// WSDG Chapter Tools

[#ChapterTools]

== Tool Reference

[#ChToolsIntro]

=== Introduction

This chapter will provide you with information about the various tools
needed for Wireshark development. None of the tools mentioned in this
chapter are needed to run Wireshark. They are only needed to build it.

Most of these tools have their roots on UNIX or UNIX-like platforms such
as Linux, but Windows ports are also available. Therefore the tools are
available in different "flavours":

* UNIX and UNIX-like platforms: The tools should be commonly available
  on the supported UNIX and UNIX-like platforms. Cygwin is unsupported.
* Windows native: Some tools are available as native Windows tools, no
  special emulation is required.  Many of these tools can be installed
  (and updated) using https://chocolatey.org[Chocolatey], a Windows
  package manager similar to the Linux package managers apt-get or yum.

[WARNING]
.Follow the directions
====
Unless you know exactly what you are doing, you should strictly follow the recommendations given in <<ChapterSetup>>.
====

The following sections give a very brief description of
what a particular tool is doing, how it is used in the
Wireshark project and how it can be installed and
tested.

Documentation for these tools is outside the scope of this document. If you need
further information on using a specific tool you should find lots of useful
information on the web, as these tools are commonly used. You can also get help
for the UNIX based tools with `**toolname** --help` or the man page via `man
**toolname**`.

You will find explanations of the tool usage for some of the specific
development tasks in <<ChapterSources>>.

[#ChToolsChocolatey]
=== Chocolatey

Chocolatey is a Windows package manager that can be used to install (and update)
many of the packages required for Wireshark development. Chocolatey can be
obtained from the https://chocolatey.org[website] or from a Command Prompt:

[source,cmd]
----
C:\>@powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy unrestricted -Command "iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString(_https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1_))" && SET PATH=%PATH%;%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\chocolatey\bin
----

or a Powershell prompt:

[source,cmd]
----
PS:\>iex ((new-object net.webclient).DownloadString(_https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1_))
----

Chocolatey sometimes installs packages in unexpected locations. Python
is a notable example. While it's typically installed in a top-level
directory, e.g. _C:\Python37_ or in %PROGRAMFILES%, e.g. _C:\Program
Files\Python37_, Chocolatey tends to install it under
_C:\ProgramData\chocolatey_ or _C:\Tools_. If you want to avoid this
behavior you'll probably want to install Python using the packages from
python.org.

Other package managers for Windows include the https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/package-manager/[Windows Package Manager (winget)] and https://scoop.sh/[Scoop].
As of January 2022 neither option provides all of the packages we require, but that might change in the future.

[#ChToolsCMake]

=== CMake

Wireshark’s build environment can be configured using CMake on various UNIX-like platforms, including Linux, macOS, and *BSD, and on Windows.
CMake is designed to support out-of-tree builds - so much so that in-tree builds do not work properly in all cases.
Along with being cross-platform, CMake supports many build tools and environments including traditional make, Ninja, and MSBuild.

Building with CMake typically includes creating a build directory and
specifying a *generator*, aka a build tool. For example, to build
Wireshark using Ninja in the directory _wireshark-ninja_ you might
run the following commands:

[source,sh]
----
# Starting from your Wireshark source directory, create a build directory
# alongside it.
$ cd ..
$ mkdir wireshark-ninja
$ cd wireshark-ninja
# Assumes your source directory is named "wireshark".
$ cmake -G Ninja ../wireshark
$ ninja (or cmake --build .)
----

Using CMake on Windows is described further in <<ChWindowsGenerate>>.

Along with specifying a generator with the `-G` flag you can set variables
using the `-D` flag. Useful variables and generators include the following:

-DBUILD_wireshark=OFF:: Don't build the Wireshark GUI application.
Each command line utility has its own BUILD_xxx flag as well. For
example, you can use -DBUILD_mmdbresolve=OFF to disable mmdbresolve.

-DENABLE_CCACHE=ON:: Build using the ccache compiler cache.

-DENABLE_CAP=OFF:: Disable the POSIX capabilities check

-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Debug:: Enable debugging symbols

-DCARES_INCLUDE_DIR=/your/custom/cares/include, -DCARES_LIBRARY=/your/custom/cares/lib/libcares.so::
Let you set the path to a locally-compiled version of c-ares. Most
optional libraries have xxx_INCLUDE_DIR and xxx_LIB flags that let you
control their discovery.

-DCMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=12.0::
Specify the minimum macOS version for Wireshark and each command line utility.
Note that this doesn’t affect the minimum target for third-party libraries.

-DENABLE_APPLICATION_BUNDLE=OFF:: Disable building an application bundle (Wireshark.app) on macOS

You can list all build variables (with help) by running `cmake -LH [options]
../<Name_of_WS_source_dir>`. This lists the cache of build variables
after the cmake run. To only view the current cache, add option `-N`.

Depending on your needs, it might be useful to save your CMake configuration options in a file outside your build directory.
CMake supports this via its https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.23/manual/cmake-presets.7.html[presets] option.

Wireshark ships a `CMakePresets.json` with a predefined `ninja_ccache` preset that uses Ninja as the generator and enables ccache.
This preset sets the build directory to `${sourceDir}/build`.
You can use it directly:

[source,sh]
----
cmake --preset ninja_ccache
cmake --build build
----

To customize the build directory or other settings without modifying the shared `CMakePresets.json`, create a `CMakeUserPresets.json` file in the source root (it is already listed in `.gitignore`).
Use `inherits` to extend the shipped preset and override only what you need.

For example, on macOS or Linux, to use an out-of-tree build directory, enable ccache and set a custom Qt path:

[source,json]
----
{
  "version": 4,
  "configurePresets": [
    {
      "name": "mydev",
      "displayName": "Local development",
      "inherits": "ninja_ccache",
      "binaryDir": "${sourceDir}/../build",
      "cacheVariables": {
        "ENABLE_CCACHE": "ON"
      },
      "environment": {
        "CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH": "/usr/local/Qt6"
      }
    }
  ]
}
----

On Windows, you might want to use the Visual Studio generator and a different build directory instead.
The `inherits` field still pulls in cache variables like `ENABLE_CCACHE` from the base preset, while letting you override the generator and build path:

[source,json]
----
{
  "version": 4,
  "configurePresets": [
    {
      "name": "vs-dev",
      "displayName": "Visual Studio development",
      "inherits": "ninja_ccache",
      "generator": "Visual Studio 18 2026",
      "binaryDir": "C:/build"
    }
  ]
}
----

Then configure and build using your preset:

[source,sh]
----
cmake --preset mydev
cmake --build ../build
----

If you use VSCode with the CMake Tools extension, select your preset via the command palette (*CMake: Select Configure Preset*) or set it in `.vscode/settings.json`:

[source,json]
----
{
  "cmake.configurePreset": "mydev"
}
----

NOTE: When a configure preset is active, CMake Tools uses the preset's `binaryDir` and ignores the `cmake.buildDirectory` setting.

After running cmake, you can always run `make help` to see a list of all possible make targets.

Note that CMake honors user umask for creating directories as of now. You should set
the umask explicitly before running the `install` target.

CMake links:

The home page of the CMake project: https://cmake.org/

Official documentation: https://cmake.org/documentation/

About CMake in general and why KDE4 uses it: https://lwn.net/Articles/188693/

Useful variables: https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/wikis/doc/cmake/Useful-Variables

Frequently Asked Questions: https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/community/wikis/FAQ

[#ChToolsCMakeIdioms]

==== CMake Idioms

If you will be creating or editing CMake files,
you will need to be aware of some idioms in use in the Wireshark source code.

[NOTE]
.When in doubt, check the source
====
As with most open-source software, this documentation can fall behind what's actually in use.
Check the root _CMakeLists.txt_ file and the files in _cmake/modules/_
to see the most current information.
====

.Library dependencies.
Most dependencies are imported via the CMake _find_package()_ command.
The mechanics of finding a particular package _foo_ are often specified in the relevant
_cmake/modules/FindFoo.cmake_ file, but they will usually define a variable
_FOO_INCLUDE_DIRS_ for helping future CMake commands find the _foo_ header files,
along with a _FOO_LIBRARIES_ variable listing the compiled library files for linking.
Both variables will be empty if the corresponding dependency is not found.

Most dependencies are intuitively named, but there are some exceptions:

* **_Lib_ prefix:** Most libraries do not have any added prefix to their names.
_LIBXML2_ and _LIBSSH_ are two notable exceptions.

* **Mathematics:** The name of this library is simply _M_ (_M_INCLUDE_DIRS_, _M_LIBRARIES_).

* **Netlink:** The name of this library is _NL_.


[#ChToolsGNUChain]

=== GNU Compiler Toolchain (UNIX And UNIX-like Platforms)

[#ChToolsGCC]

==== gcc (GNU Compiler Collection)

The GCC C compiler is available for most UNIX and UNIX-like operating
systems.

If GCC isn't already installed or available
as a package for your platform, you can get it at:
https://gcc.gnu.org/[].

After correct installation, typing at the
bash command line prompt:

[source,sh]
----
$ gcc --version
----

should result in something like

----
gcc (Ubuntu 4.9.1-16ubuntu6) 4.9.1
Copyright (C) 2014 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is free software; see the source for copying conditions.  There is NO
warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
----

Your version string may vary, of course.

[#ChToolsGDB]

==== gdb (GNU Project Debugger)

GDB is the debugger for the GCC compiler. It is
available for many (if not all) UNIX-like platforms.

If you don't like debugging using the command line, many
https://sourceware.org/gdb/wiki/GDB%20Front%20Ends[GUI frontends for it
available], including Qt Creator, CLion, and Eclipse.

If gdb isn't already installed or available
as a package for your platform, you can get it at:
https://www.gnu.org/software/gdb/gdb.html[].

After correct installation:

[source,sh]
----
$ gdb --version
----

should result in something like:

----
GNU gdb (GDB) 8.3
Copyright (C) 2019 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
----

Your version string may vary, of course.

[#ChToolsGNUmake]

==== make (GNU Make)

[NOTE]
.GNU make isn't supported either for Windows

GNU Make is available for most of the UNIX-like
platforms.

If GNU Make isn't already installed or
available as a package for your platform, you can get it at:
https://www.gnu.org/software/make/[].

After correct installation:

[source,sh]
----
$ make --version
----

should result in something like:

----
GNU Make 4.0
Built for x86_64-pc-linux-gnu
Copyright (C) 1988-2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Licence GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <http://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>
This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
----

Your version string may vary, of course.

==== Ninja

Ninja is an alternative to make, and is available for many of the
UNIX-like platforms.  It runs builds faster than make does.

It is designed to have its build files generated by tools such as CMake;
to generate build files for Ninja, run CMake with the `-G Ninja` flag.

If Ninja isn't already installed, see the list of suggestions for Ninja
packages at:
https://github.com/ninja-build/ninja/wiki/Pre-built-Ninja-packages.

If Ninja isn't already installed and isn't
available as a package for your platform, you can get it from:
https://ninja-build.org.  You can download the source code or binaries
for Linux, macOS, and Windows (we have not tested Ninja on Windows).

[#ChToolsMSChain]

=== Microsoft compiler toolchain (Windows native)

To compile Wireshark on Windows using the Microsoft C/{cpp}
compiler (MSVC), you'll need:

. C compiler (_cl.exe_)

. Assembler (_ml.exe_ for 32-bit targets and _ml64.exe_ for 64-bit targets)

. Linker (_link.exe_)

. Resource Compiler (_rc.exe_)

. C runtime headers and libraries (e.g. _stdio.h_, _vcruntime140.lib_)

. Windows platform headers and libraries (e.g.
_windows.h_, _WS2_32.lib_)

==== Official Toolchain Packages And Alternatives

Official releases are or were built with the following Visual {cpp} versions:

* Wireshark 4.2.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2022.
* Wireshark 4.0.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2022.
* Wireshark 3.6.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2019.
* Wireshark 3.4.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2019.
* Wireshark 3.2.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2019.
* Wireshark 3.0.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2017.
* Wireshark 2.6.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2017.
* Wireshark 2.4.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2015.
* Wireshark 2.2.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2013.
* Wireshark 2.0.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2013.
* Wireshark 1.12.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2010 SP1.
* Wireshark 1.10.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2010 SP1.
* Wireshark 1.8.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2010 SP1.
* Wireshark 1.6.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2008 SP1.
* Wireshark 1.4.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2008 SP1.
* Wireshark 1.2.x: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 2008 SP1.
* Wireshark 1.0.x and earlier: Microsoft Visual {cpp} 6.0.

Using the release compilers is recommended for Wireshark development work.

“Community” editions of Visual Studio such as “Visual Studio Community
2022” can be used to compile Wireshark but any PortableApps packages you
create with them might require the installation of a separate Visual
{cpp} Redistributable package on any machine on which the PortableApps
package is to be used. See <<msvc-runtime-redistributable>> below for
more details.

However, you might already have a different Microsoft {cpp} compiler
installed.  It should be possible to use any of the following with the
considerations listed.  You will need to sign up for a
https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/dev-essentials/[Visual Studio Dev
Essentials] account if you don't have a Visual Studio (MSDN)
subscription.  The older versions can be downloaded from
https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/older-downloads/[].

==== Visual {cpp} 2022 Community Edition

IDE + Debugger?:: Yes

SDK required for 64-bit builds?:: No

CMake Generator: *`Visual Studio 17`*

You can use Chocolatey to install Visual Studio, e.g:

[source,cmd]
----
PS:\> choco install visualstudiocommunity2022 visualstudio2022-workload-nativedesktop
----

If you wish to build Arm64 executables you must install the following components:

Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Tools.ARM64:: MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ ARM64/ARM64EC build tools (Latest)

Microsoft.VisualStudio.Component.VC.Runtimes.ARM64.Spectre:: MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ ARM64/ARM64EC Spectre-mitigated libs (Latest)

==== cl.exe (C Compiler)

The following table gives an overview of the possible
Microsoft toolchain variants and their specific C compiler
versions ordered by release date.

|===
| Compiler Package   | V{cpp} | _MSC_VER
| Visual Studio 2022 (17.4.2) | 14.34   | 1934
|===

A description of `_MSC_VER` and `_MSC_FULL_VER`, and their relation to Visual Studio and compiler versions,
can be found at
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/preprocessor/predefined-macros?view=msvc-170[Microsoft-specific predefined macros].

Information on the V{cpp} version can be found in the file _wsutil/version_info.c_.

After correct installation of the toolchain, typing
at the Visual Studio Command line prompt (cmd.exe):

[source,cmd]
----
> cl
----

should result in something like:

----
Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 19.23.28106.4 for x64
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

usage: cl [ option... ] filename... [ /link linkoption... ]
----

However, the version string may vary.

Documentation on recent versions of the compiler can be found at
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/reference/compiling-a-c-cpp-program[Microsoft Docs]

==== link.exe (Linker)

After correct installation, typing at the Visual Studio Command line prompt (cmd.exe):

[source,cmd]
----
> link
----

should result in something like:

----
Microsoft (R) Incremental Linker Version 14.23.28106.4
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation.  All rights reserved.

 usage: LINK [options] [files] [@commandfile]
 ...
----

However, the version string may vary.

Documentation on recent versions of the linker can be found at
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/build/reference/linking[Microsoft Docs]

[#msvc-runtime-redistributable]

==== Visual {cpp} Runtime “Redistributable” Files

Please note: The following is not legal advice. Ask your preferred
lawyer instead. It’s the authors view and this view might be wrong.

Wireshark and its libraries depend on POSIX functions such as fopen()
and malloc(). On Windows, these functions are provided by the Microsoft
Visual {cpp} C Runtime (CRT). There are many different versions of the CRT and
Visual {cpp} 2015 and later use the _Universal CRT_ (UCRT).

The Universal CRT comes standard with Windows 10 and is installed as part
of Windows Update on earlier versions of Windows. The Wireshark .exe
installers include redistributables (_vc_redist.x64.exe_ or
_vc_redist.arm64.exe_) which ensure that the Universal CRT is installed and
up to date.

[NOTE]
.Make sure you're allowed to distribute this file
====
The files to redistribute must be mentioned in the
redist.txt file of the compiler package. Otherwise it
can't be legally redistributed by third parties like
us.
====

The following Microsoft Docs link is recommended for the
interested reader:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/redistributing-visual-cpp-files[Redistributing Visual {cpp} Files]

In all cases where _vc_redist.x64.exe_ or _vc_redist.arm64.exe_ is
downloaded it should be downloaded to the directory into which the
support libraries for Wireshark have been downloaded and installed.
This directory is specified by the `WIRESHARK_BASE_DIR` environment or CMake variable.
It need not, and should not, be run after being downloaded.

==== Windows Platform SDK

The Windows Platform SDK (PSDK) or Windows SDK is a free
(as in beer) download and contains platform specific headers and
libraries (e.g. _windows.h_, _WSock32.lib_, etc.). As new Windows
features evolve in time, updated SDKs become available that
include new and updated APIs.

When you purchase a commercial Visual Studio or use the Community
Edition, it will include an SDK.

[#ChToolsDocumentationToolchain]
=== Documentation Toolchain

Wireshark’s documentation is located in the `doc` directory.
It contains man pages, User’s Guide, Developer’s Guide, and the release notes, which are written in Asciidoctor markup.
A bunch of README files in text format can also be found there.

Our various output formats are generated using the following tools.
Intermediate formats are in _italics_.

Man page roff:: Asciidoctor
Man page HTML:: Asciidoctor

Guide HTML:: Asciidoctor → _DocBook XML_ → xsltproc + DocBook XSL
Guide PDF:: Asciidoctor

Release notes HTML:: Asciidoctor

==== Asciidoctor

https://asciidoctor.org/[Asciidoctor] comes in several flavors: a Ruby gem (Asciidoctor), a Java bundle (AsciidoctorJ), and transpiled JavaScript (Asciidoctor.js).
The Ruby and Java flavors can be used to build Wireshark’s documentation, but the JavaScript flavor doesn’t support all of the features that we require.
CMake will download a pre-built version of Ruby and the Asciidoctor gem on Windows.
// We need docbook5, PDF & EPUB output and macros

The guides and release notes were originally written in DocBook.
They were later converted to AsciiDoc and then migrated to Asciidoctor.
The man pages were originally in Perl’s POD (Plain Old Documentation) format and were later converted to Asciidoctor.
We use Asciidoctor’s modern (>= 1.5.0) syntax.

PDF output requires Asciidoctor’s PDF backend.
It is included with AsciidoctorJ but _not_ with Asciidoctor.

==== DocBook XML and XSL

Converting from DocBook to HTML requires the DocBook DTD
(http://www.sagehill.net/docbookxsl/ToolsSetup.html)
and DocBook stylesheets
(http://www.sagehill.net/docbookxsl/InstallStylesheets.html).
These are available via installable packages on most Linux distributions, Chocolatey, and Homebrew.

==== xsltproc

http://xmlsoft.org/xslt/[xsltproc] converts DocBook XML to various formats based on XSL stylesheets.
It either ships as part of the operating system or is available via an installable package on most Linux distributions, Chocolatey, and Homebrew.

[#ChToolsDebugger]

=== Debugger

Using a good debugger can save you a lot of development time.

The debugger you use must match the C compiler Wireshark was compiled with,
otherwise the debugger will simply fail or you will only see a lot of garbage.

[#ChToolsMSVCDebugger]

==== Visual Studio Integrated Debugger

You can use the integrated debugger of Visual Studio if your toolchain includes
it.  Open the solution in your build directory and build and debug as normal
with a Visual Studio solution.

To set the correct paths for Visual Studio when running Wireshark under the
debugger, add the build output directory to the path before opening Visual
Studio from the same command prompt, e.g.

[source,cmd]
----
C:\Development\wsbuild64>set PATH="%PATH%;C:\Development\wsbuild64\run\RelwithDebInfo"
C:\Development\wsbuild64>wireshark.sln
----

for PowerShell use

[source,cmd]
----
PS C:\Development\wsbuild64>$env:PATH += ";$(Convert-Path run\RelWithDebInfo)"
PS C:\Development\wsbuild64>wireshark.sln
----

When Visual Studio has finished loading the solution, set the executable to
be run in the debugger, e.g. Executables\Wireshark, by right clicking it in
the Solution Explorer window and selecting "Set as StartUp Project".  Also
set the Solution Configuration (usually RelWithDebInfo) from the droplist on
the toolbar.

NOTE: Currently Visual Studio regards a command line build as incomplete, so
will report that some items need to be built when starting the debugger.  These
can either be rebuilt or ignored as you wish.


The normal build is an optimised release version so debugging can be a bit
difficult as variables are optimised out into registers and the execution
order of statements can jump around.

If you require a non-optimised version, then build using a debug configuration.

[#ChToolsMSDebuggingTools]

==== Debugging Tools For Windows

You can also use the Microsoft Debugging Tools for Windows toolkit, which is a
standalone GUI debugger. Although it’s not that comfortable compared to
debugging with the Visual Studio integrated debugger it can be helpful if you
have to debug on a machine where an integrated debugger is not available.

You can get it free of charge from Microsoft in several ways, see the
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/[Debugging tools for Windows] page.

You can also use Chocolatey to install WinDbg:

[source,cmd]
----
PS:\> choco install windbg
----

To debug Wireshark using WinDbg, open the built copy of Wireshark using
the File -> Open Executable... menu,
i.e. C:\Development\wsbuild64\run\RelWithDebInfo\Wireshark.exe.  To set a
breakpoint open the required source file using the File -> Open Source File...
menu and then click on the required line and press F9.  To run the program,
press F5.

If you require a non-optimised version, then build using a debug configuration, e.g.
*`msbuild /m /p:Configuration=Debug Wireshark.sln`*. The build products will be found
in C:\Development\wsbuild64\run\Debug\.

[#ChToolsBash]

=== bash

The bash shell is needed to run several shell scripts.

[#ChToolsGNUBash]

[discrete]
==== Unix

Bash (the GNU Bourne-Again SHell) is available for most UNIX and
UNIX-like platforms. If it isn't already installed or available as a
package for your platform, you can get it at
https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/bash.html[].

After correct installation, typing at the bash command line prompt:

[source,sh]
----
$ bash --version
----

should result in something like:

----
GNU bash, version 4.4.12(1)-release (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)
Copyright (C) 2016 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
----

Your version string will likely vary.

[#ChToolsPython]

=== Python

https://python.org/[Python] is an interpreted programming language.
It is used to generate some source files, documentation, testing and other tasks.
Python 3.6 and later is required.
Python 2 is no longer supported.

Python is either included or available as a package on most UNIX-like platforms.
Windows packages and source are available at https://python.org/download/[].

You can also use Chocolatey to install Python:

[source,cmd]
----
PS:\> choco install python3
----

Chocolatey installs Python into _C:\Python37_ by
default. You can verify your Python version by running

[source,sh]
----
$ python3 --version
----

on UNIX-like platforms and

[source,cmd]
----
rem Official package
C:> cd python35
C:Python35> python --version

rem Chocolatey
C:> cd \tools\python3
C:\tools\python3> python --version
----

on Windows. You should see something like

----
Python 3.5.1
----

Your version string may vary of course.

[#ChToolsFlex]

=== Flex

Flex is a lexical analyzer generator used for Wireshark’s display filters, some
file formats, and other features.

[#ChToolsUnixFlex]

[discrete]
==== Unix

Flex is available for most UNIX and UNIX-like platforms. See the next
section for native Windows options.

If GNU flex isn't already installed or available as a package for your platform
you can get it at https://www.gnu.org/software/flex/[].

After correct installation running the following

[source,sh]
----
$ flex --version
----

should result in something like:

----
flex version 2.5.4
----

Your version string may vary.

[#ChToolsWindowsFlex]

[discrete]
==== Windows

A native Windows version of flex is available in the _winflexbison3_
https://chocolatey.org/[Chocolatey] package. Note that the executable is named
_win_flex_.

[source,cmd]
----
PS:\> choco install winflexbison3
----

Native packages are available from other sources such as
http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/flex.htm[GnuWin]. They aren't
officially supported but _should_ work.

[#ChToolsGit]

=== Git client

The Wireshark project uses its own Git repository to keep track of all
the changes done to the source code. Details about the usage of Git in
the Wireshark project can be found in <<ChSrcGitRepository>>.

If you want to work with the source code and are planning to commit your
changes back to the Wireshark community, it is recommended to use a Git
client to get the latest source files. For detailed information about
the different ways to obtain the Wireshark sources, see <<ChSrcObtain>>.

You will find more instructions in <<ChSrcGit>> on how to use the Git
client.

[#ChToolsUnixGit]

[discrete]
==== Unix

Git is available for most UNIX and UNIX-like platforms. If Git isn't
already installed or available as a package for your platform, you can
get it at: https://git-scm.com/[].

After correct installation, typing at the bash command line prompt:

[source,sh]
----
$ git --version
----

should result in something like:

----
git version 2.14.1
----

Your version will likely be different.

[#ChToolsWindowsGit]

[discrete]
==== Windows

The Git command line tools for Windows can be found at
https://git-scm.com/download/win[] and can also be installed using Chocolatey:

[source,cmd]
----
PS:\> choco install git
----

After correct installation, typing at the command
line prompt (cmd.exe):

[source,cmd]
----
> git --version
----

should result in something like:

----
git version 2.16.1.windows.1
----

However, the version string may vary.

[#ChToolsGitPowerShellExtensions]

=== Git Powershell Extensions (Optional)

A useful tool for command line git on Windows is https://github.com/dahlbyk/posh-git[PoshGit].
Poshgit provides git command completion and alters the prompt to indicate the local working
copy status.  You can install it using Chocolatey:

[source,cmd]
----
PS:\> choco install poshgit
----

[#ChToolsGitGUI]

=== Git GUI Client (Optional)

Along with the traditional command-line client, several
GUI clients are available for a number of platforms. See
https://git-scm.com/downloads/guis[] for details.

// [[ChToolsUnixGitGUI]]
// XXX Add Gui client section

[#ChToolsPerl]

=== Perl (Optional)

https://www.perl.org[Perl] is an interpreted programming language.
It is used to convert various text files into usable source code and for various source code checks, but it it is not required for general Wireshark development.
Perl version 5.6 and above should work fine.

[#ChToolsUnixPerl]

[discrete]
==== Unix

Perl is available for most UNIX and UNIX-like platforms. If it isn't
already installed or available as a package for your platform, you can
get it at https://www.perl.org/[].

After correct installation, typing `perl --version` on the command line should result in something like:

----
This is perl 5, version 26, subversion 0 (v5.26.0) built for x86_64-linux-gnu-thread-multi
(with 62 registered patches, see perl -V for more detail)

Copyright 1987-2017, Larry Wall

Perl may be copied only under the terms of either the Artistic License or the
GNU General Public License, which may be found in the Perl 5 source kit.

Complete documentation for Perl, including FAQ lists, should be found on
this system using "man perl" or "perldoc perl".  If you have access to the
Internet, point your browser at http://www.perl.org/, the Perl Home Page.
----

However, the version string may vary.

[#ChToolsWindowsPerl]

==== Windows

Unless you need to run one of the check or code generation scripts in the _tools_ directory or have a need for Perl outside of Wireshark development you should probably avoid installing it on Windows.

At the time of this writing (early 2025), the two main Windows Perl distributions are problematic for separate reasons.
https://strawberryperl.com/[Strawberry Perl] includes many components that overlap with and are incompatible with Wireshark's dependencies.
https://www.activestate.com[ActiveState Perl] might require a license fee depending on your environment.

If you do need to install Perl you can do so by downloading installation packages from the Strawberry Perl site or the ActiveState site, or using Chocolatey:

----
PS:\> choco install strawberryperl
----

or

----
PS:\> choco install activeperl
----

After correct installation, typing `perl --version` on the command line should result in something like:

----
This is perl 5, version 40, subversion 0 (v5.40.0) built for MSWin32-x64-multi-thread

Copyright 1987-2024, Larry Wall
...
----

However, the version string may vary.

[#ChToolsNSIS]

=== Windows: NSIS (Optional)

The NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) is used to generate
_Wireshark-{wireshark-version}-x64.exe_ from all the files
needed to be installed, including all required DLLs, plugins, and supporting
files.

To install it, download the latest released version from
https://nsis.sourceforge.net[]. NSIS v3 is required. You can also install
it using Chocolatey:

[source,cmd]
----
PS$> choco install nsis
----

You can find more instructions on using NSIS in <<ChSrcNSIS>>.

[#ChToolsWiX]

=== Windows: WiX Toolset (Optional)

The Wix Toolset can be used to generate Windows Installer (_.msi_) packages.
You can download it from the link:https://wixtoolset.org/[WiX web site] or install it using Chocolatey:

[source,cmd]
----
PS$> choco install wixtoolset
----

This also requires the Visual C++ redistributable merge modules, which can be installed by selecting “Individual Components -> {cpp} 2022 Redistributable MSMs” or “...2019 Redistributable MSMs” as appropriate for your compiler in the Visual Studio installer.

Wireshark’s .msi packaging is currently experimental and the generated packages may be incomplete.

[#ChToolsPortableApps]
=== Windows: PortableApps (Optional)

The PortableApps.com Installer is used to generate
_WiresharkPortable64{underscore}{wireshark-version}.paf.exe_ from all the files
needed to be installed, including all required DLLs, plugins, and supporting
files.

To install it, do the following:

* Download the latest PortableApps.com Platform release from
  https://portableapps.com/[].

* Install the following applications in the PortableApps.com environment:

** PortableApps.com Installer

** PortableApps.com Launcher

You can find more instructions on using the PortableApps.com Installer in
<<ChSrcPortableApps>>.

// End of WSDG Chapter Tools

// vim: set syntax=asciidoc:
