mex error for path names with spaces

I'm running Matlab R2016b (no, I can't upgrade it, that's what my employer is licensed for) on Windows, and trying to use mex to compile a c++ script I was given. I need to include MySQL in the compile, and I'm trying to do so as follows:

mex <my script> -I'C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\include\' -L'C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\lib' -lmysqlclient

I get the following error:

Building with 'MinGW64 Compiler (C++)'.

Error using mex

g++: error: Files\MATLAB\R2016b/extern/include -IC:\Program: Invalid argument

g++: error: Files\MATLAB\R2016b/simulink/include -fexceptions -fno-omit-frame-pointer -std=c++11 -O -DNDEBUG

C:\Users\marina\ZooScanDatabase_scripts_GUI_access_09Jun2021_R2016b\mysql.cpp -o

C:\Users\marko\AppData\Local\Temp\mex_71592438356584_12624\mysql.obj : No such file or directory

g++: fatal error: no input files

compilation terminated.

It looks like mex is having problems with the spaces in the path names I'm giving to -I and -L. I tried different combinations of single and double qotes, as well as no quotes at all, but nothing works. Is there a way to get around this?

[Jan]

"I tried different combinations of single and double quotes"

It is useful to post, what you have tried. Then the readers do not have to post this again.

Answer 1

[Marina Frants]

Well, I found a very kludgey work-around. I'm not sure why it works when single quotes don't, but it's better than nothing I guess.

Basically, I did cd to the include directory withing matlab, and set includelib=pwd. Then did the same in the link directory, with linklib=pwd.

Then I did the mex command as follows:

mex('<myfile>', ['-I' includelib], ['-L' linklib], '-lmysqlclient')

Of course, now I'm getting a ton of compiler errors, but that's an issue for a different question...

[Jan]

Your method produces the same command as:

mex('<my script>', ...
    '-IC:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\include\', ...
    '-LC:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\lib', ...
    '-lmysqlclient')

[Marina Frants]

Jan,

I agree that is should be exactly the same, but it doesn't work:

mex('mysql.cpp',...
    '-IC:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\include\',...
    '-LC:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\lib\',...
    '-llibmysql')
Building with 'MinGW64 Compiler (C++)'.
Error using mex
g++: error: Files\MATLAB\R2016b/extern/include -IC:\Program: Invalid argument
g++: error: Files\MATLAB\R2016b/simulink/include -fexceptions -fno-omit-frame-pointer -std=c++11 -O -DNDEBUG
C:\Users\marina\ZooScanDatabase_scripts_GUI_access_09Jun2021_R2016b\mysql.cpp -o
C:\Users\marko\AppData\Local\Temp\mex_892763431102152_15956\mysql.obj : No such file or directory
g++: fatal error: no input files
compilation terminated.

Only the workaround with pwd works.

[Walter Roberson]

mex('mysql.cpp',...
    '-I"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\include\"',...
    '-L"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\lib\"',...
    '-llibmysql')

Answer 2

[Jan]

Try this:

mex('<my script>', '-I"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\include\"', ...
    '-L"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\lib"', '-lmysqlclient')

[Marina Frants]

Hi, Jan.

I tried it just now, and got the same error.

I've also tried:

mex <my script> -I'"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\include\" ' -L'"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\lib"' -lmysqlclient

and:

mex <my script> -I"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\include\"-L"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\lib" -lmysqlclient

No luck with any of them.

Answer 3

[Steven Lord]

Wrap all the text inputs that can contain spaces in single quotes.

disp 'Hello world!' % Equivalent of disp('Hello world!')

Hello world!

fprintf '%s \t%s\n' 'abracadabra' 'hocus pocus' % fprintf('%s \t%s\n', 'abracadabra', 'hocus pocus')

abracadabra 	hocus pocus