Abstract for CHEP98
David Adams
20may98 1550

CTEST: an interface for building C++ packages

D. L. Adams

CTEST provides a simple interface to provide instructions for
building a package of C++ software.  The user-provided interface
consists of a series of ascii input files which accompany the
usual source files.  The user is limited to performing only those
tasks supported by CTEST but is saved from having to provide
complicated instructions (e.g. make commands), duplicating those
instructions for each package and porting those instructions to
other environments.  The latter is relevant to moving between
experiments or between make-based procedures and other development
environments.  Of course, someone (ideally someone else) must have
implemented CTEST in the desired environments.

Note that ctest does not provide a full development environment:
it provides a standardized interface between code and any supported
environment.  The instructions for initiating a build are provided
by the environment.  For example the command line "gmake pkg.lib"
in one environment or clicking a button in another.

Here we list a few of the input files and their meaning to give
a feeling for the interface.  Note that all input files are optional
and the absence of a file is equivalent to an empty file.  Each
file consists of a list of values with one value per line.

The file SUBDIRS list subdirectories which are to be processed.
Subdirectories which are not listed will be ignored.  The processing
of a subdirectory is completely defined by the input files it contains.
The input files in child or parent directories have no effect (except
that the parent must include it in SUBDIRS).  At present, a directory
containing a SUBDIRS entry may not contain any other instructions.
Subdirectories are required if different parts of the package
(e.g. source and test) are to be linked against different libraries.

The file LIBRARIES provides an ordered list of libraries which are
to be included when linking.  The names do not include standard
prefixes or suffixes: on a unix machine the name xyz would be
associated with libxyz.a (-lxyz on the link line).  Special names
(such as cern) may reference multiple libraries and/or cause external
directories to be added to the library search path.

The file COMPONENTS lists C++ components consisting of header, source
and test files.  The source is compiled and put in the package library
and the main in test is compiled, linked against the object or
library and declared passed if it returns zero.

In addition to the above, it is possible to create or link against
bare objects.  There is support for integrated tests (those which 
test more than a single component), installing scripts and building
binaries.  There is also a D0-specific extension for generating D0OM
linkage files.

The original motivation for CTEST was to provide a layer over 
SoftRelTools at D0 and an implementation exists for that environment.
Other implementations will be generated as needed.

CTEST is described at http://www.bonner.rice.edu/adams/ctest.