Challenges faced during package creation

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 5 views

Introduction

As a user of your library, I am excited to share with you my experience of integrating it with other dependencies in my project using Conan, a popular package manager in the C++ ecosystem. By providing an "official" package in Conan's public repository, developers can easily consume this library in their projects. In this article, we will discuss the process of making your library available as a Conan package and the suggestions I have for improving the integration process.

Background

Conan is a package manager that integrates well with various build systems, making it an ideal choice for managing dependencies in C++ projects. By providing a Conan package for your library, you can make it easily consumable by other developers, which can lead to a wider adoption and community engagement.

Creating a Conan recipe

To create a Conan package for your library, I started writing a "recipe" that defines how the project needs to be built by Conan and can be consumed. However, before submitting a pull request to the Conan Center Index, I wanted to check with you whether that's okay.

Challenges faced during package creation

During the process of creating the package, I faced some minor challenges that I would like to bring to your attention. To ease the process of integrating your library, I suggest a few changes that I am happy to submit myself, if you agree.

1. Versioning scheme

The current version of the Conan package is tied to the VirtualBox SDK's version, because your library doesn't provide a version itself. I assume that there hasn't been a need to and it would slightly complicate the maintenance effort. However, for the Conan package, this makes it harder to include fixes of this library, because we would have to wait for the next VirtualBox SDK to include them. It is recommended for a package version to be closely tied to a fixed git/code version.

One solution could be to use the publish date as version. However, that may make it harder to correlate the package's version with this library/repository. I would like to know how the Conan team deals with these situations, where a project does not provide a compatible versioning scheme.

2. Library name prefixing

I noticed that the library name is manually prefixed with lib on Windows (see https://github.com/zrax/libvbox/blob/master/CMakeLists.txt#L56-L59). This doesn't seem to affect the import lib (.lib) but only the shared library (.dll), making it harder for a generic find package mechanism (like CMake provides) to find and link to the library. I would even argue that using non-standard behavior introduces issues with other tools/build systems, in general. I suggest removing this setting.

3. Import lib installation

Furthermore, the import lib (.lib) doesn't seem to be installed on Windows. This might have to do with the manual override of the install components (see https://github.com/zrax/libvbox/blob/master/CMakeLists.txt#L248-L249). If there's no specific reason to why they need to be customized, I suggest leaving them out, because they almost match the defaults anyways (e.g. default RUNTIME DESTINATION should already be bin). I'm not sure about the COMPONENT shlib, though.

Patches applied

To circumvent these issues, I applied patches when building the Conan recipe/package (see https://github.com/jdoubleu/conan-center-index/compare/jdoubleu:conan-center-index:master...add-libvbox#diff-f0bfde5d643d1bdac51a43ad38d41024628a3f36c108c138e39fe3e2c62d9e1f).

Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe that making your library available as a Conan package is a great idea, and I am happy to help with the process. I have suggested a few changes to improve the integration process, and I am willing to submit them myself, if you agree. I would love to hear your thoughts on these suggestions and discuss further how we can make your library easily consumable by other developers.

Future work

In the future, I would like to see the following improvements:

Provide a versioning scheme for the library, so that the Conan package can be easily updated.
Remove the manual prefixing of the library name on Windows.
Install the import lib (.lib) on Windows.

By addressing these issues, we can make your library even more accessible and easier to use for other developers.

References

Conan
Conan Center Index
libvbox
CMake
Q&A: Making this library available as a Conan package =====================================================

Introduction

In our previous article, we discussed the process of making your library available as a Conan package and the suggestions I have for improving the integration process. In this article, we will answer some frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to making your library available as a Conan package.

Q: What is Conan and why is it important for my library?

A: Conan is a popular package manager in the C++ ecosystem that integrates well with various build systems. By providing a Conan package for your library, you can make it easily consumable by other developers, which can lead to a wider adoption and community engagement.

Q: How do I create a Conan package for my library?

A: To create a Conan package for your library, you need to write a "recipe" that defines how the project needs to be built by Conan and can be consumed. You can start by checking out the Conan Center Index repository and following the guidelines for creating a new package.

Q: What are the benefits of using Conan for my library?

A: Some benefits of using Conan for your library include:

Easy dependency management: Conan allows you to easily manage dependencies for your library, making it easier to integrate with other projects.
Wide adoption: By providing a Conan package for your library, you can make it easily consumable by other developers, which can lead to a wider adoption and community engagement.
Improved build process: Conan provides a consistent and reliable build process, making it easier to build and test your library.

Q: How do I handle versioning for my library in Conan?

A: When creating a Conan package for your library, it's essential to handle versioning correctly. You can use the publish date as version, or you can provide a versioning scheme for your library. If you don't provide a versioning scheme, the Conan package will be tied to the VirtualBox SDK's version.

Q: What are the common issues that I may face when creating a Conan package for my library?

A: Some common issues that you may face when creating a Conan package for your library include:

Versioning scheme: If your library doesn't provide a versioning scheme, the Conan package will be tied to the VirtualBox SDK's version.
Library name prefixing: If you manually prefix the library name on Windows, it may cause issues with other tools/build systems.
Import lib installation: If the import lib (.lib) is not installed on Windows, it may cause issues with other tools/build systems.

Q: How do I resolve these issues and create a Conan package for my library?

A: To resolve these issues and create a Conan package for your library, you can follow these steps:

Provide a versioning scheme for your library.
Remove the manual prefixing of the library name on Windows.
Install the import lib (.lib) on Windows.
Apply patches to the Conan recipe/package to resolve any issues.

Q: What is the future of Conan and how will it impact my library?

A: Conan is a rapidly evolving package manager that is gaining popularity in the C++ ecosystem. As Conan continues to grow and improve, it will provide more features and benefits for your library, such as:

Improved dependency management
Wide adoption and community engagement
Improved build process

By providing a Conan package for your library, you can take advantage of these benefits and make your library more accessible and easier to use for other developers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, making your library available as a Conan package is a great idea, and I am happy to help with the process. By answering these FAQs, we have covered some of the common questions and concerns related to making your library available as a Conan package. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.