Link error with Boost::serialization on Clang+Windows

[ahoarau]

Hi,

I encountered some issues with Boost::serialization with clang on windows, and the workaround I found was to remove the INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS.

The error:

lld-link: error: undefined symbol: __declspec(dllimport) public: void __cdecl boost::archive::archive_exception::`vbase dtor'(void)

The workaround:

# Here we remove the INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS, it was containing "BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_LIB;BOOST_SERIALIZATION_DYN_LINK"
set_property(TARGET Boost::serialization PROPERTY INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS)

As a side note, it is odd to me that the INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS is filled with BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_LIB;BOOST_SERIALIZATION_DYN_LINK, is that wanted ? I feel like it says "disable automatic linking, but also enable it" ?

Some related discussions and commits:
258f786
#54
#62

[pdimov]

BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_LIB means "disable autolink".
BOOST_SERIALIZATION_DYN_LINK means "this is a DLL build, use import/export as appropriate".
As a general rule, if BOOST_SERIALIZATION_DYN_LINK is not set correctly, things tend not to work. I'm not sure what's going bad in your particular case.

[pdimov]

When you say "Clang on Windows", which Clang do you mean? clang-cl.exe or MinGW? I see that you're using lld-link.

[ahoarau]

@pdimov Thanks for the clarification 👍
I'm using pixi (conda), installing clangxx and lld and llvm-tools (for llvm-ar).
We now have a clang++.exe (i'm not using clang-cl)

[pdimov]

I'm not sure what clang++.exe this installs, presumably some MinGW one?

From the error above I suspect that the problem is that Boost.Serialization hasn't been compiled with that same Clang, but with something else, because your Clang expects __declspec(dllimport) public: void __cdecl boost::archive::archive_exception::'vbase dtor'(void) to be an exported symbol, but it isn't.

[ahoarau]

I believe it's taking the compilers from https://github.com/llvm/llvm-project/releases
(same as winget install llvm.llvm).

Yes you are right, the boost is built with cl.
Strangement removing this compile def solved the link issue, and tests run fine.

I'll try to setup a minimal example.

[pdimov]

You should try to build Boost.Serialization with this Clang and see if that gets rid of the link error.

Another thing to try (if possible) is to link with link.exe instead of lld-link.

Strangement removing this compile def solved the link issue, and tests run fine.

This essentially removes all the __declspec(dllimport) annotations, which works for functions - at the expense of an additional indirection - but would break in the general case, e.g. for data members.

[ahoarau]

OK I got a minimal reproducible env. I can reproduce the linking error (on a basic serialization example from the boost website).
I can also confirm that the workaround is working.

[ahoarau]

The complete output:

Run Build Command(s): C:/dev/boost-cm/.pixi/envs/default/Library/bin/ninja.exe -v
[1/2] C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\bin\clang++.exe -DBOOST_SERIALIZATION_DYN_LINK -DBOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_LIB -isystem C:/dev/boost-cm/.pixi/envs/default/Library/include -O3 -DNDEBUG -D_DLL -D_MT -Xclang --dependent-lib=msvcrt -MD -MT CMakeFiles/bs.dir/bs.cc.obj -MF CMakeFiles\bs.dir\bs.cc.obj.d -o CMakeFiles/bs.dir/bs.cc.obj -c C:/dev/boost-cm/bs.cc
[2/2] C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /C "cd . && C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\bin\clang++.exe -nostartfiles -nostdlib -O3 -DNDEBUG -D_DLL -D_MT -Xclang --dependent-lib=msvcrt -Xlinker /subsystem:console -fuse-ld=lld-link CMakeFiles/bs.dir/bs.cc.obj -o bs.exe -Xlinker /MANIFEST:EMBED -Xlinker /implib:bs.lib -Xlinker /pdb:bs.pdb -Xlinker /version:0.0   C:/dev/boost-cm/.pixi/envs/default/Library/lib/boost_serialization.lib  -lkernel32 -luser32 -lgdi32 -lwinspool -lshell32 -lole32 -loleaut32 -luuid -lcomdlg32 -ladvapi32 -loldnames  && cd ."
FAILED: [code=1] bs.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /C "cd . && C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\bin\clang++.exe -nostartfiles -nostdlib -O3 -DNDEBUG -D_DLL -D_MT -Xclang --dependent-lib=msvcrt -Xlinker /subsystem:console -fuse-ld=lld-link CMakeFiles/bs.dir/bs.cc.obj -o bs.exe -Xlinker /MANIFEST:EMBED -Xlinker /implib:bs.lib -Xlinker /pdb:bs.pdb -Xlinker /version:0.0   C:/dev/boost-cm/.pixi/envs/default/Library/lib/boost_serialization.lib  -lkernel32 -luser32 -lgdi32 -lwinspool -lshell32 -lole32 -loleaut32 -luuid -lcomdlg32 -ladvapi32 -loldnames  && cd ."
lld-link: error: undefined symbol: __declspec(dllimport) public: void __cdecl boost::archive::archive_exception::`vbase dtor'(void)
>>> referenced by CMakeFiles/bs.dir/bs.cc.obj:(int `public: static void __cdecl boost::archive::save_access::save_primitive<class boost::archive::text_oarchive, struct boost::archive::tracking_type>(class archive::save_access::text_oarchive &, struct archive::save_access::tracking_type const &)'::`1'::dtor$3)
>>> referenced by CMakeFiles/bs.dir/bs.cc.obj:(int `public: static void __cdecl boost::archive::save_access::save_primitive<class boost::archive::text_oarchive, class boost::archive::class_id_reference_type>(class archive::save_access::text_oarchive &, class archive::save_access::class_id_reference_type const &)'::`1'::dtor$3)
>>> referenced by CMakeFiles/bs.dir/bs.cc.obj:(int `public: static void __cdecl boost::archive::save_access::save_primitive<class boost::archive::text_oarchive, class boost::archive::class_id_type>(class archive::save_access::text_oarchive &, class archive::save_access::class_id_type const &)'::`1'::dtor$3)
>>> referenced 13 more times

lld-link: error: undefined symbol: public: void __cdecl boost::archive::archive_exception::`vbase dtor'(void)
>>> referenced by CMakeFiles/bs.dir/bs.cc.obj:(_TI2?AVarchive_exception@archive@boost@@)
clang++: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)
ninja: build stopped: subcommand failed.

[ahoarau]

Difficult to use link with clang (or clang-cl).

set_property(TARGET Boost::serialization PROPERTY INTERFACE_COMPILE_DEFINITIONS BOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_LIB)

Removing the BOOST_SERIALIZATION_DYN_LINK works as well.

[ahoarau]

Same error with link.exe, and clang-cl:

Run Build Command(s): C:/dev/boost-cm/.pixi/envs/default/Library/bin/ninja.exe -v
[1/2] C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\bin\clang-cl.exe  /nologo -TP -DBOOST_SERIALIZATION_DYN_LINK -DBOOST_SERIALIZATION_NO_LIB -imsvcC:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\include /DWIN32 /D_WINDOWS /EHsc /O2 /Ob2 /DNDEBUG -MD /showIncludes /FoCMakeFiles\bs.dir\bs.cc.obj /FdCMakeFiles\bs.dir\ -c -- C:\dev\boost-cm\bs.cc
[2/2] C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /C "cd . && C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\bin\cmake.exe -E vs_link_exe --msvc-ver=1944 --intdir=CMakeFiles\bs.dir --rc=C:\PROGRA~2\WI3CF2~1\10\bin\100261~1.0\x64\rc.exe --mt=C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\bin\llvm-mt.exe --manifests  -- C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~1\2022\COMMUN~1\VC\Tools\MSVC\1444~1.352\bin\Hostx64\x64\link.exe /nologo CMakeFiles\bs.dir\bs.cc.obj  /out:bs.exe /implib:bs.lib /pdb:bs.pdb /version:0.0 /machine:x64 /INCREMENTAL:NO /subsystem:console  C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\lib\boost_serialization.lib  kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib && cd ."
FAILED: [code=4294967295] bs.exe
C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /C "cd . && C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\bin\cmake.exe -E vs_link_exe --msvc-ver=1944 --intdir=CMakeFiles\bs.dir --rc=C:\PROGRA~2\WI3CF2~1\10\bin\100261~1.0\x64\rc.exe --mt=C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\bin\llvm-mt.exe --manifests  -- C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~1\2022\COMMUN~1\VC\Tools\MSVC\1444~1.352\bin\Hostx64\x64\link.exe /nologo CMakeFiles\bs.dir\bs.cc.obj  /out:bs.exe /implib:bs.lib /pdb:bs.pdb /version:0.0 /machine:x64 /INCREMENTAL:NO /subsystem:console  C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\lib\boost_serialization.lib  kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib && cd ."
LINK: command "C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~1\2022\COMMUN~1\VC\Tools\MSVC\1444~1.352\bin\Hostx64\x64\link.exe /nologo CMakeFiles\bs.dir\bs.cc.obj /out:bs.exe /implib:bs.lib /pdb:bs.pdb /version:0.0 /machine:x64 /INCREMENTAL:NO /subsystem:console C:\dev\boost-cm\.pixi\envs\default\Library\lib\boost_serialization.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib /MANIFEST:EMBED,ID=1" failed (exit code 1120) with the following output:
   Creating library bs.lib and object bs.exp
bs.cc.obj : error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "__declspec(dllimport) public: void __cdecl boost::archive::archive_exception::`vbase destructor'(void)" (__imp_??_Darchive_exception@archive@boost@@QEAAXXZ) referenced in function "int `public: static void __cdecl boost::archive::save_access::save_primitive<class boost::archive::text_oarchive,struct boost::archive::tracking_type>(class archive::save_access::text_oarchive &,struct archive::save_access::tracking_type const &)'::`1'::dtor$3" (?dtor$3@?0???$save_primitive@Vtext_oarchive@archive@boost@@Utracking_type@23@@save_access@archive@boost@@SAXAEAVtext_oarchive@12@AEBUtracking_type@12@@Z@4HA)
bs.cc.obj : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: void __cdecl boost::archive::archive_exception::`vbase destructor'(void)" (??_Darchive_exception@archive@boost@@QEAAXXZ)
bs.exe : fatal error LNK1120: 2 unresolved externals
ninja: build stopped: subcommand failed.

[ahoarau]

I compiles correctly if I only use the include directories:

target_include_directories(bs PRIVATE ${Boost_INCLUDE_DIRS})
# target_link_libraries(bs PRIVATE Boost::serialization)

The autolink feature seems to be enabled.