Template for C++ with Premake5

This is a simple template repository for C++ projects which uses Premake scripts to generate project files for different build environments, such as Visual Studio or g++ and Make. Feel free to use this template as a starting point for your own C++ projects or modify it to your own liking. Any feedback is appreciated.

Files and folder structure

The root folder contains a .gitignore file which lists several generated files such as the build output and project files generated with Premake. This folder also contains three Premake scripts: premake5.lua, projects.lua and workspace.lua.

premake5.lua is the main Premake script. It contains several variables which you can change. However, the variables with names ending in _DIR should always begin with the root path. The START_PROJECT variable should be the name of one of your executable projects.

You can edit workspace.lua if you want to customize the build configurations and targets.

projects.lua only contains a PROJECTS table. The entries in this table are paths (relative to the repository's root folder) to all folders which contain a project. There should be a premake5.lua script in each of these folders with the information needed for that project. Furthermore, the entries are processed in the order they appear in the table.

The projects folder is intended to contain folders for your projects. However, you can put your project folders anywhere; just specify the correct paths in projects.lua. By default, this template includes one library lib that is referenced by one executable program. They each have their own folder inside the projects folder, containing their premake5.lua script and source code.

The dependencies folder is intended for external libraries you may be using. If you add a dependency - especially if you add them as a git submodule - I recommend adding two nested folders inside the dependencies folder, and put the premake5.lua script in the top folder. For example, if you want to add GLFW, put it in dependencies/glfw/glfw and put a Premake script in dependencies/glfw. Then add the latter path to projects.lua. This way, you ensure no project files are generated into the dependency's folder itself, which should keep things a bit more organized - again, especially if that folder was added as a submodule.

By default the build output is generated in an _out folder. You can change this in the premake5.lua file in the repository's root folder by editing the BIN_DIR and OBJ_DIR variables.

You can generate the project files for your preferred environment by running the command

premake5 [action]

from the repository's root folder, where [action] corresponds to one of the actions supported by Premake. You may have to rerun this command if you add any new files afterwards.

What you should do yourself

• Make a repository using this template. Or download the source and use the files in your own project, or do whatever else you may want to do with them.
• If you haven't already, download Premake and make sure the executable is reachable through your PATH environment variable. I also highly recommend familiarizing yourself with how Premake scripts work.
• Have some way to build C++ projects, which I assume you already do. Something like Visual Studio or g++ and Make. Those are in fact the only environments I tested with this template, but others should work if they are supported by Premake.
• I recommend putting the generated project file types in the .gitignore if they aren't already, since they can just be regenerated using the Premake scripts.
• Make sure to replace this README's contents with something relevant to your own project!
• Also consider adding a license if you intend to publicize your work. Licenses are useful.

That's about it. You don't have to credit me if you decide to use this template. But if you have any feedback, do let me know!