Linking to boost::program_options does not work properly - c++

Question

The following library files exist:
cls /usr/local/Cellar/boost/1.51.0/lib $ ls libboost_program*
libboost_program_options-mt.a libboost_program_options-mt.dylib
I include the following header with #include <boost/program_options.hpp>:
cls /usr/local/Cellar/boost/1.51.0/include $ ls boost/program_options.hpp
boost/program_options.hpp
I try to link the libraries with
-lboost_program_options-mt
-L/usr/local/Cellar/boost/1.51.0/lib
(I assume that the name of the library is derived from the file name minus the "lib" and the file ending. If I try the name boost_program_options (without -mt), I get ld: library not found for -lboost_program_options)
This is my main function using the library:
#include <boost/program_options.hpp>
#include <iostream
int main(int argc, char **argv) {
namespace opts = boost::program_options;
opts::options_description desc("EnsembleClustering options");
desc.add_options()
("hello", "produce greeting");
opts::variables_map vmap;
opts::store(opts::parse_command_line(argc, argv, desc), vmap);
opts::notify(vmap);
if (vmap.count("hello")) {
std::cout << "Hello World" << std::endl;
}
}
Why does this setup give me a symbol(s) not found error?
make all
Building target: EnsembleClustering-DPar
Invoking: MacOS X C++ Linker
/usr/local/bin/g++-4.7 -L"/Users/cls/workspace/STINGER/OpenMP Debug" -L"/Users/cls/workspace/gtest/lib" -L/usr/local/Cellar/log4cxx/0.10.0/lib -L/usr/local/Cellar/boost/1.51.0/lib -fopenmp -std=c++11 -o "EnsembleClustering-DPar" ./src/scoring/EdgeScoring.o ./src/scoring/ModularityScoring.o ./src/overlap/test/OverlapGTest.o ./src/overlap/Overlapper.o ./src/overlap/RegionGrowingOverlapper.o ./src/matching/Matcher.o ./src/matching/Matching.o ./src/matching/ParallelMatcher.o ./src/io/test/InputGTest.o ./src/io/CSVWriter.o ./src/io/GraphFromAdjacencies.o ./src/io/GraphIO.o ./src/io/GraphReader.o ./src/io/METISGraphReader.o ./src/io/METISParser.o ./src/io/METISToGraph.o ./src/graph/test/GraphGTest.o ./src/graph/test/STINGERGTest.o ./src/graph/Graph.o ./src/graph/GraphGenerator.o ./src/ensemble/test/EnsembleGTest.o ./src/ensemble/EnsembleClusterer.o ./src/coarsening/test/CoarseningGTest.o ./src/coarsening/ClusterContracter.o ./src/coarsening/ClusteringProjector.o ./src/coarsening/Contracter.o ./src/coarsening/GraphContraction.o ./src/coarsening/MatchingContracter.o ./src/clustering/test/ClusteringGTest.o ./src/clustering/base/Clustering.o ./src/clustering/base/ClusteringGenerator.o ./src/clustering/base/Modularity.o ./src/clustering/base/QualityMeasure.o ./src/clustering/algo/test/ClusteringAlgoGTest.o ./src/clustering/algo/Clusterer.o ./src/clustering/algo/LabelPropagation.o ./src/clustering/algo/ParallelAgglomerativeClusterer.o ./src/aux/test/AuxGTest.o ./src/aux/Noise.o ./src/aux/RandomInteger.o ./src/aux/RandomProbability.o ./src/aux/Timer.o ./src/EnsembleClustering.o -lSTINGER -lgtest -llog4cxx -lboost_program_options-mt
Undefined symbols for architecture x86_64:
"boost::program_options::detail::cmdline::cmdline(std::__debug::vector<std::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> >, std::allocator<std::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> > > > const&)", referenced from:
boost::program_options::basic_command_line_parser<char>::basic_command_line_parser(int, char const* const*) in EnsembleClustering.o
ld: symbol(s) not found for architecture x86_64
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
make: *** [EnsembleClustering-DPar] Error 1
EDIT: Checking the library files with lipo gives
cls /usr/local/Cellar/boost/1.51.0/lib $ lipo -detailed_info libboost_program_options-mt.a libboost_program_options-mt.dylib
input file libboost_program_options-mt.a is not a fat file
input file libboost_program_options-mt.dylib is not a fat file
Non-fat file: libboost_program_options-mt.a is architecture: x86_64
Non-fat file: libboost_program_options-mt.dylib is architecture: x86_64
I'd like to link the static library.

Answer 1

Read the error message
Undefined symbols for architecture x86_64:
"boost::program_options::detail::cmdline::cmdline(std::__debug::vector<std::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> >, std::allocator<std::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> > > > const&)", referenced from:
boost::program_options::basic_command_line_parser<char>::basic_command_line_parser(int, char const* const*) in EnsembleClustering.o
It very clearly says, missing symbol std::__debug::vector, note that the std::__debug namespace is key here. I suspect you've built your source code using iterator debugging with -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG but are attempting to link against a library that hasn't, such as boost program options. You didn't show us how you built your translation units, so here is a sscce:
$ g++-4.8 -std=c++11 -O2 -pthread main.cpp -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG -lboost_program_options && ./a.out
/tmp/cca1jwUx.o: In function `boost::program_options::basic_command_line_parser<char>::basic_command_line_parser(int, char const* const*)':
main.cpp:(.text._ZN5boost15program_options25basic_command_line_parserIcEC2EiPKPKc[_ZN5boost15program_options25basic_command_line_parserIcEC5EiPKPKc]+0x319): undefined reference to `boost::program_options::detail::cmdline::cmdline(std::__debug::vector<std::string, std::allocator<std::string> > const&)'
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status
There are a few ways to solve this
remove the -DGLIBCXX_DEBUG flag from translation units including the program options headers.
consult your boost package maintainer to see if they offer a version built with -D_GLIBCXX_DEBUG. Some variants on Linux do, you might ask around the MacPorts or brew users mailing lists.

Answer 2

Since you're specifying the location for includes, libraries and providing the appropriate .dylib, the only problem I can think of is that the library that you're linking to doesn't have an x86_64 arch in it.
Try checking the library with either file or lipo. If it doesn't show x86_64, then that's the problem.