mpc-hc.git
      

      or

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      git clone https://github.com/mpc-hc/mpc-hc.git
      git submodule update --init --recursive
      

      If a submodule update fails, try running:

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      git submodule foreach --recursive git fetch --tags
      

      then run the update again

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      git submodule update --init --recursive
      

      Note that you can add -b master to the git clone command if you want to get the latest stable version instead of the latest development version

2. Open the solution file C:\mpc-hc\mpc-hc.sln. Change the solution's configuration to Release (in the toolbar).

3. Press F7 to build the solution.

4. You now have mpc-hc.exe under C:\mpc-hc\bin\mpc-hc_x86

5. Open the solution file C:\mpc-hc\mpciconlib.sln

6. Press F7 to build the solution.

7. You now have mpciconlib.dll under C:\mpc-hc\bin\mpc-hc_x86

8. Open the solution file C:\mpc-hc\mpcresources.sln

9. Build BuildAll project.

10. You now have mpcresources.XX.dll under C:\mpc-hc\bin\mpc-hc_x86\Lang

Alternatively, you can use build.bat that can build everything for you (run: build.bat help for more info)

Part D: Building the installer

Download Inno Setup Unicode v5.5.9 or newer from http://www.jrsoftware.org/isdl.php. Install everything and then go to C:\mpc-hc\distrib, open mpc-hc_setup.iss with Inno Setup, read the first comments in the script and compile it.

NOTES

• build.bat can build the installer by using the installer or the packages switch.
• Use Inno Setup's built-in IDE if you want to edit the iss file and don't change its encoding since it can break easily.