c++ - Linking against Boost python 3.6. can't find boost_python instead of boost_python3

Question

I have problems linking against boost python.

I am using Visual Studio 2017 and compiled the boost 1_64 package with the following command line:

b2 -a toolset=msvc-14.1 --build_type=complete stage variant=debugthreading=multi link=shared runtime-link=shared define=_ITERATOR_DEBUG_LEVEL=0 address-model=64

with this user-config.jam:

using python 
: 3.6                   # Version
: C:\Python36\python.exe      # Python Path
: C:\Python36\include         # include path
: C:\Python36\libs            # lib path(s)
: <define>BOOST_ALL_NO_LIB=1
;

But while building my c++ project with runtime libary: Multi-threaded DLL (/MD) I keep getting this error message:

Error   LNK1104 cannot open file 'boost_python-vc141-mt-gd-1_64.lib'    

but the boost libs I compiled contain the following boost_python files:

boost_python3-vc141-mt-gd-1_64.dll
boost_python3-vc141-mt-gd-1_64.lib

Does someone have experience with boost for python 3? After hours of trying, I can't find a good solution. Btw.: renaming the files to boost_python- (removing the 3) works fine. But I don't think that this is the correct way

---

VC Project settings:

Add. include directories:

C:Python36include;D:wsoost_1_64_0oost_1_64_0;

Add. libary directories:

D:wsoost_1_64_0oost_1_64_0stagelib;C:Python36libs;

---

Closed: The autolink feature of boost did not work correctly with python 3. The boost_module_name macro was set to boost_python (missing the 3) and the generated libs contained the 3.

--> Turned auto link off and added the required libs manually.

---

Solution a) Go to boost/python/detail/config.hpp and change BOOST_LIB_NAMe to boost_python3 instead of boost_python.

or

Solution b) Turn auto Linkage of by defining BOOST_ALL_NO_LIB and then explicitly set boost_python3...lib as linker dependency.

Answer 1

You provide

boost_python3-vc141-mt-gd-1_64.dll
boost_python3-vc141-mt-gd-1_64.lib

but the error reports missing

boost_python-vc141-mt-gd-1_64.lib

(spot the difference!)

So obviously, your IDE (VS) attempts to build a python, not a python3 extension. I don't know VS, but there must be away to change that somewhere somehow.