Installation¶

This guide covers building MKF from source on Linux and Windows.

Prerequisites¶

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)¶

# Install build tools
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y cmake ninja-build

# Install GCC 14 (C++23 required)
sudo add-apt-repository -y ppa:ubuntu-toolchain-r/test
sudo apt install -y gcc-14 g++-14
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/gcc gcc /usr/bin/gcc-14 10
sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/g++ g++ /usr/bin/g++-14 10

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install -y gnuplot libopenblas-dev

# Install Node.js and quicktype (for schema generation)
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs
npm install -g quicktype

Windows¶

Install Visual Studio 2022 with C++ workload
Install CMake (3.18+)
Install Ninja via choco install ninja
Install Node.js and run npm install -g quicktype

Building from Source¶

Clone the Repository¶

git clone --recursive https://github.com/OpenMagnetics/MKF.git
cd MKF

Submodules

The --recursive flag is important to clone all submodules (MAS schemas, third-party libraries).

Configure and Build¶

LinuxWindows

mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -G "Ninja"
ninja

mkdir build
cd build
cmake .. -G "Ninja"
ninja

Run Tests¶

# Run all tests
./MKF_tests

# Run smoke tests only (fast)
./MKF_tests "[smoke-test]"

# Run tests by category
./MKF_tests "[physical-model]"
./MKF_tests "[adviser]"

# Run a specific test
./MKF_tests "Test_Skin_Depth_Wire_Material_Data_20C"

Python Package¶

MKF can be installed as a Python package (PyMKF):

# From the repository root
python3 -m pip install -e . -vvv

Then use it in Python:

import PyMKF

# Access the magnetics functionality
core = PyMKF.find_core_by_name("E 42/21/15")

Troubleshooting¶

QuickType/MAS Generation Fails¶

If the schema generation fails during build, generate manually:

cd build
quicktype -l c++ -s schema ../MAS/schemas/MAS.json \
  -S ../MAS/schemas/magnetic.json \
  -S ../MAS/schemas/magnetic/core.json \
  -S ../MAS/schemas/magnetic/coil.json \
  # ... (see BUILD.md for full command)
  -o MAS/MAS.hpp --namespace MAS \
  --source-style single-source \
  --type-style pascal-case \
  --member-style underscore-case \
  --enumerator-style upper-underscore-case \
  --no-boost

GCC Version Issues¶

MKF requires C++23 features. Ensure you have GCC 14+ or a compatible compiler:

g++ --version  # Should show 14.x or higher

Missing Dependencies¶

If CMake cannot find dependencies, check that all prerequisites are installed:

# Check for OpenBLAS
ldconfig -p | grep openblas

# Check for gnuplot
which gnuplot

CMake Options¶

Option	Default	Description
`INCLUDE_MKF_TESTS`	ON	Build test suite
`EMBED_MAS_DATA`	ON	Embed database files in binary
`CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE`	Release	Build type (Release/Debug)

Example with options:

cmake .. -G "Ninja" \
  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
  -DINCLUDE_MKF_TESTS=ON \
  -DEMBED_MAS_DATA=ON