wxWidgets 2.9.4 built under Visual C++ Express 2010 gives unresolved external errors

Question

I have been trying to upgrade to wxWidgets 2.9.4 over my old 2.8.12 and have run into problems. I compiled it without errors from the command line but when I try to use them in the program that worked just fine under the previous version I get unresolved externals. I cut it down to just a bare frame and TextCtrl object and it still does this (it's basically identical to one of the sample codes at the moment).

I tried the following commands to build the static libraries:

1. nmake -f makefile.vc SHARED=0 BUILD=release + nmake -f makefile.vc SHARED=0 BUILD=debug
2. nmake -f makefile.vc SHARED=0 MONOLITHIC=0 BUILD=release + nmake -f makefile.vc SHARED=0 MONOLITHIC=0 BUILD=debug
3. nmake -f makefile.vc SHARED=0 BUILD=release UNICODE=0 + nmake -f makefile.vc SHARED=0 BUILD=debug UNICODE=0
4. nmake -f makefile.vc SHARED=0 BUILD=release UNICODE=0 MONOLITHIC=0 + nmake -f makefile.vc SHARED=0 BUILD=debug UNICODE=0 MONOLITHIC=0

Note that I tried using them with both the recommended unicode and no longer supported non-unicode (changed the project properties in Configuration Properties->General accordingly). Also, I used multi-threaded DLL /MD and /MDd linking as recommended by the wxWidgets manual.

Edit: Tried using \MT and \MTd as well, same effect.

From all of the above I get the same linker errors listed below when compiling my application. Please advise me what to do because I have ran out of ideas...

Additionally, as a final resort I built the whole thing using the converted MSVS project from the ../build/msw folder but it gave me the same results.

Debug compile

1>hworld.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: virtual bool __thiscall wxApp::Initialize(int &,unsigned short * *)" (?Initialize@wxApp@@UAE_NAAHPAPAG@Z)
1>hworld.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: virtual void __thiscall wxAppConsoleBase::OnAssertFailure(unsigned short const *,int,unsigned short const *,unsigned short const *,unsigned short const *)" (?OnAssertFailure@wxAppConsoleBase@@UAEXPBGH000@Z)
1>hworld.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: virtual void __thiscall wxAppConsoleBase::OnAssert(unsigned short const *,int,unsigned short const *,unsigned short const *)" (?OnAssert@wxAppConsoleBase@@UAEXPBGH00@Z)
1>hworld.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "unsigned short const * const wxEmptyString" (?wxEmptyString@@3PBGB)
1>hworld.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "private: static struct wxString::SubstrBufFromType<class wxScopedCharTypeBuffer<unsigned short> > __cdecl wxString::ConvertStr(char const *,unsigned int,class wxMBConv const &)" (?ConvertStr@wxString@@CA?AU?$SubstrBufFromType@V?$wxScopedCharTypeBuffer@G@@@1@PBDIABVwxMBConv@@@Z) referenced in function "private: static class wxScopedCharTypeBuffer<unsigned short> __cdecl wxString::ImplStr(char const *,class wxMBConv const &)" (?ImplStr@wxString@@CA?AV?$wxScopedCharTypeBuffer@G@@PBDABVwxMBConv@@@Z)
1>hworld.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "void __cdecl wxOnAssert(char const *,int,char const *,char const *,unsigned short const *)" (?wxOnAssert@@YAXPBDH00PBG@Z) referenced in function "public: void __thiscall wxControlContainerBase::SetContainerWindow(class wxWindow *)" (?SetContainerWindow@wxControlContainerBase@@QAEXPAVwxWindow@@@Z)
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngread.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _inflateInit_ referenced in function _png_create_read_struct_2
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngread.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _inflate referenced in function _png_read_row
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngrutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _inflate
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngread.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _inflateEnd referenced in function _png_read_destroy
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_png.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _crc32 referenced in function _png_reset_crc
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_png.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _inflateReset referenced in function _png_reset_zstream
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngrutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _inflateReset
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngwrite.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _deflate referenced in function _png_write_flush
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngwutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _deflate
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngwrite.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _deflateEnd referenced in function _png_write_destroy
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngwutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _deflateEnd
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngwutil.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _deflateInit2_ referenced in function _png_zlib_claim
1>wxpngd.lib(wxpng_pngwutil.obj) : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol _deflateReset referenced in function _png_zlib_release

Release compile

1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_png.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _crc32 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_png.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _inflateReset 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngrutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _inflateReset 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngread.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol inflateInit 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngread.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _inflate 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngrutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _inflate 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngread.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _inflateEnd 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngwrite.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _deflate 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngwutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _deflate 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngwrite.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _deflateEnd 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngwutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _deflateEnd 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngwutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol deflateInit2 1>wxpng.lib(wxpng_pngwutil.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _deflateReset 1>MSVCRT.lib(crtexe.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol _main

Answer 1

I had this problem as well. I solved it by changing the setting in:

 C/C++ | Language | Treat WChar_t as built in type

to Yes.

Answer 2

All errors coming from libpng are due to not linking with wxzlib[d].lib, simply add it to the list of libraries in your project. Or use the recommended way to build wxWidgets projects with MSVC and use auto-linking by prepending -I$(WXWIN)/include/msvc to your compiler header files search path.

The rest of the errors (which you only get in debug build which is suspicious on its own) are due to a mismatch between ANSI and Unicode builds. I don't know which version do you use finally as you seem to have built all of them at one moment or the other but if you use the default build, then you need to have _UNICODE and/or UNICODE defined in your project options.

Finally, to avoid such build mismatches in the future, either do nmake -f makefile.vc clean or use different build directories by using unique COMPILER_PREFIX for each build in the future. This is really not rocket science, you just need to avoid confusing yourself by doing too many things at once. Good luck!

Answer 3

Go to your project's settings and change General -> Character Set property accordingly. If you compiled the wx libs with UNICODE=0 (however recommended value is 1) then you need to use Multi-Byte Character set. If compiled ith UNICODE=1 then set that property to Unicode

As for runtime libs, if you compiled with SHARED=0 then in your project settings you will need to use C++ -> Code Generation -> Runtime Libraries property with 'Multi-Threaded Debug' and 'Multi-Threaded' for Debug and Release build accordingly.

The easiest way is to build wxWidgets libs from Visual Studio (there is a build/msw folder which contains solution file for VS2010) and in your project set the same properties as wx libs projects have.