.. Copyright David Abrahams 2006. Distributed under the Boost .. Software License, Version 1.0. (See accompanying .. file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at http://www.boost.org/LICENSE_1_0.txt) In order to choose the right binary for your build configuration you need to know how Boost binaries are named. Each library filename is composed of a common sequence of elements that describe how it was built. For example, ``libboost_regex-vc71-mt-d-1_34.lib`` can be broken down into the following elements: ``lib`` *Prefix*: except on Microsoft Windows, every Boost library name begins with this string. On Windows, only ordinary static libraries use the ``lib`` prefix; import libraries and DLLs do not. [#distinct]_ ``boost_regex`` *Library name*: all boost library filenames begin with ``boost_``. ``-vc71`` *Toolset tag*: identifies the toolset_ and version used to build the binary. ``-mt`` *Threading tag*: indicates that the library was built with multithreading support enabled. Libraries built without multithreading support can be identified by the absence of ``-mt``. ``-d`` *ABI tag*: encodes details that affect the library's interoperability with other compiled code. For each such feature, a single letter is added to the tag: +-----+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Key |Use this library when: | +=====+==============================================================================+ |``s``|linking statically to the C++ standard library and compiler runtime support | | |libraries. | +-----+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |``g``|using debug versions of the standard and runtime support libraries. | +-----+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |``y``|using a special `debug build of Python`__. | +-----+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |``d``|building a debug version of your code. [#debug-abi]_ | +-----+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |``p``|using the STLPort standard library rather than the default one supplied with | | |your compiler. | +-----+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |``n``|using STLPort's deprecated “native iostreams” feature. [#native]_ | +-----+------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ For example, if you build a debug version of your code for use with debug versions of the static runtime library and the STLPort standard library in “native iostreams” mode, the tag would be: ``-sgdpn``. If none of the above apply, the ABI tag is ommitted. ``-1_34`` *Version tag*: the full Boost release number, with periods replaced by underscores. For example, version 1.31.1 would be tagged as "-1_31_1". ``.lib`` *Extension*: determined according to the operating system's usual convention. On most unix-style platforms the extensions are ``.a`` and ``.so`` for static libraries (archives) and shared libraries, respectively. On Windows, ``.dll`` indicates a shared library and (except for static libraries built by the ``gcc`` toolset_, whose names always end in ``.a``) ``.lib`` indicates a static or import library. Where supported by toolsets on unix variants, a full version extension is added (e.g. ".so.1.34") and a symbolic link to the library file, named without the trailing version number, will also be created. .. .. _Boost.Build toolset names: toolset-name_ __ ../../libs/python/doc/building.html#variants