Using a recent version of FlatBuffers with the VS2010 C++ toolchain

[zhengliuX]

Hi all,
Thanks for the great work on FlatBuffers.
Due to some constraints, I need to use the Visual Studio 2010 C++ toolchain for my project. I would like to use FlatBuffers to implement some features, preferably with the latest version—or at least a relatively recent one.

However, recent versions of FlatBuffers do not seem to support VS2010. Is there any practical way to use them in a C++ application built with this toolchain?

For example, would it be possible to build and run flatc with a modern compiler, while generating C++ code that can be compiled with VS2010? Would the generated code and the required runtime headers still be compatible, or would they need modifications?

If that is not feasible, what is the newest FlatBuffers version known to work with VS2010? Are there any recommended workarounds or compatibility patches?

Unfortunately, upgrading the compiler is not an option at the moment.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Best,
Zheng

[g4lb]

Use flatc and the headers from v2.0.5-last-supported-VS2010-12-13, with --cpp-std c++0x. Code from a newer flatc does not compile with older headers, but the buffers stay compatible.

[zhengliuX]

Thank you so much! Just one more thing to check, I need to compile the flatc of this tag, right? I did not find v2.0.5 release

[g4lb]

Yes, build flatc from that tag with any modern compiler (it worked with GCC 13), and use the include/ headers from the same tag:

git clone --branch v2.0.5-last-supported-VS2010-12-13 https://github.com/google/flatbuffers
cmake -S flatbuffers -B build -DFLATBUFFERS_BUILD_TESTS=OFF
cmake --build build --target flatc

[zhengliuX]

Thanks a lot, this works!