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

[Mark Rotteveel]

On 24/12/2025 19:47, Vlad Khorsun wrote:
> 24.12.2025 20:41, '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.
>>
>> 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.

I think it's descriptive enough, and I think that if I had committed
this change, I would have probably even gone for the shorter "Fix build"
or maybe "Fix build on Windows", so I'd like to know what you'd want
more here (for this commit, not in general).

Mark
--
Mark Rotteveel

[Vlad Khorsun]

25.12.2025 11:34, 'Mark Rotteveel' via firebird-devel:

I would mention message of commit that broke the build, at least.
It allows just read history and avoid jumps into github.

Regards,
Vlad

PS Look at "descriptions" at #8825 and its commit.