./configure fails with: libz... configure: error: not found.
 

I try to compile Space Hulk (http://r.vinot.free.fr/spacehulk/news.html) on Debian. However I can't get past the ./configure. I get this error message:

Here's the config.log:

Any idea what package need to be installed in order to compile this game?

The apt-file package comes up with more than a few packages containing that file but I will go with you needing the zlib1g-dev package. You will probably want to install apt-file then use apt-file update as root then you can use apt-file search file/missing.h as normal user, I would image you are going to need more packages installed this will help finding them.

Thanks again for the help HappyTux! Here's the output of both commands, I am not sure what this means though :confused::

# apt-file -v update
% apt-file -v search file zlib.h

Not all repositories have the necessary files for apt-file to work those would be the not found you see above.

Not sure what that is doing I don't see many zlib.h's in that output what does the output of apt-cache policy zlib1g-dev show you that is the package you should install. Ah I see now it would be apt-file search zlib.h not with the file in there the file/missing.h I had in my example was just that an example as sometimes the missing file needed will show the directory path so you can include that when searching, the -v is not really needed unless you enjoy seeing all that extra output that is.

@HappyTux
Aah now I see :D. Something else; you seem to know a lot about Debian/Linux. Do you have tips/links/ideas where I can learn more about Debian? I already have purchased (and read) "The Debian System and "Debian GNU/Linux Bible 3.1". However I feel that there is more to learn. maybe you can point me in the right direction?












Edit: When using ./configure I get a new error :(. Any ideas what this could be?

For the new error you need the X development files if using X org then install xorg-dev and for that matter the build-essential package just in you do not have it installed. Well one tip for what you are doing right now compiling is when you get to the make install step use instead the checkinstall package to build a .deb that gets installed. You would use something like this as he command line for it running as norma user su -c 'checkinstall -D --pkgname=qspacehulk --pkgversion=1.05-beta1 --maintainer="Your Name some@email.net"' then answer yes to the questions and it will build then install the .deb package for you allowing the packing system to know it is installed also helps with easy removal of locally compiled software. Since I see it is QT app and the INSTALL file mentions it you could be using ./configure --enable-mt with maybe --prefix=/usr added there as well if you want the files installed into the normal path instead of /usr/local and if this was a KDE app then you would want --prefix='kde-config --prefix' there instead you may want to try just the ./configure though and post the output here so I can see it. Now you will need at least the libqt3-headers and libqt3-mt-dev packages installed to compile a QT app the -mt and the non-threaded do not install together if I recall it correctly so the --enable-mt may not be needed. For more general Debian knowledge I just read as much as I can I like the debian-user and debian-dev mailing lists there is a lot of cruft there sometimes but you usually always come up with a few good pieces of information and of course http://www.google.com/linux for any errors is always a great place to start usually adding a Debian on the end of the error.

Thanks again for the extensive answer. I will try to compile spacehulhulk with checkinstall tomorrow. I was already subcribed to several Debian announce mailing list, I added debian-devel and debian-user now :) :study:

Ok if you find the volume of email a little too much you can always read the posts through http://news.gmane.org/ a web gateway to many lists.

I made a seperate folder and rule for lists.debian.org in Thunderbird to prevent my inbox for getting overwhelmed ;)

Ah good idea I do the same in Kmail you might also want to go for the debian-amd64 as well since I see you run this for you distro it is a lower volume list.

New error :-(
 

Hmm, I get a new error :cry:. I tried installing libqt4-dev and python-qt4-dev but this eror persists:

I hope you can help me!

Try installing libqt3-headers and installing the qt3 versions of the libraries (libqt3-mt-dev if not already there) as the qt4 is not needed and in fact still errored when tried the configure here with them use the command I have used in the below to get it to finish properly.

Thanks again for your quick answer! I have both libqt3-mt-de and libqt3-headers already installed:

apt-cache policy libqt3-headers
apt-cache policy libqt3-mt-dev
I hope you have more ideas?!

Edit: I installed kde-develop but this didn't work either.

P.S.
Is there something of an development option in taskselect so that you can easily install all relevant dev packages and won't run into these problems?

Edit 2: I was thinking could it be that ./configure can't find qt3 because it's looking in the wrong directory:

According to synaptic the q3 headers are installed here:

You need to use the same configure command as in my output above (./configure --with-qt-includes=/usr/include/qt3 --with-qt-libraries=/usr/lib/qt3) or it is not going to find what it needs.

That did it! :) :) :) Where did you find the info about the ./configure options? Are there more of these Debian specific exceptions and do you happen to know where I can find more info? I searched the internet for this qt problems but I didn't found the answer anywhere...( I know these are lots of questions but I really want to learn ;))

Those are not Debian specific they are general options you find them most times with ./configure --help or if necessary looking into the configure file itself to see what options are available. The answer to finding this problem is in the config.log file near the bottom when it fails.

Here taking a couple of these and using apt-file search term/to/search you can see they are not in the right places to be found. afs=apt-file search

Now using part of the file path of the error you come up with this showing you the path and package it is in.
Now since in the ./configure --help I seen the --with-qt-includes= option I used ./configure --with-qt-includes=/usr/include/qt3 and it still errored so looking at this line.
You see it is looking for -L/usr/lib for the libraries in /usr/lib looking in that directory you see a qt3 directory and since there is an option --with-qt-libraries= to use with ./configure to tell it where the libraries are if not finding them you put the /usr/lib/qt3 with it to get your complete command to use for it to find what it needs.

Ok, now I understand the reasoning behind your advice. I am gonna print this out for future reference :study: Thanks again!