Developer Build and Configuration

Developer Build and Configuration

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Build System Overview

CoreTrace is a CMake C++20 project (cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.11)).

Main target:

• executable: ctrace

Dependency integration is split between FetchContent and ExternalProject.

Dependencies Pulled by CMake

FetchContent

• nlohmann/json (v3.11.3 archive)
• coretrace-stack-analyzer (Git, main)
• coretrace-log (Git, main)
• cpp-httplib (Git tag v0.14.3)

ExternalProject

• tscancode (Git master, built in its own external directory)
• flawfinder (Git master)

Local Build Commands

cd /Users/hugopayet/Desktop/CLaude/coretrace
mkdir -p build && cd build
cmake .. -DPARSER_TYPE=CLI11 -DUSE_THREAD_SANITIZER=OFF -DUSE_ADDRESS_SANITIZER=OFF
make -j4

Run smoke check:

./ctrace --help

CMake Options

• PARSER_TYPE: Getopt or CLI11 (default CLI11)
• USE_THREAD_SANITIZER: ON|OFF
• USE_ADDRESS_SANITIZER: ON|OFF
• USE_EXTERNAL_CLI11: download/link external CLI11 when parser type is CLI11

Sanitizer note:

• ThreadSanitizer and AddressSanitizer should not be enabled together.

Parser Backend Selection

Factory logic (createArgumentParser) chooses:

• GetoptArgumentParser when USE_GETOPT is defined
• CLI11ArgumentParser otherwise

USE_GETOPT is set when CMake PARSER_TYPE=Getopt.

Formatting and CI Checks

Local scripts:

./scripts/format.sh
./scripts/format-check.sh

CMake targets:

cmake --build build --target format
cmake --build build --target format-check

CI currently checks:

• clang-format workflow installs clang-format 17 and runs scripts/format-check.sh
• build workflow builds on Linux and macOS, and runs ./ctrace -h

LLVM and Toolchain Notes

Project workflows install LLVM/Clang 20 in CI for Linux and macOS builds.

For local parity with CI, prefer LLVM 20 toolchains when working on stack-analyzer integration.

Configuration Flow and Precedence

CLI entry path

1. Parse CLI options into ArgumentManager.
2. If --tool-config exists, load JSON into ProgramConfig first.
3. Apply CLI commands (ConfigProcessor) afterward.

Result: CLI flags/options override overlapping values loaded from tool-config.

HTTP API entry path (POST /api)

1. Apply boolean request fields.
2. If tool_config is provided, load JSON.
3. Apply request string/list fields afterward.

Result: explicit request string/list values can override loaded file values.

tool-config Supported Structure

Current loader supports:

• Root:
  • invoke
  • input
• Analyzer section at either:
  • stack_analyzer
  • or tools.ctrace_stack_analyzer

Supported analyzer keys include:

• Paths: compile_commands, resource_model, escape_model, buffer_model
• Booleans: demangle, timing, include_compdb_deps, quiet
• Scalars: stack_limit, analysis-profile/analysis_profile, smt* keys
• Lists: smt-rules/smt_rules, entry_points

Path values in config file are resolved relative to the config file directory.

Runtime Assumptions to Keep in Mind

• Some tool executables are invoked with specific paths/commands in implementation.
• cppcheck path is hardcoded to /opt/homebrew/bin/cppcheck in current code.
• Environment/runtime setup therefore affects which tools can actually execute.

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