GoldPKG

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Did you pay the Iron Price for CMake and VCPKg Integration or the Gold?
Yes. I watch GoT. Non-GoT can ignore this lame joke

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GoldPKG simplifies VCPKG and CMake Integration by

1. Make VCPKG into the NPM of the C++ World (at least npm install and uninstall :-P)
2. Making it easier to integrate CMake and VCPKG Manifests
3. Making it easier to install and remove packages from Manifests
4. Extend VCPKG with more tighter CMake Integration

How To Install

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You will need

1. NodeJS/NPM
2. CMake
3. A Good C++ Compiler
4. Ninja-Build(Not Required but we recommend)

> npm install -g goldpkg
> goldpkg --init Project

This will create a CMake Project with GoldPKG Support

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Starting

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Using an Existing Project

You need - To possess a top level CMakeLists.txt

• An Initialized Git Repository - With a commit - As we will add vcpkg as a submodule for you Run goldpkg install
  GoldPKG will add .vcpkg submodule etc for you
  We will also generate a VCPKG Manifest for you
  We will also generate a GoldPKG Configuration for you

Handhold Me. Generate Samples for Me

Run goldpkg --init Samples
This generates a CMake Project in the Samples Folder
The Code generated is Modular
We provide a Sample Library in Lib Folder
And Application in src
We also provide Unit Tests for Library

Next run goldpkg install

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How to use?

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1. goldpkg install pkg-names
   Overloads vcpkg install Installs the packages provided in Non-Manifest Mode
   Adds packages to the manifest
   Displays Find and Target to CMake for all packages in Manifest
   If --cmake option is specified with path to CMake Directory, adds Find and Target to all CMakeLists.txt that match the glob

   Will add

   # AUTOGEN FIND COMMANDS GENERATED BY goldpkg
   # AUTOGEN FIND PLEASE DO NOT MODIFY
   find_path(BOOST_ARRAY_INCLUDE_DIRS "boost/array.hpp")
   # AUTOGEN FIND LIBRARY WILL LOOK FOR PACKAGES HERE ONLY
   # AUTOGEN FIND ENDS HERE
   
   ...
   
   # AUTOGEN TARGET GENERATED BY goldpkg
   # AUTOGEN TARGET PLEASE DO NOT MODIFY
   target_include_directories(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE ${BOOST_ARRAY_INCLUDE_DIRS})
   target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE libs::SAMPLE-LIB)
   # AUTOGEN TARGET LIBRARY WILL LOOK FOR PACKAGES HERE ONLY
   # AUTOGEN TARGET ENDS HERE

2. goldpkg install
   Overloads vcpkg install
   Displays Find and Target to CMake for all packages in Manifest

3. goldpkg remove pkg-names
   Replaces vcpkg remove which does not work in Manifest mode
   Removes pkg-names from Manifest
   DEFAULT:- Removes the package from all CMakeLists.txt found
   If --cmake option is specified, removes Packages from CMakeLists provided in command line

   This option here can be used as a glob also (provide src to remove from all CMakeLists.txt in src directory)

   Remove is a goldpkg only operation as VCPKG as of Now does not Support Remove

4. goldpkg update
   Updates the vcpkg submodule
   Runs bootstrap to rebuild vcpkg executable
   Then runs vcpkg update

5. goldpkg --versupgrade

   Absent in VCPKG
   One of our own commands.
   Upgrades the Semver version specified in the manifest (choices: "major", "premajor", "minor", "preminor", "patch", "prepatch", "prerelease")

   We use the same library as NPM

6. Rest of the commands
   Directly passed to vcpkg

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What next?

1. Install the Dependencies using (goldpkg install)
2. Modify the Code and add libraries to your liking
3. Run cmake -S . -B build -G Ninja
   This will generate Ninja-Build files for you
   I recommend using Ninja-Build because it's pretty nice
4. Run cmake --build build to build the code
5. cd build
6. Run ctest to start testing

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OPTIONS

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Option	Definition	Type
--version	Show version number	[boolean]
--help	Show help	[boolean]
--bootstrap	Bootstrap VCPKG	[array]
--config-json	Provide Path to Configuration File. By Default, Looks in Current Directory	[string] [default: Current Directory]
--cmake	Provide Path to CMakeLists.txt.	[string]
--vcpkg-json	Provide Path to vcpkg Manifest	[string] [default: Current Directory]
--vcpkg-root	Provide Path to VCPkg.	[string] [default: Current Directory]
--save-dev, --dev	Save New Package to Dev Environment
--cmake-toolchain	Get the Path to VCPKG ToolChain File
--triplet	Set the VCPKG Triplet	[string]
--versupgrade	Semver updates of Manifest	[choices: "major", premajor", "minor", "preminor", "patch", "prepatch", "prerelease"]
--init	Name the Directory to Initialize the Project	[string]
--vcpkg	Pass Commands directly to VCPKG instead of using our Overloads	[array]

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ADDITIONAL CONFIGURATIONS

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We provide a .goldpkg.json file by default

{
    "Bootstrap": ["-disableMetrics"],
    "VCPkg": []
}

Currently supports configuring Bootstrap and VCPKG with additional commands

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FAQ

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1. Why do we need another package manager after the 100s we already have?

   Spoiler Alert

   We don't Let's stop making new package managers and start supporting existing ones

   Our package extends VCPKG to add support for CMake
   VCPKG manages the packages
   VCPKG performs the downloads
   VCPKG performs the installations All we do is Integrate VCPKG and CMake

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2. Do I need to add Toolchain File when running CMake?
   No. We add the Toolchain to the Root CMake File we provide
   No need to configure anything. The Process is Automatic
   All you need to do is run at least one command in the Root directory

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3. Do I need to install something for your Library to Work?
   Yes you will need to install Node.JS/NPM.
   And then run the Command mentioned above

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4. Does your App work on Windows & Linux?
   You bet it does

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5. Do you plan to add support for these to VCPKG?
   That's the Aim.
   See TypeScript allows us to develop the code very quickly
   So this is a prototyping model
   Based on the responses of the userbase, I will try to add new features

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6. Do you work for Microsoft? Is this package officially backed by Microsoft or VCPKG Team?
   The max I have done is created issues and used VCPKG since 2018
   I do not and have not yet had the pleasure of working for them
   So no, this package enjoys no official support from VCPKG or Microsoft

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7. I have ideas to share and features to add. Can I help?
   GoldPKG needs you!
   It's sort of a meme I realise but there are a lot of features we can add here
   And I cannot do it alone

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8. I just learnt how to use VCPKG. Now I have to learn how to use this. Why?
   This is a genuine question.
   The thing is though, the way GoldPKG is designed, you do not have to learn a new anything.
   GoldPKG overloads VCPKG commands
   It uses absolutely the same commands so knowledge of one, transfers to another

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9. What do you provide in the Generated Repo?
   We provide

   1. Clang-Format file. (To use Clang-Format with Support for globs as Input params install clang-format-ex. Another of my libraries)
   2. A Sample CMake Project with
      • Boost Array
      • Catch2 for Unit Testing
      • VCPKG Manifest with both installed
      • Why were these packages chosen?
        • To be honest, I have no idea why I chose Boost-Array
        • Catch2 is one of the most popular Unit Tests solutions though
   3. VCPKG installed as a Submodule
   4. An NPM Package.json
      • You can choose not to use it
      • I provided it because I sometimes use
        • Husky
        • Lint-Staged
      • for Git Hooks
   5. GitHub Actions for Unit Testing CMake on
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • macOS

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10. I want to run VCPKG Commands Directly. I don't want to use your overloads
    We allow that
    Use

> goldpkg --vcpkg <-commands->

11. Why create GoldPKG?
    I wanted something like Node_Modules and NPM for C++
    However, I found nothing that works well
    VCPKG working as submodules was begging to be used as the Node_Modules of the C++ World
    Begging I tell you. Begging!

12. Can this be used for production?
    I am not sure. I don't think it should be used in production till we reach our first major release

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Samples Repo Location

Not to put to fine a point on it, you could find it here

We might need a lot of help optimising this repo to make it better for most of our userbase here as well

More comments and to make the CMake less CMake-y and more Tutorial like

(I have not written a lot of CMake code in my life and it shows)

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Reserved Sections in CMakeLists.txt

The idea is no..., we are not here to overrwrite your packages We reserve our zones, you reserve yours

Now what if you have your own find_package commands?

No issues, we stop searching the moment our comment at the top is not found

We reserve our zones.

We do not focus on the rest

1. Zone For find_

Right below project() command

project (SAMPLE-RUN)
# AUTOGEN FIND COMMANDS GENERATED BY goldpkg

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2. Zone for target_

We add these at the very end
At the last line

target_link_libraries(${PROJECT_NAME} PRIVATE Catch2::Catch2)
# AUTOGEN TARGET LIBRARY WILL LOOK FOR PACKAGES HERE ONLY
# AUTOGEN TARGET ENDS HERE

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3. Zone for set (CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE

We add this either to the first line or after cmake_minimum_required
And only in the Top Level Directory (same as one with VCPKG Manifest)

cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.14.0 FATAL_ERROR)

# AUTOGEN TOOLCHAIN Generated by goldpkg
# AUTOGEN TOOLCHAIN Links to LOCAL VCPKG ToolChain File
set(CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/.vcpkg/scripts/buildsystems/vcpkg.cmake CACHE STRING "Vcpkg toolchain file")
# AUTOGEN TOOLCHAIN Generation ENDS

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HOW DOES IT ALL WORK

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You work with the deficiencies of VCPKG
VCPKG install in Manifest mode does not showcase CMake Information
So we run vcpkg install package-names in Non-Manifest Mode first
Get the package-names CMake Information
And append those to the CMake Files

While removing, we do the same Except we delete this time

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TODO

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1. EASILY ACHIEVABLE

1. One of my favourite parts of NPM is that using NPM version <-option->

   • It not only updates the version like GoldPKG
   • But creates a Commit
   • And a Tag
   • We could add that

2. Nicer Template Repo

   • If you have seen our template, it must be
   • Painfully obvious that I am not Mr CMake
   • Painfully obvious I don't use CMake for a living
   • Painfully obvious the Unit Tests to everything are Zero Effort
   • If we could clean that up, it would be rather nice!

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2. DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE

1. Something similar to NPM PUBLISH
   • Automatically commit the code and create a Pull Request in VCPKG Repo Manually
   • This could be used via GitHub Actions or other such tools
   • Or, we modify GoldPKG
2. Something simplar to NPM Scripts
   • In NPM you can
   • Provide script command where
   • You can mention the commands you can run
   • Say something like
   • goldpkg run format
   • Would format your entire Codebase

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Contact the Developer

You can contact me via LinkedIn or create a GitHub Issue

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