docs/markdown/Getting-meson.md - meson - Git at Google


            
            # Getting Meson


            Meson is implemented in Python 3, and requires 3.6 or newer. If your

            
            operating system provides a package manager, you should install it

            
            with that. For platforms that don't have a package manager, you need

            
            to download it from [Python's home page]. See below for

            
            [platform-specific Python3 quirks](#platformspecific-install-quirks).


            ## Downloading Meson


            Meson releases can be downloaded from the [GitHub release page], and

            
            you can run `./meson.py` from inside a release or the git repository

            
            itself without doing anything special.


            On Windows, if you did not install Python with the installer options

            
            that make Python scripts executable, you will have to run `python

            
            /path/to/meson.py`, where `python` is Python 3.6 or newer.


            The newest development code can be obtained directly from [Git], and

            
            we strive to ensure that it will always be working and usable. All

            
            commits go through a pull-request process that runs CI and tests

            
            several platforms.


            ## Installing Meson with pip


            Meson is available in the [Python Package Index] and can be installed

            
            with `sudo pip3 install meson` which requires root and will install it

            
            system-wide.


            If you have downloaded a copy of the Meson sources already, you can

            
            install it with `sudo pip3 install path/to/source/root/`.


            Alternatively, you can use `pip3 install --user meson` which will

            
            install it for your user and does not require any special

            
            privileges. This will install the package in `~/.local/`, so you will

            
            have to add `~/.local/bin` to your `PATH`, and `sudo meson install`

            
            will be completely broken since the program will not be available to

            
            root. Only use a user copy of Meson if you do not care about

            
            installing projects as root.


            ## Installing Meson and Ninja with the MSI installer


            We provide an MSI installer on the [GitHub release page] that can be

            
            used to install both Meson and Ninja at once for Windows. It also

            
            contains an embedded copy of Python, so scripts that use the [Python

            
            module](Python-module.md) and do not have any external dependencies

            
            will continue to work as expected.


            Please note that this is a new feature, so bug reports are expected

            
            and welcome!


            ## Dependencies


            In the most common case, you will need the [Ninja executable] for

            
            using the `ninja` backend, which is the default in Meson. This backend

            
            can be used on all platforms and with all toolchains, including GCC,

            
            Clang, Visual Studio, MinGW, ICC, ARMCC, etc.


            You can use the version provided by your package manager if possible,

            
            otherwise download the binary executable from the [Ninja project's

            
            release page](https://github.com/ninja-build/ninja/releases).


            If you will only use the Visual Studio backend (`--backend=vs`) to

            
            generate Visual Studio solutions on Windows or the XCode backend

            
            (`--backend=xcode`) to generate XCode projects on macOS, you do not

            
            need Ninja.


            # Platform-specific install quirks


            ## Windows Python3 quirks


            When installing Python 3, it is highly recommended (but not required)

            
            that you select the installer options as follows:


            ![installer step 1](images/py3-install-1.png "Enable 'Add Python 3.6 to PATH' and click 'Customize installation'")

            
            ![installer step 2](images/py3-install-2.png "Optional Features: ensure 'pip' is enabled")

            
            ![installer step 3](images/py3-install-3.png "Advanced Options: enable 'Install for all users'")


            With this, you will have `python` and `pip` in `PATH`, and you can

            
            install Meson with pip. You will also be able to directly run `meson`

            
            in any shell on Windows instead of having to run `py -3` with the full

            
            path to the `meson.py` script.


            ## MSYS2 Python3 quirks


            If you are using MSYS2 on Windows as your development environment,

            
            please make sure that you **do not use** the `msys/python` package to

            
            provide Python 3. Use either `mingw32/mingw-w64-i686-python3` or

            
            `mingw64/mingw-w64-x86_64-python3` depending on which MinGW target you

            
            are building for.


              [GitHub release page]: https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/releases

            
              [Python Package Index]: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/meson/

            
              [Git]: https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson

            
              [Python's home page]: https://www.python.org/downloads/

            
              [Ninja executable]: https://ninja-build.org/
	# Getting Meson

	Meson is implemented in Python 3, and requires 3.6 or newer. If your
	operating system provides a package manager, you should install it
	with that. For platforms that don't have a package manager, you need
	to download it from [Python's home page]. See below for
	[platform-specific Python3 quirks](#platformspecific-install-quirks).

	## Downloading Meson

	Meson releases can be downloaded from the [GitHub release page], and
	you can run `./meson.py` from inside a release or the git repository
	itself without doing anything special.

	On Windows, if you did not install Python with the installer options
	that make Python scripts executable, you will have to run `python
	/path/to/meson.py`, where `python` is Python 3.6 or newer.

	The newest development code can be obtained directly from [Git], and
	we strive to ensure that it will always be working and usable. All
	commits go through a pull-request process that runs CI and tests
	several platforms.

	## Installing Meson with pip

	Meson is available in the [Python Package Index] and can be installed
	with `sudo pip3 install meson` which requires root and will install it
	system-wide.

	If you have downloaded a copy of the Meson sources already, you can
	install it with `sudo pip3 install path/to/source/root/`.

	Alternatively, you can use `pip3 install --user meson` which will
	install it for your user and does not require any special
	privileges. This will install the package in `~/.local/`, so you will
	have to add `~/.local/bin` to your `PATH`, and `sudo meson install`
	will be completely broken since the program will not be available to
	root. Only use a user copy of Meson if you do not care about
	installing projects as root.

	## Installing Meson and Ninja with the MSI installer

	We provide an MSI installer on the [GitHub release page] that can be
	used to install both Meson and Ninja at once for Windows. It also
	contains an embedded copy of Python, so scripts that use the [Python
	module](Python-module.md) and do not have any external dependencies
	will continue to work as expected.

	Please note that this is a new feature, so bug reports are expected
	and welcome!

	## Dependencies

	In the most common case, you will need the [Ninja executable] for
	using the `ninja` backend, which is the default in Meson. This backend
	can be used on all platforms and with all toolchains, including GCC,
	Clang, Visual Studio, MinGW, ICC, ARMCC, etc.

	You can use the version provided by your package manager if possible,
	otherwise download the binary executable from the [Ninja project's
	release page](https://github.com/ninja-build/ninja/releases).

	If you will only use the Visual Studio backend (`--backend=vs`) to
	generate Visual Studio solutions on Windows or the XCode backend
	(`--backend=xcode`) to generate XCode projects on macOS, you do not
	need Ninja.

	# Platform-specific install quirks

	## Windows Python3 quirks

	When installing Python 3, it is highly recommended (but not required)
	that you select the installer options as follows:

	![installer step 1](images/py3-install-1.png "Enable 'Add Python 3.6 to PATH' and click 'Customize installation'")
	![installer step 2](images/py3-install-2.png "Optional Features: ensure 'pip' is enabled")
	![installer step 3](images/py3-install-3.png "Advanced Options: enable 'Install for all users'")

	With this, you will have `python` and `pip` in `PATH`, and you can
	install Meson with pip. You will also be able to directly run `meson`
	in any shell on Windows instead of having to run `py -3` with the full
	path to the `meson.py` script.

	## MSYS2 Python3 quirks

	If you are using MSYS2 on Windows as your development environment,
	please make sure that you do not use the `msys/python` package to
	provide Python 3. Use either `mingw32/mingw-w64-i686-python3` or
	`mingw64/mingw-w64-x86_64-python3` depending on which MinGW target you
	are building for.

	[GitHub release page]: https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/releases
	[Python Package Index]: https://pypi.python.org/pypi/meson/
	[Git]: https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson
	[Python's home page]: https://www.python.org/downloads/
	[Ninja executable]: https://ninja-build.org/