Really basic about C++/Boost - testing boost - c++

Question

I think I have boost installed properly so I am trying to use the test "first.cpp" found here:
#include<iostream>
#include<boost/any.hpp>
int main()
{
boost::any a(5);
a = 7.67;
std::cout<<boost::any_cast<double>(a)<<std::endl;
}
And I get the following:
Jason#ITHAKA-DB44CFE1 /home/jason
$ g++ -o first first.cpp
first.cpp:2:24: boost/any.hpp: No such file or directory
first.cpp: In function `int main()':
first.cpp:6: error: `boost' has not been declared
first.cpp:6: error: `any' undeclared (first use this function)
first.cpp:6: error: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once for each
unction it appears in.)
first.cpp:6: error: expected `;' before "a"
first.cpp:7: error: `a' undeclared (first use this function)
first.cpp:8: error: `boost' has not been declared
first.cpp:8: error: `any_cast' undeclared (first use this function)
first.cpp:8: error: expected primary-expression before "double"
first.cpp:8: error: expected `;' before "double"
first.cpp:9:2: warning: no newline at end of file
Jason#ITHAKA-DB44CFE1 /home/jason
$
Where my boost library is in my ./home/Jason/
Obviously something is up. Also, all the boost libraries themselves use this "boost/..." so for some reason either:
1 - I did something wrong with Boost
2 - C++/gcc is not "seeing" my boost
any input?

Answer 1

You need to pass -I/home/Jason/include to gcc, and probably a -L/home/Jason/lib too, because the library is not installed in the standard path. Try:
g++ -I/home/Jason/include -L/home/Jason/lib -o first first.cpp
Also, once compiled, it will not run properly because the libraries are not in the standard path again. To run it, you need to add /home/Jason/lib to the environment variable LD_LIBRARY_PATH.
Edit: As Tony D pointed out, you can set CPLUS_INCLUDE_PATH to /home/Jason/include instead, which is equivalent to the compiler option I gave you.
Edit
If you only want to test your install, you can run the ~/bin/Boost.Test script (assuming you had --with-libraries=test enabled when you installed it). Otherwise there should be a bin directory in hour home (if you used that as prefix), if there is anything with the name Boost in it, try to run it (but remember to set the LD_LIBRARY_PATH before).

Answer 2

header files link to '/usr/include'
$ cd /usr/include
$ sudo ln -s /usr/local/boost_xxxx/boost boost
compile boost library, and copy the so files to '/usr/lib'
$ sudo cp /usr/local/lib/libboost_regex-gcc41-mt-xxxx.so.xxxx /usr/lib/