Process: Windows Dev Env for Debug of Plugins

[rgleason]

1. Setup the build environment using TransmitterDan's script for a Windows development setup https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=opencpn:development_manual
2. Follow Complete builds using Visual Studio 2022/2019 Community Edition I've found this to be a very reliable way to create a Development environment which produces the necessary tarballs.
3. I locate my local git folders under C:\Users[user]\source and the windows build environment under C:\Users[user]\source\opencpn
4. wxWidgets are automatically downloaded and configured by TransmitterDan's script.
5. I build the plugin locally (standalone) with a bash script which can be found here bldwin-rdeb.sh in weather_routing_pi I always build plugins using realwithdebinfo and use Visual Studio that way too.
6. First I test the plugin in OpenCPN using Imported Plugin to load the tarball and test it in a preliminary way.
7. Then I start up MSVisualStudio, select the project opencpn.sln , and Debug mode > Start Debugging and when OpenCPN starts up, then using Option > Plugins > Import Plugin, import the tarball from C:\Users[user]\source[plugin]\build.
8. Note that the first time you compile the plugin you will need to copy the
   C:\Users\[user]\source\[plugin]\build\relwithdebinfo\[plugin_pi].pdb
   file into the proper OpenCPN development folder which is
   C:\Users\[user]\source\opencpn\build\RelWithDebInfo\plugins\[plugin]_pi.pdb
   or
   C:\Users\[user]\source\opencpn\build\plugins\[plugin_pi]\RelWithDebInfo\[plugin]_pi.pdb
9. Now you are ready to test and debug the plugin.

Note: The other way to compile a plugin is to copy the entire git plugin folder into
C:\Users\fcgle\source\opencpn\plugins
where the internal plugins are built, and rebuild OpenCPN along with the plugin.

For some more details and discussion see this comment and those following

• Windows: Testing Debug Plugins OpenCPN/OpenCPN#4444 (comment)
• Windows: Testing Debug Plugins OpenCPN/OpenCPN#4444 (reply in thread)