Scripting Reference

Predefined variables
Build script functions
- buildaction
- buildoptions
- configuration
- configurations
- custombuildtask
- debugcmd
- debugargs
- debugdir
- defines
- dependency
- deploymentoptions
- excludes
- files
- flags
- framework
- group
- imageoptions
- imagepath
- implibdir
- implibextension
- implibname
- implibprefix
- implibsuffix
- include
- includedirs
- kind
- language
- libdirs
- linkoptions
- links
- location
- messageskip
- newaction
- newoption
- nopch
- objdir
- options
- pchheader
- pchsource
- platforms
- postbuildcommands
- postcompiletasks
- prebuildcommands
- prelinkcommands
- project
- removefiles
- removeflags
- removelinks
- removeplatforms
- resdefines
- resincludedirs
- resoptions
- solution
- startproject
- systemincludedirs
- targetdir
- targetextension
- targetname
- targetprefix
- targetsubdir
- targetsuffix
- userincludedirs
- uuid
- vpaths
- xcodeprojectopts
- xcodetargetopts
- xcodescriptphases
- xcodecopyresources
- xcodecopyframeworks
- wholearchive
Utility functions
Additional information
- Wildcards

Predefined Variables

Each of the following variables is available for use in any GENie script.

_ACTION

Name of the action to be performed on this execution run.

$ genie vs2005

produces

_ACTION: "vs2005"

_ARGS

Any arguments to the current action.

$ genie vs2015 alpha beta

produces

_ARGS[0]: "alpha" _ARGS[1]: "beta"

_OPTIONS

Current set of command line options and their values, if any.

$ genie vs2015 --gfxapi=directx

produces

_OPTIONS['gfxapi']: "directx"

Note: Options may be registered with newoption to fully integrate them into the CLI.

_PREMAKE_COMMAND

Full path to the GENie (Premake) executable.

_PREMAKE_VERSION

GENie (Premake) version.

_SCRIPT

Full path to the currently executing script.

_WORKING_DIR

Current working directory.

Build script functions

buildaction(action)

Specifies what action should be performed on a set of files during compilation. Usually paired with a configuration filter to select a file set. If no build action is specified for a file, a default action will be used (chosen based on the file's extension).

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Note: only supported for .NET projects, and not for C or C++.

Arguments

action - the action to be performed. One of:

"Compile" - treat the file as source code: compile and run it
"Embed" - embed the file into the target binary as a resource
"Copy" - copy the file to the target directory
"None" - do nothing with this file

Examples

Embed all PNGs into the target binary

configuration "**.png"
    buildaction "Embed"

buildoptions({options...})

Passes arguments direction to the compiler command line. Multiple calls in a project will be concatenated in order.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

You may also use one of these functions to configure buildoptions for each individual file extension:

buildoptions_asm for .asm files
buildoptions_c for .c files
buildoptions_cpp for .cpp files
buildoptions_objc for .m files
buildoptions_objcpp for .mm files
buildoptions_swift for .swift files
buildoptions_vala for .vala files

Arguments

options - list of compiler flags

Examples

Add some GCC-specific options

configuration {"linux", "gmake"}
    buildoptions {"-ansi", "-pedantic"}

configuration({keywords...})

Limits subsequent build settings to a particular environment. Acts as a filter, only applying settings that appear after this function if the environment matches the keywords.

Arguments

keywords - list of identifiers to compare to the current runtime environment

Possible values:

Configuration names - configuration names passed to configurations
Action names - "vs2015", "gmake", etc.
Operating system names - "windows", "macosx", etc.
Platform names - "ps3", "xbox360", etc.
Command-line options - either built-in or custom
File names - very limited, but some settings can be applied to specific files

You may also use "*" and "**" wildcards, as well as "not" and "or".

Return

Current configuration object with the following fields:

buildaction - build action.
buildoptions - list of compiler options.
defines - list of compiler symbols.
excludes - list of excluded files.
files - list of files.
flags - list of build flags.
implibdir - import library directory.
implibextension - import library file extension.
implibname - import library base file name.
implibprefix - import library file name prefix.
implibsuffix - import library file name suffix.
includedirs - list of include file search directories.
keywords - list of keywords associated with the block.
kind - target kind.
libdirs - list of library search directories.
linkoptions - list of linker options.
links - list of libraries or assemblies to link against.
objdir - objects and intermediate files directory.
pchheader - target file name for precompiled header support.
pchsource - target source file name for precompiled header support.
prebuildcommands - list of pre-build commands.
prelinkcommands - list of pre-link commands.
postbuildcommands - list of post-build commands.
resdefines - list of symbols for the resource compiler.
resincludedirs - list of include file search paths for the resource compiler.
resoptions - list of resource compiler options.
targetdir - target output directory.
targetextension - target file extension.
targetname - target base file name.
targetprefix - target file name prefix.
targetsuffix - target file name suffix.
terms - filter terms passed to the configuration function to create the block (i.e. "Debug").

Examples

Define debug symbol for debug configurations

configuration "Debug"
    defines { "DEBUG" }

Define a symbol based on a wildcard

configuration "vs*"
    defines { "VISUAL_STUDIO_2005" }

Define a symbol based on an "or"

configuration "linux or macosx"
    defines { "LINUX_OR_MACOSX" }

Define a symbol based on a "not"

configuration "not windows"
    defines { "NOT_WINDOWS" }

Define a symbol based on custom command line option

newoption {
    trigger     = "gfxapi",
    description = "Choose a particular 3D API for rendering",
    allowed     = { { "opengl", "OpenGL Renderer" } }
}

configuration "opengl"
    defines { "OPENGL" }

Reset the configuration filter

configuration {}

Caveats

Argument chaining:
configuration can take multiple arguments, e.g.,
```
configuration {"StaticLib", "xcode*", "osx or ios*"}
```
These arguments will be combined as an AND clause, i.e. if one of the keywords does not match the actual configuration terms, the following settings will not be applied.
Condition evaluation:
The arguments are not evaluated as Lua. They are merely regex-matched against the configuration terms. The implications of this are that parentheses have no effect outside of regular expression groups. A condition like "not (osx or ios*)" will not be equivalent to {"not osx", "not ios*}". Furthermore, a condition like "not osx or ios*" will be evaluated as the negation of "osx or ios*".
and is not a valid keyword for configuration combinations.
However, several keywords will be combined as an AND clause.
Limits of Lua's regular expressions:
Each passed keyword is matched against each configuration terms from the project/solution type being built using Lua's regular expression mechanism. This means that keyword matching is subject to the same limits as regular Lua regex matching. This implies that regexes like "(osx|ios)" do not work.
Wildcard expansion:
Wildcards will get expanded following the same rules as paths. Similarly, special characters such as () will get escaped (i.e. converted to %(%)) before being matched. This means that "not (osx or ios*)" will in fact get expanded to "not %(osx or ios[^/]*)" and then checked as not result of "%(osx or ios[^/]*)", which in turn gets broken down to "%(osx" and "ios[^/]*)".
"win*" matchings:
Intuitively, the configuration keyword to match "Windows" ("Win32", "Win64" or "WinCE") configuration would be "win*". However "win*" also matches "WindowedApp". Prefer using the term "vs*" to check for configurations targeting Windows.

configurations({names...})

Defines a set of build configurations, such as "Debug" and "Release". Must be specified before any projects are defined, so can't be called after a project has been defined.

Scope: solutions

Arguments

names - list of configuration names

Return Value

When called with no arguments - list of current configuration names

Examples

Specify configurations for a solution

solution "MySolution"
    configurations { "Debug", "Release" }

Add additional configurations

configurations{ "Debug", "Release", "DebugDLL", "ReleaseDLL" }

Retrieve current list of configurations

local cfgs = configurations()

custombuildtask({input_file, output_file, {dependency, ...}, {command, ...}}, ...)

Defines custom build task for specific input file, that generates output file, there can be additional dependencies, and for rule listed commands are executed.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

input_file - source file that should be "compiled" with custom task
output_file - generated file name
dependency - additional dependencies, that can be used as parameters to commands
command - command list, special functions in commands are :

$(<) - input file  
$(@) - output file  
$(1) - $(9) - additional dependencies

Examples

custombuildtask {
        { ROOT_DIR .. "version.txt" , GEN_DIR .. "src/version.inc",   { ROOT_DIR .. "version.py" }, {"@echo Generating version.inc file...", "python $(1) $(<) > $(@)" }},
    }

debugcmd(cmd)

Specifies a command to execute when running under the debugger instead of the build target.

Note: In Visual Studio, this can be overridden by a per-user config file (e.g. ProjectName.vcxproj.MYDOMAIN-MYUSERNAME.user).

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

cmd - the command to execute when starting with the debugger

Examples

configuration 'TestConfig'
    debugcmd 'D:\\Apps\\Test.exe'

debugargs({args...})

Specifies a list of arguments to pas to the application when run under the debugger.

Note: In Visual Studio, this can be overridden by a per-user config file (e.g. ProjectName.vcxproj.MYDOMAIN-MYUSERNAME.user).

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

args - list of arguments to pass to the executable while debugging

Examples

configuration "Debug"
    debugargs { "--append", "somefile.txt" }

debugdir(path)

Sets the working directory for the integrated debugger.

Note: In Visual Studio, this can be overridden by a per-user config file (e.g. ProjectName.vcxproj.MYDOMAIN-MYUSERNAME.user).

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

path - path to the working directory, relative to the currently-executing script file

Examples

configuration "Debug"
    debugdir "bin/debug"

defines({symbols...})

Adds preprocessor or compiler symbols to the project. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

symbols - list of symbols

Examples

Define two new symbols

defines { "DEBUG", "TRACE" }

Assign a symbol value

defines { "CALLSPEC=__dllexport" }

dependency({main_file, depending_of} ...)

GMAKE specific. Adds dependency between source file and any other file.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

main_file - name of source file that depends of other file
depending_of - name of dependency file

Examples

dependency { { ROOT_DIR .. "src/test.c", ROOT_DIR .. "verion.txt" } }

deploymentoptions({options...})

Passes arguments directly to the deployment tool command line. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Note: Currently only supported for Xbox 360 targets.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

options - list of arguments

excludes({files...})

Excludes files from the project. This is different from removefiles in that it may keep them in the project (Visual Studio) while still excluding them from the build. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Note: May be set on the solution, project, or configuration, but only project-level file lists are currently supported.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

files - List of files to exclude. Paths should be relative to the currently-executing script file and may contain wildcards.

Examples

Add all c files in a directory, then exclude a specific file

files { "*.c" }
excludes { "a_file.c" }

Add an entire directory of C files, then exclude one directory

files { "*.c" }
excludes { "tests/*.c" }

files({files...})

Adds files to a project. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Note: May be set on the solution, project, or configuration, but only project-level file lists are currently supported.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

files - List of files to include. Paths should be relative to the currently-executing script file and may contain wildcards.

Examples

Add two files to the current project

files { "hello.cpp", "goodbye.cpp" }

Add all C++ files from the "src/" directory to the project

files { "src/*.cpp" }

Add all C++ files from the "src/" directory and any subdirectories

files { "src/**.cpp" }

flags({flags...})

Specifies build flags to modify the compiling or linking process. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

flags - List of flag names from list below. Names are case-insensitive and ignored if not supported on a platform.

AntBuildDebuggable - Enables Visual Studio projects targetting Android to be debugged using the NVIDIA Nsight Tegra tools. (#321)
C7DebugInfo - Enables C7 compatible debug info for MSVC builds.
Cpp11 - Enable usage of C++11 features.
Cpp14 - Enable usage of C++14 features.
Cpp17 - Enable usage of C++17 features.
CppLatest - Enable usage of latest C++ features.
DebugEnvsDontMerge - Cause Visual Studio projects to not merge debug environment with the one inherited from the parent process. (i.e. sets Project Properties > Debugging > Merge Environment to false)
DebugEnvsInherit - Cause Visual Studio projects to inherit debug environment. (i.e. sets in Project Properties > Debugging > Environment > Edit > Inherit from parent of project defaults to true)
DeploymentContent - Mark files with DeploymentContent flag in the project file. (For C++ Win Store apps) (#139)
EnableMinimalRebuild - Enable Visual Studio's minimal rebuild feature.
EnableSSE, EnableSSE2, EnableAVX, EnableAVX2 - Enable SSE/AVX instruction sets
ExtraWarnings - Sets compiler's max warning level.
FatalWarnings - Treat warnings as errors.
FloatFast - Enable floating point optimizations at the expense of accuracy.
FloatStrict - Improve floating point consistency at the expense of performance.
FullSymbols - Use together with Symbols to generate full debug symbols with Visual Studio.
GenerateMapFiles - Enable .map file outputs from the Visual Studio linker.
LinkSupportCircularDependencies - Enables the linker to iterate over provided libs in order to resolve circular dependencies (make and ninja only).
Managed - Enable Managed C++ (.NET).
MinimumWarnings - - Sets compiler's minimum warning level (Visual Studio only).
NativeWChar, NoNativeWChar - Toggle support for the wchar data type.
No64BitChecks - Disable 64-bit portability warnings.
NoBufferSecurityCheck - Turns off Visual Studio 'Security Check' option. Can give up to 10% performance improvement.
NoEditAndContinue - Disable support for Visual Studio's Edit-and-Continue feature.
NoExceptions - Disable C++ exception support.
NoFramePointer - Disable the generation of stack frame pointers.
NoImportLib - Prevent the generation of an import library for a Windows DLL.
NoIncrementalLink - Disable support for Visual Studio's incremental linking feature.
NoJMC - Disable Visual Studio's 'Just my Code' feature.
NoManifest - Prevent the generation of a manifest for Windows executables and shared libraries.
NoMultiProcessorCompilation - Disables Visual Studio's and FastBuild's multiprocessor compilation.
NoPCH - Disable precompiled headers.
NoRTTI - Disable C++ runtime type information.
NoRuntimeChecks - Disable Visual Studio's Basic Runtime Checks in Debug builds.
NoWinMD - Disables Generation of Windows Metadata.
NoWinRT - Disables Windows RunTime Extension for project.
ObjcARC - Enable automatic reference counting for Object-C and Objective-C++.
Optimize - Perform a balanced set of optimizations.
OptimizeSize - Optimize for the smallest file size.
OptimizeSpeed - Optimize for the best performance.
PedanticWarnings - Enables the pedantic warning flags.
SEH - Enable structured exception handling.
SingleOutputDir - Allow source files in the same project to have the same name.
StaticRuntime - Perform a static link against the standard runtime libraries.
Symbols - Generate debugging information.
Unicode - Enable Unicode strings. If not specified, the default toolset behavior is used.
Unsafe - Enable the use of unsafe code in .NET applications.
UnsignedChar - Force chars to be unsigned by default.
UseFullPaths - Enable absolute paths for __FILE__.
UseLDResponseFile - Enable use of response file (aka @file) for linking lib dependencies (make and ninja).
UseObjectResponseFile - Enable use of response file (aka @file) for linking objects (make and ninja).
WinMain - Use WinMain() as the entry point for Windows applications, rather than main().

Note: When not set, options will default to the tool default.

Additional tool-specific arguments can be passed with buildoptions or linkoptions

Examples

Enable debugging symbols in the Debug configuration and optimize the Release configuration

configuration "Debug"
    flags { "Symbols" }

configuration "Release"
    flags { "OptimizeSpeed", "No64BitChecks" }

framework(version)

Specifies a .NET framework version.

Note: Currently only applied to Visual Studio 2005+ and GNU Makefiles using Mono.

Scope: solutions, projects

Arguments

version - one of the following:

Examples

Use the .NET 3.0 framework

framework "3.0"

group(name)

Creates a solution folder for Visual Studio solutions.

Scope: solutions

Arguments

name - the name of the solution folder

Examples

solution "MySolution"
    group "MyGroup1"
        project "Project1"
        -- ...
        project "Project2"
        -- ...
    group "MyGroup2"
        project "Project3"
        -- ...

imageoptions({options...})

Passes arguments directly to the image tool command line without translation. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, project, configurations

Arguments

options - list of image tools flags and options

imagepath(path)

Sets the file name of the deployment image produced by the build

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

path - the full path for the image file, relative to the currently-executing script

implibdir(path)

Specifies the import library output directory. Import libraries are generated for Windows DLL projects. By default, the generated files will place the import library in the same directory as the compiled binary.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

path - the output directory for the library, relative to the currently-executing script file

Examples

implibdir "../Libraries"

implibextension(extension)

Specifies the import library file extension. Import libraries are generated for Windows DLL projects. By default, the toolset static library file extension will be used (.lib with Windows tools, .a with GNU tools).

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

extension - the extension, including the leading dot

implibname(name)

Specifies the import library base file name. Import libraries are generated for Windows DLL projects. By default the target name will be used as the import library file name.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

name - new base file name

implibprefix(prefix)

Specifies the import library file name prefix. Import libraries are generated for Windows DLL projects. By default the system naming convention will be used (no prefix on Windows, lib prefix on other systems).

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

prefix - new file name prefix

Examples

implibprefix "plugin"

The prefix may also be set to an empty string for no prefix

implibprefix ""

implibsuffix(suffix)

Specifies the file name suffix for the import library base file name. Import libraries are generated for Windows DLL projects.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

suffix - the new filename suffix

Examples

-- Add "-d" to debug versions of files
configuration "Debug"
    implibsuffix "-d"

include(directory)

Includes a file named premake4.lua from the specified directory. This allows you to specify each project in its own file, and easily include them into a solution.

Arguments

directory - path to the included directory, relative to the currently-executing script file.

Return Value

Any values returned by the script are passed through to the caller

Examples

-- runs "src/MyApplication/premake4.lua"
include "src/MyApplication"

-- runs "src/MyLibrary/premake4.lua"
include "src/MyLibrary"

includedirs({paths...})

Specifies include file search paths. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

paths - list of include file search directories, relative to the currently-executing script file.

Examples

Define two include file search paths

includedirs { "../lua/include", "../zlib" }

You can also use wildcards to match multiple directories.

includedirs { "../includes/**" }

kind(kind)

Sets the kind of binary object being created by the project, such as a console or windowed application.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

kind - project kind identifier. One of:

ConsoleApp - console executable
WindowedApp - application that runs in a window (Windows, Android, MacOS and iOS). Does not apply on Linux.
StaticLib - static library
SharedLib - shared library or DLL
Bundle - Xcode: Cocoa Bundle, everywhere else: alias to SharedLib

Examples

kind "ConsoleApp"

You can also set different kinds for each configuration. Not supported by XCode.

solution "MySolution"
    configurations { "DebugLib", "ReleaseLib", "DebugDLL", "ReleaseDLL" }

project "MyProject"
    configuration "*Lib"
        kind "StaticLib"

    configuration "*DLL"
        kind "SharedLib"

language(lang)

Sets the programming language used by a project. GENie currently supports C, C++, C# and Vala. Not all languages are supported by all of the generators. For instance, SharpDevelop does not currently support C or C++ development, and Code::Blocks does not support the .NET languages (C#, managed C++).

Scope: solutions, projects

Arguments

lang - language identifier string ("C", "C++", "C#" or "Vala"). Case insensitive.

Examples

language "C++"

libdirs({paths...})

Specifies the library search paths. Library search directories are not well supported by the .NET tools. Visual Studio will change relative paths to absolute, making it difficult to share the generated project. MonoDevelop and SharpDevelop do not support search directories at all, using only the GAC. In general, it is better to include the full (relative) path to the assembly in links instead. C/C++ projects do not have this limitation.

Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

paths - list of library search directories, relative to the currently-executing script file

Examples

libdirs { "../lua/libs", "../zlib" }

You can also use wildcards to match multiple directories.

libdirs { "../libs/**" }

linkoptions({options...})

Passes arguments to the linker command line. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

options - list of flags and options to pass

Examples

Use pkg-config-style configuration when building on Linux with GCC.

configuration { "linux", "gmake" }
    linkoptions { "`wx-config --libs`"}

links({references...})

Specifies a list of libraries and projects to link against. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

references - list of library and project names

When linking against another project in the same solution, specify the project name here, rather than the library name. GENie will figure out the correct library to link against for the current configuration and will also create a dependency between the projects to ensure proper build order.

When linking against system libraries, do not include any prefix or file extension. GENie will use the appropriate naming conventions for the current platform.

Examples

Link against some system libraries

configuration "windows"
    links { "user32", "gdi32" }

configuration "linux"
    links { "m", "png" }

configuration "macosx"
--- OS X frameworks need the extension to be handled properly
    links { "Cocoa.framework", "png" }

In a solution with two projects, link the library into the executable. Note that the project name is used to specify the link. GENie will automatically figure out the correct library file name and directory and create a project dependency.

solution "MySolution"
    configurations { "Debug", "Release" }
    language "C++"

    project "MyExecutable"
        kind "ConsoleApp"
        files "**.cpp"
        links { "MyLibrary" }

    project "MyLibrary"
        kind "SharedLib"
        files "**.cpp"

You may also create links between non-library projects. In this case, GENie will generate a build dependency (the linked project will build first) but not an actual link. In this example, MyProject uses a build dependency to ensure that MyTool gets built first. It then uses MyTool as part of its build process

solution "MySolution"
    configurations { "Debug", "Release" }
    language "C++"

    project "MyProject"
        kind "ConsoleApp"
        files "**.cpp"
        links { "MyTool" }
        prebuildcommands { "MyTool --dosomething" }

    project "MyTool"
        kind "ConsoleApp"
        files "**.cpp"

location(path)

Sets the destination directory for a generated solution or project file. By default, project files are generated into the same directory as the script that defines them.

Note: Does not automatically propagate to the contained projects. Projects will use their default location unless explicitly overridden.

Scope: solutions, projects

Arguments

path - directory into which files should be generated, relative to the currently-executing script file.

Examples

solution "MySolution"
    location "../build"

If you plan to build with multiple tools from the same source tree, you might want to split up the project files by toolset. The _ACTION global variable contains the current toolset identifier, as specified on the command line. Note that Lua syntax requires parentheses around the function parameters in this case.

location ("../build/" .. _ACTION)

messageskip(options)

Skips certain messages in ninja and Makefile generated projects.

Scope: solutions

Arguments

options - one or several of "SkipCreatingMessage", "SkipBuildingMessage", "SkipCleaningMessage"

Examples

messageskip { "SkipCreatingMessage", "SkipBuildingMessage", "SkipCleaningMessage" }

newaction(description)

Registers a new command-line action argument.

Arguments

description - a table describing the new action with the following fields:

trigger - string identifier of the action; what the user would type on the command line
description - short description of the action, to be displayed in the help text
execute - Function to be executed when the action is fired

Examples

newaction {
    trigger     = "install",
    description = "Install the software",
    execute     = function()
        os.copyfile("bin/debug/myprogram", "/usr/local/bin/myprogram")
    end
}

newoption(description)

Registers a new command-line option argument.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

description - a table describing the new option with the following fields:

trigger - string identifier of the option; what the user would type on the command line
description - short description of the option, to be displayed in the help text
value - (optional) provides a hint to the user as to what type of data is expected
allowed - (optional) list of key-value pairs listing the allowed values for the option

Examples

newoption {
    trigger     = "gfxapi",
    value       = "API",
    description = "Choose a particular 3D API for rendering",
    allowed     = {
        { "opengl",   "OpenGL" },
        { "direct3d", "Direct3D (Windows only)"},
        { "software", "Software Renderer" }
    }
}

nopch({files...})

Sets sources files added with the files function, to not use the precompiled header. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Note: May be set on the solution, project, or configuration, but only project-level file lists are currently supported.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

files - List of files to not use the precompiled header. Paths should be relative to the currently-executing script file and may contain wildcards.

Examples

Add all c files in a directory, then set a specific file to not use precompiled headers.

files { "*.c" }
nopch { "a_file.c" }

Add an entire directory of C files, then set one directory to not use precompiled headers

files { "*.c" }
nopch { "tests/*.c" }

objdir(path)

Sets an object and intermediate file directory for a project. By default, object and intermediate files are stored in a directory named "obj" in the same directory as the project.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

path - directory where the object and intermediate files should be stored, relative to the currently-executing script file.

Examples

project "MyProject"
    objdir "objects"

Set object directories per configuration

configuration "Debug"
    objdir "../obj_debug"

configuration "Release"
    objdir "../obj_release"

options({options...})

Specifies build flags to modify the compiling or linking process. This differs from flags in that these are set per project rather than per configuration.

Scope: solutions, projects

Arguments

options - List of option names from list below. Names are case-insensitive and ignored if not supported on a platform.

ArchiveSplit - Split arguments to the gmake archiver across multiple invocations, if there are too many of them.
ForceCPP - Force compiling source as C++ despite the file extension suggesting otherwise.
SkipBundling - Disable generating bundles for Apple platforms.
XcodeLibrarySchemes - Generate XCode schemes for libraries too. (By default schemes are only created for runnable apps.)
XcodeSchemeNoConfigs - Generate a single scheme per project, rather than one per project config.

pchheader(file)

Sets the main header file for precompiled header support.

Scope: projects

Arguments

file - name of the header file, as it is specified in your #include statements

Examples

pchheader "afxwin.h"
pchsource "afxwin.cpp"

pchsource(file)

Sets the main source file for precompiled header support. Only used by Visual Studio.

Scope: projects

Arguments

file - name of the source file, relative to the currently-executing script file

Examples

pchheader "afxwin.h"
pchsource "afxwin.cpp"

platforms({identifiers...})

Specifies a set of target hardware platforms for a solution.

Platform support is a new, experimental feature. The syntax and behavior described here might change as we sort out the details

Scope: solutions

Arguments

identifiers - list of hardware platform specifiers from this list:

Native - general build not targeting any particular platform. If your project can be built in a generic fashion, you should include this as the first platform option
x32 - 32-bit environment
x64 - 64-bit environment
Universal - OS X universal binary, target both 32- and 64-bit versions of x86 and PPC. Automated dependency generation must be turned off, and always do a clean build. Not supported by Visual Studio.
Universal32 - like Universal above, but targeting only 32-bit platforms
Universal64 - like Universal above, but targeting only 64-bit platforms
PS3 - Playstation 3
WiiDev - Wii
Xbox360 - Xbox 360 compiler and linker under Visual Studio
PowerPC - PowerPC processors
ARM - ARM-based processors
ARM64 - ARM64-based processors
Orbis - Playstation 4
Durango - Xbox One
NX32 - Nintendo Switch 32-bit
NX64 - Nintendo Switch 64-bit

Return Value

Current list of target platforms for the active solution

Examples

Generic build, as well as OS X Universal build

solution "MySolution"
    configurations { "Debug", "Release" }
    platforms { "native", "universal" }

Prove 32- and 64-bit specific build targets. No generic build is provided so one of these two platforms must always be used. Do this only if your software requires knowledge of the underlying architecture at build time; otherwise, include native to provide a generic build.

solution "MySolution"
    configurations { "Debug", "Release" }
    platforms { "x32", "x64" }

You can retrieve the current list of platforms by calling the function with no parameters

local p = platforms()

Once you have defined a list of platforms, you may use those identifiers to set up configuration filters and apply platform-specific settings.

configuration "x64"
    defines "IS_64BIT"

-- You can also mix platforms with other configuration selectors
configuration { "Debug", "x64" }
    defines "IS_64BIT_DEBUG"

postbuildcommands({commands...})

Specifies shell commands to run after build is finished

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

commands - one or more shell commands

Examples

configuration "windows"
    postbuildcommands { "copy default.config bin\\project.config" }

configuration "not windows"
    postbuildcommands { "cp default.config bin/project.config" }

postcompiletasks({commands...})

Specifies shell commands to run after compile of file is finished (GMAKE specific)

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

commands - one or more shell commands

Examples

    postcompiletasks { "rm $(@:%.o=%.d)" }

prebuildcommands({commands...})

Specifies shell commands to run before each build

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

commands - one or more shell commands

Examples

configuration "windows"
    prebuildcommands { "copy default.config bin\\project.config" }

configuration "not windows"
    prebuildcommands { "cp default.config bin/project.config" }

prelinkcommands({commands...})

Specifies shell commands to run after source files have been compiled, but before the link step

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

commands - one or more shell commands

Examples

configuration "windows"
    prelinkcommands { "copy default.config bin\\project.config" }

configuration "not windows"
    prelinkcommands { "cp default.config bin/project.config" }

project(name)

Creates a new project and makes it active. Projects contain all of the settings necessary to build a single binary target, and are synonymous with a Visual Studio Project. These settings include the list of source code files, the programming language used by those files, compiler flags, include directories, and which libraries to link against.

Every project belongs to a solution.

Arguments

name - a unique name for the project. If a project with the given name already exists, it is made active and returned. The project name will be used as the file name of the generated solution file.

Return Value

The active project object.

The `project` Object

Every project is represented in Lua as a table of key-value pairs. You should treat this object as read-only and use the GENie API to make any changes.

basedir - directory where the project was originally defined. Root for relative paths.
blocks - list of configuration blocks
language - project language, if set
location - output directory for generated project file
name - name of the project
solution - solution which contains the project
uuid - unique identifier

Examples

Create a new project named "MyProject". Note that a solution must exist to contain the project. The indentation is for readability and is optional.

solution "MySolution"
    configurations { "Debug", "Release" }

    project "MyProject"

You can retrieve the currently active project by calling project with no parameters.

local prj = project()

You can retrieve the list of projects associated with a solution using the projects field of the solution object, which may then be iterated over.

local prjs = solution().projects
for i, prj in ipairs(prjs) do
    print(prj.name)
end

removefiles({files...})

Removes files from the project. This is different from excludes in that it completely removes them from the project, not only from the build. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

files - list of files to remove.

removeflags({flags...})

Removes flags from the flag list.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

flags - list of flags to remove from the flag list. They must be valid flags.

removelinks({references...})

Removes flags from the flag list.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

references - list of libraries and project names to remove from the links list.

removeplatforms({platforms...})

Removes platforms from the platform list.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

platforms - list of platforms to remove from the platforms list.

resdefines({symbols...})

Specifies preprocessor symbols for the resource compiler. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

symbols - list of symbols to be defined

Examples

resdefines { "DEBUG", "TRACE" }

resdefines { "CALLSPEC=__dllexport" }

resincludedirs({paths...})

Specifies the include file search paths for the resource compiler. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

paths - list of include file search directories, relative to the currently executing script file

Examples

resincludedirs { "../lua/include", "../zlib" }

May use wildcards

resincludedirs { "../includes/**" }

resoptions({options...})

Passes arguments directly to the resource compiler. Multiple calls are concatenated.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

options - list of resource compiler flags and options

Examples

configuration { "linux", "gmake" }
    resoptions { "`wx-config --cxxflags`", "-ansi", "-pedantic" }

solution(name)

Creates a new solution and makes it active. Solutions are the top-level objects in a GENie build script, and are synonymous with a Visual Studio solution. Each solution contains one or more projects, which in turn contain the settings to generate a single binary target.

Arguments

name - unique name for the solution. If a solution with the given name already exists, it is made active and returned. This value will be used as the file name of the generated solution file.

Return Value

The active solution object.

The `solution` Object

Represented as a Lua table key-value pairs, containing the following values. You should treat this object as read-only and use the GENie API to make any changes.

basedir - directory where the original project was defined; acts as a root for relative paths
configurations - list of valid configuration names
blocks - list of configuration blocks
language - solution language, if set
location - output directory for the generated solution file
name - name of the solution
platforms - list of target platforms
projects - list of projects contained by the solution

Examples

solution "MySolution"

You can retrieve the currently active solution object by calling solution with no parameters.

local sln = solution()

You can use the global variable _SOLUTIONS to list out all of the currently defined solutions.

for i, sln in ipairs(_SOLUTIONS) do
    print(sln.name)
end

startproject(name)

Sets the start (default) project for the solution. Works for VS, QBS and Xcode.

Scope: solutions

Arguments

name - name of the project to set as the start project.

Examples

solution "MySolution"
    startproject "MyProjectFoo"
    -- [...]

project "MyProjectFoo"
-- [...]

project "MyProjectBar"
-- [...]

systemincludedirs({paths...})

Specifies the system include file search paths. Multiple calls are concatenated.

For clang/gcc, it maps to setting the include directory using the -isystem option.

On the other build systems, it behaves like includedirs, but is always searched after directories specified using includedirs.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

paths - list of system include file search directories, relative to the currently-executing script file.

Examples

Define two include file search paths

systemincludedirs { "../lua/include", "../zlib" }

You can also use wildcards to match multiple directories.

systemincludedirs { "../includes/**" }

targetdir(path)

Sets the destination directory for the compiled binary target. By default, generated project files will place their compiled output in the same directory as the script.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

path - file system path to the directory where the compiled target file should be stored, relative to the currently executing script file.

Examples

project "MyProject"

    configuration "Debug"
        targetdir "bin/debug"

    configuration "Release"
        targetdir "bin/release"

targetextension(ext)

Specifies the file extension for the compiled binary target. By default, the project will use the system's normal naming conventions: ".exe" for Windows executables, ".so" for Linux shared libraries, etc.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

ext - new file extension, including leading dot

Examples

targetextension ".zmf"

targetname(name)

Specifies the base file name for the compiled binary target. By default, the project name will be used as the file name of the compiled binary target.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

name - new base file name

Examples

targetname "mytarget"

targetprefix(prefix)

Specifies the file name prefix for the compiled binary target. By default, system naming conventions will be used: "lib" for POSIX libraries (e.g. "libMyProject.so") and no prefix elsewhere.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

prefix - new file name prefix

Examples

targetprefix "plugin"

The prefix may also be set to an empty string for no prefix

targetprefix ""

targetsubdir(path)

Sets a subdirectory inside the target directory for the compiled binary target.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

path - name of the subdirectory.

targetsuffix(suffix)

Specifies a file name suffix for the compiled binary target.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

suffix - new filename suffix

Examples

--- Add "-d" to debug versions of files
configuration "Debug"
    targetsuffix "-d"

uuid(projectuuid)

Sets the UUID for a project. GENie automatically assigns a UUID to each project, which is used by the Visual Studio generators to identify the project within a solution. This UUID is essentially random and will change each time the project file is generated. If you are storing the generated Visual Studio project files in a version control system, this will create a lot of unnecessary deltas. Using the uuid function, you can assign a fixed UUID to each project which never changes.

Scope: projects

Arguments

projectuuid - UUID for the current project

Return Value

Current project UUID or nil if no UUID has been set

Examples

uuid "XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX"

vpaths({[group] = {pattern...}})

Places files into groups for "virtual paths", rather than mirroring the filesystem. This allows you to, for instance, put all header files in a group called "Headers", no matter where they appeared in the source tree.

Note: May be set on the solution, project, or configuration, but only project-level file lists are currently supported.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

Table of values, where keys (groups) are strings and values (pattern) are lists of file system patterns.

group - name for the new group
pattern - file system pattern for matching file names

Examples

Place all header files into a virtual path called "Headers". Any directory information is removed, "src/lua/lua.h" will appear in the IDE as "Headers/lua.h"

vpaths { ["Headers"] = "**.h" }

You may specify multiple file patterns using table syntax

vpaths {
    ["Headers"] = { "**.h", "**.hxx", "**.hpp" }
}

It is also possible to include the file's path in the virtual group. Using this rule, "src/lua/lua.h" will appear in the IDE as "Headers/src/lua/lua.h".

vpaths { ["Headers/*"] = "**.h" }

Any directory information explicitly provided in the pattern will be removed from the replacement. Using this rule, "src/lua/lua.h" will appear in the IDE as "Headers/lua/lua.h".

vpaths { ["Headers/*"] = "src/**.h" }

You can also use virtual paths to remove extra directories from the IDE. Using this rule, "src/lua/lua.h" will appear in the IDE as "lua/lua.h".

vpaths { ["*"] = "src" }

You may specify more than one rule at a time

vpaths {
    ["Headers"]   = "**.h",
    ["Sources/*"] = {"**.c", "**.cpp"},
    ["Docs"]      = "**.txt"
}

xcodeprojectopts({[key] = value, ...})

XCode only

Sets XCode project options in the generated project files. List of options.

Arguments

key - Name of the option to set value - Value to set it to

Examples

xcodeprojectopts {
    ENABLE_BITCODE = "NO",
    GCC_ENABLE_TRIGRAPHS = "YES",
}

xcodetargetopts({[key] = value, ...})

XCode only

Sets XCode target options in the generated project files. List of options.

Arguments

key - Name of the option to set value - Value to set it to

Examples

xcodetargetopts {
    ALWAYS_SEARCH_USER_PATHS = "YES",
}

xcodescriptphases({{cmd, {inputpaths, ...}}})

XCode only

Adds a script phase to the generated XCode project file.
One tag can contain several commands with different inputpaths.

Arguments

cmd - The actual command to run. (This can be a shell script file or direct shell code).
inputpaths - The paths passed to the command

Examples

Building shader files

xcodescriptphases {
    {"shaderc_xcode.sh", {
        os.matchfiles("**.shader")}
    },
}

Copying, trimming and signing frameworks by relying on carthage

xcodescriptphases {
    {"carthage copy-frameworks", {
        os.matchdirs("**.frameworks")}
    },
}

Caveats

Script phases are added in their order of declaration inside the project, and in their order of declaration inside the tag.
The input paths are used as passed to the tag. If relative paths are required, you have to rebase them beforehand using path.getrelative().
For commands/scripts: You can iterate over the input paths using the following XCode variables: ${SCRIPT_INPUT_FILE_COUNT}: The number of input paths provided to the script ${SCRIPT_INPUT_FILE_0} ...: The input paths at index 0 and so on. NOTE: You can construct the indexed variable as in the example below:
```
for (( i = 0; i < ${SCRIPT_INPUT_FILE_COUNT}; ++i )); do
varname=SCRIPT_INPUT_FILE_$i
echo ${!varname}
done
```

xcodecopyresources({{targetpath, {inputfiles, ...}}})

XCode only

Adds a 'Copy Files' phase to the generated XCode project file.
One tag can contain several target paths with different input files.

Arguments

targetpath - The target path relative to the Resource folder in the resulting .app structure.
inputfiles - The input files to be copied.

Examples

xcodecopyresources {
    { ".", {
        "GameResources", -- a folder
    }},
    { "shaders", {
         os.matchfiles("**.shader"), -- sparse files
    }},
}

Caveats

The target path is only handled as relative to the Resource folder. No other folder can be indicated at the moment. If you need support for other targets, please file an issue on Github.
xcodecopyresources can only be set per project, not per configuration.

xcodecopyframeworks({inputframeworks, ...})

XCode only

Adds a 'Copy Files' phase to the generated XCode project file that will copy and sign the provided frameworks.

Arguments

inputframeworks - A list of frameworks to be copied to the .app structure, with the SignOnCopy flag set.

Examples

links { -- frameworks have to be linked with the .app first
    "GTLR.framework",
    "BGFX.framework",
}
xcodecopyframeworks {
    "GTLR.framework",
    "BGFX.framework",
}

Caveats

Frameworks must be known to the project to be copyable: set the link dependency accordingly using links {}.
xcodecopyframeworks can only be set per project, not per configuration.

wholearchive({references...})

Specifies a list of libraries to link without stripping unreferenced object files. The libraries must have already been added using links, and the same identifier must be specified.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

references - list of library and project names

Examples

project "static_lib"
    kind "StaticLib"

project "console_app"
    kind "ConsoleApp"
    links { "static_lib" }
    wholearchive { "static_lib" }

References

Utility functions

iif(condition, trueval, falseval)

Implements an immediate if clause, returning one of two possible values.

Arguments

condition - logical condition to test
trueval - value to return if condition evaluates to true
falseval - value to return if condition evaluates to false

Examples

result = iif(os.is("windows"), "is windows", "is not windows")

Note that all expressions are evaluated before the condition is checked. The following expression cannot be implemented with an iif because it may try to concatenate a string value.

result = iif(x -= nil, "x is " .. x, "x is nil")

os.chdir(path)

Changes the working directory

Arguments

path - path to the new working directory

Return Value

true if successful, otherwise nil and an error message

os.copyfile(source, destination)

Copies a file from one location to another.

Arguments

source - file system path to the file to be copied destination - path to the copy location

Return Value

true if successful, otherwise nil and an error message

os.findlib(libname)

Scans the well-known system locations looking for a binary file.

Arguments

libname - name of the library to locate. May be specified with (libX11.so) or without (X11) system-specified decorations.

Return Value

The path containing the library file, if found. Otherwise, nil.

os.get()

Identifies the currently-targeted operating system.

Return Value

One of "bsd", "linux", "macosx", "solaris", or "windows"

Note: This function returns the OS being targeted, which is not necessarily the same as the OS on which GENie is being run.

Example

if os.get() == "windows" then
    -- do something windows-specific
end

os.getcwd()

Gets the current working directory.

Return Value

The current working directory

os.getversion()

Retrieves version information for the host operating system

Note: Not implemented for all platforms. On unimplemented platforms, will return 0 for all version numbers, and the platform name as the description.

Return Value

Table containing the following key-value pairs:

Key	Value
majorversion	major version number
minorversion	minor version number
revision	bug fix release or service pack number
description	human-readable description of the OS version

Examples

local ver = os.getversion()
print(string.format(" %d.%d.%d (%s)",
    ver.majorversion, ver.minorversion, ver.revision,
    ver.description))

-- On Windows XP: "5.1.3 (Windows XP)"
-- On OSX: "10.6.6 (Mac OS X Snow Leopard)"

os.is(id)

Checks the current operating system identifier against a particular value

Arguments

id - one of "bsd", "linux", "macosx", "solaris", or "windows"

Note: This function returns the OS being targeted, which is not necessarily the same as the OS on which GENie is being run.

Return Value

true if the supplied id matches the current operating system identifier, false otherwise.

os.is64bit()

Determines if the host is using a 64-bit processor.

Return Value

true if the host system has a 64-bit processor false otherwise

Examples

if os.is64bit() then
    print("This is a 64-bit system")
else
    print("This is NOT a 64-bit system")
end

os.isdir(path)

Checks for the existence of a directory.

Arguments

path - the file system path to check

Return Value

true if a matching directory is found
false if there is no such file system path, or if the path points to a file

os.isfile(path)

Checks for the existence of a file.

Arguments

path - the file system path to check

Return Value

true if a matching file is found
false if there is no such file system path or if the path points to a directory instead of a file

os.matchdirs(pattern)

Performs a wildcard match to locate one or more directories.

Arguments

pattern - file system path to search. May wildcard patterns.

Return Value

List of directories which match the specified pattern. May be empty.

Examples

matches = os.matchdirs("src/*")     -- non-recursive match
matches = os.matchdirs("src/**")    -- recursive match
matches = os.matchdirs("src/test*") -- may also match partial name

os.matchfiles(patterns)

Performs a wildcard match to locate one or more directories.

Arguments

pattern - file system path to search. May contain wildcard patterns.

Return Value

List of files which match the specified pattern. May be empty.

Examples

matches = os.matchfiles("src/*.c")  -- non-recursive match
matches = os.matchfiles("src/**.c") -- recursive match

os.mkdir(path)

Creates a new directory.

Arguments

path - path to be created

Return Value

true if successful
nil and an error message otherwise

os.outputof(command)

Runs a shell command and returns the output.

Arguments

command - shell command to run

Return Value

The output of the command

Examples

-- Get the ID for the host processor architecture
local proc = os.outputof("uname -p")

os.pathsearch(fname, paths...)

description

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

fname - name of the file being searched, followed by one or more path sets to be searched
paths - the match format of the PATH environment variable: a colon-delimited list of path. On Windows, you may use a semicolon-delimited list if drive letters might be included

Return Value

Path to the directory which contains the file, if found nil otherwise

Examples

local p = os.pathsearch("mysystem.config", "./config:/usr/local/etc:/etc")

os.rmdir(path)

Removes an existing directory as well as any files or subdirectories it contains.

Arguments

path - file system path to be removed

Return Value

true if successful
nil and an error message otherwise

os.stat(path)

Retrieves information about a file.

Arguments

path - path to file for which to retrieve information

Return Value

Table of values:

Key	Value
mtime	Last modified timestamp
size	File size in bytes

userincludedirs({paths...})

Specifies the user include file search paths. Multiple calls are concatenated.

For XCode, it maps to setting the USER INCLUDE SEARCH PATH.

For clang/gcc, it maps to setting the include directory using the iquote option.

On the other build systems, it behaves like includedirs.

Scope: solutions, projects, configurations

Arguments

paths - list of user include file search directories, relative to the currently-executing script file.

Examples

Define two include file search paths

userincludedirs { "../lua/include", "../zlib" }

You can also use wildcards to match multiple directories.

userincludedirs { "../includes/**" }

os.uuid(name)

Returns a Universally Unique Identifier

Arguments

name - (optional) string to be hashed

Return Value

A new UUID, a string value with the format xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx, generated from name if it is provided, otherwise generated from random data

path.getabsolute(path)

Converts relative path to absolute path

Arguments

path - the relative path to be converted

Return Value

New absolute path, calculated from the current working directory

path.getbasename(path)

Extracts base file portion of a path, with the directory and extension removed.

Arguments

path - path to be split

Return Value

Base name portion of the path

path.getdirectory(path)

Extracts directory portion of a path, with file name removed

Arguments

path - path to be split

Return Value

Directory portion of the path

path.getdrive(path)

Returns drive letter portion of a path

Arguments

path - path to be split

Return Value

Drive letter portion of the path, or nil

path.getextension(path)

Returns file extension portion of a path

Arguments

path - path to be split

Return Value

File extension portion of the path, or an empty string

path.getname(path)

Returns file name and extension, removes directory information.

Arguments

path - path to be split

Return Value

File name and extension without directory information

path.getrelative(src, dest)

Computes relative path from one directory to another.

Arguments

src - originating directory
dest - target directory

Return Value

Relative path from src to dest

path.isabsolute(path)

Returns whether or not a path is absolute.

Arguments

path - path to check

Return Value

true if path is absolute
false otherwise

path.iscfile(path)

Determines whether file is a C source code file, based on extension.

Arguments

path - path to check

Return Value

true if path uses a C file extension
false otherwise

path.isSourceFile(path)

Determines whether a file is a C++ source code file, based on extension.

Arguments

path - path to check

Return Value

true if path uses a C++ file extension
false otherwise

path.isresourcefile(path)

Determines whether a path represends a Windows resource file, based on extension.

Arguments

path - path to check

Return Value

true if path uses a well-known Windows resource file extension
false otherwise

path.join(leading, trailing)

Joins two path portions together into a single path.

Note: if trailing is an absolute path, then leading is ignored and the absolute path is returned.

Arguments

leading - beginning portion of the path
trailing - ending portion of the path

Return Value

Merged path

Examples

-- returns "MySolution/MyProject"
p = path.join("MySolution", "MyProject")

-- returns "/usr/bin", because the trailing path is absolute
p = path.join("MySolution", "/usr/bin")

-- tokens are assumed to be absolute. This returns `${ProjectDir}`
p = path.join("MySolution", "$(ProjectDir)")

path.rebase(path, oldbase, newbase)

Takes a relative path and makes it relative to a different location.

Arguments

path - path to be modified
oldbase - original base directory, from which path is relative
newbase - the new base directory, from where the resulting path should be relative

Return Value

Rebased path

path.translate(path, newsep)

Converts the separators in a path.

Arguments

path - path to modify
newsep - new path separator. Defaults to current environment default.

Return Value

Modified path

Back to top

printf(format, args...)

Prints a formatted string

Arguments

format - formatting string, containing C printf() formatting codes
args - arguments to be substituted into the format string

string.endswith(haystack, needle)

Checks if the given haystack string ends with needle.

Arguments

haystack - string to search within
needle - string to check ending of haystack against

Return Value

true - haystack ends with needle
false - haystack does not end with needle

string.explode(str, pattern)

Breaks a string into an array of strings, formed by splitting str on pattern.

Arguments

str - string to be split
pattern - separator pattern at which to split; may use Lua's pattern matching syntax

Return Value

List of substrings

string.findlast(str, pattern, plain)

Finds the last instance of a pattern within a string.

Arguments

str - string to be searched
pattern - pattern to search for; may use Lua's pattern matching syntax
plain - whether or not plain string comparison should be used (rather than pattern-matching)

Return Value

The matching pattern, if found, or nil

string.startswith(haystack, needle)

Checks if the given haystack starts with needle.

Arguments

haystack - string to search within
needle - string to check start of haystack against

Return Value

true - haystack starts with needle
false - haystack does not start with needle

table.contains(array, value)

Determines if a array contains value.

Arguments

array - table to test for value
value - value being tested for

Return Value

true - array contains value
false - array does not contain value

table.implode(array, before, after, between)

Merges an array of items into a single formatted string.

Arguments

array - table to be converted into a string
before - string to be inserted before each item
after - string to be inserted after each item
between - string to be inserted between each item

Return Value

Formatted string

Additional information

Wildcards

In some places, wildcards may be used in string values passed to a function. Usually, these strings represent paths. There are two types of wildcards:

* - matches files within a single directory
** - matches files recursively in any child directory

scripting-reference.md 74 KB History Raw

Scripting Reference

Table of Contents

Predefined Variables

_ACTION

_ARGS

_OPTIONS

_PREMAKE_COMMAND

_PREMAKE_VERSION

_SCRIPT

_WORKING_DIR

Build script functions

buildaction(action)

Arguments

Examples

buildoptions({options...})

Arguments

Examples

configuration({keywords...})

Arguments

Return

Examples

Caveats

configurations({names...})

Arguments

Return Value

Examples

custombuildtask({input_file, output_file, {dependency, ...}, {command, ...}}, ...)

Arguments

Examples

debugcmd(cmd)

Arguments

Examples

debugargs({args...})

Arguments

Examples

debugdir(path)

Arguments

Examples

defines({symbols...})

Arguments

Examples

dependency({main_file, depending_of} ...)

Arguments

Examples

deploymentoptions({options...})

Arguments

excludes({files...})

Arguments

Examples

files({files...})

Arguments

Examples

flags({flags...})

Arguments

Examples

framework(version)

Arguments

Examples

group(name)

Arguments

Examples

imageoptions({options...})

Arguments

imagepath(path)

Arguments

implibdir(path)

Arguments

Examples

implibextension(extension)

Arguments

implibname(name)

Arguments

implibprefix(prefix)

Arguments

Examples

implibsuffix(suffix)

Arguments

Examples

include(directory)

scripting-reference.md 74 KB

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The `project` Object