Build several CDT C++ projects from commandline

Question

What is the best solution to build several CDT C++ projects from the command line? The projects have references and so it is not possible to just build single projects.

Answer 1

This feature has been added in CDT 6 (Final build due June 15th 2009). You can download the final release candidate from builds page: download.eclipse.org/tools/cdt/builds/6.0.0/.

Using a release of Eclipse 3.5 + CDT 6, you can import, build and clean-build projects and the workspace using the following options sent to Eclipse at the command line:

eclipse -nosplash 
        -application org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.headlessbuild 
        -import {[uri:/]/path/to/project} 
        -build {project_name | all} 
        -cleanBuild {projec_name | all}

On Windows, use eclipsec.exe instead of eclipse.exe to have build output written to stdout/stderr and so that the call blocks until completion.

The '-application' switch instructs Eclipse to run the CDT headless builder rather than starting the workbench. The other switches can be used individually or together. This means you can checkout a project using a shell script of your own, '-import' it into a workspace, and '-build' it using the Managedbuilder's headless builder.

Use the '-data' switch to specify the workspace to use, which can be an empty temporary directory, see the runtime documentation for other switches supported by the platform runtime: help.eclipse.org/galileo/index.jsp?topic=/org.eclipse.platform.doc.isv/reference/misc/runtime-options.html

See bug 186847 comment 24 and onwards for more detail on the committed functionality.

Answer 2

Pre CDT 6 you could use the JDT's AptBuilder (included with classic Eclipse, for example).

This lets you build an already configured workspace. So you: checkout your source, configure a workspace which points to the checked-out projects. Your automated build scripts can then update the checkouts and run the AptBuilder without needing to start the GUI.

Answer 3

Headless build with the manage builder is currently not supported, see bug 186847 - CDT internal builder does not support automated command line builds.

If you use the unmanaged (make) builder, then you already have Makefiles that you can use from the command line.

Answer 4

If you created a Make project under CDT you can just use your favorite shell and execute make in all the projects dirs.

Answer 5

We do this in our existing build.

Put a makefile in all your external references and your toplevel project. In your "all" rule, have it run: make -C ./externalref1 make -C ./externalref2 etc

we actually define the external dependencies in a variable: EXT_DEP = externalref1 externalref2 then use the subst (substitute) command to kick off all the sub-makes using the correct call.