Development:Building:FAQ

Q. What versions of Mac OS X, Xcode, development SDK, and gcc are supported for building Camino?

A. There is a constantly-updated matrix of working build configurations on the Mozilla Wiki.

However, Camino officially supports building with Xcode 2.4.1 or higher, 10.4u SDK, and gcc 4 on Mac OS X 10.4.11 or 10.5.8 (Xcode 2.5 recommended for Mac OS X 10.4.11, and Xcode 3.0 recommended for Mac OS X 10.5.x), and these build instructions and the default .mozconfig settings expect build environments to conform to these requirements. Your build will fail if you do not adhere to these requirements or make all the configuration changes required for another working configuration.

Q. Can I build on Case-Sensitive HFS or UFS?

A. Yes, on all current branches. If you do encounter any problems building on a case-sensitive file system, please file a bug.

Q. How do I build a release version of Camino or build Camino from a specific branch?

A. These build instructions will build the “trunk” code for Camino, the site of ongoing development. If you want to build the latest Camino release, download and unpack the source tarball for that release instead of checking out source from cvs.

For release builds of Camino, be sure to add the following lines to your .mozconfig file:
ac_add_options --disable-shared
ac_add_options --enable-static

After editing your .mozconfig, start your build by running make -f client.mk from your mozilla directory.

If you wish to build the Camino code that exists on a certain branch, you should follow the main instructions for checking out the source code but modify the two cvs co commands to include the appropriate branch tag. To build Camino code on the Mozilla 1.8 branch (Camino 1.6.x), the appropriate commands are as follows:
$ cvs co -r MOZILLA_1_8_BRANCH mozilla/client.mk
$ cvs co -r MOZILLA_1_8_BRANCH mozilla/camino/config/mozconfig

Note that all Camino development is done on the trunk and back-ported to the branches if needed, so those wishing to become involved in Camino development should follow the main instructions.

Note that Camino 1.6.x/MOZILLA_1_8_BRANCH, Camino 1.5.x/CAMINO_1_5_BRANCH, and Camino 1.0.x/MOZILLA_1_8_0_BRANCH all require different SDK and compiler configurations from the trunk, as well as changes to the Shared Menus Framework, in order to build; see the Appendix for more information.

Q. What are the cvs tags for recent branches, releases, and milestones?

A. Use the following cvs tags in your cvs co -r commands above in order to build these versions of Camino:

• CAMINO_2_0_RELEASE - Camino 2.0 release
• CAMINO_2_0_BRANCH - Ongoing Camino 2.0.1pre development (will become Camino 2.0.1)
• MOZILLA_1_8_BRANCH - Camino 1.6.x security releases
• CAMINO_1_6_10_RELEASE - Camino 1.6.10 release
• CAMINO_1_5_5_RELEASE - Camino 1.5.5 legacy release (for 10.3.0-10.3.8 users)
• CAMINO_1_0_6_RELEASE - Camino 1.0.6 legacy release (for 10.2.8 users)

Q. Why can't I get a fresh copy of Camino to build?

A. Despite our best efforts, sometimes the Mozilla or Camino tree is "red," meaning that the source code won't build properly in its current state. Before you pull, you can check the status on Camino's tinderbox. If the Camino tinderbox or the Mac builds in the SeaMonkey or Firefox tinderboxes are red, you probably should avoid checking out.

If your build fails, just wait until things go green again and re-pull Camino.

If the tree was green when you pulled your source, consult the list of common build errors and see if your error is listed. If so, follow the steps listed there to fix your build.

Q. I get an error from the Terminal or from Xcode when trying to build Camino; what's wrong?

A. Consult the list of common build errors and see if your error is listed. If so, follow the steps listed there to fix your build.

Q. My Camino build crashes at startup; what's wrong?

A. This has most likely occurred because you are building from within Xcode and have set up your .mozconfig for an optimized build and Xcode for a debug build, or the other way around. Follow the instructions above to set your build mode in both the .mozconfig and Xcode, or just build from the command line using make -f client.mk.

Q. What if I still can't get Camino to build?

A. First check the Build Errors page to see if you've run in to any of the common errors. If not, there are two places to go for help building Camino:

• The #camino IRC channel at irc.mozilla.org is a good place to find some Mac weenies in real time who, if you ask nicely and don't be a pest, will happily get you on your way.
• For non-real-time build help, the Camino forum at MozillaZine has a number of regulars who can usually solve your build woes.