Cross platform compilation

cross-platform-compilation

Summary

Verify that a bioinformatics tool successfully compiles and executes on documented target platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS) by following platform-specific build procedures and smoke-testing the resulting artifacts. This skill ensures reproducibility and accessibility of the tool across operating systems.

When to use

When releasing a new version of a tool, onboarding to a new development platform, or validating that a tool meets its documented platform support claims (e.g., Windows 10, Ubuntu 22.04, macOS 12+ ARM64). Apply this skill before publishing binaries or claiming multi-platform support.

When NOT to use

• Tool is distributed only as a web service or SaaS platform without client binaries.
• Target platform is not listed in the tool's documented supported OS list.
• Build dependencies are not publicly available or require proprietary toolchains.

Inputs

• Git repository URL with full source code and submodules
• Documentation of target platforms and build requirements
• Build configuration files (qmake .pro, CMakeLists.txt, pom.xml, setup.py, or Dockerfile)

Outputs

• Compiled executable or binary artifact (EXE, binary, JAR, wheel, or DMG)
• Build log confirming compilation success on each target platform
• Smoke-test results (tool invocation with --help, example dataset import, or minimal analysis run)
• List of platform-specific runtime dependencies and library paths

How to apply

Clone the repository with all submodules, identify the build system (qmake, Maven, CMake, etc.), install platform-specific build dependencies (Qt6 libraries, compilers, OpenSSL, development headers), execute the platform-appropriate build command (e.g., qmake6 LipidSpace.pro && make), verify the expected output artifact exists in the build directory, and run a smoke test (e.g., --help or loading example data) to confirm the executable is functional. On macOS ARM64, special attention to bundled dylibs and architecture-specific compilation (e.g., OpenXLSX built from source for arm64) is required. Document any platform-specific workarounds or library paths needed at runtime.

Related tools

• LipidSpace (Lipidomics analysis tool used as exemplar for cross-platform compilation testing) — https://github.com/lifs-tools/lipidspace
• Qt6 (GUI framework required for LipidSpace builds; platform-specific installation via Homebrew, apt, or source)
• cppgoslin (Lipid parsing library dependency; must be built and installed before LipidSpace compilation) — https://github.com/lifs-tools/cppgoslin

Examples

git clone --recurse-submodules [redacted-email]:lifs-tools/lipidspace.git && cd lipidspace && qmake6 LipidSpace.pro && make && ./LipidSpace --help

Evaluation signals

• Build completes without errors on all three target platforms (Windows 10, Ubuntu 22.04, macOS 12+ ARM64).
• Compiled executable exists in expected output directory (e.g., Build/ folder for qmake, or .exe/.sh/.app for native builds).
• Smoke test succeeds: tool responds to --help, loads bundled example dataset, or completes minimal analysis without segfault/runtime error.
• No unresolved shared library references at runtime (check with ldd, otool -L, or objdump -p depending on platform).
• Platform-specific workarounds documented (e.g., DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH on macOS, qmake6 PATH export, OpenXLSX arm64 build script).

Limitations

• macOS ARM64 requires special handling: OpenXLSX must be built from source using the provided build script; libcppGoslin.dylib must be copied or DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH set at runtime.
• Qt6 is a heavyweight GUI dependency; installation and version compatibility can vary by platform and package manager.
• Windows build procedures are not detailed in the provided README; only qmake-based Linux/macOS builds are documented.
• Build times and disk space requirements vary significantly by platform and dependency caching state.
• Some features (e.g., NVIDIA CUDA GPU acceleration) are optional and require additional hardware/drivers not present on all platforms.

Evidence

• [readme] LipidSpace has been built and tested under Windows 10, Ubuntu 22.04 Linux, and macOS 12+ (ARM64 / Apple Silicon), demonstrating successful compilation and execution on these target platforms.: "LipidSpace has been built and tested under Windows 10, Ubuntu 22.04 Linux, and macOS 12+ (ARM64 / Apple Silicon)"
• [other] Clone the repository, inspect build configuration files, install platform-specific dependencies, execute the build command, verify the generated artifact, and run a smoke test.: "Clone the lifs-tools/lipidspace repository from GitHub. 2. Inspect the repository structure and identify the build configuration file (e.g., pom.xml, build.gradle, CMakeLists.txt, or setup.py). 3."
• [readme] Qt6 is required for the GUI; macOS requires Homebrew-installed Qt, Linux requires qt6-base-dev from apt.: "LipidSpace uses the QT6 libraries for the graphical user interface."
• [readme] OpenXLSX must be compiled from source for ARM64; a build script is provided.: "OpenXLSX must be built from source for ARM64. A build script is provided in the repository root"
• [readme] qmake6 and make are the standard build commands; runtime library paths must be set on macOS.: "qmake6 LipidSpace.pro make

At runtime, libcppGoslin.dylib must be accessible. Copy it next to the executable or set DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH"