gtest package broken on Windows using gcc toolchain

[dkaszews]

Xmake Version

v3.0.1+HEAD.3350cc5ab

Operating System Version and Architecture

Windows 11 24H2 26100.4946

Describe Bug

#8157 made gtest installed using cmake by default. This does not appear to correctly forward the toolchain, as xmake config --toolchain=gcc fails on Windows. Adding { configs = { cmake = false }} fixes the issue temporarily, which shows the root cause is the new default (making a new option the default is probably not a great idea).

Expected Behavior

gtest can be installed

Project Configuration

add_requires('gtest >= 1.14.0')
target('test')
    set_kind('binary')
    add_files('**.cpp')
    add_packages('gtest')

Additional Information and Error Logs

I am not able to provide full logs as the Windows machine in questions is a corporate one I cannot downloads logs from, but the relevant part is:

The C compiler identification is MSVC 19.44.35214.0
The CXX compiler identification is MSVC 19.44.35214.0
...
Check for working C compiler: C:/Program Files/Microsoft Visual Studio/Community/VC/Tools/MSVC/14.44.35207/bin/Hostx64/x64/cl.exe - broken

The MSVC toolchain being broken is a known issue on our side, that's why we use GCC instead, which now appears ignored. We should never see this message as MSVC compiler should not be used at all.

[star-hengxing]

I think you use xmake incorrectly. For the gcc toolchain, you need to run xmake f -p mingw to change platform, and xmake will find the gcc toolchain automatically.

[dkaszews]

@star-hengxing That appears to work, even allows to choose between GCC and clang toolchains, but is there any reason why it wasn't needed on old install method? I always just used --toolchain on Windows, never had to change platform. It might be a case of bug compatibility, but it is still a regression on our end.

[star-hengxing]

Because the previous gtest package was built with the xmake port, it will pass the same platform and toolchain to the package.

---

We should use triplets to describe compilation, but xmake simplifies this concept.

On the windows platform, you can use clang/clang-cl/msvc + MSVC STL + Windows SDK.
On the mingw platform, you can use clang/gcc + GCC STL + mingw (ucrt64/mingw64/mingw32).

As long as the toolchain combinations above are followed, most libraries can be compiled and used normally.

[dkaszews]

Understood, thank you for detailed explanation!