POLINK: error: Unresolved external symbol '_WinMainCRTStartup'

[John Z]

Hi,

I have four batch files to build a project 1 each for compile, res, and link, then a master batch file to call each file and pass in the required information.  It all works wonderfully well from a command window.  Creates the program just as the IDE does.

Being so successful compiling and creating the final exe I then added the master bat file to the tools in the IDE.  Compile ran fine, the resource builder ran fine but the linker failed with the following message

POLINK: error: Unresolved external symbol '_WinMainCRTStartup' - referenced from '<common>'.

to restate the problem:
When I run the make_link.bat in a command window, not in the IDE, it runs fine creates the exe without any problems.
When I run the same make_link.bat from the IDE Tools menu, it fails for the error.

Code: [Select]

Searching C:\Program Files\PellesC_V12\Lib\Win64\shlwapi.lib
Searching C:\Program Files\PellesC_V12\Lib\Win64\uxtheme.lib
Searching C:\Program Files\PellesC_V12\Lib\Win64\dwmapi.lib
POLINK: error: Unresolved external symbol '_WinMainCRTStartup' - referenced from '<common>'.
POLINK: fatal error: 1 unresolved external(s).
From the command window running make_link.bat it finds crt64.lib -

Code: [Select]

Searching C:\Program Files\PellesC_V12\Lib\Win64\dwmapi.lib
Searching C:\Program Files\PellesC_V12\Lib\crt64.lib
From the IDE Tools it fails if the Tool directly executes make_link.bat and if the make_all.bat calls make_link.bat.  From the command line it works both when executed directly or when executed by make_all.bat.

weird, strange, but not wonderful -

Thoughts?

John Z

[Vortex]

Hi John,

Could you attach the zip file containing the project files?

[John Z]

Hi Vortex,

Can't do that there are over 40 C files and that is more than 2.3Meg, not counting .h files, resources like icons, bmp, and dll's,  etc.

I will try the batch build on a smaller project and see if I get the same issue. 

Thanks, should have done that first, but since it worked I was blinded 

John Z

[HellOfMice]

Hi John,


Even with a response file


For linking

Echo *********************
Echo *** Linking files ***
Echo *********************
"C:\Program Files\PellesC\Bin\polink.exe" @LinkRelease.cmf

[size=78%]POLINK has the following general syntax:[/size] 
POLINK [ { filespec | @response-file | option } ... ]
 
The filespec argument specifies the name of a library (.lib or .a), a module-definition file (.def), a binary resource file (.res), or an object file (.obj or .o). Wildcards are allowed for all types except a module-definition file.
 
If you have many files or options - use a response file. It is a text file with the same format as the command line. Line feeds are treated as spaces. The name of the response file must be preceded by a @ character on the command line. The response file may use either OEM or UTF-16LE encoding (from version 5.0).
 
An option starts with the / (or -) character, may be given in upper or lower case, and can be one of the following:

I use this when MicroSoft Assembler was called "Masm", I was 30yo.... 35 yars ago I was young and nice...

[John Z]

Hi HellOfMice,

Yes the exact same make_link.bat and the same exact response file.

Works when run in a command window, but does not work when called from the Tool menu.

The compile batch file and resources batch file both work in both cases.

Thanks,
John Z

[HellOfMice]

COpy your batch file in another one
in the first CALL the second or make a COMMAND /C

[John Z]

That is the basic procedure that I do.

case #1 when running using make_all.bat
make_all.bat calls make_objs.bat, then calls make_res.bat, then calls make_link.bat.

case #2 I execute make_objs.bat directly, I execute make_res.bat directly, I execute make_link.bat directly

When doing this from a command windows both cases work perfectly.

When I do it from the IDE tools make_link.bat always fails with the aforementioned error when run itself, and when run by using make_all.bat from Tools.

John Z

[John Z]

Partial solution -

When run from the Pelles TOOL IDE the WHERE command is not recognized, when run from a command window it is....easy fix then more testing....

John Z

[TimoVJL]

Just ECHO PATH, INCLUDE, LIB to see environment in both cases.

Useful Tool for poide

Code: [Select]

Command: C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe
Arguments: /C SET
Also check Tools -> Options -> Folders -> Executables

[John Z]

Thanks TimoVJL.

It is fixed, builds both at the command line and from the IDE TOOL .  The problem was entirely due to the WHERE command.  Unfortunately while WHERE is very useful, it is not available when using the IDE for whatever reason.  Needed 5 commands to replace what WHERE does in one command.

However it works now, but another limitation is imposed: no spaces in the object filenames.
I'll probably write a quick replacement for WHERE in C to restore the capability of WHERE.

John Z

 
Got WHERE to work for both IDE and command line by using a separate cmd /c call for it.  Yes all is right again.  These 4 batch files make it very easy to build a program without extensive editing.  When cleaned up I'll post in case anyone else wishes to make use of them.  AFTER MORE TESTING of course.
 

[HellOfMice]

copy the in a RAM drive under a name then compile in RAM drive

[TimoVJL]

copy the in a RAM drive under a name then compile in RAM drive

What and why
Is this another one kind of "optimization" idea ?

[HellOfMice]

Why not.
Our files are not very big

[TimoVJL]

where.exe is located at Windows\system32 and Windows\SysWOW64 folders
so keeping cmd.exe PATH variable correct in poide too, less problems to solve 

[Vortex]

RAM disks are useful tools but today's NVMe drivers are very fast.