x/mobile: Building the framework for OSX

[damouse]

Using gomobile bind I'm able to build my go package into a framework for iOS. I would like to do this for OSX as well. I tried working around gomobile and creating a library using just go build but I get warnings that -linkshared is only supported on linux/amd64. Also tried setting ARCH and OS flags, didn't seem to affect gomobile.

I would like to put together a script that compiles both frameworks at once. Is such a thing possible using just gomobile? Can I build the library on linux and move it to OSX?

[crawshaw]

Sorry, supporting non-mobile operating systems is not a goal right now for gomobile. It would be nice to see gobind generally supported for OS X one day, but there's significant work to be done.

[damouse]

Damn. I was hoping I could just compile a library for x86 using go build and essentially replace the lib gomobile produces. I take it theres more going on here?

Alternatively, can you briefly outline what would need to be done?

[crawshaw]

I believe an OS X framework can be dynamically loaded, which is different from iOS and not yet supported. So what the gomobile tool is doing will not generate a framework for OS X.

@hyangah reminded me today that in its current state, gobind can be used on OS X. But you have to statically link the generated code into your C program. You can try building a .a file with go build -buildmode=c-archive. Have a read through https://github.com/golang/mobile/blob/master/bind/objc/test.bash.

[bclermont]

@damouse

With that simple commit https://github.com/bclermont/mobile/commit/27e1b66f2aabbd2abe32bd8cf7e316cb9f9f9371

I switched from iPhone simulator to OSX to build a .framework with gomobile bind.

Using https://github.com/bclermont/mobile/commit/27e1b66f2aabbd2abe32bd8cf7e316cb9f9f9371#commitcomment-16297002 I could remove the iOS binary.

Then, this .framework can be used in Xcode to build a native OSX application.

@crawshaw I think it's a simple change that could add to gomobile a new target for OSX. At least for the bind part of it.