memlnaut-nisps/vcv/BUILDING.md
monkey-w1n5t0n 53da84c425 chore(vcv): delete the dead test rig
Phase 1 group 7 (L33). vcv/test/smoke_test.cpp included a header that no longer
exists (a retired nisps-core path), asserted the pre-P6 2x12 module shape, and
ran in no gate; a compiled smoke_test binary was tracked alongside it. Removed
the directory plus Makefile.dist, updated BUILDING.md's two references, and
deleted the unreachable reply-to-sender branch in osc_server.hpp.

Gates: run-all-tests.sh ALL GREEN.
2026-07-21 12:49:25 +02:00

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2.8 KiB
Markdown

# Building MEMLNaut VCV Plugin
> **Distribution & cross-platform builds:** for packaging `.vcvplugin` files,
> the cross-platform CI matrix, and publishing to `/next/vcv`, see
> [DISTRIBUTION.md](DISTRIBUTION.md). The official `make dist` target (from the
> SDK's `plugin.mk`) produces `dist/<slug>-<version>-<platform>.vcvplugin`.
## Prerequisites
- **VCV Rack 2 SDK** — download from https://vcvrack.com/manual/PluginDevelopmentTutorial or build from source
- **C++20 compiler** — GCC 10+, Clang 11+, or MSVC 19.29+ (required by nisps-core for `std::span` and concepts)
- **GNU Make**
## Build Steps
```bash
# 1. Set the SDK path (adjust to your installation)
export RACK_DIR=/path/to/Rack-SDK
# 2. Build the plugin
cd vcv
make
# This produces plugin.so (Linux), plugin.dylib (macOS), or plugin.dll (Windows)
```
The Makefile adds `-std=c++20` and includes nisps-core headers from `../nisps-core/include`. The VCV SDK's default `-std=c++11` flag is filtered out to avoid conflicts.
## Local Installation
```bash
# Option A: use the SDK's install target
make install
# Copies the plugin to ~/.local/share/Rack2/plugins-lin/ (or platform equivalent)
# Option B: manual symlink (useful during development)
ln -s $(pwd) ~/.local/share/Rack2/plugins-lin/MEMLNaut
```
After installing, restart VCV Rack (or use the module browser refresh if available). The MEMLNaut module appears in the module browser.
## Distribution Packaging
```bash
# Build and package a .vcvplugin (SDK plugin.mk target)
make dist
# Output: dist/MEMLNaut-<version>-<platform>.vcvplugin
```
See [DISTRIBUTION.md](DISTRIBUTION.md) for the full packaging, CI matrix, and publishing workflow.
## Cross-Compilation
Cross-compilation is **not currently supported**. Building for each platform requires the native VCV Rack SDK and a matching C++20 toolchain.
Options for multi-platform releases:
- **GitHub Actions CI** — build on Linux, macOS, and Windows runners. The VCV SDK provides Docker images for consistent builds.
- **Docker** — VCV provides `ghcr.io/vcvrack/rack-plugin-toolchain` images for cross-platform builds from a Linux host.
- **Manual** — build natively on each target platform.
The VCV Library submission process handles multi-platform builds automatically via their CI pipeline, but we are not submitting to the Library initially.
## Troubleshooting
- **`-std=c++11` conflicts**: The Makefile filters this out, but if you see C++20 errors, verify your `RACK_DIR` points to a v2 SDK and that your compiler supports C++20.
- **nisps-core not found**: The include path assumes nisps-core is at `../nisps-core/include` relative to the `vcv/` directory. Verify the path or adjust `-I` in the Makefile.
- **Plugin not appearing**: Check that the built `.so`/`.dylib`/`.dll` is in the correct plugins directory and that `plugin.json` is alongside it.