Build automation
Build Automation is the act of scripting or automating the process of turning computer source code into binary code. This Automated Build is in contrast to a manual build process where a person has to perform multiple, often tedious and error prone tasks. It involves automating a wide variety of tasks that a software developer will do in their day-to-day activities including things like packaging binary code, runing tests and deployment to production systems. The goal of this automation is to create a one-step process for turning source code into a working system. This is done to save time and to reduce errors.
Best Practices
- Keep the build file at the root of the project
- Use consistent style and conventions
- Don't Repeat Yourself (DRY)
- Provide good help (use Ant/NAnt descriptions)
- Manage dependencies properly
- Use per-User properties to allow people to override defaults such as database logins or directory locations
- Keep the build self-contained
- Keep it all in source control