Android, FPC and lazarus corss-compilation

[code_glitch]

Yup, its come this... The article for PGD gamer has taken a turn for the worse. The wiki instructions worked once and once only - I got one APK out and the next F8 key later it was crash this, error that... Of course, I tried trawling over the darn pages again and again, but a human can only hit his head against a wall so many times before going insane, so here's where I'm at (where I think I know it all works well):

Setup:
Virtual machine of x86 Linux Mint 11 (its 100% ubuntu compatible so no problems there, just better performance )
A copy of the Android NDK and SDK (its possible the NDK is a little iffy but the emulator and what not works)
A copy of freepascal 2.6.0 for x86 from the freepascal.org deb files
A copy of the Sun java 6 sdk from the APT repo

What doesn't seem to work:
The scripts detailed on this page: http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/S...ompile_For_ARM seem to be a little dated. I had a go at fixing up the paths and running through it manually but I get hangs during compilations, random errors from code and missing files... Reminds one of the DLL hell you could get from windows 95....

Anyone here have a detailed procedure on their setup with FPC (or lazarus) for cross compiling to android they'd be willing to share by any chance? I'm in a state of denial about surrendering my article to the trash can because FPC is playing hard to get - as am I about publishing faulty instructions!

Frustration....

[Andru]

For FreePascal 2.6.0 I use this script to build crosscompiler and install it into /opt/fpc:

export PPCBIN=/usr/lib/fpc/2.6.0/ppcx64
export ANDROID_BIN=$ANDROID_NDK/toolchains/arm-linux-androideabi-4.4.3/prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-linux-androideabi/bin

if [ -d ./fixes_2_6 ]; then
  svn update ./fixes_2_6
else
  svn co http://svn.freepascal.org/svn/fpc/branches/fixes_2_6 ./fixes_2_6
fi

svn export ./fixes_2_6 /tmp/fixes_2_6

cd /tmp/fixes_2_6

make distclean
make FPC=$PPCBIN build OS_TARGET=linux CPU_TARGET=arm OPT="-dFPC_ARMEL" CROSSBINDIR=$ANDROID_BIN
sudo make FPC=`pwd`/compiler/ppcrossarm PREFIX=/opt/fpc crossinstall OS_TARGET=linux CPU_TARGET=arm OPT="-dFPC_ARMEL" CROSSBINDIR=$ANDROID_BIN
rm -Rf /tmp/fixes_2_6

Instead of $ANDROID_NDK you should put your own path, because this variable available only in ArchLinux. Also don't forget to change ppcx64 to ppc386 if you use 32-bit system.

[code_glitch]

Andru: Thanks a ton for that... I have to admit its not quite what I'd expected (maybe the wikis have a tendency for overcomplication?)

I'll give this a spin right as soon as my virtualbox loads up

[code_glitch]

Oo ??

Just went to run that script, ran a mkdir FPC_Try2 and out of space... I woooonder...... Oh, well, script time since its simpler than the wiki approach Have to admit, arch seems like a very tempting OS, slim, extra variables by default...

[code_glitch]

Hmm... Now lets see if it works; It seems theres no ppcarm so I wonder if fpc xyz.pas goes straight to arm then?

Edit:
!? WHAAA!!!??

Ran the sript through, a few error 2s but I find them quite common and nothing serious occured. Seems to have worked anyway. So I ran a 'sudo find / -name ppcrossarm' and I get /usr/lib/fpc/2.7.1/ppcrossarm spat back at me.

Does that mean all my faff was for nothing and a previous procedure had worked despite the errors? I guess its test time!

[code_glitch]

Verdict: no luck...

running fpc -Parm -Tlinux test.pas just gives me a can't run ppcarm error code 127