Building a program, even a simple one, offers many options. The table below lists some of the most common. The ordering reflects an undergraduate student's familiarity with each build type. The developer has to choose the configuration they need.
Note that the "Minimum Configuration" is the minimum number of variations each choice has, as there can be so much more. The "Total Configurations" is the minimum number of what is presented here, but there are more than the ones listed.
When you commit a build directory to the repository, you choose which configuration of the >= 82,944. That does not work. So, don't put your generated build files in the repository. Let whoever builds it choose their configuration. And allows them to easily build as many variations as they need.
| Type | Values | Other Values/Variations | Minimum Configurations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target Operating System | Windows, Linux, macOS | Each OS has multiple releases | |
| Architecture | x86 (amd64), arm64 (aarch64) | ||
| Standard Compliance and Language Features | C++11, C++17, C++23 | pre-C++11 | |
| CMake Build Types | Debug, Release, RelWithDebInfo, MinSizeRel | Custom build options | |
| Compiler and Compiler Versions | GCC, Clang, MSVC | Specific releases | |
| Linkage Types | static linking, dynamic linking | Choice for each library used | |
| Configuration Options | -DTRACE=ON, -DTRACE=OFF |
Real programs have many configuration options | |
| Errors and Warnings | -Wall, -Wextra, -Werror |
Can also individually turn off each warning or error, e.g., -Wformat, -Wno-format |
|
| Optimization Levels and Flags | -flto, -fomit-frame-pointer, -march=native, -funroll-loops |
Lots of these, and can also turn them off, e.g., -fno-lto |
|
| Dependency Versions | libarchive 3.7.2 | Too many versions to list, and possible multiple dependencies | |
| Cross-Compilation Settings | Build on X86 for arm64, build on arm64 for X86 | ||
| Total Configurations | Does not take into account other variations | 82,944 {: #total-configurations } |