switch-build

Build switch homebrew apps the easy way.

Install prerequisites

You need the latest devel Nim compiler with Nintendo Switch support and you need nim-libnx in order to compile (see examples in the libnx.nimble file).

In order for switch-build to work, you'll need DevkitPro and you'll need to modify some environment variables if you're on Windows.

DevkitPro can be installed via this links: Mac and Linux or Windows. Install with the Switch development support.

Once you have DevkitPro installed, the DEVKITPRO environment variable must exist and it must point to a valid directory. This isn't an issue on Unix platforms, but on Windows it's a bit more finicky with the default installer.

On Unix platforms (Mac/Linux), simply add:

export DEVKITPRO="/path/to/devkitpro/root"
# Default is "/opt/devkitpro"

to your .bashrc or similar shell/login init script.

On Windows, the DevkitPro installer will set environment variables for you, but they will be invalid from a default cmd.exe or powershell instance. You'll need to edit the DevkitPro environment variable to be a valid path. Change it from:

DEVKITPRO: /opt/devkitpro

to something like:

DEVKITPRO: C:\devkitPro

Or where ever you installed it. Once that is set, everything should work fine in Windows.

Install

Simply install the latest devel Nim compiler and the Nim tools (with the nimble package manager) and run:

nimble install switch_build

Usage

Basic usage:

switch_build --author="My Name" --version="1.0.0" examples/helloworld/helloworld.nim

See here for more examples. Also run:

switch_build --help

for more options and configuration.

Options

$ switch_build --help
Switch build version 0.1.3
::
    switch-build [options] project-file.nim

Note:
  $DKP refers to the devkitpro path, set either by env vars or
  the command line options.

Options:
  -f, --forceBuild          Force compilation of files
  -r, --release             Compile in release mode (no stack traces, more efficient)
  --verbose                 Stream output of compilation tasks
  -x, --libnxPath:PATH      The path where your libnx libraries live. (default is
                            $DKP/libnx). Useful for development of custom libnx
                            features
  -d, --devkitProPath:PATH  Devkitpro installation path for switch-build.
                            Required if DEVKITPRO environment var is unset
  -c, --devkitCompilerPath:PATH
                            The path where the binaries for the devkitpro
                            compiler lives. (defaults to "$DKP/devkitA64/bin/")
  -t, --tools:PATH          The devkitpro tools (defaults to "$DKP/tools/bin")
  -o, --output:PATH         Output files in a specified directory (defaults to "build")
  -S, --staticLib           Build static library ("*.a")
  -b, --build:TYPE          The type of output file you want (defaults to "all")
                            and can be specified multiple times.
                            TYPE is one of: "all", "nro", "nso", "pfs0", "nacp",
                            or "lst"
  -l, --libs:STR            Additional linker args to pass to the compiler.
                            Ex: --libs="-lsdl -Lpath/to/lib"

  -i, --includes:STR        Additional includes to pass to the compiler
                            Ex: --includes="-Ipath/to/include -Ipath/to/another/include"
  -n, --name:STR            The output file name to use. (defaults to input file name)
  -a, --author:STR          Sets the author name for the generate NRO and NACP file
  -v, --version:STR         Sets the version information for the generated NRO and NACP
                            file
  -q, --romfsPath:PATH      Path to use to build in a romfs image
  -p, --icon:PATH           Sets the icon to use for the generated NRO and NACP
                            (defaults to "$DKP/libnx/default_icon.jpg)
  --nimCompilerArgs:STR     Args to pass to the nim compiler
  -h, --help                show this help

Note, single letter options that take an argument require a colon. E.g. -p:PATH.