Solved Build/Make Error – ld: malformed file, unknown enumerated scalar, platform: zippered

[ResistorInTheDark]

My project fails to build.

Error Message:

ld: malformed file
/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX10.14.sdk/usr/lib/libz.tbd:4:18: error: unknown enumerated scalar
platform:        zippered
                 ^~~~~~~~
 file '/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX10.14.sdk/usr/lib/libz.tbd'
clang: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)

In the Issues tab, I get two errors:

• malformed file
• unknown enumerated scalar

For context, here's what libz.tbd (aliased to libz.1.tbd) looks like:

--- !tapi-tbd-v3
archs:           [ x86_64 ]
uuids:           [ 'x86_64: FDF169F3-F992-3E8E-B3F7-D4134FEBAE41' ]
platform:        zippered
install-name:    /usr/lib/libz.1.dylib
current-version: 1.2.11
objc-constraint: none
exports:         
  - archs:           [ x86_64 ]
    symbols:         [ _adler32, _adler32_combine, _adler32_z, _compress, _compress2, 
                       _compressBound, _crc32, _crc32_combine, _crc32_z, _deflate, 
                       _deflateBound, _deflateCopy, _deflateEnd, _deflateGetDictionary, 
                       _deflateInit2_, _deflateInit_, _deflateParams, _deflatePending, 
                       _deflatePrime, _deflateReset, _deflateResetKeep, _deflateSetDictionary, 
                       _deflateSetHeader, _deflateTune, _get_crc_table, _gzbuffer, 
                       _gzclearerr, _gzclose, _gzclose_r, _gzclose_w, _gzdirect, 
                       _gzdopen, _gzeof, _gzerror, _gzflush, _gzfread, _gzfwrite, 
                       _gzgetc, _gzgetc_, _gzgets, _gzoffset, _gzopen, _gzprintf, 
                       _gzputc, _gzputs, _gzread, _gzrewind, _gzseek, _gzsetparams, 
                       _gztell, _gzungetc, _gzvprintf, _gzwrite, _inflate, _inflateBack, 
                       _inflateBackEnd, _inflateBackInit_, _inflateCodesUsed, _inflateCopy, 
                       _inflateEnd, _inflateGetDictionary, _inflateGetHeader, _inflateInit2_, 
                       _inflateInit_, _inflateMark, _inflatePrime, _inflateReset, 
                       _inflateReset2, _inflateResetKeep, _inflateSetDictionary, 
                       _inflateSync, _inflateSyncPoint, _inflateUndermine, _inflateValidate, 
                       _uncompress, _uncompress2, _zError, _zlibCompileFlags, _zlibVersion ]
...

Further Attempts:

1. I tried editing the libz.tbd file and changed platform: zippered to platform: macosx. This generates a similar, but different error when I do a rebuild. Instead of libz.tbd, there is now an error with IOKit.tbd.

ld: malformed file
/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX10.14.sdk/System/Library/Frameworks//IOKit.framework/IOKit.tbd:4:18: error: unknown enumerated scalar
platform:        zippered
                 ^~~~~~~~
 file '/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX10.14.sdk/System/Library/Frameworks//IOKit.framework/IOKit.tbd'
clang: error: linker command failed with exit code 1 (use -v to see invocation)

This is what the IOKit.tbd file looks like (it's over 700 lines long, so I chose to only show the first 8):

--- !tapi-tbd-v3
archs:           [ x86_64 ]
uuids:           [ 'x86_64: 1170EC49-1912-3657-9C71-991653959191' ]
platform:        zippered
install-name:    /System/Library/Frameworks/IOKit.framework/Versions/A/IOKit
current-version: 275
objc-constraint: none
exports:

Modifying IOKit.tbd and rebuilding led to the same error with OpenGL.tbd, then with libSystem.B.tbd, then with libc++.tbd. I reverted my edits and decided to go no further in case I damage my system or something.

2. I tried creating new, raw projects from project templates wizard (Cmd+N), but building them also failed with the malformed file, unknown enumerated scalar errors pointing to a platform: zippered line on either the IOKit.tbd or OpenGL.tbd file (randomly):

• Projects -> Applications -> Qt Widgets Application
• Projects -> Applications -> Qt Quick Application
• Projects -> Felgo Games -> New – Empty Felgo 3 Project

Although I'm use Felgo API, I decided to post here since I was able to produce the issue with Qt Widgets and Qt Quick Applications.

3. Cleaning, running QMake, and rebuilding didn't work.

4. I tried upgrading my macOS version (from 10.14.3 to 10.14.4) and tried building the same applications to no avail. I'm getting the same errors.

Research:
Research was tough. All I found particularly useful and relevant was this Lazarus IDE forum thread (fairly recent, started 3-5 days ago). Not sure what to do with it. It does say something about updating CommandLineTools though...

Software Details:
OS: MacOS Mojave 10.14.3 and 10.14.4
IDE: QtCreator 4.7.0 – Based on Qt 5.11.1 (Clang 8.0 (Apple), 64 bit)
C Compiler: GCC (C, x86 64bit in /usr/bin)
C++ Compiler: GCC (C++, x86 64bit in /usr/bin)

I'm not sure where or how to proceed. Any thoughts?

[SGaist]

Hi,

Did you also update Xcode ?
What version of Qt are you using ?

[ResistorInTheDark]

Hi @SGaist

I left Xcode alone. (My xcode-select version is 2354. There's an update in the App Store.) Should I upgrade it?

I'm using Qt 5.11.1.

Thanks

[ResistorInTheDark]

I think I got it!

The projects build if I change the compilers in the kit to Clang + doing a clean and rebuild. (That'd be the Clang (C/C++, x86 64bit in /usr/bin) options.)

The compilers were originally set to GCC. (Both GCC (C/C++, x86 64bit in /usr/bin) and GCC (C/C++, x86 64bit in /usr/local/bin) failed to build with the malformed file errors.)

Well, at least building works for now and development can continue. :-)

I'm still curious though, why GCC would do this. (Let me know if dumps from gcc -v would help.)

[SGaist]

Yes the dump would be nice.

Do you have any custom version of GCC installed on your system ?

[ResistorInTheDark]

@SGaist Here you go:

gcc -v (aka /usr/local/bin/gcc -v, from which gcc):

Using built-in specs.
COLLECT_GCC=gcc
COLLECT_LTO_WRAPPER=/usr/local/Cellar/gcc/8.2.0/libexec/gcc/x86_64-apple-darwin17.7.0/8.2.0/lto-wrapper
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin17.7.0
Configured with: ../configure --build=x86_64-apple-darwin17.7.0 --prefix=/usr/local/Cellar/gcc/8.2.0 --libdir=/usr/local/Cellar/gcc/8.2.0/lib/gcc/8 --disable-nls --enable-checking=release --enable-languages=c,c++,objc,obj-c++,fortran --program-suffix=-8 --with-gmp=/usr/local/opt/gmp --with-mpfr=/usr/local/opt/mpfr --with-mpc=/usr/local/opt/libmpc --with-isl=/usr/local/opt/isl --with-system-zlib --with-pkgversion='Homebrew GCC 8.2.0' --with-bugurl=https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/issues
Thread model: posix
gcc version 8.2.0 (Homebrew GCC 8.2.0)

I remember trying to upgrade my GCC version to ≥ 8 so that I could get my hands on std::optional and other cool C++17 features. Ended up using homebrew. Does this count as a custom version?

For context, I'll include the dump from /usr/bin/gcc as well, since I tried both /usr/local/bin/gcc and /usr/bin/gcc compiler options and both failed with malformed file etc.

/usr/bin/gcc -v:

Configured with: --prefix=/Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/usr --with-gxx-include-dir=/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/SDKs/MacOSX10.14.sdk/usr/include/c++/4.2.1
Apple LLVM version 9.1.0 (clang-902.0.39.2)
Target: x86_64-apple-darwin18.5.0
Thread model: posix
InstalledDir: /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin

Not sure if this is GCC at all. Looks like clang...

Hopefully this might help.

[SGaist]

Apple has stopped using GCC a long time ago.

You should configure your Kit to use Apple's official Clang compiler that comes with Xcode.

I don't know how well GCC 8.2.0 has been tested against the 10.14 macOS SDK.

[ResistorInTheDark]

Ah ok, good to know. Somehow GCC always seemed to work. Thanks for the help.

[Pablo J. Rogina]

@ResistorInTheDark if your issue is solved, please don't forget to mark your post as such. Thanks.