conan-center-index: [package] boost/1.72.0: broken on windows due apparently to implicit link to libboost_unit_test_framework

Package and Environment Details (include every applicable attribute)

Package Name/Version: boost/1.72.0, also reproduced with boost/1.71.0
Operating System+version: Windows 10
Compiler+version: visual studio 2019
Conan version: conan 1.22.2
Python version: Python 3.7.4

Conan profile (output of `conan profile show default` or `conan profile show <profile>` if custom profile is in use)

[settings]
os=Windows
os_build=Windows
arch=x86_64
arch_build=x86_64
compiler=Visual Studio
compiler.version=15
build_type=Release
[options]
[build_requires]
[env]

Steps to reproduce (Include if Applicable)

CMakeLists.txt (just a single executable built from empty source, linking against boost/1.72.0):

include(cmake/conan.cmake)
find_package (Python3 COMPONENTS Interpreter)
get_filename_component(PATH_PYTHON3 ${Python3_EXECUTABLE} DIRECTORY)
find_program(CONAN_CMD conan HINTS ${PATH_PYTHON3} PATH_SUFFIXES Scripts)
conan_cmake_run(REQUIRES
    boost/1.72.0
    BASIC_SETUP
    CMAKE_TARGETS
    CONAN_COMMAND ${CONAN_CMD}

    OPTIONS
    BUILD missing
    GENERATORS cmake_find_package)
set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR} ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH})
set(CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR} ${CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH})
find_package(Boost REQUIRED)

add_executable(boost_test)
target_sources(boost_test PRIVATE empty_file.cpp)
target_link_libraries(boost_test PRIVATE Boost::Boost

empty_file.cpp

cmake . cmake --build .

Logs (Include/Attach if Applicable)

(omitting compile)

FAILED: bin/boost-test.exe 
  cmd.exe /C "cd . && "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2019\Community\Common7\IDE\CommonExtensions\Microsoft\CMake\CMake\bin\cmake.exe" -E vs_link_exe --intdir=test\CMakeFiles\test.dir --rc=C:\PROGRA~2\WI3CF2~1\10\bin\100183~1.0\x64\rc.exe --mt=C:\PROGRA~2\WI3CF2~1\10\bin\100183~1.0\x64\mt.exe --manifests  -- C:\PROGRA~2\MICROS~4\2019\COMMUN~1\VC\Tools\MSVC\1425~1.286\bin\Hostx64\x64\link.exe /nologo test\CMakeFiles\boost_test.dir\empty_file.cpp.obj  /out:bin\boost_test.exe /implib:lib\boost_test.lib /pdb:bin\boost_test.pdb /version:0.0  /machine:x64 /debug /INCREMENTAL /subsystem:console  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_wave.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_container.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_contract.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_exception.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_graph.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_iostreams.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_locale.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_log.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_program_options.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_random.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_regex.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_serialization.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_wserialization.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_coroutine.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_fiber.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_context.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_timer.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_thread.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_chrono.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_date_time.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_atomic.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_filesystem.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_system.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_type_erasure.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_log_setup.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_c99.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_c99f.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_c99l.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_tr1.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_tr1f.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_tr1l.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_stacktrace_noop.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_stacktrace_windbg.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_stacktrace_windbg_cached.lib  C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_unit_test_framework.lib  bcrypt.lib  C:\Users\Tobi\.conan\data\zlib\1.2.11\_\_\package\75ed07303f056424be45ffb582032fe7ad980a95\lib\zlib.lib  C:\Users\Tobi\.conan\data\bzip2\1.0.8\_\_\package\8f5b6f2424f382951ec41d70bf48f85f9cf3c5b4\lib\bz2.lib  kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib && cd ."
  LINK Pass 1: command "C:\PROGRA~2\MICROS~4\2019\COMMUN~1\VC\Tools\MSVC\1425~1.286\bin\Hostx64\x64\link.exe /nologo test\CMakeFiles\boost_test.dir\empty_file.cpp.obj /out:bin\boost_test.exe /implib:lib\boost_test.lib /pdb:bin\boost_Test.pdb /version:0.0 /machine:x64 /debug /INCREMENTAL /subsystem:console C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_wave.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_container.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_contract.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_exception.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_graph.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_iostreams.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_locale.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_log.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_program_options.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_random.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_regex.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_serialization.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_wserialization.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_coroutine.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_fiber.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_context.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_timer.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_thread.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_chrono.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_date_time.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_atomic.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_filesystem.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_system.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_type_erasure.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_log_setup.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_c99.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_c99f.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_c99l.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_tr1.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_tr1f.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_math_tr1l.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_stacktrace_noop.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_stacktrace_windbg.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_stacktrace_windbg_cached.lib C:\.conan\0e858b\1\lib\libboost_unit_test_framework.lib bcrypt.lib C:\Users\Tobi\.conan\data\zlib\1.2.11\_\_\package\75ed07303f056424be45ffb582032fe7ad980a95\lib\zlib.lib C:\Users\Tobi\.conan\data\bzip2\1.0.8\_\_\package\8f5b6f2424f382951ec41d70bf48f85f9cf3c5b4\lib\bz2.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib /MANIFEST /MANIFESTFILE:test\CMakeFiles\boost_test.dir/intermediate.manifest test\CMakeFiles\boost_test.dir/manifest.res" failed (exit code 1120) with the following output:
C:\Users\tobi\test\libboost_unit_test_framework.lib(unit_test_main.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "class boost::unit_test::test_suite * __cdecl init_unit_test_suite(int,char * * const)" (?init_unit_test_suite@@YAPEAVtest_suite@unit_test@boost@@HQEAPEAD@Z) referenced in function main
C:\Users\Tobi\test\CMakefiles\boost_test/boost_test.exe : fatal error LNK1120: 1 unresolved externals

Note the path to the missing C:\Users\tobi\test\libboost_unit_test_framework.lib – that is inside my source tree. I’m fairly sure that what happens is that boost uses one of the magic #pragmas offered by Visual C++ to pull in the unit_test library, but the path is messed up (relative instead of absolute).

Note that I’m using the default “magic_autolink” is therefore false.

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 4 years ago
Comments: 20 (7 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

You can workaround the problem in the case if you don’t want to use the boost::unit_test framework (UTF) at all but you want to use a gtest framework with other boost libraries. You can create an other package with a package receipt option “boost:without_test=True”. This will recompile the whole boost on your machine although.

So here is a sample conanfile.txt for the workaround:

[requires]
boost/1.71.0@conan/stable

[generators]
cmake

[options]
boost:without_test=True

hun-nemethpeter on Sep 19, 2020

If you are using the latest version of Conan make sure to like against the correct target (assuming you are using cmake) for GTest to not include the main. I see ninja but I’m not familiar with to suggest something.

If you want gtest and not boost test, you may be able to workaround by using the options, but I am not sure (off the top of my head) how.

Most unit test frameworks provide the ability to define your own main() which is another alternative.

prince-chrismc on Sep 11, 2020

https://docs.conan.io/en/latest/reference/generators/cmake_find_package.html?highlight=components#components

This new feature allows consumers to select which libs they can’t to link against

One recipe that allows you to pick and choose…

However I am not sure that fixes you’re issue =?

Perhaps we need a new lib for the unit test… This way you can do “without_unit_test” https://github.com/conan-io/conan-center-index/blob/5e8df010fb0b7c88e132cd22dac40cd3c4007b17/recipes/boost/all/conanfile.py#L19

prince-chrismc on Jun 23, 2020