is it possible to build win .exe's on linux?

[mark-summerfield]

For command line applications I can usually build them on linux for windows using a command line like this:

But when I try this with a go-fltk app I get an error:

github.com/pwiecz/go-fltk: build constraints exclude all Go files in /home/mark/opt/gows/pkg/mod/github.com/pwiecz/[email protected]

It is possible, or must I build for windows on windows?

[pwiecz]

I cannot read the command line.
Can you write it again?

[MoAlyousef]

github.com/pwiecz/go-fltk: build constraints exclude all Go files in /home/mark/opt/gows/pkg/mod/github.com/pwiecz/[email protected]

It seems related to this issue:

golang/go#29074

[mark-summerfield]

The command line was:

env GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o myapp.exe .

[MoAlyousef]

I was able to get it working by specifying CGO_ENABLED=1 and specifying the cross-compiler, since according to the issue, the built-in C/C++ compiler in the golang toolchain isn't cross-compiling:

CGO_ENABLED=1 GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 CC=x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc CXX=x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++ go build

(uses the mingw cross-compiler)

I was also able to get things working using the Zig toolchain:

CGO_ENABLED=1 GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 CXX="zig c++ -target x86_64-windows-gnu" CC="zig cc -target x86_64-windows-gnu" go build

[mark-summerfield]

I started by installing this: go install github.com/tc-hib/go-winres@latest. Then I installed the mingw cross-compiler. Then I changed my buildwin.sh script to:

go-winres simply --icon images/icon.ico
CGO_ENABLED=1 GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 CC=x86_64-w64-mingw32-gcc \
    CXX=x86_64-w64-mingw32-g++ \
    go build -buildvcs=false -ldflags -H=windowsgui -o myapp.exe .

Go insisted I add the -buildvcs=false flag and since I didn't want a console to pop up I added the -ldflags -H=windowsgui flag.

This created myapp.exe which won't run on win 7, but runs perfectly on win 10.

Note though that this depends on having mingw64 installed on windows and in the windows path: otherwise the .exe won't run because it can't find various dlls. So this approach does not produce a self-contained standalone .exe.

Thank you!