rust-lang / rust-lang/rust-bindgen

Document providing include paths and FAQ for missing system headers

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help wanted I-needs-docs
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Rust
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Description

Sometimes there is a cryptic fatal error: 'stddef.h' file not found, presumabely when libclang is incorrectly configured:

https://github.com/servo/gecko-media/issues/71
https://github.com/bsteinb/rsmpi/issues/1
https://github.com/rust-lang-nursery/rust-bindgen/issues/242
https://github.com/ajtulloch/caffe.rs/issues/1

In the past, this issue was fixed by making sure to install the clang package or by finding the missing pathes and adding them to the includes.

I was wondering whether bindgen could work around this issue? (The second solution above can be automated.) Alternatively, it could be documented how to fix it.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Review the linked reports and the existing bindgen documentation to understand the missing stddef.h failure, including installing the clang package and locating include paths. Document the supported troubleshooting steps or FAQ guidance, with completion marked by a clear explanation that helps users resolve the reported configuration error.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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