yaze/docs/vcpkg-triplet-setup.md

Installing vcpkg Triplets for Windows

This guide explains how to install the x64-windows triplet that's required for building YAZE on Windows.

What is a vcpkg Triplet?

A triplet defines the target platform, architecture, and linking configuration for vcpkg packages. The x64-windows triplet is the most common one for 64-bit Windows development.

Method 1: Install via Package (Recommended)

The easiest way to ensure the triplet is available is to install any package with that triplet:

# Navigate to your vcpkg directory
cd C:\path\to\your\vcpkg

# Install a package with the x64-windows triplet
vcpkg install sdl2:x64-windows

This will automatically create the triplet configuration if it doesn't exist.

Method 2: Create Triplet File Manually

If you need to create the triplet configuration manually:

1. Navigate to vcpkg triplets directory:

   cd C:\path\to\your\vcpkg\triplets
   

2. Create or verify x64-windows.cmake exists:

   dir x64-windows.cmake
   

3. If it doesn't exist, create it with this content:

   set(VCPKG_TARGET_ARCHITECTURE x64)
   set(VCPKG_CRT_LINKAGE dynamic)
   set(VCPKG_LIBRARY_LINKAGE dynamic)
   
   set(VCPKG_CMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME Windows)
   

Method 3: Check Available Triplets

To see what triplets are currently available on your system:

vcpkg help triplet

Or list all available triplet files:

vcpkg help triplet | findstr "Available"

Method 4: Install YAZE Dependencies

Since YAZE uses several vcpkg packages, installing them will ensure the triplet is properly set up:

# From the YAZE project root
vcpkg install --triplet x64-windows sdl2 zlib libpng abseil

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: "Invalid triplet"

Solution: Make sure vcpkg is properly installed and in your PATH:

vcpkg version

Issue: "Triplet not found"

Solution: Install a package with that triplet first:

vcpkg install zlib:x64-windows

Issue: "Permission denied"

Solution: Run Command Prompt as Administrator, or install vcpkg in a user-writable location.

Alternative Triplets

If x64-windows doesn't work, you can try these alternatives:

• x64-windows-static - Static linking
• x86-windows - 32-bit Windows
• x64-windows-static-md - Static runtime, dynamic CRT

Verification

To verify the triplet is working:

vcpkg list --triplet x64-windows

This should show installed packages for that triplet.

For YAZE Build

Once the triplet is installed, you can build YAZE using CMake presets:

cmake --preset=windows-release
cmake --build build --config Release

Or with the Visual Studio solution:

# Open yaze.sln in Visual Studio
# Build normally (F5 or Ctrl+Shift+B)