Chapter 3 Installing Connector/C++ from a Binary Distribution

To obtain a Connector/C++ binary distribution, visit the Connector/C++ downloads page.

Installation on Windows

Important

For Connector/C++ 1.1.11 and higher, Commercial and Community distributions require the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015 to work on Windows platforms. Up through Connector/C++ 1.1.10, Community (not Commercial) distributions require the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2013.

The Redistributable is available at the Microsoft Download Center; install it before installing any version of Connector/C++ that requires it.

These binary-distribution installation methods are available on Windows:

• MySQL Installer.  The simplest and recommended method for installing Connector/C++ on Windows platforms is to download MySQL Installer and let it install and configure all the MySQL products on your system. For details, see MySQL Installer for Windows.

• Windows MSI installer.  To use the MSI Installer (.msi file), launch it and follow the prompts in the screens it presents to install Connector/C++ in the location of your choosing.

  The MSI Installer requires administrative privileges. It begins by presenting a welcome screen that enables you to continue the installation or cancel it. If you continue the installation, the MSI Installer overview screen enables you to select the type of installation to perform:

  • The Typical installation consists of all required header files and the Release libraries.

  • The Custom installation enables you to install additional Debug versions of the connector libraries. If you select this installation type, the MSI Installer presents a Custom Setup screen that enables you to select which features to install and where to install them.

  • The Complete installation installs everything in the distribution.

• Zip archive package without installer.  To install from a Zip archive package (.zip file), use WinZip or another tool that can read .zip files to unpack the file into the location of your choosing.

Post-Installation Setup

If you plan to use a dynamically linked version of Connector/C++, the libmysqlclient MySQL client library must be registered with the dynamic linker so that it can be found at runtime. Make sure that your system can reference the MySQL client library that Connector/C++ is linked against and thus requires. Consult your operating system documentation on how to modify and expand the search path for libraries. Many Unix and Unix-like systems enable configuring dynamic library locations using LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable. For example, if you install Connector/C++ under /usr/local/lib, try this:

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib

On macOS, try this:

export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/lib

It may also be necessary to run ldconfig or equivalent utility.

If you cannot modify the library search path, it may help to copy your application, the Connector/C++ library and the MySQL client library into the same directory. Most systems search for libraries in the current directory.