Can't build / rebuild modules?

I just did a fresh install of BlitzMax version 1.09 and updated to 1.10

But under the Program menu, the following options are disabled (greyed out):

Build Modules
Rebuild All Modules

What's going on with that?

You need MinGW installed and paths set up. Also, 1.12 is out...

No, the menu has been greyed out for me (and others) for some time - the keyboard shortcut on the menu however still works - just hit Ctrl+D.

James: Is MinGW just for module development or do you need it to add a module someone else wrote?

Steve: If I add a module and hit alt+d (ctrl+d does nothing) then compile a program that imports it... should I not get the error "can't find interface for module 'pub.whatever'"? Because I do.

After alt+d all the output window says is:
Building Modules
Compiling:blitz_app.c

Process complete

Idiot, Ctrl+D just rebuilds the modules that came with the new 1.12 for example.

Building your own modules is another matter - have you installed MinGW and paths set up as James suggested?

To setup your path go into My Computer, view system information, advanced, environment variables then add to the path box C:\MinGW\bin; C:\MinGW;

I think that's right - there should be a tutorial about it somewhere on the site.

Well, I've got MinGW installed and my paths setup correctly and since BMax 1.09 Build Modules & ReBuild Modules has been greyed out. You can't click them. ctrl+D works so I never thought of saying anything incase it would be fixed in an update. Looks like it hasn't.

The PATH variable should have X:\wherever\MinGW\bin added to it (use ; to seperate new entries, altho that should be obvious) - X:\wherever\MinGW should be in a new variable entry named MINGW

I actually had the opposite problem to amon when I was using Win2000 - the menus were selectable but it refused to build my modules anyway (only Protean could do it, not BlIDE either)... installing WinXP seems to have eliminated that problem =]

I tried Uninstalling and deleting everything. Reinstalled set up paths again and rebooted. Options to rebuild modules are still greyed out. :/

Well, uh, now you have the IDE source you can go poking around in there and figure out why <grin>

I'm not trying to create my own modules, I'm trying to use modules other people have written.

That's fine, but : if the modules are not compiled, you will have to compile them. If the modules were compiled in a previous version of Max, you may have to recompile them anyway. You don't definately have to, but you might, depends on... stuff.

May as well just bump this thread for laughs.

I have msys over here... is that the same thing as MinGW?
I'm a tad confused, since msys is all I need and already have to develop for handhelds with Make and all that fun stuff, and its download links are on the same page as MinGW.
Although, there is an empty mingw folder within msys, so I guess it's probably something slightly different.

If MinGW is different from msys and specifically required, does anyone know of an easier Windows updater for the thing so that I'm not suffering with all these archives?

Edit:
Never mind...
*Mumbles away*

Edit Again:

This guide is helpful:
http://www.mingw.org/MinGWiki/index.php/Install%20MinGW

Read this thread for info on environment variables :)

I have an FAQ topic about it here:

http://www.greyaliengames.com/framework/technical.html#build

it tells you were to get MinGW from and how to set the environment vars.