CI tools for windows (or other) builds/binaries

[Artur-man]

What have you found regarding free CI tools for windows builds? If there's
something out there which can run the link step then I'd be creating a
workflow using that tool that creates a windows binary from the main
SimpleITK repo, rather than attempting get this installer to work. As you
will have noticed, the installer is a bit of a hack, doing the entire build
inside the configure step (not how the R package process is meant to work -
I didn't spend a lot of time attempting to adapt it to windows, but I think
I remember finding that the processes were so different it was difficult to
have something working on both unixes and windows.

On Tue, Mar 3, 2026 at 10:16 AM Artür Manukyan @.***>
wrote:

Artur-man left a comment (#78)
#78 (comment)

ah I see, yeah well at least we found the issue :D couldn't thank you
enough. How do you guys wanna proceed now I badly need a windows build for
users :D so does a couple of imaging metabolomics people I met at Leuven.
They are desperately trying to use your tool but can't figure it out :D

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Originally posted by @richardbeare in #78 (comment)

[Artur-man]

also from @richardbeare

I also remembered I have this one
https://github.com/richardbeare/SimpleITK/tree/githubrunner

I made progress using self hosted github runners, because that was one way
of getting a larger machine.

and this one for experiments with something related to Azure
https://github.com/richardbeare/SimpleITK/tree/RBAzureTests

[blowekamp]

also from @richardbeare

I also remembered I have this one
https://github.com/richardbeare/SimpleITK/tree/githubrunner
I made progress using self hosted github runners, because that was one way
of getting a larger machine.
and this one for experiments with something related to Azure
https://github.com/richardbeare/SimpleITK/tree/RBAzureTests

I think this information is a bit out dated. In the main SimpleITK repo we are able to make use of the GitHub hosted runner for most tasks. The performance of the runners and build of SimpleITK has mostly improved over the years. SimpleITKv3 should also have improvement in the build process over 2.x.

[Artur-man]

I think any CI tool that runs R.exe and rtools cmake/make would suffice. The real question is how are we going to release a binary that is run in an external runner.

I actually do not know if you guys have any limitation on the number of artifacts and binaries you would love to expose in a release: https://github.com/SimpleITK/SimpleITK/releases/tag/v2.5.3

Couldn't you just make a workflow to release the R binaries the same way you do with python wheels. I have tried this with macos-intel in https://github.com/BIMSBbioinfo/SimpleITKRInstaller/blob/release/.github/workflows/release.yml, seems to work.

[Artur-man]

Ah, also CircleCI is really fast with macos-(arm), but again I do not know if we can release anything from there?

[Artur-man]

Dear @blowekamp @richardbeare,

I have been playing with a number of builders over the past few months: CircleCI, r-universe thus build time looks like the major obstacle. Would you guys be up for an online meeting to discuss options?

I would love to understand limitations on the end of SimpleITK/SimpleITK. Then I might try out a few workflows to generate R binary artifacts on a forked repo.

[Artur-man]

UPDATE: I have a release setting here which I am solving small issues with sitkmove.R otherwise I can update release files and even should be able to send CircleCI artifacts to the release using gh.
https://github.com/BIMSBbioinfo/SimpleITKRInstaller/actions/runs/22895660143
https://github.com/BIMSBbioinfo/SimpleITKRInstaller/actions/runs/22895660143/job/66429074370

We can also implement linux binaries similar to r-universe if you guys are up for it.
https://github.com/r-universe/bimsbbioinfo/actions/runs/22821198915

[zivy]

Hello @Artur-man,

Thank you for all the effort you are putting into getting SimpleITK to work with R on windows. This is much appreciated and I see that you are making significant progress.

Some key points to consider going forward. The core SimpleITK team has very limited capacity to support additional binary packaging, providing binary R distributions similar to the Python support (multiple R versions across all operating systems). We are also not experienced in the complexities involved supporting multiple versions of R and ABI compatibility across the different R distributions. Finally, we only provide binary SimpleITK distributions using the default configuration which does not include certain options (DCMTK, SimplElastix ...).

The current goal of the core SimpleITK is to get the SimpleITKRInstaller to work for all three major operating systems. There are possibilities to have an unofficial separate repository that you could maintain using CI to create customized binary distributions for the R versions and options that meet your requirements.

We are happy to meet online to discuss this or other paths forward. Please suggest times next week when you are available (note that @richardbeare is in Melbourne Australia and @blowekamp and I are in Washington DC).

[Artur-man]

Dear @zivy,

Oh yes absolutely, I am both interested in building R binaries with Elastix, but would also love to get the installer work for SimpleITK by default.

Yeap, we had meetings before across Australia and U.S., thus I can do midnight here in Berlin sometime 23:00-24:00 any day of next week which I think might be pleasant for you. Please let me know which days would you prefer.

[Artur-man]

UPDATE: I was able to create a release workflow on a separate repo here:
https://github.com/BIMSBbioinfo/SimpleITKRInstaller/blob/release/.circleci/config.yml
https://github.com/BIMSBbioinfo/SimpleITKRInstaller/blob/release/.github/workflows/release.yml

It creates a release, and separately makes GHA and CircleCI to upload them to this new release, for now it may not be visible since its a draft.

[blowekamp]

This is great. What needs to be contributed to upstream SimpleITK? And here to SimpleITKRInstall to get the CI working and the install to work out of the box?

Do we have a plan of the steps that need to be done, to keep this effort moving forwards?

[Artur-man]

I can

• send another PR to @zivy 's branch WIP: Add support for Windows #78, and
• also send another PR to your branch (Find r improve SimpleITK#2519)
  to show you guys my modifications to both SimpleITKRInstaller and SimpleITK.

However, i still do not know if what I did to FindR.cmake has an effect on other builds (although I am not sure if SimpleITK/SimpleITK has much WRAP_R=ON tests).

For now, if you do not want to release SimpleITK R binaries yourself in either here or SimpleITK/SimpleITK, I can also keep it in https://github.com/BIMSBbioinfo/SimpleITKRInstaller. However, for your information, this is accomplished for free, both in CircleCI and Windows, so it would not cost you anything.

[zivy]

@Artur-man, @blowekamp , @richardbeare

Do you have time to meet online, Washington DC 5-6pm, Monday March 16'th? This is 10pm for @Artur-man and 8am, Tuesday March 17'th for @richardbeare.

Will use microsoft teams for the virtual meeting. Invitation will be sent to the email listed under your GH profile (blowekamp@mail.nih.gov, artur-man@hotmail.com, @richardbeare - will use your monash.edu as you haven't listed a public email on your profile). If you want the invitation sent to another email account, please email me directly (zivyaniv@nih.gov).

If the time or date doesn't work, please suggest something else. It is hard to coordinate a good time for everyone given that we span a 16 hour time difference.

[Artur-man]

I am good with 10pm 16th.

[richardbeare]

Thanks - that address is OK, and the time ought to work - see you then

…

On Fri, Mar 13, 2026 at 7:48 AM Artür Manukyan ***@***.***> wrote: *Artur-man* left a comment (SimpleITK/SimpleITKRInstaller#80) <#80 (comment)> I am good with 10pm 16th. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#80 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAF6RIJ4EA2O2P2TP6DZ5UL4QMPC5AVCNFSM6AAAAACWFTBALCVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHM2DANBZHE2DOOJYGA> . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>