[SDL2_ttf] Missing C++ symbols statically linked with C

[aidenfoxx]

Description / Steps to reproduce the issue

When statically linking "SDL2_ttf" in a C project, the linker throws errors for missing symbols. This can be worked around by including "stdlibc++", but this shouldn't be required?

Error

"cc"  -o example.exe example.exe.p/main.c.obj "-Wl,--start-group" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libmingw32.a" "-mwindows" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libSDL2main.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libSDL2.a" "-mwindows" "-lm" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libkernel32.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libuser32.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libgdi32.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libwinmm.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libimm32.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libole32.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/liboleaut32.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libversion.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libuuid.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libadvapi32.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libsetupapi.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libshell32.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libdinput8.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libSDL2_ttf.a" "-mwindows" "-mwindows" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libbrotlicommon.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libpng16.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libz.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libharfbuzz.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libusp10.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/librpcrt4.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libfreetype.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libbz2.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libglib-2.0.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libintl.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libws2_32.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libshlwapi.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libpcre2-8.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libgraphite2.a" "C:/Development/MSYS2/clang64/bin/../lib/libbrotlidec.a" "-Wl,--subsystem,console" "-lkernel32" "-luser32" "-lgdi32" "-lwinspool" "-lshell32" "-lole32" "-loleaut32" "-luuid" "-lcomdlg32" "-ladvapi32" "-Wl,--end-group"
ld.lld: error: undefined symbol: operator new(unsigned long long)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shaper_face_data_create)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shaper_face_data_create)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shaper_face_data_create)
>>> referenced 2 more times

ld.lld: error: undefined symbol: operator delete(void*)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shaper_face_data_destroy)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shape)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(DWriteFontFileStream::~DWriteFontFileStream())
>>> referenced 1 more times

ld.lld: error: undefined symbol: operator new[](unsigned long long)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shape)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shape)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shape)
>>> referenced 3 more times

ld.lld: error: undefined symbol: operator delete[](void*)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shape)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shape)
>>> referenced by libharfbuzz.a(hb-directwrite.cc.obj):(_hb_directwrite_shape)
>>> referenced 5 more times

ld.lld: error: undefined symbol: __cxa_call_unexpected
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(gr_face.cpp.obj):(gr_make_face_with_ops)
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(gr_face.cpp.obj):(gr_make_face_with_ops)
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(Face.cpp.obj):(graphite2::Face::nameTable() const)
>>> referenced 41 more times

ld.lld: error: undefined symbol: __gxx_personality_seh0
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(gr_face.cpp.obj):(.xdata)
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(gr_face.cpp.obj):(GCC_except_table0)
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(gr_features.cpp.obj):(.xdata)
>>> referenced 30 more times

ld.lld: error: undefined symbol: vtable for __cxxabiv1::__class_type_info
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(Face.cpp.obj):(typeinfo for graphite2::Face)
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(CmapCache.cpp.obj):(typeinfo for graphite2::Cmap)

ld.lld: error: undefined symbol: vtable for __cxxabiv1::__si_class_type_info
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(CmapCache.cpp.obj):(typeinfo for graphite2::CachedCmap)
>>> referenced by libgraphite2.a(CmapCache.cpp.obj):(typeinfo for graphite2::DirectCmap)
cc: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)
ninja: build stopped: subcommand failed.

Minimal reproduction

main.c;

#include <SDL2/SDL.h>
#include <SDL2/SDL_ttf.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
    TTF_Font* font = TTF_OpenFontRW(SDL_RWFromConstMem(NULL, 0), 1, 16);
    TTF_SetFontStyle(font, TTF_STYLE_NORMAL);
    return 0;
}

meson.build:

project('example', 'c', version: '1.0.0')
executable(
    'example', ['main.c'],
    dependencies: [
        dependency('sdl2', static: true),
        dependency('sdl2_ttf', static: true)
    ]
)

Expected behavior

The project is successfully linked.

Actual behavior

The linker throws an error for missing "stdlibc++" symbols.

Verification

• I have verified that my MSYS2 is up-to-date before submitting the report (see https://www.msys2.org/docs/updating/)

Windows Version

MSYS_NT-10.0-19045

MINGW environments affected

• MINGW64
• MINGW32
• UCRT64
• CLANG64
• CLANG32
• CLANGARM64

Are you willing to submit a PR?

Probably not :(

[aidenfoxx]

Seems like there have been related issues with harfbuzz in the past: #2635

[Biswa96]

For static linking you have to add all the required libraries. See the output of pkgconf -static -libs SDL2_ttf command.

[aidenfoxx]

@Biswa96 I believe meson automagically pulls in the pkgconfig dependencies. Comparing the first line of the above logs with the output of pkgconf, everything appears to be there.

[Biswa96]

You are probably missing -static-libstdc++ flag.

[aidenfoxx]

Adding -static-libstdc++ doesn't help. I can add link_args: ['-lstdc++'] to my config to build successfully, but I don't understand why I should need to manually link against stdc++ when I meet the pkgconf dependencies for the package, and am building a purely C app.

[Biswa96]

Those libraries depends on stdc++

[aidenfoxx]

Is there documentation surrounding that? I didn't find anything on the SDL website. I would have thought the library should be compiled with static stdc++, rather than passing the buck to the user. Though maybe that's not possible.

[lazka]

Could be that meson fails to detect the c++ dep(?). Since adding link_language: 'cpp' to the meson file also seems to make it work here.

project('example',  ['c', 'cpp'], version: '1.0.0')
executable(
    'example', ['main.c'],
    link_language: 'cpp',
    dependencies: [
        dependency('sdl2', static: true),
        dependency('sdl2_ttf', static: true)
    ]
)

[aidenfoxx]

pkgconf (which I believe meson uses under the hood) doesn't list C++ as a dependency for any of the related packages ("sdl2", "sdl2_ttf", "harfbuzz" or "graphite2").

It is of course not a big issue to link against C++, but it feels unintuitive for an end user building a C app, and wanting to use a C library.

[lazka]

I agree. It's not clear to me where this could/should be improved though.

[oscarfv]

pkgconf (which I believe meson uses under the hood) doesn't list C++ as a dependency for any of the related packages ("sdl2", "sdl2_ttf", "harfbuzz" or "graphite2").

It is of course not a big issue to link against C++, but it feels unintuitive for an end user building a C app, and wanting to use a C library.

You need to satisfy the library's dependencies, and the dependencies of the dependencies... pkgconf is failing to do that for you, but it's the same basic, messy stuff programmers are dealing with since the dawn of times.

[aidenfoxx]

it's the same basic, messy stuff programmers are dealing with since the dawn of times

That shouldn't be to say we shouldn't fix it when we can! 😄

[Peter0x44]

Which dependency of SDL2_ttf needs C++/libstdc++?

[Peter0x44]

Or it's just a purely a build system misconfiguration?

[aidenfoxx]

Both harfbuzz and graphite2 both depend on C++ symbols, but in this case graphite2 is a dependency of harfbuzz. Sdl2_ttf is not directly dependent on C++.

Interestingly, when sdl2_ttf is built using its bundled harfbuzz version, it does make sure to enable linking against c++: https://github.com/libsdl-org/SDL_ttf/blob/SDL2/CMakeLists.txt#L192

[Biswa96]

This is by-design and not actionable from msys2 packaging perspective.