Awesome

keywords : builder, build system, reactive build, chain reaction, watch

Goals/Todo

• Level 1
  • automatic rebuild of generated files when sources files are changed (saved from editor,...)
  • rebuild minimum files
  • allow to run builder wrote for JVM, ruby, javascript, python, shell, native,...
  • provide an integrable lib (usable from a standalone cli tools, from IDE like eclipse, from editor like jEdit, from full build system like maven, ...)
  • human comprehensible/reproductible sequence of builds
• Level 2
  • provide a plugins system to allow auto-install/download of builders/preset (and dependencies)
  • provide preset of builders, configurations (following various convention, maven, nanoc, couchapp, ...)
• Level 5
  • provide plugins for :
    • 'simple' compilers
      • coffeescript -> javascript
      • javascript -> javascript ( closure compiler, yui-compressor, jsLint)
      • scss -> css
      • haml -> html
    • framework :
      • scalate
      • compass
      • couchapp
• Level 4
  • being able to replace/work with web site builder like nanoc3
  • being able to replace/work with build system like maven, sbt
  • provide a TCP or HTTP API for integration into non JVM tools, other than by using stream (in, out, err)
  • provide other strategy for runs
    • strategy like, parallele run, non failed on first builder failed (if next builder aren't impacted by the failure)
    • will be done by replacing sequence of builder by a graph (done by human,r automaticatly from the sequence and analyze of a dry run, where builder are able to say "if you give this I'll give you that")

Concepts

• define single line pipeline : builder chain
• define per builder the mask (on files), if masked delta is empty, then builder is not asked
• during run/traverse
  • updates in target scope are added in th full delta
  • ? if source trigger is modified during run/traverse then run is aborted, and restarted with updated delta (from aborted + new one)
• plugin system
  • for builders
  • for preconfiguration
• a way to customise preconfiguration
• a way to mixe preconfiguration
• startup/single run, send the full file liste as delta, like if clean before run
  • possibility to use a timestamp file, (or fingerprint ?)

Motivations

In lot of projects, I like to have "incremental/continous/watch" compilation. From my search (correct me if I miss something), I found no composable builder, only solution specific for one build system/compiler or for one framework

• in scala land, mvn scala:cc or sbt ~compile
• in ruby/javascript land, every frameworks/stack provide its own

So if you want to combine technology that are not part of a stack, you have to create your own :-(.

It's why I decide to start my own builder that first target my current app (coffeescript + compass + haml/template + couchapp)

Inspirations

• mvn scala:cc, sbt ~compile
• nanoc3 and autocompile,
• coffescript --watch
• eclipse's Builder

Links

• application/lib builder
  • Java/jvm oriented builders : Ant, Maven, Buildr, Gradle, SBT
  • C/C++ oriented builders : GNU Make, Scons
  • Ruby oriented builder : Rake
  • Coadjute a generic builder in haskell
  • Ocamlbuild a builder in OCaml
• articles
  • FromMakeToScons

TODO