What is the best practice for specifying the MSVC target platform

[Demonese]

To build x86 executable on x86_64 machine, CMake provide a easy way: -G "Visual Studio 17 2022" -A Win32.

But meson doesn't seem to provide similar way, instead cross_file.

I write cross_file.txt:

[host_machine]
system = 'windows'
cpu_family = 'x86'
cpu = 'i686'
endian = 'little'

and run meson:

meson setup --backend=vs2022 --cross-file cross_file.txt

It tells me no C compiler specified. I have specified the backend as vs, why?

The Meson build system
Version: 1.1.1
Source dir: ...
Build dir: ...
Build type: cross build
Project name: ...
Project version: ...
Activating VS 17.6.5

...\meson.build:1:0: ERROR: 'c' compiler binary not defined in cross or native file

So what's the best practice?

[xclaesse]

I don't think MSVC can cross compile, you need to activate the x86 env, Simply run Meson inside the x86 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2022 terminal instead of x64 Native Tools Command Prompt for VS 2022.

Meson has the --vsenv argument to enable the MSVC env for you (that's the default when using vs backend) but that can only activate the x64 env currently. I would like to add --vsenv x86 syntax at some point.