gyp - how to specify link library flavor - node.js

Question

I'm writing a native node module and I'd like to be able to build it in release and debug versions.
The node module links to another library, which has a debug and release version in two different directories.
Now this is where I'm stuck - how do I specify the library directory for the current configuration being built?
I've tried setting that in configurations.debug.link_settings key, but I get the error:
'link_settings not allowed in the Debug configuration, found in target binding.gyp

Answer 1

Apparently this is not possible in a cross-platform way.
So hopefully this will spare you a couple of hours of experimentation.
This is a gyp file which builds the addon for Mac and Windows.
//This example assumes you have an external library 'thelibrary', located in
//./external/thelibrary
//With the two flavors, debug and release in lib/debug and lib/release
{
"targets": [
{
"target_name": "addon",
"sources": [
"src/addon.cpp",
"src/expose_the_library.cpp"
],
"include_dirs": [
"external/thelibrary/include"
],
"cflags!": [
"-fno-exceptions"
],
"cflags_cc!": [
"-fno-exceptions"
],
"conditions": [
[
"OS=='mac'",
{
"defines": [
"__MACOSX_CORE__"
],
"architecture": "i386",
"xcode_settings": {
"GCC_ENABLE_CPP_EXCEPTIONS": "YES"
},
"link_settings": {
"libraries": [
"-lthelibrary",
"-framework",
"IOBluetooth" //this is how you use a framework on OSX
],
"configurations": {
"Debug": {
"xcode_settings": {
"OTHER_LDFLAGS": [
"-Lexternal/thelibrary/lib/debug"
]
}
},
"Release": {
"xcode_settings": {
"OTHER_LDFLAGS": [
"-Lexternal/thelibrary/lib/release"
]
}
}
}
}
}
],
[
"OS=='win'",
{
"link_settings": {
"libraries": [
"-lthelibrary.lib",
]
},
"configurations": {
"Debug": {
"msvs_settings": {
"VCCLCompilerTool": {
"ExceptionHandling": "0",
"AdditionalOptions": [
"/MP /EHsc"
]
},
"VCLibrarianTool": {
"AdditionalOptions": [
"/LTCG"
]
},
"VCLinkerTool": {
"LinkTimeCodeGeneration": 1,
"LinkIncremental": 1,
"AdditionalLibraryDirectories": [
"../external/thelibrary/lib/debug"
]
}
}
},
"Release": {
"msvs_settings": {
"VCCLCompilerTool": {
"RuntimeLibrary": 0,
"Optimization": 3,
"FavorSizeOrSpeed": 1,
"InlineFunctionExpansion": 2,
"WholeProgramOptimization": "true",
"OmitFramePointers": "true",
"EnableFunctionLevelLinking": "true",
"EnableIntrinsicFunctions": "true",
"RuntimeTypeInfo": "false",
"ExceptionHandling": "0",
"AdditionalOptions": [
"/MP /EHsc"
]
},
"VCLibrarianTool": {
"AdditionalOptions": [
"/LTCG"
]
},
"VCLinkerTool": {
"LinkTimeCodeGeneration": 1,
"OptimizeReferences": 2,
"EnableCOMDATFolding": 2,
"LinkIncremental": 1,
"AdditionalLibraryDirectories": [
"../external/thelibrary/lib/release"
]
}
}
}
}
}
]
]
}
]
}

Answer 2

I faced this issue as well and it seems that if you pass --format=make-linux (for example) on the command line it will generate for the 'make' format but it will explicitly use the 'linux' flavor.