5 Prepare to Use a Boost Library Binary

Boost Getting Started on Windows - 1.50.0

5   Prepare to Use a Boost Library Binary

If you want to use any of the separately-compiled Boost libraries, you'll need to acquire library binaries.

5.1   Install Visual Studio Binaries

The installers supplied by BoostPro Computing will download and install pre-compiled binaries into the lib\ subdirectory of the boost root, typically C:\Program Files\boost\boost_1_50_0\lib\. If you installed all variants of the Boost.Regex binary, you're done with this step. Otherwise, please run the installer again and install them now.

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5.2   Or, Simplified Build From Source

If you wish to build from source with Visual C++, you can use a simple build procedure described in this section. Open the command prompt and change your current directory to the Boost root directory. Then, type the following commands:

bootstrap
.\b2

The first command prepares the Boost.Build system for use. The second command invokes Boost.Build to build the separately-compiled Boost libraries. Please consult the Boost.Build documentation for a list of allowed options.

5.3   Or, Build Binaries From Source

If you're using an earlier version of Visual C++, or a compiler from another vendor, you'll need to use Boost.Build to create your own binaries.

Boost.CMake

There is also an experimental CMake build for boost, supported and distributed separately. See the Boost.CMake wiki page for more information.