Windows

Rizin relies on the Meson build system generator to support compilation on all platforms, including Windows. Meson will generate a Visual Studio Solution, all the necessary project files, and wire up the Microsoft Visual C++ compiler for you.

tip You can download nightly binaries from https://ci.appveyor.com/project/rizinorg/rizin/history. Be sure to download only from master branch!

Prerequisites

  • Visual Studio 2015 (or higher)
  • Python 3
  • Meson
  • Git

Step-by-Step

Install Visual Studio 2015 (or higher)

Visual Studio must be installed with a Visual C++ compiler, supporting C++ libraries, and the appropriate Windows SDK for the target platform version.

  • In the Visual Studio 2015 installer, ensure Programming Languages > Visual C++ is selected
  • In the Visual Studio 2017+ installers, ensure the Desktop development with C++ workload is selected

If you need a copy of Visual Studio, the Community versions are free and work great.

Install Python 3 and Meson/Ninja via Conda

It is strongly recommended you install Conda — a Python environment management system — when working with Python on the Windows platform. This will isolate the Rizin build environment from other installed Python versions and minimize potential conflicts.

Set Up Conda:
  1. Download the appropriate Conda (Python 3.x) for your platform (https://conda.io/miniconda.html)
  2. Install Conda with the recommended defaults
Create a Python Environment for Rizin

Follow these steps to create and activate a Conda environment named rizin. All instructions from this point on will assume this name matches your environment, but you may change this if desired.

  1. Start > Anaconda Prompt
  2. conda create -n rizin python=3
  3. activate rizin

Any time you wish to enter this environment, open the Anaconda Prompt and re-issue activate rizin. Conversely, deactivate will leave the environment.

Install Meson + Ninja
  1. Enter the Rizin Conda environment, if needed (activate rizin)
  2. Download meson + ninja
  3. pip install meson ninja
  4. Verify Meson is version 0.50 or higher (meson -v)

Install Git for Windows

All Rizin code is managed via the Git version control system and hosted on GitHub.

Follow these steps to install Git for Windows.

  1. Download Git for Windows

As you navigate the install wizard, we recommend you set these options when they appear: * Use a TrueType font in all console windows * Use Git from the Windows Command Prompt * Use the native Windows Secure Channel library (instead of OpenSSL) * Checkout Windows-style, commit Unix-style line endings (core.autocrlf=true) * Use Windows' default console window (instead of Mintty)

  1. Close any previously open console windows and re-open them to ensure they receive the new PATH
  2. Ensure git --version works

Get Rizin Code

Follow these steps to clone the Rizin git repository.

  1. In your Rizin Conda environment, navigate to a location where the code will be saved and compiled. This location needs approximately 3-4GiB of space
  2. Clone the repository with git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/rizinorg/rizin.git

Compile Rizin Code

Follow these steps to compile the Rizin Code.

Compiled binaries will be installed into the dest folder.

  1. Enter the Rizin Conda environment

  2. Navigate to the root of the Rizin sources (cd rizin)

  3. Initialize Visual Studio tooling by executing the command below that matches the version of Visual Studio installed on your machine and the version of Rizin you wish to install:

    • Visual Studio 2015:

      Note: For the 64-bit version change only the x86 at the very end of the command below to x64.

      "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio 14.0\VC\vcvarsall.bat" x86

    • Visual Studio 2017/2019:

      Note 1: Change Community to either Professional or Enterprise in the command below depending on the version installed.

      Note 2: Change vcvars32.bat to vcvars64.bat in the command below for the 64-bit version.

      Note 3: Change 2017 to 2019 if you are using Visual Studio 2019.

      "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\2017\Community\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvars32.bat"

    • Visual Studio Preview:

      Note 1: Change Community to either Professional or Enterprise in the command below depending on the version installed.

      Note 2: Change vcvars32.bat to vcvars64.bat in the command below for the 64-bit version.

      "%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft Visual Studio\Preview\Community\VC\Auxiliary\Build\vcvars32.bat"

  4. Generate the build system with Meson:

Note 1: Change debug to release in the command below depending on whether the latest version or release version is desired.

meson --buildtype debug --prefix %cd%\dest build

Meson currently requires --prefix to point to an absolute path. We use the %CD% pseudo-variable to get the absolute path to the current working directory.

  1. Start a build:

ninja -C build

  1. Install into your destination folder: ninja -C build install
  2. Check your Rizin version: dest\bin\rizin.exe -v

Check That Rizin Runs From All Locations

  1. In the file explorer go to the folder Rizin was just installed in.
  2. From this folder go to dest > bin and keep this window open.
  3. Go to System Properties: In the Windows search bar enter sysdm.cpl.
  4. Go to Advanced > Environment Variables.
  5. Click on the PATH variable and then click edit (if it exists within both the user and system variables, look at the user version).
  6. Ensure the file path displayed in the window left open is listed within the PATH variable. If it is not add it and click ok.
  7. Log out of your Windows session.
  8. Open up a new Windows Command Prompt: type cmd in the search bar. Ensure that the current path is not in the Rizin folder.
  9. Check Rizin version from Command Prompt Window: rizin -v