In this section:
Introduction
If you have a custom build system (for example, Makefile-based), you can streamline the process of configuring build settings by using C/C++test’s cpptestscan utility, which collects information about your build process. You can then point C/C++test to the generated "build data file" to configure build settings, as described in Use options from a build data file.
About Build Data Files (.bdf)
Build information, such as the working directory, command-line options for the compilation, and link processes of the original build, are stored in a file called the build data file. The following example is a fragment from a build data file:
------- cpptestscan v. 9.4.x.x ------- working_dir=/home/place/project/hypnos/pscom project_name=pscom arg=g++ arg=-c arg=src/io/Path.cc arg=-Iinclude arg=-I. arg=-o arg=/home/place/project/hypnos/product/pscom/shared/io/Path.o
Using cpptestscan or cpptesttrace to Create a Build Data File
The cpptestscan and cpptesttrace executables are shipped with C/C++test in the <INSTALL_DIR> directory. They collect information from the build process of an existing code base, generate build data files with the information, and append information about each execution into a file.
The cpptestscan utility is used as a wrapper for the compiler and/or linker during the normal build. To use cpptestscan with an existing build, build the code base with cpptestscan as the prefix for the compiler/linker executable of an existing build to build the codebase. This can be done in two ways:
- Modify the build command line to use
cpptestscanas the wrapper for the compiler/linker executables - If you don’t want to (or cannot) override the compiler variable on the command line, embed
cpptestscanin the actual make file or build script.
To use cpptesttrace with an existing build, build the code base with cpptesttrace as the prefix for the entire build command. cpptesttrace will trace the compiler and linker processes executed during the build and store them in the build data file.
In both cases, you need to either add the C++test installation directory to the PATH environment variable or specify the full path to the either utility.
Additional options for cpptestscan and cpptesttrace are summarized in the following table. Options can be set directly for the cpptestscan command or via environment variables. Most options can be applied to cpptestscan or cpptesttrace by changing the prefix in the command line.
Basic cpptestscan usage:
cpptestscan [options] [compile/link command] cpptestscan --cpptestscanHelp
Basic cpptesttrace usage:
cpptesttrace [options] [build command] cpptesttrace --cpptesttraceHelp
| Option | Environment Variable | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPPTEST_SCAN_OUTPUT_FILE) | Defines file to append build information to. | cpptestscan.bdf |
| CPPTEST_SCAN_PROJECT_NAME | Defines the suggested name of the C++test project. | name of the current working directory |
| CPPTEST_SCAN_RUN_ORIG_CMD | If set to "yes", the original command line will be executed. | yes |
| CPPTEST_SCAN_QUOTE_CMD_LINE_MODE | Determines the way C++test quotes parameters when preparing cmd line to run.
--cpptestscanQuoteCmdLineMode is not supported on Linux. | all |
| CPPTEST_SCAN_CMD_LINE_PREFIX | If non-empty and running original executable is turned on, the specified command will be prefixed to the original command line. | [empty] |
| CPPTEST_SCAN_ENV_IN_OUTPUT | Enabling dumps the selected environment variables and the command-line arguments that outputs the file. For advanced settings use --cpptestscanEnvFile and --cpptestscanEnvars options. | no |
| CPPTEST_SCAN_ENV_FILE | If enabled, the specified file keeps common environment variables for all build commands; the main output file will only keep differences. Use this option to reduce the size of the main output file. Use this option with --cpptestscanEnvInOutput enabled. | [empty] |
| CPPTEST_SCAN_ENVARS | Selects the names of environment variables to be dumped or '*' to select them all. Use this option with --cpptestscanEnvInOutput enabled. | * |
| CPPTEST_SCAN_USE_VARIABLE | Replaces each occurrence of "VALUE" string in the scanned build information with the "${VAR_NAME}" variable usage. | [empty] |
| CPPTEST_SCAN_TRACE_COMMAND | Defines the command names that will be traced when collecting build process information. These names, specified as regular expressions, should match the original compiler/linker commands used in the build process. |
Example: Modifying GNU Make Build Command to Using cpptestscan
Assuming that a make-based build in which the compiler variable is CXX and the original compiler is g++:
make -f </path/to/makefile> <make target> [user-specific options] CXX="cpptestscan --cpptestscanOutputFile=/path/to/name.bdf --cpptestscanProjectName=<projectname> g++"
This will build the code as usual, as well as generate a build data file (name.bdf) in the specified directory.
Note
When the build runs in multiple directories:
- If you do not specify the output file, then each source build directory will have its own .bdf file. This is good for creating one project per source directory.
- If you want a single project per source tree, then a single .bdf file needs to be specified, as shown in the above example.
Example: Modifying GNU Make Build Command Using cpptesttrace
Assume that a regular make-based build is executed with:
make clean all
you could use the following command line:
cpptesttrace --cpptesttraceOutputFile=/path/to/name.bdf --cpptesttraceProjectName=<projectname> make clean all
This will build the code as usual and generate a build data file (name.bdf) in the specified directory.
Note
If the compiler and/or linker executable names do not match default cpptesttrace command patterns, then you will need to use --cpptesttraceTraceCommand option described below to customize them. Default cpptestscan command trace patterns can be seen by running 'cpptesttrace --cpptesttraceHelp' command.
Example: Modifying GNU Makefile to use cpptestscan
If your Makefile uses CXX as a variable for the compiler executable and is normally defined as CXX=g++, you can redefine the variable:
ifeq ($(BUILD_MODE), PARASOFT_CPPTEST) CXX="/usr/local/parasoft/cpptestscan --cpptestscanOutputFile=<selected_location>/MyProject.bdf --cpptestscanProjectName=MyProject g++" else CXX=g++ endif
Next, run the build as usual and specify an additional BUILD_MODE variable for make:
make BUILD_MODE=PARASOFT_CPPTEST
The code will be built and a build data file (MyProject.bdf) will be created. The generated build data file can then be used to create a project from the GUI or from the command line.
Note
The cpptestscan and cpptesttrace utilities can be used in the parallel build systems where multiple compiler executions can be done concurrently. When preparing Build Data File on the multicore machine, for example, you can pass the -j <number_of_parallel_jobs> parameter to the GNU make command to build your project and quickly prepare the Build Data File.
When should I use cpptestscan?
It is highly recommended that the procedures to prepare a build data file are integrated with the build system. In this way, generating the build data file can be done when the normal build is performed without additional actions.
To achieve this, prefix your compiler and linker executables with the cpptestscan utility in your Makefiles/build scripts.
When should I use cpptesttrace?
Use cpptesttrace as the prefix for the whole build command when modifying your Makefiles/build scripts isn’t possible or when prefixing your compiler/linker executables from the build command line is too complex.
