ClausKlein
January 9, 2026, 7:27pm
1
I have a project that build Boost with CXX_MODULES . It works on Linux and OSX, but not on windows?
The type_index lib is a header only module the any lib too. The any module itself imports the type_index.
[367/557] Linking CXX shared library bin\boost_type_index-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.dll
[368/557] Generating CXX dyndep file examples\CMakeFiles\ExampleAny.dir\CXX.dd
[369/557] Generating CXX dyndep file examples\CMakeFiles\ExampleRegex.dir\CXX.dd
[370/557] Generating CXX dyndep file examples\CMakeFiles\ExampleAsio.dir\CXX.dd
[371/557] Generating CXX dyndep file examples\CMakeFiles\ExampleTest.dir\CXX.dd
[372/557] Linking CXX shared library bin\boost_any-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.dll
FAILED: [code=4294967295] bin/boost_any-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.dll lib/boost_any-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.lib
C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /C "cd . && D:\a\_temp\1869045051\cmake-4.2.1-windows-x86_64\bin\cmake.exe -E vs_link_dll --msvc-ver=1944 --intdir=_deps\boost-build\libs\any\CMakeFiles\boost_any.dir --rc=C:\PROGRA~2\WI3CF2~1\10\bin\100261~1.0\x64\rc.exe --mt=C:\PROGRA~2\WI3CF2~1\10\bin\100261~1.0\x64\mt.exe --manifests -- C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\2022\ENTERP~1\VC\Tools\MSVC\1444~1.352\bin\Hostx64\x64\link.exe /nologo _deps\boost-build\libs\any\CMakeFiles\boost_any.dir\modules\boost_any.cppm.obj /out:bin\boost_any-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.dll /implib:lib\boost_any-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.lib /pdb:bin\boost_any-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.pdb /dll /version:1.90 -machine:x64 /INCREMENTAL:NO lib\boost_type_index-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib && cd ."
LINK: command "C:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~2\2022\ENTERP~1\VC\Tools\MSVC\1444~1.352\bin\Hostx64\x64\link.exe /nologo _deps\boost-build\libs\any\CMakeFiles\boost_any.dir\modules\boost_any.cppm.obj /out:bin\boost_any-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.dll /implib:lib\boost_any-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.lib /pdb:bin\boost_any-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.pdb /dll /version:1.90 -machine:x64 /INCREMENTAL:NO lib\boost_type_index-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.lib kernel32.lib user32.lib gdi32.lib winspool.lib shell32.lib ole32.lib oleaut32.lib uuid.lib comdlg32.lib advapi32.lib /MANIFEST:EMBED,ID=2" failed (exit code 1181) with the following output:
LINK : fatal error LNK1181: cannot open input file 'lib\boost_type_index-vc143-mt-x64-1_90.lib'
The code is here: Bump version: 1.90.0-dev1 by ClausKlein · Pull Request #11 · ClausKlein/boost-cmake · GitHub
ben.boeckel
January 10, 2026, 3:13am
2
Try -DBOOST_ALL_NO_LIB? Though the library is directly on the command line, so autolinking is unlikely the direct cause…
Oh…this is building Boost itself ! The lack of a .lib usually means that the DLL is not exporting any symbols from it. The linker only makes a .lib if the DLL exports symbols.
ClausKlein
January 10, 2026, 4:33am
3
Both libs are header only build as CXX_MODULES
bash-5.3$ dyld_info libboost_type_index.1.90.0.dylib
libboost_type_index.1.90.0.dylib [x86_64]:
-platform:
platform minOS sdk
macOS 14.0 14.0
-segments:
load-offset segment section sect-size seg-size perm
0x00000000 __TEXT 8KB r.x
0x00001F10 __text 70
0x00001F56 __stubs 12
0x00001F62 __const 57
0x00001F9C __unwind_info 96
0x00002000 __DATA_CONST 4KB rw.
0x00002000 __got 16
0x00002010 __const 64
-dependents:
attributes load path
/usr/local/opt/llvm/lib/c++/libc++abi.1.dylib
/usr/local/opt/llvm/lib/c++/libc++.1.dylib
/usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib
bash-5.3$ dyld_info libboost_any.1.90.0.dylib
libboost_any.1.90.0.dylib [x86_64]:
-platform:
platform minOS sdk
macOS 14.0 14.0
-segments:
load-offset segment section sect-size seg-size perm
0x00000000 __TEXT 8KB r.x
0x00001BD0 __text 768
0x00001ED0 __stubs 12
0x00001EDC __cstring 61
0x00001F19 __const 119
0x00001F90 __unwind_info 112
0x00002000 __DATA_CONST 4KB rw.
0x00002000 __got 24
0x00002018 __const 192
-dependents:
attributes load path
/usr/local/opt/llvm/lib/c++/libc++abi.1.dylib
/usr/local/opt/llvm/lib/c++/libc++.1.dylib
@rpath/libboost_type_index.1.90.0.dylib
/usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib
bash-5.3$ dyld_info libboost_a.1.90.0.dylib
libboost_any.1.90.0.dylib libboost_any.dylib libboost_atomic.1.90.0.dylib libboost_atomic.dylib
bash-5.3$ dyld_info libboost_atomic.1.90.0.dylib
libboost_atomic.1.90.0.dylib [x86_64]:
-platform:
platform minOS sdk
macOS 14.0 14.0
-segments:
load-offset segment section sect-size seg-size perm
0x00000000 __TEXT 12KB r.x
0x00002010 __text 3370
0x00002D3A __stubs 126
0x00002DB8 __gcc_except_tab 284
0x00002ED4 __unwind_info 296
0x00003000 __DATA_CONST 4KB rw.
0x00003000 __got 184
0x00004000 __DATA 36KB rw.
0x00004000 __data 32776
0x0000C008 __bss 1
-dependents:
attributes load path
/usr/local/opt/llvm/lib/c++/libc++abi.1.dylib
/usr/local/opt/llvm/lib/c++/libc++.1.dylib
/usr/lib/libSystem.B.dylib
bash-5.3$
see too Header-only libraries and C++20 modules
and type_index/modules/boost_type_index.cppm at develop · boostorg/type_index · GitHub
ClausKlein
January 10, 2026, 10:29am
4
If I build static libs on Windows, it works:
develop ← feature/bump-to-boost-v1.90.0
This should prevent link errors with header only modules
ben.boeckel
January 12, 2026, 12:33am
5
Modules provide a “module initialization symbol” that imports call. This is how modules are able to order global static initializations.
There’s been talk of an attribute one can use (export module x [[module_noinit]]; or something) to say "this module pinky swears to need no global static initialization (even transitively). which would allow importers to skip calling it. It hasn’t gone anywhere yet (not even a paper).
Until then, all named module providers must provide some kind of library artifact to provide such symbols.