Here's how you build dfhack!
----------------------------

First, there is one dependency, regardless of the OS you use:
  cmake - it's the build system

Building on Linux:
--------------------

* To run in the output folder (without installing):

building the library is simple. Enter the build folder, run the tools. Like this:
    
cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE:string=Release
make

This will build the library and its tools and place them in /output.
You can also use a cmake-friendly IDE like KDevelop 4 or the cmake GUI program.

* To be installed into the system or packaged

cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE:string=Release -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr -DMEMXML_DATA_PATH:path=/usr/share/dfhack ..
make
make install

With this dfhack installs:
library to $CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX/lib
executables to $CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX/bin
The Memory.xml file to /usr/share/dfhack

A special library for adding a shared memory interface to DF is also compiled (libdfconnect.so)
It can be put into DF/libs and preloaded using LD_PRELOAD

Building on Windows:
--------------------

You need cmake. Get the win32 installer version from the official site: http://www.cmake.org/cmake/resources/software.html
It has the usual installer wizard thing.

* Using mingw:

You also need a compiler. I build dfhack using mingw. You can get it from the mingw site:
Get the automated installer, it will download newest version of mingw and set things up nicely.
You'll have to add C:\MinGW\ to your PATH variable.

 - Building:
 open up cmd and navigate to the dfhack\build folder, run cmake and the mingw version of make:
 cd build
 cmake .. -G"MinGW Makefiles" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE:string=Release
 mingw32-make

A special library for adding a shared memory interface to DF is also compiled (SDL.dll)
You can use it with DF by renaming the original SDL.dll to SDLreal.dll and dropping in the newly compiled library.

* Using MSVC

open up cmd and navigate to the dfhack\build folder, run cmake:
cd build
cmake ..

This will generate MSVC solution and project files. Note that: you are working in the /build folder.
Files added to projects will end up there! (and that's wrong). Any changes to the build system should
be done by changing cmake configs and running cmake on them!

A special library for adding a shared memory interface to DF is also compiled (SDL.dll)
You can use it with DF by renaming the original SDL.dll to SDLreal.dll and dropping in the newly compiled library.

* Using some other compiler:

I'm afraid you are on your own. dfhack wasn't tested with any other compiler.
Try using a different cmake generator that's intended for your tools.

Build targets
-------------
dfhack has a few build targets. If you're only after the library run 'make dfhack'.
'make' will build everything.
'make expbench' will build the expbench throughput testing program and the library.

Build types
-----------
cmake allows you to pick a build type by changing this variable: CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE

cmake .. -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE:string=BUILD_TYPE

Without specifying a build type or 'None', cmake uses the CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS variable for building.
Valid build types include 'Release' and 'Debug'. There are others, but they aren't really that useful.

Have fun.