a08cc7d2ae
search_strategy is no longer passed to Compilation at all; instead it is used in the CLI code only. When using Zig CLI mode, `-l` no longer has the ability to link statically; use positional arguments for this. The CLI has a small abstraction around library resolution handling which is used to remove some code duplication regarding static libraries, as well as handle the difference between zig cc CLI mode and zig CLI mode. Thanks to this, system libraries are now included in the cache hash, and thus changes to them will correctly cause cache misses. In the future, lib_dirs should no longer be passed to Compilation at all, because it is a frontend-only concept. Previously, -search_paths_first and -search_dylibs_first were Darwin-only arguments; they now work the same for all targets. Same thing with --sysroot. Improved the error reporting for failure to find a system library. An example error now looks like this: ``` $ zig build-exe test.zig -lfoo -L. -L/a -target x86_64-macos --sysroot /home/andy/local error: unable to find Dynamic system library 'foo' using strategy 'no_fallback'. search paths: ./libfoo.tbd ./libfoo.dylib ./libfoo.so /home/andy/local/a/libfoo.tbd /home/andy/local/a/libfoo.dylib /home/andy/local/a/libfoo.so /a/libfoo.tbd /a/libfoo.dylib /a/libfoo.so ``` closes #14963
A general-purpose programming language and toolchain for maintaining robust, optimal, and reusable software.
Documentation
If you are looking at this README file in a source tree, please refer to the Release Notes, Language Reference, or Standard Library Documentation corresponding to the version of Zig that you are using by following the appropriate link on the download page.
Otherwise, you're looking at a release of Zig, and you can find documentation here:
- doc/langref.html
- doc/std/index.html
Installation
A Zig installation is composed of two things:
- The Zig executable
- The lib/ directory
At runtime, the executable searches up the file system for the lib/ directory, relative to itself:
- lib/
- zig/lib/
- ../lib/
- ../zig/lib/
- (and so on)
In other words, you can unpack a release of Zig anywhere, and then begin
using it immediately. There is no need to install it globally, although this
mechanism supports that use case too (i.e. /usr/bin/zig and /usr/lib/zig/).
Building from Source
Ensure you have the required dependencies:
- CMake >= 2.8.12
- System C/C++ Toolchain
- LLVM, Clang, LLD development libraries == 16.x
Then it is the standard CMake build process:
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make install
For more options, tips, and troubleshooting, please see the Building Zig From Source page on the wiki.
Contributing
Zig is Free and Open Source Software. We welcome bug reports and patches from everyone. However, keep in mind that Zig governance is BDFN (Benevolent Dictator For Now) which means that Andrew Kelley has final say on the design and implementation of everything.
One of the best ways you can contribute to Zig is to start using it for an open-source personal project.
This leads to discovering bugs and helps flesh out use cases, which lead to further design iterations of Zig. Importantly, each issue found this way comes with real world motivations, making it straightforward to explain the reasoning behind proposals and feature requests.
You will be taken much more seriously on the issue tracker if you have a personal project that uses Zig.
The issue label Contributor Friendly exists to help you find issues that are limited in scope and/or knowledge of Zig internals.
Please note that issues labeled Proposal but do not also have the Accepted label are still under consideration, and efforts to implement such a proposal have a high risk of being wasted. If you are interested in a proposal which is still under consideration, please express your interest in the issue tracker, providing extra insights and considerations that others have not yet expressed. The most highly regarded argument in such a discussion is a real world use case.
For more tips, please see the Contributing page on the wiki.
Community
The Zig community is decentralized. Anyone is free to start and maintain their own space for Zig users to gather. There is no concept of "official" or "unofficial". Each gathering place has its own moderators and rules. Users are encouraged to be aware of the social structures of the spaces they inhabit, and work purposefully to facilitate spaces that align with their values.
Please see the Community wiki page for a public listing of social spaces.