Building StackyNG#

StackyNG is designed for versatility, supporting multiple build systems to accommodate various developer environments. View Readme

1. Supported Build Methods#

Method 0: PowerShell Automation (Recommended)#

This script orchestrates compilation for multiple Windows 11 target architectures and configurations automatically.

• Usage: Run from a standard PowerShell terminal (no special Native Tools prompt required).

• Build all targets: .\build.ps1

• Build specific targets: .\build.ps1 -Arch x64 -Config Release

• Clean & Rebuild: .\build.ps1 -Clean

• Get Help: .\build.ps1 -h OR -Help

• Parameters:

• -Method: CMake or Ninja.

• -Arch: x64, x86, or arm64.

• -Config: Release or Debug.

• -BuildTools: Builds the Tools, see setup stacky.

• -Clean: Wipe previous build artifacts. Note : -Clean removes .vs folders in the project, Visual Studio often keeps the .vs folder locked until you fully close the IDE. If you get an “Access Denied” error during cleanup, it just means you have the project open in Visual Studio. Ensure your IDE is closed before running the -Clean command to guarantee all files (like .suo and .db database files) are successfully purged.

Method 1: CMake (Modern)#

1. Open a Developer Command Prompt.
2. Create/Navigate: mkdir build && cd build.
3. Configure: cmake .. -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A x64 (Replace x64 with Win32 or ARM64).
4. Build: cmake --build . --config Release.
5. Binary location: build/bin/[arch]/stacky.exe.

Method 2: MSBuild (Direct)#

1. Open a Developer Command Prompt.
2. Run: msbuild vsproj\stacky.sln /p:Configuration=Release /p:Platform=x64 (Use Platform=Win32 for 32-bit).

Method 3: Visual Studio IDE#

1. Open vsproj/stacky.sln in Visual Studio 2022 (or 2026).
2. Set configuration to Release and target architecture (x64/x86/ARM64).
3. Right-click StackyNG project > Build.

Method 4: NMake (Fast CLI)#

For developers who prefer a lightweight command-line build without CMake, use the Makefile located in the vsproj/ directory.

Requirements:

• Open the Developer Command Prompt for VS 2026/2022.
• Navigate to the vsproj/ folder: cd vsproj.

Usage: You must specify both ARCH and CONFIG to ensure your binaries are placed in the correct isolated subdirectories:

Note: For ARM64 targets, ensure you have the “MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ ARM64 build tools” workload installed via the Visual Studio Installer, and ensure you are using the “ARM64 Native Tools Command Prompt”.

Cleaning Artifacts: To wipe all generated objects and binaries across all architectures: nmake clean

Method 5: Legacy Batch Script (build.bat)#

1. Open any Developer Command Prompt.
2. Run: build.bat (Automatically detects architecture and outputs to bin/[arch]/stacky.exe).

2. Prerequisites & Dependencies#

System Requirements#

• OS: Windows 11 (x64/ARM64).
• Compiler: Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) with C++17 support.
• SDK: Windows SDK 10.0 or 11.0.
• Tools: Visual Studio 2022 (recommended) or 2026.

Automated Workload Setup#

StackyNG requires the “Desktop development with C++” workload.

Option 1: Chocolatey#

# Build Tools (headless)
choco install visualstudio2022buildtools -y
choco install visualstudio2022-workload-vctools -y

# Full IDE & Native Desktop
choco install visualstudio2022-workload-nativedesktop -y

Option 2: Winget (Recommended)#

# Build Tools
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --override "--passive --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VCTools"

# Full IDE
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.Community --override "--passive --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop"

# Architecture Support
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.Community --override "--passive --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.ARM64"

Required Tooling#

• CMake: choco install cmake OR winget install Kitware.CMake
• Ninja (Optional): choco install ninja OR winget install Ninja-build.Ninja

Note: Restart your terminal or open a Developer Command Prompt after installation to refresh environment variables.

3. Linked Libraries#

• Core Win32: user32.lib, gdi32.lib, shell32.lib, ole32.lib
• UI/Controls: comctl32.lib, windowscodecs.lib (WIC), uxtheme.lib, dwmapi.lib
• System: advapi32.lib

4. GUI Utility (Tools/GUI/)#

The Setup Stacky UI Tool is a subproject of the repository, compiled automatically as part of the build.ps1 workflow.

• Manual Build: Navigate to Tools/GUI/ and run: dotnet build -c Debug.
• Output Location: Automatically moved to /dist/Tools/Setup_Stacky.exe during the main build process.
• Dependencies: Requires .NET 10.0 SDK. If building on a fresh machine, run winget install Microsoft.DotNet.SDK.10.

5. Troubleshooting#

• Unresolved Externals: Ensure you are building from a Developer Command Prompt.
• Multiple Definition Errors: Ensure compiler is set to C++17 mode (/std:c++17).
• Missing Icons: Ensure src/stacky.rc is compiled and linked.
• Workload Components: Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VCTools provides essential compiler/linker tools; Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.NativeDesktop includes full SDK support.

build.ps1 fails to run due to being unsigned, Execution Policy or is blocked.

1. Unblock the file (Most likely fix)#

Even with RemoteSigned set, Windows often “blocks” files downloaded from the internet or created on other systems.

1. Right-click Build.ps1 in File Explorer.
2. Select Properties.
3. At the bottom of the General tab, check the box that says “Unblock”.
4. Click Apply and OK.

2. Force the Execution Policy in the current session#

Sometimes the CurrentUser scope isn’t prioritized correctly. Try setting it specifically for this process window:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process

Then try running .\Build.ps1 again in the same terminal window.

3. Verify Encoding (If it still fails)#

If you recently edited the file in an external editor, it might have saved with an encoding (like UTF-16 with BOM) that PowerShell dislikes.

1. Open Build.ps1 in VS Code.
2. Look at the bottom right status bar; it should say UTF-8.
3. If it says anything else, click it, select “Save with encoding”, and choose “UTF-8”.
4. Save the file and try again.