Firebird refuses to build on Windows

[Mark Rotteveel]

On my machine, I can't build Firebird anymore. Doing some tracing, the
problem is introduced by commit "Use cloop cmake build"
(https://github.com/FirebirdSQL/firebird/commit/b7f5b4bf3673f1b78858a58edad81c8c2171a363)


Possibly it was by "cloop was updated upstream. Merge it here."
(https://github.com/FirebirdSQL/firebird/commit/30d835aec9eec78150d2c2c01e6786852201a2cb),
but that specific commit fails with a different error

I have the (default) Windows protection of the C:\ root directory
enabled, and the build tries to create a file there, instead of
somewhere in the build directory for Firebird

The error when running run_all JUSTBUILD is:

"""
def_awk.c
C:\Dev\fb\firebird\src\misc\def_awk.c : fatal error C1083: Cannot open
compiler generated file: 'C:\def_awk.obj': Permission denied

Error building interfaces, see interfaces_x64.log
"""

The contents of interfaces_x64.log is:

"""
Microsoft (R) Program Maintenance Utility Version 14.44.35222.0
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 19.44.35222 for x64
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

NMAKE : fatal error U1077: 'cl /FeC:\Dev\fb\firebird\gen\def_awk.exe
/Fo\ C:\Dev\fb\firebird\src\misc\def_awk.c' : return code '0x1'
Stop.
"""

I have traced it down to the deletion of the line
`UTL_TMP_DIR=$(FB_TEMP_DIR)\Release\misc` in
builds/win32/gen_helper.nmake, but putting back the original line then
produces error:

"""
def_awk.c
C:\Dev\fb\firebird\src\misc\def_awk.c : fatal error C1083: Cannot open
compiler generated file:
'C:\Dev\fb\firebird\temp\x64\Release\misc\def_awk.obj': No such file or
directory

Error building interfaces, see interfaces_x64.log
"""

I'm not sure where I need to put these files now.

Mark
--
Mark Rotteveel

[Dimitry Sibiryakov]

'Mark Rotteveel' via firebird-devel wrote 24.12.2025 11:35:
> On my machine, I can't build Firebird anymore. Doing some tracing, the problem
> is introduced by commit "Use cloop cmake build" (https://github.com/FirebirdSQL/
> firebird/commit/b7f5b4bf3673f1b78858a58edad81c8c2171a363)

That's what https://github.com/FirebirdSQL/firebird/pull/8824 is for.

--
WBR, SD.

[Mark Rotteveel]

Thanks. I had missed that mkdir in the original script.

In any case, the question now is: can someone review and merge PR?

Mark
--
Mark Rotteveel

[Mark Rotteveel]

I mean, in theory I could do it myself, but I think I'm not the right
person to do it :)

Mark
--
Mark Rotteveel

[Vlad Khorsun]

24.12.2025 14:00, 'Mark Rotteveel' via firebird-devel:

I, personally, won't accept such useless empty descriptions (for both PR and commit).
I consider it as disrespectful to the reader.

Regards,
Vlad

[Mark Rotteveel]

I think it does exactly what says; it fixes the build broken by commit
b7f5b4b (though not just for debug, BTW). I'm not sure what more you
expect there.

Mark

--
Mark Rotteveel

[Vlad Khorsun]

24.12.2025 20:41, 'Mark Rotteveel' via firebird-devel:

...

>>>> In any case, the question now is: can someone review and merge PR?
>>> I mean, in theory I could do it myself, but I think I'm not the right person to do it :)
>>
>>    I, personally, won't accept such useless empty descriptions (for both PR and commit).
>> I consider it as disrespectful to the reader.
>
> I think it does exactly what says; it fixes the build broken by commit b7f5b4b (though not just for debug, BTW). I'm not sure what
> more you expect there.

Try to understand what is it when reading commits history. And this is not the only case.
Anyway, I'm not insists (so far), else I would require changes in PR. Just expressed my
opinion and reason why I'm, personally, not going to merge these PRs.

Regards,
Vlad