Build Google Protobuf C++ Runtime for iOS

ios-static.sh

#!/bin/bash

## Environments

# Exit the build pass if any command returns a non-zero value
#set -o errexit

# Echo commands
set -x

# 13.4.0 - Mavericks
# 14.0.0 - Yosemite
# 15.0.0 - El Capitan
# 16.0.0 - Sierra
DARWIN=darwin`uname -r`

MIN_SDK_VERSION=8.0

IPHONEOS_SYSROOT=`xcrun --sdk iphoneos --show-sdk-path`
IPHONESIMULATOR_SYSROOT=`xcrun --sdk iphonesimulator --show-sdk-path`

# Verbose clang output
#CLANG_VERBOSE="--verbose"

CC=clang
CXX=clang

SILENCED_WARNINGS="-Wno-unused-local-typedef -Wno-unused-function"

# NOTE: Google Protobuf does not currently build if you specify 'libstdc++'
# instead of `libc++` here.
STDLIB=libc++

CFLAGS="${CLANG_VERBOSE} ${SILENCED_WARNINGS} -DNDEBUG -g -O0 -pipe -fPIC -fcxx-exceptions"
CXXFLAGS="${CFLAGS} -std=c++11 -stdlib=${STDLIB}"

LDFLAGS="-stdlib=${STDLIB}"
LIBS="-lc++ -lc++abi"

PROTOC=`which protoc`

PROTOBUF_SOURCE_DIR=protobuf

PREFIX=`pwd`/../output/protobuf
if [ -d ${PREFIX} ]
then
    rm -rf "${PREFIX}"
fi
mkdir -p "${PREFIX}/platform"

## Functions

build-arch() {
  HOST=$1
  ARCH=$2
  PLATFORM_NAME=${ARCH}
  SYSROOT=${IPHONEOS_SYSROOT}

  make distclean
  ./configure \
    --build=x86_64-apple-${DARWIN} \
    --host=${HOST} \
    --with-protoc=${PROTOC} \
    --disable-shared \
    --prefix=${PREFIX} \
    --exec-prefix=${PREFIX}/platform/${PLATFORM_NAME} \
    "CC=${CC}" \
    "CFLAGS=${CFLAGS} -miphoneos-version-min=${MIN_SDK_VERSION} -arch ${ARCH} -isysroot ${SYSROOT}" \
    "CXX=${CXX}" \
    "CXXFLAGS=${CXXFLAGS} -miphoneos-version-min=${MIN_SDK_VERSION} -arch ${ARCH} -isysroot ${SYSROOT}" \
    LDFLAGS="-arch ${ARCH} -miphoneos-version-min=${MIN_SDK_VERSION} ${LDFLAGS}" \
    "LIBS=${LIBS}"

  make -j8
  make install
}

build-i386-simulator() {
  ARCH=i386
  HOST=${ARCH}-apple-${DARWIN}
  PLATFORM_NAME=${ARCH}-simulator
  SYSROOT=${IPHONESIMULATOR_SYSROOT}

  make distclean
  ./configure \
    --build=x86_64-apple-${DARWIN} \
    --host=${HOST} \
    --with-protoc=${PROTOC} \
    --disable-shared \
    --prefix=${PREFIX} \
    --exec-prefix=${PREFIX}/platform/${PLATFORM_NAME} \
    "CC=${CC}" \
    "CFLAGS=${CFLAGS} -mios-simulator-version-min=${MIN_SDK_VERSION} -arch ${ARCH} -isysroot ${SYSROOT}" \
    "CXX=${CXX}" \
    "CXXFLAGS=${CXXFLAGS} -mios-simulator-version-min=${MIN_SDK_VERSION} -arch ${ARCH} -isysroot ${SYSROOT}" \
    LDFLAGS="-arch ${ARCH} -mios-simulator-version-min=${MIN_SDK_VERSION} ${LDFLAGS}" \
    "LIBS=${LIBS}"

  make -j8
  make install
}

build-x86_64-simulator() {
  ARCH=x86_64
  PLATFORM_NAME=${ARCH}-simulator
  SYSROOT=${IPHONESIMULATOR_SYSROOT}

  make distclean
  ./configure --prefix=${PREFIX} \
              --exec-prefix=${PREFIX}/platform/${PLATFORM_NAME} \
              --with-sysroot=${SYSROOT} \
              --with-protoc=`which protoc` \
              --enable-static \
              --disable-shared

  make -j8
  make install
}

build-fat-lib() {
  OUT=${PREFIX}/universal
  mkdir -p ${OUT}

  PLATFORM_ROOT=${PREFIX}/platform
  LIPO=lipo

  LIB=libprotobuf.a
  ${LIPO} ${PLATFORM_ROOT}/arm64/lib/${LIB} \
          ${PLATFORM_ROOT}/armv7/lib/${LIB} \
          ${PLATFORM_ROOT}/x86_64-simulator/lib/${LIB} \
          ${PLATFORM_ROOT}/i386-simulator/lib/${LIB} \
          -create \
          -output ${OUT}/${LIB}

  LIB_LITE=libprotobuf-lite.a
  ${LIPO} ${PLATFORM_ROOT}/arm64/lib/${LIB_LITE} \
          ${PLATFORM_ROOT}/armv7/lib/${LIB_LITE} \
          ${PLATFORM_ROOT}/x86_64-simulator/lib/${LIB_LITE} \
          ${PLATFORM_ROOT}/i386-simulator/lib/${LIB_LITE} \
          -create \
          -output ${OUT}/${LIB_LITE}
}

## Build pass

cd ${PROTOBUF_SOURCE_DIR}

./autogen.sh

build-x86_64-simulator
build-i386-simulator

build-arch arm arm64
build-arch armv7-apple-${DARWIN} armv7

build-fat-lib

echo DONE!

Hi I see the following error, could you please give some hints, thanks!

...
  CXX      google/protobuf/compiler/csharp/csharp_source_generator_base.lo
  CXX      google/protobuf/compiler/csharp/csharp_wrapper_field.lo
  CXXLD    libprotobuf-lite.la
  CXXLD    libprotobuf.la
ar: `u' modifier ignored since `D' is the default (see `U')
ar: `u' modifier ignored since `D' is the default (see `U')
In file included from google/protobuf/compiler/csharp/csharp_source_generator_base.cc:39:
./google/protobuf/compiler/csharp/csharp_source_generator_base.h:62:25: warning: private field 'descriptor_' is not used [-Wunused-private-field]
  const FileDescriptor* descriptor_;
                        ^
1 warning generated.
  CXXLD    libprotoc.la
ar: `u' modifier ignored since `D' is the default (see `U')
  CXXLD    protoc
ld: warning: ignoring file ./.libs/libprotobuf.a, building for iOS-armv7 but attempting to link with file built for iOS-armv7
ld: warning: ignoring file /Users/tom/RefCode/protobuf/src/.libs/libprotobuf.a, building for iOS-armv7 but attempting to link with file built for iOS-armv7
ld: warning: ignoring file ./.libs/libprotoc.a, building for iOS-armv7 but attempting to link with file built for unknown-unsupported file format ( 0x21 0x3C 0x61 0x72 0x63 0x68 0x3E 0x0A 0x2F 0x20 0x20 0x20 0x20 0x20 0x20 0x20 )
Undefined symbols for architecture armv7:
  "google::protobuf::compiler::objectivec::ObjectiveCGenerator::ObjectiveCGenerator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::objectivec::ObjectiveCGenerator::~ObjectiveCGenerator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::CodeGenerator::~CodeGenerator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::js::Generator::~Generator() in main.o
      google::protobuf::compiler::ruby::Generator::~Generator() in main.o
      google::protobuf::compiler::php::Generator::~Generator() in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::CommandLineInterface::AllowPlugins(std::__1::basic_string<char, std::__1::char_traits<char>, std::__1::allocator<char> > const&)", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::CommandLineInterface::RegisterGenerator(std::__1::basic_string<char, std::__1::char_traits<char>, std::__1::allocator<char> > const&, std::__1::basic_string<char, std::__1::char_traits<char>, std::__1::allocator<char> > const&, google::protobuf::compiler::CodeGenerator*, std::__1::basic_string<char, std::__1::char_traits<char>, std::__1::allocator<char> > const&)", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::CommandLineInterface::Run(int, char const* const*)", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::CommandLineInterface::CommandLineInterface()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::CommandLineInterface::~CommandLineInterface()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::cpp::CppGenerator::CppGenerator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::cpp::CppGenerator::~CppGenerator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::java::JavaGenerator::JavaGenerator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::java::JavaGenerator::~JavaGenerator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::csharp::Generator::Generator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::csharp::Generator::~Generator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::python::Generator::Generator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "google::protobuf::compiler::python::Generator::~Generator()", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ProtobufMain(int, char**) in main.o
  "vtable for google::protobuf::compiler::CodeGenerator", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::CodeGenerator::CodeGenerator() in main.o
  NOTE: a missing vtable usually means the first non-inline virtual member function has no definition.
  "vtable for google::protobuf::compiler::js::Generator", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::js::Generator::Generator() in main.o
  NOTE: a missing vtable usually means the first non-inline virtual member function has no definition.
  "vtable for google::protobuf::compiler::php::Generator", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::php::Generator::Generator() in main.o
  NOTE: a missing vtable usually means the first non-inline virtual member function has no definition.
  "vtable for google::protobuf::compiler::ruby::Generator", referenced from:
      google::protobuf::compiler::ruby::Generator::Generator() in main.o
  NOTE: a missing vtable usually means the first non-inline virtual member function has no definition.
ld: symbol(s) not found for architecture armv7
clang: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)
make[2]: *** [protoc] Error 1
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make: *** [all] Error 2

Hey @fzyzcjy, sorry this gist is pretty outdated and I haven't tried building Profobuf for iOS for a long time.

By the look of the errors it looks like a bunch of symbols can't be found for armv7. Not really sure what's going on there. Just one thought though, will it work if you build for arm64? Since I believe armv7 is a really old architecture for the iOS devices (dates back to 32-bit Apple CPUs).