Get source and compile

Even if you don't plan to develop, just the act of downloading and compiling can uncover problems. If the version you download doesn't build on your platform, file a bug.

Getting the source

The Second Life source code can be downloaded from our Subversion repository at

https://www.lindenlab.dreamhosters.com/svn/linden/release/

You can download the files using your web browser, but it is recommended that you use a Subversion Client You can download a command line client for most operating systems at the Subversion web site. If you are more comfortable with Graphical interfaces, you can also use TortoiseSVN, or RapidSVN

Get a Subversion account from Rob Linden and check out using the following command

svn co https://www.lindenlab.dreamhosters.com/svn/linden/release/

To understand what you are looking at after you check out the code, see viewer source.

Setting up the development environment w/libraries

Windows

Development Environment

The following dev environment is what LL uses for Windows development. There is no reason that the Second Life viewer can not be built using other enviroments, but it will take some extra work. We should soon have instructions for building the viewer using Microsoft's Visual Studio .NET 2005 Express, which at the time of writing, was freely available.

• Visual Studio .NET 2003 Professional
  • Microsoft Platform SDK
  • DirectX 9.0 SDK Update (Summer 2003)
  • Set up the project globals:
    • Start Visual C++
    • Go to Tools/Options/Projects/VC++ Directories
    • Make sure that the includes and libraries paths have the DirectX SDK paths first, then the Platform SDK paths, and then the Visual C++ paths.
• ActivePython 2.3x

Libraries

In the source directory, there are several empty placeholder folders for libraries which the Second Life viewer relies upon, but which Linden Lab can not ship the source. This section describes how to acquire the code, and how to install it.

Boost

• Download & extract Boost source for win32.
• Copy the "boost_X_XX_X\boost" folder to "libraries\include\".
• Run "boost_X_XX_X\tools\build\jam_src\build".
• Copy "boost_X_XX_X\tools\build\jam_src\bin.ntx86\bjam.exe" to "boost_X_XX_X\".
• Using the command prompt, build the static libraries:
  • cd linden\libraries\boost-X_XX_X\
  • set PYTHON_ROOT=C:\Python23
  • set PYTHON_VERSION=2.3
  • bjam stage
• copy "boost_X_XX_X\stage\lib\libboost_python-vc71-mt.lib" to "\libraries\i686-win32\lib_release\"
• copy "boost_X_XX_X\stage\lib\libboost_python-vc71-mt-gd.lib" to "\libraries\i686-win32\lib_release\libboost_python-vc71-mt.lib"
• copy "boost_X_XX_X\stage\lib\libboost_regex-vc71-mt-s.lib" to "\libraries\i686-win32\lib_release\"
• copy "boost_X_XX_X\stage\lib\libboost_regex-vc71-mt-sgd.lib" to "\libraries\i686-win32\lib_release\libboost_regex-vc71-mt-s.lib"

Expat

• Download and run Expat Win32 Binary
• copy "Expat-X.X.X\Source\lib\expat.h" to "libraries\include\expat\".
• copy "Expat-X.X.X\Source\lib\expat_external.h" to "libraries\include\expat\".
• copy "Expat-X.X.X\StaticLibs\libexpatMT.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_release\".
• copy "Expat-X.X.X\StaticLibs\libexpatMT.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_debug\".

ZLib

• Download & extract Zlib
• copy "zlibXXX\zlib.h" to "libraries\include\zlib\".
• copy "zlibXXX\zconf.h" to "libraries\include\zlib\".
• Using the command prompt, build the static libraries:
  • "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio .net 2003\Common7\Tools\vcvars32.bat"
  • cd %ZLIB_FOLDER%
  • nmake -f win32/Makefile.msc
• copy "zlibXXX\zlib.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_release\".
• copy "zlibXXX\zlib.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_debug\".

Apache Portable Runtime

• Download & extract apr, apr-util, and apr-iconv.
• For simplicity place all three in a parallel directory structure, and rename the directories:
  • C:\work\apr\
  • C:\work\apr-iconv\
  • C:\work\apr-util\
• Open the "\apr-util\aprutil.dsw" workspace in VS2003.
• Build Solution for Debug, and build solution for release.
• copy "\apr-util\LibR\aprutil-1.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_release".
• copy "\apr-util\LibR\aprutil_src.pdb" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_release".
• copy "\apr\LibR\apr-1.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_release".
• copy "\apr\LibR\apr_src.pdb" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_release".
• copy "\apr-util\LibD\aprutil-1.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_debug".
• copy "\apr-util\LibD\aprutil_src.pdb" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_debug".
• copy "\apr\LibD\apr-1.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_debug".
• copy "\apr\LibD\apr_src.pdb" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_debug".
• copy header files:
  • copy the contents of "apr\include" to "libraries\i686-win32\include\apr-1".
  • in "libraries\i686-win32\include\apr-1\arch\" only the "win32" dir and "apr_private_common.h" are required.
  • copy the contents of "apr-util\include" to "libraries\i686-win32\include\apr-1".

Freetype

• Download and run FreeType for Windows.
• copy the contents of "GnuWin32\include\freetype2\freetype" into "\libraries\include\freetype"
• copy "GnuWin32\libfreetype.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_release".
• copy "GnuWin32\libfreetype.lib" to "libraries\i686-win32\lib_debug".

Platform notes

Linux

Ubuntu build notes

Ubuntu 5.10 and higher uses a newer version of libc6 with a bug fix that breaks our codebase. If you see errors of the form:

   obj_dat.c:(.text+0x857): undefined reference to `__ctype_b'

...when you try to build our codebase then you need to enable the CTYPE_WORKAROUND. If you use 'make' or 'dmake', add the following lines to your ~/.bashrc file:

   export SIMULATOR_CPPFLAGS="-DCTYPE_WORKAROUND"
   export RPCSERVER_CPPFLAGS="-DCTYPE_WORKAROUND"
   export DATASERVER_CPPFLAGS="-DCTYPE_WORKAROUND"
   export USERSERVER_CPPFLAGS="-DCTYPE_WORKAROUND"
   export TEST_CPPFLAGS="-DCTYPE_WORKAROUND"

If you use 'scons', add the follow line to your ~/.bashrc file:

   export SERVER_CPPFLAGS="-DCTYPE_WORKAROUND"

Source your ~/.bashrc, or open a new terminal, and build again.