Compilation needed for installing google protobuf?

Question

I just want to be sure: if you want to use google protocol buffers I can find a binary for the compiler, but somehow it seems that I also need to compile the remaining source files. Is this true? I have a MinGW c compiler, will this do. Does anybody have a make file?

Answer 1

Usually the compiler is needed to compile the protobuf "schema" to a wrapper, that to be used in your code. So it is not an actual make/build process. Give some more details how will you use the proto files - i.e. what language is you project.

UPDATE: So it seems you don't have python-protobuf installed, or Python cannot find it.

Either install it using

apt-get install python-protobuf # for Ubuntu
yum install python-protobuf # for Fedora/Redhat

or

easy_install protobuf

or install it from source, as explained here: http://code.google.com/p/protobuf/issues/detail?id=235