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Sharpmake

This documentation is far from complete and is a work in progress. Feel free to improve it.

Table of Contents

About this repository

This repository has branches mirroring the Sharpmake code used by many projects.

Introduction

Sharpmake is an Ubisoft-developed solution to generate .vcxproj, .vcproj, .sln, and .csproj files, as well as potentially more formats. Sharpmake was developed to generate files very quickly and allow users to easily generate multiple solutions and projects according to project and user preferences. It was conceived to be easy to maintain and debug. It has native support for blobbing unity builds) and has been developed to fulfill production needs and provide flexible control over what is generated. As far as we know, it is better than all available open source solutions.

Sharpmake was originally developed by Eric Thiffeault on Assassin's Creed 3 in 2011 and is used on multiple projects at Ubisoft.

Quick Feature Overview

Here's an overview of some of the features that make Sharpmake stand out.

Powerful Scripting

As its name hints, Sharpmake is implemented in C#. But it's not only implemented in C#, the scripts (they can be either .sharpmake or .sharpmake.cs files, but the official extension is the latter) are also C# files used in a scripting way with dynamic compilation. This makes Sharpmake very easy to debug, in addition to being very quick. It also delivers a very powerful language to use within the scripts. The scripts use the Sharpmake API directly, facilitating the override and expansion of the API, which is important for sharing Sharpmake across projects. The nature of C# makes it very easy to write everything once. Sharpmake's "include" system is also very scalable.

Accessible for Many Programmers

The use of C#, including well-known concepts like C# attributes and C# inheritance, make Sharpmake files less intimidating. The result might be slightly more verbose than the likes of Jamfiles, makefiles, and so on, but the results are definitely easier to follow and use paradigms programmers know well. The usage of .NET directly in .sharpmake.cs files to manipulate strings also makes these files more accessible.

Exceptional Scalability and Modularity

One of the biggest strength of Sharpmake might not be obvious at first glance: Sharpmake clearly allows encapsulation in a single and independent file of an external library. (External dependencies are a great example of where it may be useful.) This definition can include everything for the include path, the library paths, the source code for different platforms, and so on.

Generation from Sources

Projects and solutions don't need to be in source control to be used with Sharpmake. Sharpmake will scan specified folders for sources and provides easy control over this behavior. For huge productions it avoids the need to merge these files and provides an easy way to transition between different Visual Studio versions. It also facilitates the creation of solutions optimized for specific programmers as well as allowing programmer preferences inside configurations.

Generate Everything Quickly

Sharpmake is designed to rapidly generate all the files a programmer could potentially need in a single pass.

Smart Granularity and Fragments

Simply changing a solution name can automatically affect the number of .sln files Sharpmake will generate, because a name can contain target-dependent variables. The number of generated project and solution files is handled intelligently by Sharpmake, making the end results very easy to maintain.

Sharpmake also presents the concept of fragments, which is what targets are made of. Fragments will automatically affect the possible granularity that Sharpmake will evaluate.

Target and Configuration Independence

If you want to use custom configuration names, the Sharpmake target system makes this very easy. This comes in very handy when using external projects.

Native Blobbing Support

Sharpmake has native support for blobbing (also known as unity builds), allowing multiple strategies to reduce compilation and iteration time as much as possible.

Dependency Management and Flexible Target System

Sharpmake has dependency management to allow easy propagation of include and library paths. Private dependencies are provided to prevent propagation. Combined with the target system which is also extremely scalable, it lets you mix different target types together, providing great flexibility. For example, a software provider could define their own target types, which a program could use with its own target type. Dependencies are made with a single target type, but it's trivial to make correspondences between different types. The end result is something extremely flexible and able to support huge code bases, similar to programming in general.

Hello World

Here's a quick example to help you dive into Sharpmake.

Create a C++ Source File

First, let's a create a src\main.cpp file for our sample:

// src\main.cpp
#include <iostream>
int main(int, char**)
{
    std::cout << "Hello, World!" << endl;
}

Create a Sharpmake File

Then, let's create a hello.sharpmake.cs file for creating an .sln and .vcxproj for that example:

// hello.sharpmake.cs
using Sharpmake;
 
namespace HelloWorld
{
    [Sharpmake.Generate]
    public class HelloWorldProject : Project
    {
        public HelloWorldProject()
        {
            Name = "HelloWorld";
 
            AddTargets(new Target(
                    Platform.win32 | Platform.win64,
                    DevEnv.vs2008 | DevEnv.vs2010,
                    Optimization.Debug | Optimization.Release
            ));
 
            SourceRootPath = @"[project.SharpmakeCsPath]\src";
        }
 
        [Configure()]
        public void ConfigureAll(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            conf.ProjectFileName = "[project.Name]_[target.DevEnv]_[target.Platform]";
            conf.ProjectPath = @"[project.SharpmakeCsPath]\generated";
 
            // if not set, no precompile option will be used.
            //conf.PrecompHeader = "stdafx.h";
            //conf.PrecompSource = "stdafx.cpp";
        }
    }
 
    [Sharpmake.Generate]
    public class HelloWorldSolution : Sharpmake.Solution
    {
        public HelloWorldSolution()
        {
            Name = "HelloWorld";
 
            AddTargets(new Target(
                    Platform.win32 | Platform.win64,
                    DevEnv.vs2008 | DevEnv.vs2010,
                    Optimization.Debug | Optimization.Release
            ));
        }
 
        [Configure()]
        public void ConfigureAll(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            conf.SolutionFileName = "[solution.Name]_[target.DevEnv]_[target.Platform]";
            conf.SolutionPath = @"[solution.SharpmakeCsPath]\generated";
            conf.AddProject<HelloWorldProject>(target);
        }
    }

    public static class Main
    {
        [Sharpmake.Main]
        public static void SharpmakeMain(Sharpmake.Arguments arguments)
        {
            arguments.Generate<HelloWorldSolution>();
        }
    }
}

Launch Sharpmake

Run the Sharpmake executable to generate the project and solution.

Sharpmake.Application.exe "/sources(@"hello.sharpmake.cs") /verbose"

Create a Debugging Environment

One advantage of Sharpmake is its ability to be naturally debugged in Visual Studio. Here is how you can generate your own Debug Solution:

  1. Run sharpmake with the argument parameter /generateDebugSolution

       Sharpmake.Application.exe "/sources(@"hello.sharpmake.cs") /verbose /generateDebugSolution"

  2. A debug solution, sharpmake_debugsolution.sln, is created next to your sources entry point. It contains all of your sharpmake files and already references the sharpmake package you used to generate it. Also, its Debug Options are all set up for debugging.

  3. Press F5!

If you want the debugger to break as soon as an an exception is raised, you can do the following:

  • Tools > Options > Debugging > Enable Just My Code: Checked
  • Debug > Exceptions... > Common Language Runtime Exception > Thrown: Checked

More Detailed Documentation

Main Attribute

Multiple attributes are usd to dictate behavior to Sharpmake. The first one is [Sharpmake.Main], which is put on the static method that will be called at Sharpmake's launch:

[Sharpmake.Main]
public static void SharpmakeMain(Sharpmake.Arguments arguments)
{
    arguments.Generate<HelloWorldSolution>();
}

Custom Argument Type

It's possible to define your own class to handle custom arguments. For example, this is such a class from Assassin's Creed:

// class that defines custom command lines arguments
public class GameEngineArguments
{
    public bool BuildSystemHelper = true;
    public Filter Filter = Filter.None;
    public Strings ChangelistSourceFilesFilters;
    public int ChangelistNumber;
 
 
    [CommandLine.Option(
        "buildsystemhelper",
        @"Generate BuildSystemHelper helper files: ex: /buildsystemhelper(<true|false>)")]
    public void CommandLineBuildSystemHelper(bool value)
    {
        BuildSystemHelper = value;
    }
 
    [CommandLine.Option(
        "changelist",
        @"Generate project and solution for a specific changelist: ex: /changelist( 1234 , ""files.txt"")")]
    public void CommandLineChangelist(int changelistNumber, string changelistFile)
    {
        Filter = Filter.Changelist;
        ChangelistNumber = changelistNumber;
        ChangelistSourceFilesFilters = new Strings();
 
        try
        {
            FileInfo changelistFileInfo = new FileInfo(changelistFile);
            using (StreamReader projectFileStream = changelistFileInfo.OpenText())
            {
                string line = projectFileStream.ReadLine();
                while (line != null)
                {
                    if (line != string.Empty)
                    {
                        string filePath = Util.PathMakeStandard(line);
 
                        if (File.Exists(filePath))
                        {
                            ChangelistSourceFilesFilters.Add(filePath);
                        }
                        else
                        {
                            // try to find it if relative
                            string relativePath = Path.Combine(changelistFileInfo.DirectoryName, filePath);
                            if ( File.Exists(relativePath) )
                                ChangelistSourceFilesFilters.Add(new FileInfo(relativePath).FullName);
                            else
                                throw new Error("File path not found '{0}' in changelist file '{1}'", filePath, changelistFileInfo.FullName);
                        }
                    }
                    line = projectFileStream.ReadLine();
                }
            }
        }
        catch ( Exception e )
        {
            if (e is Error)
                throw e;
            else
                throw new Error("Cannot read changelist input file: {0}", changelistFile, e);
        }
    }
}

Then in the main:

Arguments = new GameEngineArguments();
CommandLine.ExecuteOnObject(Arguments);

The CommandLine.ExecuteOnObject will automatically search for the CommandLine.Option attribute and parse options according to the corresponding method signature.

Of course, any C# code can be executed in the Main, not just solution building.

Solution

As seen in HelloWorld, solutions are defined using a C# class with Sharpmake.Generate attribute.

[Sharpmake.Generate]
public class HelloWorldSolution : Sharpmake.Solution
{
    public HelloWorldSolution()
    {
        Name = "HelloWorld";
 
        AddTargets(new Target(
                Platform.win32 | Platform.win64,
                DevEnv.vs2008 | DevEnv.vs2010,
                Optimization.Debug | Optimization.Release
        ));
    }
 
    [Configure()]
    public void ConfigureAll(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {
        conf.SolutionFileName = "[solution.Name]_[target.DevEnv]_[target.Platform]";
        conf.SolutionPath = @"[solution.SharpmakeCsPath]\generated";
        conf.AddProject<HelloWorldProject>(target);
    }
}

The projects are added to the solution in the Configure function, defined through the Sharpmake.Configure attribute, as described later in this page.

Project

As with solutions, C++ projects are defined with classes, overriding, and inheritance being natural features in C#. Only classes with special attributes will be considered, so it's possible to define your own base classes:

namespace GameEngine
{
    public class CommonProject : Project
    {
        // Preference for all projects here
        ...
    }
 
    [Sharpmake.Generate]
    public class MyProject : CommonProject
    {
        // Define project here
        ...
    }
}

Generate Attribute

As shown in previous examples, the [Sharpmake.Generate] attribute is used on solutions and projects to indicate that they are completely generated in Sharpmake. The attribute does not interfere with C# inheritance. Other attributes allow for different strategies, such as [Sharpmake.Compile] and [Sharpmake.Export] attributes. Built solutions and their added projects must have one of these attributes: [Sharpmake.Generate], [Sharpmake.Compile] or [Sharpmake.Export].

Compile Attribute

The attribute [Sharpmake.Compile] can be used to define projects with a .vcxproj file already available. It can be useful when converting your code base to Sharpmake, because it can support your old projects to facilitate an incremental conversion of your projects. When defining a [Sharpmake.Compile] project, you must define what is necessary for the project, it's configurations, and the output for each.

namespace GameEngine
{
    [Sharpmake.Compile]
    public class GameLib : BaseProject
    {
        public string BasePath = @"[project.ExternPath]\gamelib";
        public string ProjectName = @"GameLib";
 
        public GameLib()
        {
            PerforceRootPath = @"[project.ExternPath]\gamelib";
        }
 
        [Configure()]
        public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            string platform = (target.Platform == Platform.Win32 || target.Platform == Platform.Win64) ? "PC" : "[target.Platform]";
            conf.Name = platform + " [target.Optimization]";
            if (target.Mode == Mode.Tool)
            {
                conf.Name = "Editor [target.Optimization]";
                if (target.OutputType == OutputType.Dll)
                    conf.Name = "Editor DLL Export [target.Optimization]";
            }
 
            conf.SolutionFolder = "Extern";
 
            conf.IncludePaths.Add(@"[project.BasePath]\Sources");
 
            conf.ProjectPath = @"[project.BasePath]\Make";
            conf.ProjectFileName = "GameLib.2008";
 
            conf.TargetPath = @"[project.BasePath]\lib\vc2008\Projects\[conf.Name]";
            conf.TargetFileName = ProjectName;
 
            conf.Output = target.OutputType == OutputType.Lib ? Configuration.OutputType.Lib : Configuration.OutputType.Dll;
        }
    }
}

Export Attribute

Sharpmake has a dependency system which accepts various dependencies, not just generated projects. The Export project type can be used to link with projects when only the .lib files are available. For example, this is code from Assassin's Creed to use Passenger:

namespace GameEngine
{
    [Sharpmake.Export]
    public class ExternalLib : Sharpmake.Project
    {
        public string ExternPath = Extern.Extern.ExternPath;
        public string BasePath = @"[project.ExternPath]\include\externlib";
 
        public ExternalLib()
        {
            AddTargets(new Sharpmake.Target(
                Platform.win32 | Platform.win64,
                DevEnv.vs2008 | DevEnv.vs2010,
                Optimization.Debug | Optimization.Release,
                OutputType.Dll));
        }
 
        [Configure()]
        public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            conf.IncludePaths.Add(@"[project.BasePath]\include\externlib");
            conf.TargetFileName = @"gamex";
            conf.Output = Configuration.OutputType.Dll;
        }
    }
}

Preprocessor Define

It's also possible to define preprocessor macros and symbols, in both C/C++ and .NET languages:

[Configure(DotNetFramework.v4)]
public void DefineDotNet4(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    conf.Defines.Add("DOT_NET_4");
}
 
[Configure(DotNetFramework.v4_5)]
public void DefineDotNet45(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    conf.Defines.Add("DOT_NET_45");
}
 
[Configure(DevEnv.vs2010)]
public void DefineDevEnv2010(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    conf.Defines.Add("DEVENV_VS2010");
}
 
[Configure(DevEnv.vs2012)]
public void DefineDevEnv2012(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    conf.Defines.Add("DEVENV_VS2012");
}

Projects and File Mapping

Something great about Sharpmake is that the number of different generated files for the same project is implicit. The properties used to define the file paths of projects and solutions can use variable that are dependent on targets, and Sharpmake will automatically generate the appropriate number of files with the appropriate targets. For example, on Assassin's Creed, multiple solutions are used for the game engine, depending on platform, DirectX, and so on. The definition looks like this:

namespace GameEngine
{
    public class CommonSolution : Sharpmake.Solution
    {
        [Configure()]
        public virtual void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            conf.SolutionPath = @"[solution.RootPath]\projects\[target.Platform]";
 
            // vs2008 is default
            if ( target.DevEnv == DevEnv.vs2008 )
                conf.SolutionFileName = @"[solution.Name].[target.Mode].[target.Platform]" + gfxAPI;
            else
                conf.SolutionFileName = @"[solution.Name].[target.Mode].[target.Platform]" + gfxAPI + ".[target.DevEnv]";
            // ...

But on Rainbow Six Siege, a single solution is used for the game engine, containing all platforms:

namespace GameEngine
{
    public class CommonSolution : Sharpmake.Solution
    {
        [Configure()]
        public virtual void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            conf.SolutionPath = @"[solution.RootPath]\temp\sharpmake\solutions";
            conf.SolutionFileName = @"[solution.Name].[target.DevEnv]";
            // ...

And that is the beauty of it. Nothing other than the paths from Assassin's Creed were changed on Rainbow Six to change the solution's granularity. From the requested solution targets, Sharpmake will automatically deduce how many project and solution files are needed and how many targets each of them contain.

The same principle could be used to support even both Assassin's Creed and Rainbow Six approaches on the same project. Suppose the time to open a solution is influenced by the number of targets in it, and is wanted to support both approaches: one solution for all targets and one solution per target or target type. A simple fragment could be added to achieve that:

[Fragment, Flags]
public enum SolutionGrouping
{
    OneToRuleThemAll = 0x01,
    OnePerConfig = 0x02,
}

Then, the fragment is added to the main target class and is examined to influence ProjectFileName and SolutionFileName. The binding between solutions and projects is done implicitly through the target. The requested target will contain just OneToRuleThemAll | OnePerConfig to request both, and that's it. Two sets of solutions and project groups will be generated.

Fragments

One of the core features and biggest strengths of Sharpmake is the use of fragments. Fragments are what targets are made of. Every project can override its configuration for any specific fragment value. Some fragments are defined directly in Sharpmake while others can be defined in .sharpmake.cs scripts.

[Fragment, Flags]
public enum Optimization
{
    Debug       = 0x01,
    AiDebug     = 0x02,
    AiDebugEnc  = 0x04,
    Release     = 0x08,
    Profile     = 0x10,
    QCFinal     = 0x20,
    Final       = 0x40,
}
 
[Fragment, Flags]
public enum GraphicAPI
{
    DirectX9 = 0x01,
    DirectX11 = 0x02,
}

The 2 built-in fragments Platform and DevEnv are mandatory if you create custom target types. Custom target types must have 2 public fields for Platform and DevEnv types.

Configure Attribute

As previously stated, it's possible to override the configuration for any fragment value. The [Sharpmake.Configure] attribute is passed a list of values where the associated method should be called. For example, this code is in the project base class of our game engine:

[Configure(Mode.Engine, Platform.win32 | Platform.win64)]
public void ModeEngineWindows(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    conf.Defines.Add("UBI_PLATFORM_PC");
}

It's possible to define multiple Configure methods, typically giving each one different fragment values. The name of the method is not important, because it's really the attribute that drives Sharpmake.

It is not mandatory to define multiple Configure methods. The preceding example is the same thing as the following:

[Configure()]
public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    if (Mode == Mode.Engine && (Platform == Platform.win32 || Platform == Platform.win64)
        conf.Defines.Add("UBI_PLATFORM_PC");
}

According to preferences, code can be done in multiple ways, with switch/case being another useful tool:

[Configure()]
public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    // ...
    switch (target.Optimization)
    {
        case Optimization.Profile:
        case Optimization.Retail:
            conf.Defines.Add("UBI_RETAIL");
            break;
        case Optimization.Debug:
            conf.Defines.Add("UBI_DEBUG");
            break;
        case Optimization.Release:
            conf.Defines.Add("UBI_RELEASE");
            break;
    }
    // ...
}

Having using Sharpmake; in the script files also gives access to extension methods for some enum types:

[Configure()]
public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    // ...
    if (target.Platform.IsMicrosoft())
        conf.Defines.Add("_LIB");
 
    if (target.Platform.IsPC())
        conf.Defines.Add(
            "WIN95",
            "VISUAL",
            "USE_DBG_MODULE",
            "CAN_SET_OPTIONS",
            "DARE_PC_STATICLIB");
    // ...
}

It is important to note that only configuration should be modified in Configure methods, not the Project itself. The Project should only be modified in the constructor.

Configure Call Order

Sharpmake is calling Configure methods in the order they appear within the project or solution class. It is however strongly advised to not depend on that behavior. Adding multiple Configure methods to override specific settings is much better:

public class BaseProject : Project
{
    // ...
    [Configure()]
    public virtual void ConfigureWarningAsError(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {
        conf.Options.Add(Sharpmake.Options.Vc.General.TreatWarningAsError.Enable);
    }
    // ...
}
[Sharpmake.Generate]
public class Bloomberg : BaseProject
{
    // ...
    public override void ConfigureWarningAsError(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {
        // Bloomberg, please fix your warnings
    }
    // ...
}

Old Configure Order

Old versions of Sharpmake were using another Configure order. It was in the order of declarations, but sub-classes overrides would affect that order. The problem was that sometimes empty overrides were kept just to have the same Configure order. It's possible to ask for old Configure order:

[Sharpmake.Main]
public static void SharpmakeMain(Sharpmake.Arguments arguments)
{
    arguments.ConfigureOrder = ConfigureOrder.Old;
    // ...
}

ConfigurePriority Attribute

Again, it is not recommended to depend on Configure order. If necessary, by using [ConfigurePriority], you ensure that the call order is respected even if the Configure methods are reordered. Sharpmake will sort them in ascending priority order. (-1 before 0, 0 before 1, etc.) Any Configure method without [ConfigurePriority] will have a default priority of 0.

Redefining priority is also supported across inheritance.

Here's an example of how ConfigurePriority can be used when using inheritance:

  • When ParentProject is generated, the sequence is: Foo, Bar
  • When ChildProject is generated, the sequence is: FooBar, Bar, Foo (Foo and Bar have been reordered)
[Sharpmake.Generate]
public class ParentProject : Project
{
    ...
    [Configure()]
    [ConfigurePriority(2)]
    public virtual void Bar(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {
        Debug.Assert(executedMethodFlags.Equals(ConfigureMethod.Foo),
            "ParentProject.Bar(...) assert failed",
            "ParentProject.Bar(...) should be the second configure to be invoked in this project");
 
        executedMethodFlags |= ConfigureMethod.Bar;
    }
 
    [Configure()]
    public virtual void Foo(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {
        Debug.Assert((int)executedMethodFlags == 0,
            "ParentProject.Foo(...) assert failed",
            "ParentProject.Foo(...) should be the first configure to be invoked in this project");
 
        executedMethodFlags |= ConfigureMethod.Foo;
    }
}
 
[Sharpmake.Generate]
public class ChildProject : ParentProject
{
    ...
    [ConfigurePriority(0)]
    public override void Bar(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {
        Debug.Assert(executedMethodFlags.Equals(ConfigureMethod.FooBar),
            "ChildProject.Bar(...) assert failed",
            "ChildProject.Bar(...) should be the second configure to be invoked in this project");
 
        executedMethodFlags |= ConfigureMethod.Bar;
    }
 
    [ConfigurePriority(1)]
    public override void Foo(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {
        Debug.Assert(executedMethodFlags.Equals(ConfigureMethod.FooBar | ConfigureMethod.Bar),
            "ChildProject.Foo(...) assert failed",
            "ChildProject.Foo(...) should be the third configure to be invoked in this project");
 
        executedMethodFlags |= ConfigureMethod.Foo;
    }
 
    [Configure()]
    [ConfigurePriority(-1)]
    public void FooBar(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {
        Debug.Assert((int)executedMethodFlags == 0,
            "ChildProject.FooBar(...) assert failed",
            "ChildProject.FooBar(...) should be the first configure to be invoked in this project");
 
        executedMethodFlags |= ConfigureMethod.FooBar;
    }
}

Enforce no Dependencies on Configure Order

As said more than once already, depending on Configure order is a bad idea. Once your code is clean regarding that, Sharpmake offers a feature to validate it is ok, perfect for SubmitAssistant or build system validations. Just add the argument /test("QuickConfigure") to the command-line arguments of Sharpmake and the exit code will be non-zero if the ConfigureOrder cannot be reversed. Note that the validation will still respect usages of ConfigurePriority attributes, the reversing is done for Configure of the same priority.

Targets and Configurations

Sharpmake makes a clear distinction between targets and configurations. The classes Project.Configuration and Solution.Configuration are used to define the configurations in .vcxproj and .sln files. The targets bind everything together. For example, the same target can use configurations with different names depending on the project.

namespace GameEngine
{
    [Sharpmake.Compile]
    public class GameLib : Sharpmake.Project
    {
        public string ExternPath = Extern.Extern.ExternPath;
        public string BasePath = @"libs\GameLib";
        public string ProjectName = @"GameLib";
 
        public GameLib()
            : base(typeof(Target))
        {
            AddTargets(new Target(
                GameFolder.RainbowSix,
                Platform.win32 | Platform.win64 | Platform.ps3 | Platform.x360,
                DevEnv.vs2008,
                GameEngine.Optimization.Debug | GameEngine.Optimization.Release | GameEngine.Optimization.Profile | GameEngine.Optimization.Final,
                OutputType.Lib,
                Blob.NoBlob,
                GameEngine.Mode.Engine | GameEngine.Mode.Tool));
            PerforceRootPath = @"[project.ExternPath]\Library";
        }
 
        [Configure()]
        public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            conf.Name = "[target.Platform] [target.Mode]";
            // ...

The virtual function will be called for Engine mode if the platform is Win32 or Win64. The name of the method is of no importance. Just make it unique, as it's really the attribute that is examined. If the method is made virtual, there is no need to specify the attribute in sub-classes.

We can also see in previous examples why fragments are defined as flags: the C# "|" operator allows multiple fragments to be combined. A single Target instance can be used to actually specify multiple targets.

Sharpmake Strings

Every string in a Sharpmake solution, project, and configuration support uses the [obj.Property] or [Property] format to insert values from properties inside strings. The resolving is done as late as possible, making it possible for more global properties to refer more local ones and vice-versa.

The following objects are supported:

  • target: Property for the current target.
  • conf: Property for the current configuration. It can be project or solution configuration, depending on which is being generated.
  • project: Property of the current project.
  • solution: Property of the current solution.

The built-in property SharpmakeCsPath has been already used in previous examples. Provided as both solution.SharpmakeCsPath and project.SharpmakeCsPath, it contains the path of the .sharpmake.cs file where that solution or project was defined. This property is important: it can be used for libraries to provide .sharpmake.cs files inside their library packages, referring to the rest of the package with paths relative to SharpmakeCsPath.

In addition, multiple properties are added by generators when generating (for example) .sln or .vcxproj files, such as solutionGuid, projectName, projectFile, projectGuid, options.*, and so on.

Note that static properties are supported at the moment.

Dependencies

Sharpmake has built-in support for dependencies, making it easier to generate solutions while ensuring they have everything needed. The dependency system makes Sharpmake very scalable by allowing the definition of include paths, library paths, library files and more in the definition of the appropriate library. The dependency system will make these be appropriately inherited in dependent projects. For example, dependencies in a solution will only be added if necessary, that is if the target is not a static library. If the target is a static library, the dependent executable will then have the dependencies.

For inherited properties such as include paths and library paths, Sharpmake provides the option to choose between public and private dependencies. Private dependencies are not propagated to dependent projects, so if a project needs an include path to compile its own source files, but its headers don't need it, a private include path can be included.

namespace Extern
{
    [Sharpmake.Export]
    public class SomeProject : MyExternProjectBase
    {
        public string BasePath = @"[project.ExternPath]\someproject";
 
        [Configure()]
        public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            conf.IncludePaths.Add(@"[project.BasePath]\include");
            conf.PrivateIncludePaths.Add(@"[project.BasePath]\private\include");
            conf.LibraryPaths.Add(@"[project.BasePath]\lib");
            conf.LibraryFiles.Add(@"someproject");
        }
    }
}

Then, adding dependencies is as simple as calling AddDependency on a project:

class MyProject : MyBaseProject
{
    [Configure()]
    public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {
        conf.AddPublicDependency<SomeProject>(target);
    }
}

As seen in previous example, dependencies themselves can be completely public, rely on their public/private definition, or be completely private.

Something important to note in the previous example is the target argument passed to AddPublicDependency. This is target object binding the two projects together. It might not be as simple as a target. For example, you might to be able to control which third-party library is in debug in your debug build, or even multiple debug builds. Another use case is something Sharpmake specifically allows: defining reusable and shareable Sharpmake script files for specific libraries.

Inherited elements from dependencies is not limited to include paths and libraries. Files to be copied with the executable can be specified, which is particularly useful with DLLs, when linking with an implib instead of a complete static library:

[Configure()]
public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    conf.IncludePaths.Add(@"[project.BasePath]\include");
    if (target.Platform == Platform.win32)
        conf.LibraryFiles.Add("nvtt_win32");
    else if (target.Platform == Platform.win64)
        conf.LibraryFiles.Add("nvtt_win64");
    conf.LibraryPaths.Add(@"[project.BasePath]\lib");
    if (target.Platform == Platform.win32)
        conf.TargetCopyFiles.Add(@"[project.BasePath]\nvtt_win32.dll");
    else if (target.Platform == Platform.win64)
        conf.TargetCopyFiles.Add(@"[project.BasePath]\nvtt_x64.dll");
}

Compiler, Linker and Other Options

Sharpmake supports a huge number of options when generating Visual C++ project files and solutions, most them obviously being compiler and linker options. If a given option is not supported, it's very easy to add support for a new one. The availability of auto-completion in script files makes using new options very easy:

[Configure()]
public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    base.Configure(conf, target);
    conf.Options.Add(new Sharpmake.Options.Vc.Compiler.DisableSpecificWarnings("4996", "4530"));
    conf.Options.Add(Sharpmake.Options.Vc.Compiler.Exceptions.EnableWithSEH);
}

All options are passed through conf.Options, and their types vary between simple types and more complex types, as in the previous example. The Sharpmake.Options static class contains all available options, classified according to the tools and platforms. Setting an option for another platform will simply have no effect as the underlying generator will not use it. For this reason, the previous example would work with PS3 targets, but will have no effect.

There's not much point in enumerating all the available options. Opening Options.cs is simply enough and very easy to follow. This is what it looks like:

namespace Sharpmake
{
    static public class Options
    {
        static public class Vc
        {
            static public class General
            {
                public enum CharacterSet
                {
                    Default,
                    Unicode,
                    [Default]
                    MultiByte
                }
 
                public enum WholeProgramOptimization
                {
                    [Default]
                    Disable,
                    LinkTime,
                    Instrument,
                    Optimize,
                    Update
                }
             // ...

The Default attribute is used to clearly set the default value and quickly identify it when reading code.

Per-file Options

Sharpmake doesn't have precise per-file options to specify any compiler option for any file. This could be added, but instead Sharpmake provides specific features to be changed with file regular expressions, which is actually more powerful and works well enough:

[Configure()]
public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    conf.PrecompSourceExclude.Add(
        @"\gameengine\audio\audioframework.cpp");
    if (target.Platform.IsPC())
    {
        conf.SourceFilesCompileAsCRegex.Add(@"oggvorbis\.bulk\.cpp$");
    }
    // ...

File Including

[module: Sharpmake.Include("extern.sharpmake.cs")]

For better scalability, Sharpmake supports file including, as some previous examples have demonstrated. Something to note is that the includes are necessary for Sharpmake script files to be used outside the debugging environment. They are not used in the debugging environment, where files are instead compiled inside a DLL. Just remember to run generation with the command line after making heavy changes inside the debugging environment.

Blobbing Support

Blobbing support is native in Sharpmake. Sharmake has the following built-in fragment:

[Fragment, Flags]
public enum Blob
{
    // Blob only project, another project references the source files
    Blob = 0x01,
 
    // Normal Visual Studio project without blobbing.
    // Can be combined with Blob inside same solution.
    NoBlob = 0x02,
}

The fragment does a single thing, non-blob projects will be present even in blob configurations, so that all the source is present. The rest must be done in Sharpmake script files by setting conf.IsBlobbed and similar options:

[Configure(Blob.Blob)]
public virtual void ConfigureBlob(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    conf.IsBlobbed = true;
    conf.ProjectName += "_Blob";
    conf.SolutionFolder = "Blob";
    conf.ProjectFileName += ".blob";
    conf.IncludeBlobbedSourceFiles = false;
}

The following properties can be used to override blobbing default behavior:

  • project.SourceFilesBlobExclude: Files to exclude from blobs.
  • project.SourceFilesBlobExcludeRegex: Regex to exclude files from blobs.
  • project.SourceFilesBlobExtension: Extension of files to be put in blobs.

Work blob numbers can be set in the constructor with BlobWorkFileCount. The normal blob count is automatically provided by BlobSize. The property BlobSizeOverflow is used as a threshold to exceed that size when files are still in the same folder. This approach makes the blobs more stable.

File Inclusion and Exclusion

Sharpmake provides several utilities to exclude and include files easily in projects and blobs. The possibility of using C# also comes handy.

A project typically comes with three types of properties:

  • Excludes: Used to exclude otherwise included files from the project.
  • Includes: Used to include otherwise excluded files from the project.
  • Filters: Used to specify exactly what can be included in a project, for the files already included in the project.

Here's a list of available properties in the Project class:

  • project.SourceRootPath: Root to get source files from.
  • project.AdditionalSourceRootPaths: Additional paths inspected to find source files.
  • project.SourceFiles: Source files themselves.
  • project.SourceFilesExtension: Extensions of source files to be added to the project.
  • project.SourceFilesCompileExtension: Extensions of source files to be compiled in the project.
  • project.SourceFilesFilters: If specified, only files in this list can be included.
  • project.SourceFilesExclude: Files to exclude from the project.
  • project.SourceFilesIncludeRegex: Files matching SourceFilesIncludeRegex and SourceFilesExtension from the source directory will make SourceFiles.
  • project.SourceFilesFiltersRegex: If specified, only files matching the patterns can be included.
  • project.SourceFilesExcludeRegex: Source files that match this regex will be excluded from the build.
  • project.SourceFilesBuildExclude: Source files to exclude from the build from SourceFiles.
  • project.ResourceFiles: Resource files themselves.
  • project.ResourceFilesExtension: Extension to add resource files automatically from SourceRootPath.

Additionally the following are available in the configuration:

  • conf.SourceFilesBuildExclude: Files to exclude from the project.
  • conf.SourceFilesBuildExcludeRegex: Patterns to exclude files from the project.
  • conf.PrecompSourceExclude: Files not using the precompiled header.
  • conf.PrecompSourceExcludeExtension: Patterns to specify files not using the precompiled header.

Using C# can also provide interesting flexibility. For example, this is code from the project base class on Osborn in Configure(), forcing suffixes like _win32.cpp and folders like /xenon/somefile.cpp to be excluded from some configurations automatically:

var excludedFileSuffixes = new List<string>();
var excludedFolders = new List<string>();
if (target.Platform != Platform.X360)
{
    excludedFileSuffixes.Add("xenon");
    excludedFolders.Add("xenon");
}
if (target.Platform != Platform.Ps3)
{
    excludedFileSuffixes.Add("ps3");
    excludedFolders.Add("ps3");
}
if (target.Platform != Platform.win32)
{
    excludedFileSuffixes.Add("win32");
    excludedFolders.Add("win32");
}
if (target.Platform != Platform.win64)
{
    excludedFileSuffixes.Add("win64");
    excludedFolders.Add("win64");
}
conf.SourceFilesBuildExcludeRegex.Add(@"\.*_(" + string.Join("|", excludedFileSuffixes.ToArray()) + @")\.cpp$");
conf.SourceFilesBuildExcludeRegex.Add(@"\.*\\(" + string.Join("|", excludedFolders.ToArray()) + @")\\");

Ordering String Values

Sharpmake sorts include paths, library paths and libraries, making things more deterministic and readable, especially considering Sharpmake is fully multi-threaded using a thread pool. However, it is likely to sometime need to enforce some order for these things. To fulfill that needs, some Sharpmake fields are using the OrderableStrings type instead of Strings, allowing to optionally supply an integer prevalent in sorting. By default, the integer value is 0. Negative values will be put first and positive values last. For example the following can be specified to make these 2 include paths first after the sort:

conf.IncludePaths.Add(@"[project.RootPath]\gameengine\audio", -2);
conf.IncludePaths.Add(@"[project.RootPath]\gameengine\renderer", -1);

Any integer value can used. For libraries, some are deduced from the TargetFilePath:

[Sharpmake.Export]
public class SomeProject : Sharpmake.Project
{
    // ...

    [Configure()]
    public void Configure(Configuration conf, Target target)
    {

        // ...

        conf.TargetFileOrderNumber = 1000;  // Put the project last, it has compiled STL symbols that will clash with good ones from game engine.
    }

    // ...

}

Filtering Targets Added in Base Class

It's common to make a base class for projects where targets are added. Instead of calling the base class constructor differently, it is also possible to call AddFragmentMask instead to filter the targets that should be used:

[Sharpmake.Generate]
public class LevelEditor : CommonProject
{

    // ...

    public LevelEditor()
    {
        // only in toolmode
        AddFragmentMask(Mode.Tool);

        // ...

    }

    // ...

}

Limited Dependencies

By default, Sharpmake will make sure a project inherits from a dependency everything needed to use it: other dependencies, used libraries, used include paths, etc. In some extreme rare situations where this behavior is not wanted, it is possible to specify exactly what to inherit from a dependency.

The DependencySetting enum contains flags for different use cases to specify precisely what is wanted:

// InheritFromDependenciesDependencies to get all files to copy
conf.AddPrivateDependency<GameEngineDll>(target, DependencySetting.OnlyDependencyInSolution | DependencySetting.InheritFromDependenciesDependencies);

In the specific case of a static library with prebuild event that must be executed before it's inclusion in subsequent project, use DependencySetting.ForcedDependencyInSolution. Otherwise, it is recommended to use the default option to optimize the compilation process:

conf.AddPublicDependency<StaticLibraryWithPrebuildEvent>(target, DependencySetting.ForcedDependencyInSolution);

Preferences

Sharpmake has natural support for user preferences. Currently, a per-user preference file, a user.sharpmake.cs file feature, has been developed for Assassin's Creed, but the feature has been developed completely in .sharpmake.cs files. In the future, we should investigate moving that feature directly into to Sharpmake, at least as an option.

Already, features like Perforce integration are completely optional. Many preferences turn out to be pipeline-specific. Like other solutions generating everything offline and not submitting to Perforce, it allows user preferences to affect the content of generated Visual C++ project files and solutions. In the case of solutions, preferences are more likely to influence the number of solutions generated, by creating solution files dedicated to programmer targets. For projects, preferences are more likely to affect compiler optimizations and Perforce integration.

.NET Support

In addition to generating C++ projects, Sharpmake also supports project generation for C# and C++/CLI.

C++/CLI Support

To use C++/CLI, instead of setting the OutputType to Exe, Lib or Dll, use the .NET versions:

public override void ConfigureAll(Configuration conf, Target target)
{
    base.ConfigureAll(conf, target);
    conf.Output = Configuration.OutputType.DotNetConsoleApp;
}

The enumeration of all project types can be found in Project.Configuration.cs in Sharpmake's source code, and looks like this:

public enum OutputType
{
    Exe,
    Lib,
    Dll,
    DotNetConsoleApp,
    DotNetClassLibrary,
    DotNetWindowsApp,
    None,
}

C# Support

To use the C# version of Sharpmake, use the CSharpProject and CSharpSolution base classes when writing your Sharpmake scripts.

Tip: To help having the correct project folder structure, create a new Project and then write your sharpmake file.

Warning: To permit retro-compatibility, these classes are derived from their C++ equivalent. That is the reason why CSharpProjects have fields like Blobs, even though C# projects have no need for blobbing.

C# Hello, World!

  1. Create the Hello, World! project.

Create a C# source file with some "Hello, World!" code in it for our sample.

using System;
 
namespace HelloWorld
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");
        }
    }
}
  1. Create the Sharpmake script.

Create the project generation script. Let's call it hello.sharpmake.cs. It will create the solution and the project for this example.

using Sharpmake;
 
namespace CSharpHelloWorld
{
    [Sharpmake.Generate]
    public class HelloWorld : CSharpProject
    {
        public HelloWorld()
        {
            RootPath = @"[project.SharpmakeCsPath]\codebase\";
 
            AddTargets(new Target(
            Platform.anycpu,
            DevEnv.vs2010,
            Optimization.Debug | Optimization.Release,
            OutputType.Dll,
            DotNetFramework.v4));
 
            // This Path will be used to get all SourceFiles in this Folder and all subFolders
            SourceRootPath = @"[project.RootPath]\[project.Name]\source";
        }
        [Configure()]
        public virtual void ConfigureAll(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            conf.ProjectFileName = "[project.Name].[target.DevEnv].[target.Framework]";
            conf.ProjectPath = @"[project.RootPath]\[project.Name]";
        }
    }
 
    [Sharpmake.Generate]
    public class HelloWorldSolution : CSharpSolution
    {
        public HelloWorldSolution()
        {
            AddTargets(new Target(
                Platform.anycpu,
                DevEnv.vs2010,
                Optimization.Debug | Optimization.Release,
                OutputType.Dll,
                DotNetFramework.v4));
        }
 
        [Configure()]
        public void ConfigureAll(Configuration conf, Target target)
        {
            conf.SolutionFileName = string.Format("{0}.{1}.{2}", Name, "[target.DevEnv]", "[target.Framework]");
 
            conf.SolutionPath = @"[solution.SharpmakeCsPath]\codebase\";
 
            conf.AddProject<HelloWorld>(target);
        }
    }

    public static class Main
    {
        [Sharpmake.Main]
        public static void SharpmakeMain(Sharpmake.Arguments arguments)
        {
            arguments.Generate<HelloWorldSolution>();
        }
    }
}
  1. Launch Sharpmake as you would normally do for a C++ project.

References

Project References

Adding project references works just like it does with C++ projects, with the Configuration.AddPrivateDependency<...>(target) and Configuration.AddPublicDependency<...>(target) methods.

public override void ConfigureAll(Configuration conf, Target target)
{

    //...

    conf.AddPrivateDependency<Libraries.Ubisoft_Core>(target);

    //...

}
.NET References

.NET references refers to any reference that you would add with the Project->Add Reference command in Visual Studio, using the .NET tab.

Visual Studio's Add .NET Reference Dialog

public override void ConfigureAll(Configuration conf, Target target)
{

    //...

    conf.ReferencesByName.AddRange(new Strings(
        "System",
        "System.Core",
        "System.Xml.Linq",
        "System.Data.DataSetExtensions",
        "System.Data",
        "System.Xml"));

    //...

}

Careful: In Visual Studio, new projects come with default references:

  • System
  • System.Core
  • System.Data
  • System.Data.DataSetExtensions
  • System.Xml
  • System.Xml.Linq

On the other hand, when Sharpmake generates a .NET project, it will not put these references unless you tell it to, so you must specify those references if you need them.

External References

Visual Studio's Add External Reference Dialog

When there is a need for an external reference, use the configuration.AddReferenceByPath(@"path") method.

[Configure()]
public override void ConfigureAll(Configuration conf, Target target)
{

    //...

    conf.ReferencesByPath.Add(@"[project.RootPath]\external\Divelements\SandDock for WPF\Divelements.SandDock.dll");

    //...

}

Copy Local

CopyLocal can be defined per Reference Type using the Project.DependenciesCopyLocal field.

The field represents the combination of Project.DependenciesCopyLocalTypes flags.

[Flags]
public enum DependenciesCopyLocalTypes
{
    None = 0x00,
    ProjectReferences = 0x01,
    DotNetReferences = 0x02,
    ExternalReferences = 0x04,
}

The default settings for each type of reference are as follows:

Reference Type Default value
Project references true
.NET references false
External references true

Example:

public AppsProject()
{
    //Making sure we have ProjectReferences and Externals for apps to run in outputFolder
    DependenciesCopyLocal = DependenciesCopyLocal |
        (DependenciesCopyLocalTypes.ProjectReferences | DependenciesCopyLocalTypes.ExternalReferences);
}

Build Actions

Visual Studio File Properties In Sharpmake most of the Action Builds are generated by the extension and the path of files. For example, source files will have Compile Build Action, XAML files will have Page Build Action.

Some Build Actions can't be determined only with those parameters, build actions such as Resource, Content and None need either a path or extension match to identify the right file association.

Resource

Files with this build action will end in the assembly or executable.

By default, files in "[project.RootPath]\Resources\" are associated with this build action. Use the CSharpProject.ResourcesPath field to change the ResourcesRoot folder.

public class ProjectName : CSharpProject
{
     public ProjectName()
     {

         //...

         ResourcesPath = @"[project.RootPath]\images\";

         //...

     }
}

In addition to the resources folder it is also possible to use the file extension as in C++ with the Project (File Inclusion and Exclusion).

Warning: Files embedded in the .resx file must not be added to resource file list since it will create a copy in the output assembly.

Content

Files with this build action will end in the output folder.

By default, files in "[project.RootPath]\Content\" have this build action. Use the CSharpProject.ContentPath field to change the ContentRoot folder.

public class ProjectName : CSharpProject
{
     public ProjectName()
     {

         //...

         ContentPath = @"[project.RootPath]\HtmlReferences\";

         //...

     }
}

It is also possible to add additional content files, with or without the Always Copy, by using the CSharpProject.AdditionalContent and CSharpProject.AdditionalContentAlwaysCopy properties. For example:

[Sharpmake.Generate]
class ExampleAdditionalContent : LibrariesProject
{
    public ExampleAdditionalContent()
    {

        // ...

        AdditionalContent.Add("additional-content-default-copy.txt");
        AdditionalContentAlwaysCopy.Add("additional-content-always-copy.txt");

        // ...

    }

    // ...

}

None

Files with this build action will not be copied to the output folder. Files using the extensions listed below have this build action by default.

Extension File type
.config C# project XML configuration files.
.settings .NET setting definition file.
.map Debugging maps.
.wsdl Web service description language.
.datasource WCF service reference file.
.cd Microsoft Visual Studio class diagram.
.doc Microsoft Word document. (Legacy format.)
.docx Microsoft Word document.

You can associate new file extensions to the None build action using the CSharpProject.NoneExtension.

public class ProjectName : CSharpProject
{
     public ProjectName()
     {

         //...

         NoneExtension.Add(".xlsx"); //adding Excel files to the project for developers

         //...

     }

     // ...

}

Namespace

In case the project's name does not match the desired default namespace, you can assign the correct one with the CSharpProject.RootNamespace.

[Sharpmake.Generate]
class Ubisoft_Core : ExternalProject
{
    public Ubisoft_Core()
    {
        Name = "Ubisoft.Core";
        RootNamespace = "Ubisoft";

        //...

    }

    // ...

}

Output File Name

In case where the project name isn't the same as the output file name wanted, change the value of CSharpProject.AssemblyName.

[Sharpmake.Generate]
class Ubisoft_Core_Interop : ExternalProject
{
    public Ubisoft_Core_Interop()
    {

        //...

        Name = "Ubisoft.Core";
        AssemblyName = "Ubisoft.Core.Interop";

        //...

    }

    // ...

}

WebReferenceUrls

Visual Studio Web References

To add a Web reference to the project, create a new Sharpmake.WebReferenceUrl instance and add it to the CSharpProject.WebReferenceUrls list.

[Sharpmake.Generate]
class Ubisoft_Confluence : LibrariesProject
{
    public Ubisoft_Confluence()
    {
        Name = "Ubisoft.Confluence";
 
        WebReferenceUrls.Add(
            new WebReferenceUrl
            {
                Name = @"...an-url...",
                UrlBehavior = "Dynamic",
                RelPath = @"Web References\atlassian.confluence\",
                UpdateFromURL = @"...an-url...",
                CachedAppSettingsObjectName = "Settings",
                CachedSettingsPropName = "prop_map"
            });
    }

    //...

}