Ubuntu – How to include C libraries in cibuildwheel Github Action for Cython module?

I’m trying to separate a few libraries from my Python project, into a C++ submodule, that should improve the performance, using Cython. Now, I’ve managed to make the module an compile it, but now I want to make possible for it to be used in more platforms, not just my computer, and that’s when I found that Github provides a way to do this through GHA, moreso, I found that there is cibuildwheel which helps to manage all this work, but I haven’t been able to make it work. Seems like the problem might come from the fact that my CPP module requires 2 non-native libraries(libass, and libjsoncpp), and apparently the platforms GH use for the build are not exactly equal, hence I haven’t been able to discover how to include them in the build.

setup.py

from distutils.core import setup
from distutils.extension import Extension
from Cython.Build import cythonize
import os
import sys

# Determine platform-specific library paths
if sys.platform == "win32":
    # Windows
    vcpkg_root = os.getenv('VCPKG_ROOT', 'C:\vcpkg')  # Set your vcpkg path
    libass_head = os.path.join(vcpkg_root, 'installed', 'x64-windows', 'include')
    libass_lib = os.path.join(vcpkg_root, 'packages', 'libass_x64-windows', 'lib', 'ass.lib')
    json_lib = os.path.join(vcpkg_root, 'installed', 'x64-windows', 'lib', 'jsoncpp.lib')
    json_head = os.path.join(vcpkg_root, 'installed', 'x64-windows', 'include')
else:
    # Linux
    libass_lib = "/usr/lib"
    libass_head = "/usr/include/ass"
    json_lib = "/usr/local/lib"
    json_head = "/usr/include/"

ext_module = Extension(
    "test_module",
    sources=["test_module.pyx", "testmodule.cpp"],
    language="c++",
    extra_compile_args=["-std=c++11"],
    libraries=["ass", "jsoncpp"],  
    library_dirs=[libass_lib, json_lib],  
    include_dirs=[libass_head, json_head],
)

setup(
    name="test_module",
    version='0.1.0',
    ext_modules=cythonize([ext_module]),
)

testmodule.cpp

#include <iostream>
#include <fstream>
#include <regex>
#include <map>
#include <cstring>
#include <ass/ass.h>
#include <json/json.h>
using namespace std;

// Rest of the file

build_wheel.yml

name: Python application

on:
  push:
    branches: [ "master" ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ "master" ]

permissions:
  contents: read

jobs:
  build:
    name: Build wheel for ${{ matrix.python }}-${{ matrix.buildplat[1] }}
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.buildplat[0] }}
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        buildplat:
        - [ubuntu-20.04, manylinux_x86_64]
        #- [ubuntu-20.04, manylinux_i686]
        #- [windows-2019, win_amd64]
        - [windows-2019, win32]
        python: ["cp39", "cp310"]
    
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v3

      - name: Install dependencies (Windows)
        if: contains(matrix.buildplat[0], 'windows')
        run: |
          # Alternative Windows method using vcpkg
          git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg.git C:vcpkg
          C:vcpkgbootstrap-vcpkg.bat
          C:vcpkgvcpkg install libass
          C:vcpkgvcpkg install jsoncpp

      - name: Install dependencies (Linux)
        if: contains(matrix.buildplat[0], 'ubuntu')
        run: |
          sudo apt-get update
          sudo apt-get install -y libass-dev libjsoncpp-dev

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: |
          python -m pip install --upgrade pip
          pip install -r requirements.txt  # Install dependencies from requirements.txt

      - name: Show DEBUG Linux
        if: contains(matrix.buildplat[0], 'ubuntu')
        run: |
          whereis libass
          whereis libjsoncpp
          whereis ass
          whereis jsoncpp
          ls /usr/include/ass
          ls /usr/include

      - name: Show DEBUG Windows
        if: contains(matrix.buildplat[0], 'windows')
        run: |
          ls C:vcpkginstalledx64-windowsinclude
          ls C:vcpkgpackages
          ls C:vcpkgpackageslibass_x64-windows
          ls C:vcpkgpackageslibass_x64-windowslib
          ls C:vcpkgpackageslibass_x64-windowsinclude

      - name: Build wheels
        uses: pypa/[email protected]
        with:
          output-dir: wheelhouse
        env:
          CIBW_BUILD: ${{ matrix.python }}-${{ matrix.buildplat[1] }}
          CIBW_SKIP: "cp34-* cp35-*"
          CIBW_BEFORE_BUILD: |
            pip install setuptools==59.6.0 wheel Cython
          CIBW_ENVIRONMENT_WINDOWS: >
            INCLUDE="C:vcpkginstalledx64-windowsinclude"
            LIB="C:vcpkginstalledx64-windowslib"
            CXXFLAGS="-IC:vcpkginstalledx64-windowsinclude"
            LDFLAGS="-LC:vcpkginstalledx64-windowslib"
          CIBW_ENVIRONMENT_LINUX: >
            CXXFLAGS="-I/usr/include"
            LDFLAGS="-L/usr/lib"

      - name: Show generated wheels
        run: ls wheelhouse

      - name: Upload wheels
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: built-wheels
          path: ./wheelhouse/*.whl

Sorry if the setup.py and yml looks very messy, but I’ve been trying many things to understand what’s happening inside of the instance doing the build.

In the case of my Linux builds, it’s throwing this error, which seems to imply is not finding either the headers and/or the code of the libraries.

testmodule.cpp:6:10: fatal error: ass/ass.h: No such file or directory
6 | #include <ass/ass.h>

And in the case of the Windows builds, seems like I’ve managed to make them point to the right headers, but it’s throwing LINK : fatal error LNK1181: cannot open input file 'ass.lib', which I understand means the lib files are not the right ones(?) I’ve tried to use the ones at installed and packages in vcpkg, but neither are working.

Does someone knows what might be wrong either on my setup.py or build_wheels.yml?