Undefined reference problem with antlr4 c++ target

Question

I am taking a compiler design course and I am trying to learn about ANTLR4 with a C++ target.

Well, that's what I went through:

1. I Wrote the grammar in a file named "ArrayInit.g4"

2. Compiled it using ANTLR4 tool and the command "antlr4 -Dlanguage=Cpp -o build" and got a bunch of files in the "build/" directory where I added also a simple file containing the main function int main(){return 0;}

3. Downloaded the C++ runtime and put it in a directory "runtime/"

4. In this stage I got stuck, I could not compile the .cpp files using the command "g++ -std=c++11 -I ../runtime -o exec *.cpp" and i get the following error messages:

/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o: In function `ArrayInitLexer::ArrayInitLexer(antlr4::CharStream*)':
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0xc8): undefined reference to `antlr4::Lexer::Lexer(antlr4::CharStream*)'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x116): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::LexerATNSimulator::LexerATNSimulator(antlr4::Lexer*, antlr4::atn::ATN const&, std::vector<antlr4::dfa::DFA, std::allocator<antlr4::dfa::DFA> >&, std::unordered_set<std::shared_ptr<antlr4::atn::PredictionContext>, antlr4::atn::PredictionContextHasher, antlr4::atn::PredictionContextComparer, std::allocator<std::shared_ptr<antlr4::atn::PredictionContext> > >&)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o: In function `ArrayInitLexer::Initializer::Initializer()':
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x376): undefined reference to `antlr4::dfa::Vocabulary::getLiteralName[abi:cxx11](unsigned long) const'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x3a6): undefined reference to `antlr4::dfa::Vocabulary::getSymbolicName[abi:cxx11](unsigned long) const'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x4b2): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATNDeserializer::ATNDeserializer()'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x4d2): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATNDeserializer::deserialize(std::vector<unsigned short, std::allocator<unsigned short> > const&)'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x4e8): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATN::operator=(antlr4::atn::ATN&&)'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x4f7): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATN::~ATN()'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x503): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATN::getNumberOfDecisions() const'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x551): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATN::getDecisionState(unsigned long) const'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x598): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATNDeserializer::~ATNDeserializer()'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x601): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATNDeserializer::~ATNDeserializer()'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o: In function `__static_initialization_and_destruction_0(int, int)':
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x6ec): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATN::ATN()'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0x701): undefined reference to `antlr4::atn::ATN::~ATN()'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0xee6): undefined reference to `antlr4::dfa::Vocabulary::Vocabulary(std::vector<std::__cxx11::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> >, std::allocator<std::__cxx11::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> > > > const&, std::vector<std::__cxx11::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> >, std::allocator<std::__cxx11::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> > > > const&)'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text+0xefb): undefined reference to `antlr4::dfa::Vocabulary::~Vocabulary()'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o: In function `antlr4::Lexer::~Lexer()':
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text._ZN6antlr45LexerD2Ev[_ZN6antlr45LexerD5Ev]+0xf): undefined reference to `vtable for antlr4::Lexer'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text._ZN6antlr45LexerD2Ev[_ZN6antlr45LexerD5Ev]+0x1d): undefined reference to `vtable for antlr4::Lexer'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text._ZN6antlr45LexerD2Ev[_ZN6antlr45LexerD5Ev]+0x7d): undefined reference to `antlr4::TokenSource::~TokenSource()'
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text._ZN6antlr45LexerD2Ev[_ZN6antlr45LexerD5Ev]+0x89): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::~Recognizer()'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o: In function `void __gnu_cxx::new_allocator<antlr4::dfa::DFA>::construct<antlr4::dfa::DFA, antlr4::atn::DecisionState*, unsigned long&>(antlr4::dfa::DFA*, antlr4::atn::DecisionState*&&, unsigned long&)':
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text._ZN9__gnu_cxx13new_allocatorIN6antlr43dfa3DFAEE9constructIS3_JPNS1_3atn13DecisionStateERmEEEvPT_DpOT0_[_ZN9__gnu_cxx13new_allocatorIN6antlr43dfa3DFAEE9constructIS3_JPNS1_3atn13DecisionStateERmEEEvPT_DpOT0_]+0x60): undefined reference to `antlr4::dfa::DFA::DFA(antlr4::atn::DecisionState*, unsigned long)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o: In function `void std::_Construct<antlr4::dfa::DFA, antlr4::dfa::DFA>(antlr4::dfa::DFA*, antlr4::dfa::DFA&&)':
ArrayInitLexer.cpp:(.text._ZSt10_ConstructIN6antlr43dfa3DFAEJS2_EEvPT_DpOT0_[_ZSt10_ConstructIN6antlr43dfa3DFAEJS2_EEvPT_DpOT0_]+0x44): undefined reference to `antlr4::dfa::DFA::DFA(antlr4::dfa::DFA&&)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x38): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::getTokenTypeMap[abi:cxx11]()'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x40): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::getRuleIndexMap[abi:cxx11]()'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x48): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::getTokenType(std::__cxx11::basic_string<char, std::char_traits<char>, std::allocator<char> > const&)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x60): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::getErrorHeader[abi:cxx11](antlr4::RecognitionException*)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x68): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::getTokenErrorDisplay[abi:cxx11](antlr4::Token*)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x70): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::addErrorListener(antlr4::ANTLRErrorListener*)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x78): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::removeErrorListener(antlr4::ANTLRErrorListener*)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x80): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::removeErrorListeners()'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x88): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::getErrorListenerDispatch()'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x90): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::sempred(antlr4::RuleContext*, unsigned long, unsigned long)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0x98): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::precpred(antlr4::RuleContext*, int)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0xa0): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::action(antlr4::RuleContext*, unsigned long, unsigned long)'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0xa8): undefined reference to `antlr4::Recognizer::getState() const'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0xb8): undefined reference to `antlr4::Lexer::getInputStream()'
/tmp/cc8VNGfx.o:(.data.rel.ro._ZTV14ArrayInitLexer[_ZTV14ArrayInitLexer]+0xc0): undefined reference to `antlr4::Lexer::setInputStream(antlr4::IntStream*)'

I am totaly new to C++ and I am skipping a basic idea maybe.

Edit1: I am using Linux

Edit2:
When I execute the commande antlr4 -Dlanguage=Cpp -o build I get a bunch of .cpp and .h files as: ArrayInitLexer.h and many of them include antlr4-runtime.h .This header file is present in the runtime/ folder which by it self includes many other header files in the same directory (.i.e runtime/) that contains .h and .cpp files (I see no .a or .so files).
You can find the runtime here under the C++ target section or directly from here

Answer 1

Your compile command doesn't look quite right.

Note that g++ takes an uppercase -L switch to specify a location to look for libraries, and a lowercase -l to specify the filename of a library to link, not including a lib prefix and the file suffix. Since in at least the version I see, antlr provides a "libantlr.a", this would be -l antlr.

Also, the library should be given after your program source or object file(s), because in most cases the linker decides what pieces of libraries to include based on whether they provide any symbols it knows are needed by what it has seen so far.

So I'm not sure if this will solve all the problems, but a step forward would be:

g++ -std=c++11 -Wall -Wextra *.cpp -L ../runtime -l antlr -o exec

I've also taken the liberty of adding the -W flags to enable a default set of compiler warnings, which is a must when writing new C++ code, whether you're new to the language or not.