BLD: Add MSVC build support on windows #220

r-devulap · 2025-09-12T19:42:53Z

This pull request improves cross-platform support and CPU feature detection for the x86 SIMD sort library, primarily targeting compatibility with Microsoft's Visual C++ (MSVC) compiler. The changes ensure that both build configuration and runtime CPU feature checks work correctly on MSVC, while maintaining compatibility with other compilers.

Build system compatibility:

Updated lib/meson.build to use MSVC-specific compiler flags (/arch:AVX2 and /arch:AVX512) instead of the GCC/Clang flags (-march=...), ensuring correct SIMD instruction set selection on Windows/MSVC. [1] [2] [3] [4]

CPU feature detection abstraction:

Added new header lib/x86simdsortcpuid.h to abstract CPU feature detection, using MSVC intrinsics for runtime checks and caching results, while falling back to __builtin_cpu_supports for other compilers.
Replaced direct calls to __builtin_cpu_supports and __builtin_cpu_init in lib/x86simdsort.cpp with the new xss_cpu_supports and xss_cpu_init functions/macros, ensuring consistent feature detection across platforms. [1] [2] [3]

Symbol visibility and constructor attribute compatibility:

Defined XSS_EXPORT_SYMBOL, XSS_HIDE_SYMBOL, and XSS_ATTRIBUTE_CONSTRUCTOR macros in lib/x86simdsort.h and lib/x86simdsort.cpp to handle symbol visibility and static initialization attributes for both MSVC and non-MSVC compilers. [1] [2]

Code style and correctness:

Improved static assertions and formatting in object_qsort for clarity and correctness.

Miscellaneous:

Added a blank line at the top of meson.build for style consistency.

fabiocannizzo · 2025-09-14T04:32:24Z

Using as HEAD: cfe57c4

I fix a few typos:

-#if defined(__INTEL_COMPILER) and !defined(__SANITIZE_ADDRESS__)
+#if defined(__INTEL_COMPILER) && !defined(__SANITIZE_ADDRESS__)

-#elif __GNUC__ >= 8 and !defined(__SANITIZE_ADDRESS__)
+#elif __GNUC__ >= 8 && !defined(__SANITIZE_ADDRESS__)

Then I open the x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS2022 and run the following commands from the lib folder:

cl /nologo /c /arch:AVX2 /I../src /std:c++17 x86simdsort-avx2.cpp
cl /nologo /c /arch:AVX512 /I../src /std:c++17 x86simdsort-skx.cpp
cl /nologo /c /arch:AVX512 /I../src /std:c++17 x86simdsort-icl.cpp
cl /nologo /c /arch:AVX512 /I../src /std:c++17 x86simdsort-spr.cpp

The first 2 compile, but the last 2 do not. See compilation logs attached:
x86simdsort-icl.cpp.log
x86simdsort-spr.cpp.log

This is the reason why I fell back to clang with mingw and introduced the C-api in #211.

The cl compiler version I use is: Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 19.44.35211 for x64

here you mention you could build the library with MSVC. What compiler flags and compiler version do you use?

Hope this helps.

r-devulap · 2025-09-15T19:41:27Z

cl /nologo /c /arch:AVX512 /I../src /std:c++17 x86simdsort-icl.cpp

4dc9609 fixes this error.

cl /nologo /c /arch:AVX512 /I../src /std:c++17 x86simdsort-spr.cpp

This is specific to _Float16 dispatch, if MSVC doesn't support it, then nothing much we can do about it. I would recommend using meson to build the library though, _Float16 is an optional requirement, meson build will auto detect if your compiler supports it and skips it if it doesn't.

#211 (comment) you mention you could build the library with MSVC. What compiler flags and compiler version do you use?

This is what worked for me:

meson setup  --warnlevel 2 --buildtype release builddir
cd builddir
ninja

r-devulap · 2025-09-16T16:46:21Z

@fabiocannizzo c1994cc adds a CI job to build with MSVC and that runs successfully. There are a few warnings that we can work on fixing (see #222) but I don't think that's gating the build itself. Does this address your concerns of building with MSVC?

Copilot

Pull Request Overview

This pull request adds Microsoft Visual C++ (MSVC) compiler support for the x86 SIMD sort library on Windows platforms. The changes enable cross-platform compatibility by providing MSVC-specific compiler flags and CPU feature detection while maintaining compatibility with existing GCC/Clang builds.

Introduced MSVC-specific compiler flags (/arch:AVX2, /arch:AVX512) to replace GCC/Clang march flags
Added cross-platform CPU feature detection abstraction using MSVC intrinsics or GCC builtins
Updated build system to conditionally apply compiler-specific configurations

Reviewed Changes

Copilot reviewed 7 out of 8 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
meson.build	Added compiler argument validation for GCC/Clang and formatting improvements
lib/x86simdsortcpuid.h	New header providing cross-platform CPU feature detection abstraction
lib/x86simdsort.h	Added MSVC-compatible symbol visibility macros and improved code formatting
lib/x86simdsort.cpp	Updated to use abstracted CPU detection functions and MSVC-compatible constructor attributes
lib/x86simdsort-icl.cpp	Added MSVC-specific include guard for AVX512 headers
lib/meson.build	Replaced conditional compilation with MSVC/GCC compiler flag selection
.github/workflows/c-cpp.yml	Added Windows MSVC CI build job and simplified existing test configurations

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Copilot · 2025-09-17T03:42:54Z

meson.build

@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+


[nitpick] Adding a blank line at the beginning of the file serves no functional purpose and deviates from standard file formatting practices. Consider removing this empty line.

Suggested change

Copilot · 2025-09-17T03:42:55Z

lib/x86simdsortcpuid.h

+#include <string>
+#include <unordered_map>
+
+static std::unordered_map<std::string, bool> xss_cpu_features;


Using a static global variable in a header file can lead to multiple definition issues when the header is included in multiple translation units. Consider using a function-local static variable or moving this to the implementation file.

Copilot · 2025-09-17T03:42:55Z

lib/x86simdsortcpuid.h

+    int nIds = cpuInfo[0];
+    __cpuid(cpuInfo, 1);
+    bool osxsave = (cpuInfo[2] & (1 << 27)) != 0;
+    bool avx = (cpuInfo[2] & (1 << 28)) != 0;


The variables nIds, osxsave, and avx are defined but never used in the function. Consider removing these unused variables to improve code clarity.

Suggested change

int nIds = cpuInfo[0];

__cpuid(cpuInfo, 1);

bool osxsave = (cpuInfo[2] & (1 << 27)) != 0;

bool avx = (cpuInfo[2] & (1 << 28)) != 0;

__cpuid(cpuInfo, 1);

fabiocannizzo · 2025-09-17T21:14:27Z

@r-devulap : thank you for this work.
I can build with meson using c1994cc
but I cannot compile an executable linking with the import lib of the DLL.
dumpbin /exports x86simdsort.lib
shows no C++ exported symbols.

Add MSVC build support on windows

8e532fe

r-devulap mentioned this pull request Sep 12, 2025

Add a new target which generates a C-only API shared library, compatible with MSVC #211

Open

r-devulap added 3 commits September 12, 2025 13:40

CI: use one ASAN build and run it without SDE to improve speed

15e6023

clang-format

7264a84

Simplify compiler checks

ce6c288

Add avx512 fp16 header file when build with MSVC

4dc9609

CI: add windows msvc build

c1994cc

r-devulap force-pushed the msvc branch from 3973317 to c1994cc Compare September 16, 2025 16:40

r-devulap requested a review from Copilot September 17, 2025 03:41

Copilot AI reviewed Sep 17, 2025

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BLD: Add MSVC build support on windows #220

BLD: Add MSVC build support on windows #220

r-devulap commented Sep 12, 2025

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edited by r-devulap

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