4 This port allows SDL applications to run on Microsoft's platforms that require
5 use of "Windows Runtime", aka. "WinRT", APIs. Microsoft may, in some cases,
6 refer to them as either "Windows Store", or for Windows 10, "UWP" apps.
8 Some of the operating systems that include WinRT, are:
10 * Windows 10, via its Universal Windows Platform (UWP) APIs
12 * Windows RT 8.x (aka. Windows 8.x for ARM processors)
19 * Microsoft Visual C++ (aka Visual Studio), either 2017, 2015, 2013, or 2012
20 - Free, "Community" or "Express" editions may be used, so long as they
21 include support for either "Windows Store" or "Windows Phone" apps.
22 "Express" versions marked as supporting "Windows Desktop" development
23 typically do not include support for creating WinRT apps, to note.
24 (The "Community" editions of Visual C++ do, however, support both
25 desktop/Win32 and WinRT development).
26 - Visual Studio 2017 can be used, however it is recommented that you install
27 the Visual C++ 2015 build tools. These build tools can be installed
28 using VS 2017's installer. Be sure to also install the workload for
29 "Universal Windows Platform development", its optional component, the
30 "C++ Universal Windows Platform tools", and for UWP / Windows 10
31 development, the "Windows 10 SDK (10.0.10240.0)". Please note that
32 targeting UWP / Windows 10 apps from development machine(s) running
33 earlier versions of Windows, such as Windows 7, is not always supported
34 by Visual Studio, and you may get error(s) when attempting to do so.
35 - Visual C++ 2012 can only build apps that target versions 8.0 of Windows,
36 or Windows Phone. 8.0-targetted apps will run on devices running 8.1
37 editions of Windows, however they will not be able to take advantage of
38 8.1-specific features.
39 - Visual C++ 2013 cannot create app projects that target Windows 8.0.
40 Visual C++ 2013 Update 4, can create app projects for Windows Phone 8.0,
41 Windows Phone 8.1, and Windows 8.1, but not Windows 8.0. An optional
42 Visual Studio add-in, "Tools for Maintaining Store apps for Windows 8",
43 allows Visual C++ 2013 to load and build Windows 8.0 projects that were
44 created with Visual C++ 2012, so long as Visual C++ 2012 is installed
45 on the same machine. More details on targeting different versions of
46 Windows can found at the following web pages:
47 - [Develop apps by using Visual Studio 2013](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/br211384.aspx)
48 - [To add the Tools for Maintaining Store apps for Windows 8](http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/dn263114.aspx#AddMaintenanceTools)
49 * A valid Microsoft account - This requirement is not imposed by SDL, but
50 rather by Microsoft's Visual C++ toolchain. This is required to launch or
57 Here is a rough list of what works, and what doens't:
60 * compilation via Visual C++ 2012 through 2015
61 * compile-time platform detection for SDL programs. The C/C++ #define,
62 `__WINRT__`, will be set to 1 (by SDL) when compiling for WinRT.
63 * GPU-accelerated 2D rendering, via SDL_Renderer.
64 * OpenGL ES 2, via the ANGLE library (included separately from SDL)
65 * software rendering, via either SDL_Surface (optionally in conjunction with
66 SDL_GetWindowSurface() and SDL_UpdateWindowSurface()) or via the
69 * timers (via SDL_GetTicks(), SDL_AddTimer(), SDL_GetPerformanceCounter(),
70 SDL_GetPerformanceFrequency(), etc.)
71 * file I/O via SDL_RWops
72 * mouse input (unsupported on Windows Phone)
73 * audio, via a modified version of SDL's XAudio2 backend
74 * .DLL file loading. Libraries *MUST* be packaged inside applications. Loading
75 anything outside of the app is not supported.
76 * system path retrieval via SDL's filesystem APIs
77 * game controllers. Support is provided via the SDL_Joystick and
78 SDL_GameController APIs, and is backed by Microsoft's XInput API. Please
79 note, however, that Windows limits game-controller support in UWP apps to,
80 "Xbox compatible controllers" (many controllers that work in Win32 apps,
81 do not work in UWP, due to restrictions in UWP itself.)
83 * app events. SDL_APP_WILLENTER* and SDL_APP_DIDENTER* events get sent out as
86 * using Direct3D 11.x APIs outside of SDL. Non-XAML / Direct3D-only apps can
87 choose to render content directly via Direct3D, using SDL to manage the
88 internal WinRT window, as well as input and audio. (Use
89 SDL_GetWindowWMInfo() to get the WinRT 'CoreWindow', and pass it into
90 IDXGIFactory2::CreateSwapChainForCoreWindow() as appropriate.)
92 * What partially works:
93 * keyboard input. Most of WinRT's documented virtual keys are supported, as
94 well as many keys with documented hardware scancodes. Converting
95 SDL_Scancodes to or from SDL_Keycodes may not work, due to missing APIs
96 (MapVirtualKey()) in Microsoft's Windows Store / UWP APIs.
97 * SDLmain. WinRT uses a different signature for each app's main() function.
98 SDL-based apps that use this port must compile in SDL_winrt_main_NonXAML.cpp
99 (in `SDL\src\main\winrt\`) directly in order for their C-style main()
100 functions to be called.
103 * compilation with anything other than Visual C++
104 * programmatically-created custom cursors. These don't appear to be supported
105 by WinRT. Different OS-provided cursors can, however, be created via
106 SDL_CreateSystemCursor() (unsupported on Windows Phone)
107 * SDL_WarpMouseInWindow() or SDL_WarpMouseGlobal(). This are not currently
108 supported by WinRT itself.
109 * joysticks and game controllers that either are not supported by
110 Microsoft's XInput API, or are not supported within UWP apps (many
111 controllers that work in Win32, do not work in UWP, due to restrictions in
113 * turning off VSync when rendering on Windows Phone. Attempts to turn VSync
114 off on Windows Phone result either in Direct3D not drawing anything, or it
115 forcing VSync back on. As such, SDL_RENDERER_PRESENTVSYNC will always get
116 turned-on on Windows Phone. This limitation is not present in non-Phone
117 WinRT (such as Windows 8.x), where turning off VSync appears to work.
118 * probably anything else that's not listed as supported
125 #### SDL_GetPrefPath() usage when upgrading WinRT apps from SDL 2.0.3
127 SDL 2.0.4 fixes two bugs found in the WinRT version of SDL_GetPrefPath().
128 The fixes may affect older, SDL 2.0.3-based apps' save data. Please note
129 that these changes only apply to SDL-based WinRT apps, and not to apps for
132 1. SDL_GetPrefPath() would return an invalid path, one in which the path's
133 directory had not been created. Attempts to create files there
134 (via fopen(), for example), would fail, unless that directory was
135 explicitly created beforehand.
137 2. SDL_GetPrefPath(), for non-WinPhone-based apps, would return a path inside
138 a WinRT 'Roaming' folder, the contents of which get automatically
139 synchronized across multiple devices. This process can occur while an
140 application runs, and can cause existing save-data to be overwritten
141 at unexpected times, with data from other devices. (Windows Phone apps
142 written with SDL 2.0.3 did not utilize a Roaming folder, due to API
143 restrictions in Windows Phone 8.0).
146 SDL_GetPrefPath(), starting with SDL 2.0.4, addresses these by:
148 1. making sure that SDL_GetPrefPath() returns a directory in which data
149 can be written to immediately, without first needing to create directories.
151 2. basing SDL_GetPrefPath() off of a different, non-Roaming folder, the
152 contents of which do not automatically get synchronized across devices
153 (and which require less work to use safely, in terms of data integrity).
155 Apps that wish to get their Roaming folder's path can do so either by using
156 SDL_WinRTGetFSPathUTF8(), SDL_WinRTGetFSPathUNICODE() (which returns a
157 UCS-2/wide-char string), or directly through the WinRT class,
158 Windows.Storage.ApplicationData.
162 Setup, High-Level Steps
163 -----------------------
165 The steps for setting up a project for an SDL/WinRT app looks like the
166 following, at a high-level:
168 1. create a new Visual C++ project using Microsoft's template for a,
170 2. remove most of the files from the project.
171 3. make your app's project directly reference SDL/WinRT's own Visual C++
172 project file, via use of Visual C++'s "References" dialog. This will setup
173 the linker, and will copy SDL's .dll files to your app's final output.
174 4. adjust your app's build settings, at minimum, telling it where to find SDL's
176 5. add files that contains a WinRT-appropriate main function, along with some
177 data to make sure mouse-cursor-hiding (via SDL_ShowCursor(SDL_DISABLE) calls)
179 6. add SDL-specific app code.
180 7. build and run your app.
183 Setup, Detailed Steps
184 ---------------------
186 ### 1. Create a new project ###
188 Create a new project using one of Visual C++'s templates for a plain, non-XAML,
189 "Direct3D App" (XAML support for SDL/WinRT is not yet ready for use). If you
190 don't see one of these templates, in Visual C++'s 'New Project' dialog, try
191 using the textbox titled, 'Search Installed Templates' to look for one.
194 ### 2. Remove unneeded files from the project ###
196 In the new project, delete any file that has one of the following extensions:
202 When you are done, you should be left with a few files, each of which will be a
203 necessary part of your app's project. These files will consist of:
205 - an .appxmanifest file, which contains metadata on your WinRT app. This is
206 similar to an Info.plist file on iOS, or an AndroidManifest.xml on Android.
207 - a few .png files, one of which is a splash screen (displayed when your app
208 launches), others are app icons.
209 - a .pfx file, used for code signing purposes.
212 ### 3. Add references to SDL's project files ###
214 SDL/WinRT can be built in multiple variations, spanning across three different
215 CPU architectures (x86, x64, and ARM) and two different configurations
216 (Debug and Release). WinRT and Visual C++ do not currently provide a means
217 for combining multiple variations of one library into a single file.
218 Furthermore, it does not provide an easy means for copying pre-built .dll files
219 into your app's final output (via Post-Build steps, for example). It does,
220 however, provide a system whereby an app can reference the MSVC projects of
221 libraries such that, when the app is built:
223 1. each library gets built for the appropriate CPU architecture(s) and WinRT
225 2. each library's output, such as .dll files, get copied to the app's build
228 To set this up for SDL/WinRT, you'll need to run through the following steps:
230 1. open up the Solution Explorer inside Visual C++ (under the "View" menu, then
232 2. right click on your app's solution.
233 3. navigate to "Add", then to "Existing Project..."
234 4. find SDL/WinRT's Visual C++ project file and open it. Different project
235 files exist for different WinRT platforms. All of them are in SDL's
236 source distribution, in the following directories:
237 * `VisualC-WinRT/UWP_VS2015/` - for Windows 10 / UWP apps
238 * `VisualC-WinRT/WinPhone81_VS2013/` - for Windows Phone 8.1 apps
239 * `VisualC-WinRT/WinRT80_VS2012/` - for Windows 8.0 apps
240 * `VisualC-WinRT/WinRT81_VS2013/` - for Windows 8.1 apps
241 5. once the project has been added, right-click on your app's project and
242 select, "References..."
243 6. click on the button titled, "Add New Reference..."
244 7. check the box next to SDL
245 8. click OK to close the dialog
246 9. SDL will now show up in the list of references. Click OK to close that
249 Your project is now linked to SDL's project, insofar that when the app is
250 built, SDL will be built as well, with its build output getting included with
254 ### 4. Adjust Your App's Build Settings ###
256 Some build settings need to be changed in your app's project. This guide will
257 outline the following:
259 - making sure that the compiler knows where to find SDL's header files
260 - **Optional for C++, but NECESSARY for compiling C code:** telling the
261 compiler not to use Microsoft's C++ extensions for WinRT development.
262 - **Optional:** telling the compiler not generate errors due to missing
263 precompiled header files.
265 To change these settings:
267 1. right-click on the project
268 2. choose "Properties"
269 3. in the drop-down box next to "Configuration", choose, "All Configurations"
270 4. in the drop-down box next to "Platform", choose, "All Platforms"
271 5. in the left-hand list, expand the "C/C++" section
273 7. edit the "Additional Include Directories" setting, and add a path to SDL's
275 8. **Optional: to enable compilation of C code:** change the setting for
276 "Consume Windows Runtime Extension" from "Yes (/ZW)" to "No". If you're
277 working with a completely C++ based project, this step can usually be
279 9. **Optional: to disable precompiled headers (which can produce
280 'stdafx.h'-related build errors, if setup incorrectly:** in the left-hand
281 list, select "Precompiled Headers", then change the setting for "Precompiled
282 Header" from "Use (/Yu)" to "Not Using Precompiled Headers".
283 10. close the dialog, saving settings, by clicking the "OK" button
286 ### 5. Add a WinRT-appropriate main function, and a blank-cursor image, to the app. ###
288 A few files should be included directly in your app's MSVC project, specifically:
289 1. a WinRT-appropriate main function (which is different than main() functions on
291 2. a Win32-style cursor resource, used by SDL_ShowCursor() to hide the mouse cursor
292 (if and when the app needs to do so). *If this cursor resource is not
293 included, mouse-position reporting may fail if and when the cursor is
294 hidden, due to possible bugs/design-oddities in Windows itself.*
296 To include these files:
298 1. right-click on your project (again, in Visual C++'s Solution Explorer),
299 navigate to "Add", then choose "Existing Item...".
300 2. navigate to the directory containing SDL's source code, then into its
301 subdirectory, 'src/main/winrt/'. Select, then add, the following files:
302 - `SDL_winrt_main_NonXAML.cpp`
303 - `SDL2-WinRTResources.rc`
304 - `SDL2-WinRTResource_BlankCursor.cur`
305 3. right-click on the file `SDL_winrt_main_NonXAML.cpp` (as listed in your
306 project), then click on "Properties...".
307 4. in the drop-down box next to "Configuration", choose, "All Configurations"
308 5. in the drop-down box next to "Platform", choose, "All Platforms"
309 6. in the left-hand list, click on "C/C++"
310 7. change the setting for "Consume Windows Runtime Extension" to "Yes (/ZW)".
311 8. click the OK button. This will close the dialog.
314 **NOTE: C++/CX compilation is currently required in at least one file of your
315 app's project. This is to make sure that Visual C++'s linker builds a 'Windows
316 Metadata' file (.winmd) for your app. Not doing so can lead to build errors.**
319 ### 6. Add app code and assets ###
321 At this point, you can add in SDL-specific source code. Be sure to include a
322 C-style main function (ie: `int main(int argc, char *argv[])`). From there you
323 should be able to create a single `SDL_Window` (WinRT apps can only have one
324 window, at present), as well as an `SDL_Renderer`. Direct3D will be used to
325 draw content. Events are received via SDL's usual event functions
326 (`SDL_PollEvent`, etc.) If you have a set of existing source files and assets,
327 you can start adding them to the project now. If not, or if you would like to
328 make sure that you're setup correctly, some short and simple sample code is
332 #### 6.A. ... when creating a new app ####
334 If you are creating a new app (rather than porting an existing SDL-based app),
335 or if you would just like a simple app to test SDL/WinRT with before trying to
336 get existing code working, some working SDL/WinRT code is provided below. To
339 1. right click on your app's project
340 2. select Add, then New Item. An "Add New Item" dialog will show up.
341 3. from the left-hand list, choose "Visual C++"
342 4. from the middle/main list, choose "C++ File (.cpp)"
343 5. near the bottom of the dialog, next to "Name:", type in a name for your
344 source file, such as, "main.cpp".
345 6. click on the Add button. This will close the dialog, add the new file to
346 your project, and open the file in Visual C++'s text editor.
347 7. Copy and paste the following code into the new file, then save it.
352 int main(int argc, char **argv)
354 SDL_DisplayMode mode;
355 SDL_Window * window = NULL;
356 SDL_Renderer * renderer = NULL;
359 if (SDL_Init(SDL_INIT_VIDEO) != 0) {
363 if (SDL_GetCurrentDisplayMode(0, &mode) != 0) {
367 if (SDL_CreateWindowAndRenderer(mode.w, mode.h, SDL_WINDOW_FULLSCREEN, &window, &renderer) != 0) {
372 while (SDL_PollEvent(&evt)) {
375 SDL_SetRenderDrawColor(renderer, 0, 255, 0, 255);
376 SDL_RenderClear(renderer);
377 SDL_RenderPresent(renderer);
382 #### 6.B. Adding code and assets ####
384 If you have existing code and assets that you'd like to add, you should be able
385 to add them now. The process for adding a set of files is as such.
387 1. right click on the app's project
388 2. select Add, then click on "New Item..."
389 3. open any source, header, or asset files as appropriate. Support for C and
392 Do note that WinRT only supports a subset of the APIs that are available to
393 Win32-based apps. Many portions of the Win32 API and the C runtime are not
396 A list of unsupported C APIs can be found at
397 <http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/jj606124.aspx>
399 General information on using the C runtime in WinRT can be found at
400 <https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh972425.aspx>
402 A list of supported Win32 APIs for WinRT apps can be found at
403 <http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/br205757.aspx>. To note,
404 the list of supported Win32 APIs for Windows Phone 8.0 is different.
405 That list can be found at
406 <http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windowsphone/develop/jj662956(v=vs.105).aspx>
409 ### 7. Build and run your app ###
411 Your app project should now be setup, and you should be ready to build your app.
412 To run it on the local machine, open the Debug menu and choose "Start
413 Debugging". This will build your app, then run your app full-screen. To switch
414 out of your app, press the Windows key. Alternatively, you can choose to run
415 your app in a window. To do this, before building and running your app, find
416 the drop-down menu in Visual C++'s toolbar that says, "Local Machine". Expand
417 this by clicking on the arrow on the right side of the list, then click on
418 Simulator. Once you do that, any time you build and run the app, the app will
419 launch in window, rather than full-screen.
422 #### 7.A. Running apps on older, ARM-based, "Windows RT" devices ####
424 **These instructions do not include Windows Phone, despite Windows Phone
425 typically running on ARM processors.** They are specifically for devices
426 that use the "Windows RT" operating system, which was a modified version of
427 Windows 8.x that ran primarily on ARM-based tablet computers.
429 To build and run the app on ARM-based, "Windows RT" devices, you'll need to:
431 - install Microsoft's "Remote Debugger" on the device. Visual C++ installs and
432 debugs ARM-based apps via IP networks.
433 - change a few options on the development machine, both to make sure it builds
434 for ARM (rather than x86 or x64), and to make sure it knows how to find the
435 Windows RT device (on the network).
437 Microsoft's Remote Debugger can be found at
438 <https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh441469.aspx>. Please note
439 that separate versions of this debugger exist for different versions of Visual
440 C++, one each for MSVC 2015, 2013, and 2012.
442 To setup Visual C++ to launch your app on an ARM device:
444 1. make sure the Remote Debugger is running on your ARM device, and that it's on
445 the same IP network as your development machine.
446 2. from Visual C++'s toolbar, find a drop-down menu that says, "Win32". Click
447 it, then change the value to "ARM".
448 3. make sure Visual C++ knows the hostname or IP address of the ARM device. To
450 1. open the app project's properties
451 2. select "Debugging"
452 3. next to "Machine Name", enter the hostname or IP address of the ARM
454 4. if, and only if, you've turned off authentication in the Remote Debugger,
455 then change the setting for "Require Authentication" to No
457 4. build and run the app (from Visual C++). The first time you do this, a
458 prompt will show up on the ARM device, asking for a Microsoft Account. You
459 do, unfortunately, need to log in here, and will need to follow the
460 subsequent registration steps in order to launch the app. After you do so,
461 if the app didn't already launch, try relaunching it again from within Visual
468 #### Build fails with message, "error LNK2038: mismatch detected for 'vccorlib_lib_should_be_specified_before_msvcrt_lib_to_linker'"
470 Try adding the following to your linker flags. In MSVC, this can be done by
471 right-clicking on the app project, navigating to Configuration Properties ->
472 Linker -> Command Line, then adding them to the Additional Options
475 * For Release builds / MSVC-Configurations, add:
477 /nodefaultlib:vccorlib /nodefaultlib:msvcrt vccorlib.lib msvcrt.lib
479 * For Debug builds / MSVC-Configurations, add:
481 /nodefaultlib:vccorlibd /nodefaultlib:msvcrtd vccorlibd.lib msvcrtd.lib
484 #### Mouse-motion events fail to get sent, or SDL_GetMouseState() fails to return updated values
486 This may be caused by a bug in Windows itself, whereby hiding the mouse
487 cursor can cause mouse-position reporting to fail.
489 SDL provides a workaround for this, but it requires that an app links to a
490 set of Win32-style cursor image-resource files. A copy of suitable resource
491 files can be found in `src/main/winrt/`. Adding them to an app's Visual C++
492 project file should be sufficient to get the app to use them.
495 #### SDL's Visual Studio project file fails to open, with message, "The system can't find the file specified."
497 This can be caused for any one of a few reasons, which Visual Studio can
498 report, but won't always do so in an up-front manner.
500 To help determine why this error comes up:
502 1. open a copy of Visual Studio without opening a project file. This can be
503 accomplished via Windows' Start Menu, among other means.
504 2. show Visual Studio's Output window. This can be done by going to VS'
505 menu bar, then to View, and then to Output.
506 3. try opening the SDL project file directly by going to VS' menu bar, then
507 to File, then to Open, then to Project/Solution. When a File-Open dialog
508 appears, open the SDL project (such as the one in SDL's source code, in its
509 directory, VisualC-WinRT/UWP_VS2015/).
510 4. after attempting to open SDL's Visual Studio project file, additional error
511 information will be output to the Output window.
513 If Visual Studio reports (via its Output window) that the project:
515 "could not be loaded because it's missing install components. To fix this launch Visual Studio setup with the following selections:
516 Microsoft.VisualStudio.ComponentGroup.UWP.VC"
518 ... then you will need to re-launch Visual Studio's installer, and make sure that
519 the workflow for "Universal Windows Platform development" is checked, and that its
520 optional component, "C++ Universal Windows Platform tools" is also checked. While
521 you are there, if you are planning on targeting UWP / Windows 10, also make sure
522 that you check the optional component, "Windows 10 SDK (10.0.10240.0)". After
523 making sure these items are checked as-appropriate, install them.
525 Once you install these components, try re-launching Visual Studio, and re-opening
526 the SDL project file. If you still get the error dialog, try using the Output
527 window, again, seeing what Visual Studio says about it.
530 #### Game controllers / joysticks aren't working!
532 Windows only permits certain game controllers and joysticks to work within
533 WinRT / UWP apps. Even if a game controller or joystick works in a Win32
534 app, that device is not guaranteed to work inside a WinRT / UWP app.
536 According to Microsoft, "Xbox compatible controllers" should work inside
537 UWP apps, potentially with more working in the future. This includes, but
538 may not be limited to, Microsoft-made Xbox controllers and USB adapters.
539 (Source: https://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/9064838b-e8c3-4c18-8a83-19bf0dfe150d/xinput-fails-to-detect-game-controllers?forum=wpdevelop)