Search code examples
rakusoftware-distributionnativecall

How do I bundle the C source in a Raku distribution that uses NativeCall?

I'm writing Raku bindings to a C library, but rather than require the users of the Raku code to install the C library on their own, I'd like to bundle the C code as part of the distribution (it's not such a widely distributed library).

I've read about a distribution's %?RESOURCES, and that seems like it would be useful. But I'm hazy on the specifics of how to apply it for this.

Can I bundle the C source code in the distribution, and specify some way for it to get compiled as part of the installation (eg. with zef)? Or would I need to bundle precompiled versions of the library, and get the code to choose the right one depending on the platform?

Or is this simply impossible, and I should just give users instructions on how to install the library separately?

Solution

  • It's possible, and there exists a module LibraryMake to ease the process.

    For an example of a module using it, see Digest::SHA1::Native.