# Compiling an SDL app under Mac OS X

**URL:** <https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/compiling-an-sdl-app-under-mac-os-x/7944>\
**Category:** SDL Development\
**Created:** [December 14, 2002, 11:40am UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/compiling-an-sdl-app-under-mac-os-x/7944 "2002-12-14T11:40:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Scott\_Lahteine](https://discourse.libsdl.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@Scott\_Lahteine](https://discourse.libsdl.org/u/Scott_Lahteine)\
**Post date:** [December 14, 2002, 11:40am UTC](https://discourse.libsdl.org/t/compiling-an-sdl-app-under-mac-os-x/7944/1 "2002-12-14T11:40:01Z")

</div>

The proper steps to set up SDL for Mac OS X are these:

Download and install the SDL-devel-1.2.5 package. Make sure it’s the  
DEVELOPMENT package.

By default the SDL framework is installed in your ~/Library/Frameworks  
folder. You can move it - and the other SDL frameworks - to the  
/Library/Frameworks folder if you want.

The SDL package also installs a ProjectBuilder template, so all you  
have to do is select “SDL Application” from the list when you create a  
New Project.

Other SDL frameworks you’ll want to install:

SDL\_image  
SDL\_mixer  
SDL\_net  
SDL\_ttf

To get a framework into your project you can simply drag it from the  
Finder onto the ProjectBuilder “Groups & Files” panel. Drop the  
framework in the “Other Frameworks” subgroup of the “Frameworks” group.  
Once a Framework is in your project you must enable it by toggling its  
checkbox. Conveniently, you can look into frameworks and read the  
headers.

When you decide to use SDL with OpenGL you can enable the OpenGL and  
GLUT frameworks in the same manner as the rest.

I don’t recall if the SDL Application project template has all the  
“Search Paths” for the project prepared for having the frameworks in  
the system-wide location. If you have any trouble with the project  
compiling because it can’t find headers you should do the following:

- Open the “Targets” panel in ProjectBuilder.
- Select your target to see its settings.
- Select the Settings-\>Simple View-\>Search Paths settings.
- Use the + button to add the path to the desired headers.

Each framework contains its own headers, so you’ll navigate into the  
frameworks themselves and select the “Headers” folder.

As long as you’re in the target settings panel you should set up the  
rest of your preferences.

SDL also installs help in the form of man pages, so you can use the  
“open man page…” command from the Help menu to read about SDL  
functions.

There’s probably stuff I’m forgetting, but with this info you should at  
least be able to get the SDL base project to compile. Download some  
simple demos from [libsdl.org](http://libsdl.org) and try building them by adding their .c  
files into a new SDL Application project.

Have fun!

- Scott Lahteine -  
----- BotFly -----On Thursday, December 12, 2002, at 12:01 PM, \<santi.ontanon at terra.es\> wrote:

> compiling a SDL app under Mac OS X