B
oost is a popular library for C++ programming that provides a wide range of functionalities and features. However, installing and using Boost on different operating systems can be challenging. In this article, we will compare and contrast the steps required to make Boost work on Windows and Mac. We will see that Mac has a simpler process, as it only involves building the library and adding it to the system path. On the other hand, Windows requires some additional steps and configurations to successfully use Boost..

I. Downloading Boost Source Code

There are two options for downloading Boost from the website: either download the source code and build it yourself, which is what we will do in this tutorial, or download the pre-built Windows binaries.


We will start by downloading boost_1_XX_X.zip for windows. and extract it anywhere we want on our PC.



II. Generating the Boost Installer file “b2.exe”

On Pc. All what we have to do it to click on the bootstrap.bat.


This will generate the b2.exe



b2.exe is a command-line interface (CLI) file that we will use to build Boost 2. After generating the b2.exe file, we need to get its path. If you have Windows 11, you can easily right-click on the file and select “Copy path”.


Or you can copy the path from the path-bar
 


III. Installing Boost On Windows

Next, we need to open the Terminal and navigate to the folder where the b2.exe file is located. For example, in my case, the folder path is:
cd "C:\Users\User_Name\Desktop\boost_1_XX_X"



Installing Boost, to install boost all what you have to do is to run this command at your terminal, after navigating to the boost folder that contain the b2.exe file

.\b2.exe install





This process will take some time. The speed of your PC will affect how long it will take to build Boost Libraries, which are very large.

After this process end we will find boost installation at
C:\Boost

IV. Adding Boost To The Path Environment

The final and crucial step is to set the BOOST_ROOT, BOOST_LIBRARY, and BOOST_INCLUDE variables in the Environment Variables. To do this, we need to access the Environment Variable window. you will need to search in the search-bar for Environment Variables


Next, we will set the Boost paths in the Environment Variables. We will start with the BOOST_ROOT variable, which will point to the root of the Boost folder. For example:

BOOST_ROOT = C:\Boost
Then, we will set the BOOST_INCLUDE variable, which will point to the Boost include headers. For example:
BOOST_INCLUDE = C:\Boost\include\boost-1_XX

Note: The headers must be inside the Boost folder, so the header path must follow this format: boost/header_files.hpp

Finally, we will set the BOOST_LIBRARY variable, which will point to the Boost libraries. For example:

BOOST_LIBRARY = C:\Boost\lib

And you need to add them one by one, as follow.

  1. Click on the New button on the User Variables for Username 

  2. After clicking New a window will pop-up with 2 inputs
    • Variable Name: it’s the name of the variable you will use to call Boost on your CMake or any other builder manager. In our case is BOOST_ROOT 

    • Variable Value: Is the target path to the Boost Root C:/Boost.
If your PC have multiple users you may need to add it on the System Variables
Now what we need to do the same to Both BOOST_INCLUDE and BOOST_LIBRARY In the end you will have something like this in your User Variables For Username




 And that is it all you need to make boost work on windows.

and this is an Example using it in my CMakeLists.txt

Code Box

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.21)
project(DSA VERSION 1.0.0 LANGUAGES CXX)

# ========= Set C++ standard
set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD 17)
set(CMAKE_CXX_STANDARD_REQUIRED ON)

if(WIN32)
    # ========= Set Boost Libraries
    set(Boost_LIBRARY_DIR  $ENV{BOOST_LIB})
    set(Boost_INCLUDE_DIR $ENV{BOOST_INCLUDE})
elseif(APPLE)
    # ========= Set Boost Libraries
    set(Boost_LIBRARY_DIR  "/Users/username/Documents/boost/testing/lib")
    set(Boost_INCLUDE_DIR "/Users/username/Documents/boost")
endif()

# ========= Set directories
set(SOURCE_DIR "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src")
set(INCLUDE_DIR "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/include")

# ========= Include directories
include_directories(${SOURCE_DIR})
include_directories(${INCLUDE_DIR})
include_directories(${Boost_INCLUDE_DIR})

# ========= Add directories files
file(GLOB_RECURSE SOURCES
    "${SOURCE_DIR}/*.cpp"
    "${INCLUDE_DIR}/*.h"
)

# ========= Include libraries
    find_package(Boost COMPONENTS random filesystem system REQUIRED)

# ========= Add executable
add_executable(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME}
    ${SOURCES}
)

# ========= Cnfigure macOS package
if(APPLE)
    set_target_properties(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME} PROPERTIES MACOSX_BUNDLE TRUE)
endif()

# ========= Link target subDirectories
target_link_directories(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME} PUBLIC src)
target_link_directories(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME} PUBLIC include)
target_link_directories(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE ${Boost_LIBRARY_DIR})


# ========= Link libraries
# if(WIN32)

    # target_link_libraries(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME}
    #     Boost::random
    #     Boost::filesystem
    #     Boost::system
    # )

# elseif(APPLE)

    target_link_libraries(${CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME}
        Boost::random   
        Boost::filesystem
        Boost::system
    )

# endif()
 

Github_Repo : DSA Cryptography