C++ Coding Standards: 101 Rules, Guidelines, and Best Practices

2. Use an automated build system

Summary

Push the (singular) button: Use a fully automatic (“one-action”) build system that builds the whole project without user intervention.

Discussion

A one-action build process is essential. It must produce a dependable and repeatable translation of your source files into a deliverable package. There is a broad range of automated build tools available, and no excuse not to use one. Pick one. Use it.

We’ve seen organizations that neglect the “one-action” requirement. Some consider that a few mouse clicks here and there, running some utilities to register COM/CORBA servers, and copying some files by hand constitute a reasonable build process. But you don’t have time and energy to waste on something a machine ...