🚀 Static Linking Made Easy in NitroPascal!

[jarroddavis68]

One of the biggest limitations in traditional Delphi development has been working with static C libraries. While dynamic DLL linking has always been straightforward, static linking was essentially not an option - you were locked into the DLL ecosystem.

NitroPascal changes everything!

Grab Any Clang-Compatible Static Library and Go

With NitroPascal, you can now take any Clang-compatible static library (.a or .lib files) and use it directly in your Pascal projects. No conversion tools, no wrappers, no hassle - it just works!

Here's a real example using raylib - a popular C game library - statically linked into your executable:

// raylib.pas - A completely self-contained unit!

// Paths to headers and libraries
{$INCLUDE_PATH   "..\..\..\res\libs\raylib\inc"}
{$LIBRARY_PATH   "..\..\..\res\libs\raylib\lib"}

// Static libraries to link - just point to the .a files!
{$LINK           "libraylib.a"}
{$LINK           "gdi32"}
{$LINK           "opengl32"}
{$LINK           "winmm"}

// C header to import
{$INCLUDE_HEADER 'raylib.h'}

unit raylib;

interface

// Core functions
procedure InitWindow(AWidth: Integer; AHeight: Integer; const ATitle: PAnsiChar); cdecl; external;
procedure CloseWindow(); cdecl; external;
function  WindowShouldClose(): Boolean; cdecl; external;
procedure SetTargetFPS(AFPS: Integer); cdecl; external;

// Drawing functions
procedure BeginDrawing(); cdecl; external;
procedure EndDrawing(); cdecl; external;
procedure ClearBackground(AColor: Color); cdecl; external;
procedure DrawText(const AText: PAnsiChar; APosX: Integer; APosY: Integer; 
                   AFontSize: Integer; AColor: Color); cdecl; external;

implementation
end.

Notice how everything the library needs is declared right in the unit itself:

• ✅ Include paths for C headers
• ✅ Library paths for .a/.lib files
• ✅ Static libraries to link (Clang-compatible)
• ✅ C headers to import

The library unit is completely self-contained - all dependencies are specified in the source!

Using It Is Even Simpler!

To use this self-contained unit in your program, you just need one directive - the path to find the unit:

// core_basic_window.pas

// Just tell NitroPascal where to find the raylib unit
{$UNIT_PATH    "..\..\..\res\libs\raylib\pas"}

// Optional: Set optimization level
{$OPTIMIZATION "releasesmall"}

program core_basic_window;

uses
  raylib;  // ← That's it! Everything else is automatic!

const
  LScreenWidth = 800;
  LScreenHeight = 450;

begin
  InitWindow(LScreenWidth, LScreenHeight, 
             'raylib [core] example - basic window');
  SetTargetFPS(60);
  
  while not WindowShouldClose() do
  begin
    BeginDrawing();
      ClearBackground(RAYWHITE);
      DrawText('Congrats! You created your first window!', 
               190, 200, 20, LIGHTGRAY);
    EndDrawing();
  end;
  
  CloseWindow();
end.

Why This Is a Game Changer

Traditional Delphi:

• ❌ Static linking not supported
• ❌ Locked into DLL dependencies
• ❌ No access to the vast ecosystem of C static libraries
• ❌ Required DLLs to be deployed with your app

NitroPascal:

• ✅ Grab any Clang-compatible static library and use it directly
• ✅ Link static .a or .lib files with zero friction
• ✅ Access to thousands of C/C++ libraries (SDL2, raylib, curl, SQLite, etc.)
• ✅ All dependencies declared in source code
• ✅ Produces a single, standalone executable with no DLL dependencies
• ✅ True "just works" experience

The Result

When you compile, NitroPascal automatically:

1. Finds your units using the specified paths
2. Collects all library dependencies from each unit
3. Generates the appropriate build configuration (using Zig's powerful linker)
4. Statically links everything into a single executable
5. Produces a standalone binary - drop it anywhere and run!

No configuration files. No IDE project settings. No external build tools. Just grab a Clang-compatible static library, declare it in your code, and ship a single executable.

This is what modern Pascal should be. Clean syntax, self-documenting dependencies, and seamless C interop. Welcome to NitroPascal! 🎮

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NitroPascal - Modern Pascal • C Performance
Learn more: https://nitropascal.org