Boost thread error: undefined reference

Question

#include <boost/thread/thread.hpp>
#include <iostream>

void hello()
{
  std::cout <<
    "Hello world, I'm a thread!"
    << std::endl;
}

int main(int argc, char* argv[])
{
  boost::thread thrd(&hello);
  thrd.join();
  return 0;
}

I ran tried to compile this program, and got these errors:

/usr/include/boost/thread/pthread/mutex.hpp:40: undefined reference to
   `boost::thread_resource_error::thread_resource_error()'
/usr/include/boost/thread/pthread/mutex.hpp:40: undefined reference to 
   `boost::thread_resource_error::~thread_resource_error()'
/usr/include/boost/thread/pthread/mutex.hpp:40: undefined reference to 
   `typeinfo for boost::thread_resource_error'
./src/thread.o: In function `condition_variable':
/usr/include/boost/thread/pthread/condition_variable_fwd.hpp:33: 
  undefined reference to `boost::thread_resource_error::thread_resource_error()'
/usr/include/boost/thread/pthread/condition_variable_fwd.hpp:33: 
  undefined reference to `boost::thread_resource_error::~thread_resource_error()'
/usr/include/boost/thread/pthread/condition_variable_fwd.hpp:33: \
  undefined reference to `typeinfo for boost::thread_resource_error'
./src/thread.o: In function `thread_data_base':
/usr/include/boost/thread/pthread/thread_data.hpp:54: 
  undefined reference to `vtable for boost::detail::thread_data_base'
./src/thread.o: In function `thread<void (*)()>':
/usr/include/boost/thread/detail/thread.hpp:188: 
  undefined reference to `boost::thread::start_thread()'
./src/thread.o: In function `~thread_data':
/usr/include/boost/thread/detail/thread.hpp:40: 
  undefined reference to `boost::detail::thread_data_base::~thread_data_base()'
/usr/include/boost/thread/detail/thread.hpp:40: undefined reference to 
  `boost::detail::thread_data_base::~thread_data_base()'

Can any one tell me why i am getting this error?

but my `#include #include #include using namespace std; using namespace boost; int main() { string str1; cin>>str1; //string str1(" hello world! "); to_upper(str1); cout< — lal, Aug 27 '10 at 13:08
i found it i need to install libboost-thread package in ubuntu — lal, Aug 27 '10 at 13:22
This is compiling and running fine in my boost thread system. So I'd have to agree that its probably a problem with your installation. Also, thanks for teaching me a new way to use boost threads. I'd been using them with classes that have the operator() defined -- that's the interpretation I got from the readings. — John Rocha, Aug 28 '10 at 01:12
Or try to link directly `libboost_system-mgw47-mt-d-X_XX.a` found in `$(BOOST_ROOT)/state/libs/` — mr5, Dec 08 '13 at 02:37
I had a similar problem and determined that it was because I had 2 boosts installed on my system. Getting rid of one caused the code to compile. Hope this helps someone for which the other solutions here didn't help. — t2k32316, Oct 21 '14 at 02:53

score 39 · Answer 1 · edited May 07 '12 at 13:17

39

compile with mt tag i.e -lboost_thread-mt

edited May 07 '12 at 13:17

Taryn

242,637
56
362
405

answered May 07 '12 at 09:46

ankita

391
3
2

or `-lboost_thread-mgwXX-mt-N_NN` where XX is your version of mgw, usually only first two (4.7.1 => 47) and Ns are your boost version, again first two (boost_1_55_0 => 1_55), so final one could look like_____:::::: `-lboost_thread-mgw47-mt-1_55` – jave.web Oct 16 '14 at 07:07

score 24 · Answer 2 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:22

24

I had the same question, but -lboost_thread-mt is now deprecated see this answer on askubuntu.com. Instead what you now want in your makefile (at least for linux) is:

-lpthread -lboost_thread ...

Boost has simply given you the responsibility to link to your system's thread library.

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:22

Community

1
1

answered Feb 11 '16 at 16:54

AlaskaJoslin

760
8
14

score 19 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 27 '10 at 13:25

19

Many boost libraries are fully implemented in header files. Boost.thread is not. It seems that it is not linking in the boost thread library. Check your linker search paths. Or, as the Stargazer712's comment on the OP says, check the installation. You should see something like libboost_thread-gcc-xxx-1_nn.o in your lib directory. If so, try referencing it explicitly in your link step (something like -L<path_to_lib> -lboost-thread-gcc-xx-1_nn). If not, then you apparently don't have a complete installation.

answered Aug 27 '10 at 13:25

gregg

1,027
5
6

9

For the record, it's -lboost_thread. See http://antonym.org/2009/05/threading-with-boost---part-i-creating-threads.html – JRG Jul 16 '11 at 14:28
1

@Josh: thanks for the input. See also http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_47_0/more/getting_started/windows.html#library-naming and http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_47_0/more/getting_started/unix-variants.html#link-your-program-to-a-boost-library. – gregg Jul 21 '11 at 13:58

score 4 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 17 '21 at 14:18

4

Instead of

g++ -pthread -lboost_thread X.cpp

Try

g++ X.cpp -pthread -lboost_thread

answered Mar 17 '21 at 14:18

Colin McGovern

105
1
6

put -lboost_thread in the end does removing the warning: undefined reference to `boost::detail::thread_data_base::~thread_data_base()' – Yin May 21 '21 at 09:34

score 2 · Answer 5 · edited Jan 19 '15 at 16:23

2

I had a similar problem with centos 6.5 when compiling povray 3.7 and this solved it - just add -lboost_thread-mt in your Makefile.

edited Jan 19 '15 at 16:23

Gábor Bakos

8,982
52
35
52

answered Jan 19 '15 at 16:16

Janos Erzinger

21
1

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Apr 14 '19 at 03:23

0

I had the same error. I fixed it compiling with -lboost_thread

answered Apr 14 '19 at 03:23

Carlosio

409
4
6

1

similar answers have been provided earlier. – Siong Thye Goh Apr 14 '19 at 03:43

score 0 · Answer 7 · edited Jan 17 '13 at 19:40

0

add compile option

-L<path_to_lib> -lboost-thread-gcc-xx-1_nn

gregg's answer is right!

edited Jan 17 '13 at 19:40

Lightness Races in Orbit

378,754
76
643
1,055

answered Oct 13 '11 at 07:07

Kevin Zhao

611
1
5
2

Boost thread error: undefined reference

7 Answers7

Linked