Base refactor
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# Compiling, Debugging and Running
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This document's purpose is to explain how to compile, debug and run the project
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on your machine. It is assumed that you have a basic understanding of the
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fundamentals of your operating system and how to use a terminal.
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## Preamble
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The Dawn project is written almost entirely in C and C++. This includes all of
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the tooling used to generate the project and assets. The only non-C/C++ code is
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used by CMake to generate the output compilation files. This provides the Dawn
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project an extremely high level of portability not typically seen in other
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projects.
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## TLDR; Version
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This document is going to go over the installation and configuration of the
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following items. If you are already familiar with these tools, you can skip to
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the "Downloading the Source Code" section.
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- C/C++ Compiler
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- CMake
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- Git
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- IDE
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You may also need *python*, since we depend on third-party libraries that may use
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python scripts to generate their own build files. This is not required for the
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Dawn project itself.
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## Pre-Configuration
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In order to compile the Dawn project, you are required to have the following
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tools installed on your machine.
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### 1. A C/C++ Compiler
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The exact tool(s) will depend on your specific scenario. The compiler is used to
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take the .cpp/.hpp files and generating binaries that execute on the target
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machine. Typically you will use your own C/C++ compiler for the machine that you
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are currently running, e.g. if you are running Windows, you will use the Visual
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Studio compiler. If you are running Linux, you will use GCC or Clang. If you are
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running macOS, you will use Clang, and so-on.
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If you are intending to compile on a different machine than the one you are
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currently running, you will need to use a cross-compiler that is specific for
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your use-case. You will also need to refer to the documentation for creating a
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new Dawn engine target.
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Please follow the instructions for your specific operating system to install the
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appropriate C/C++ compiler.
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**Windows**
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You will need to download and install [Visual Studio](https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/).
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Visual Studio (not to be confused with Visual Studio Code) is a full IDE that
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bundles the official Microsoft C/C++ compiler. It is the recommended compiler
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for building the Dawn project on Windows.
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Advanced used can also use [MinGW](http://www.mingw.org/) or another compiler if
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they wish, however this is not officially supported.
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After installing Visual Studio, you will need to install the C++ development
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tools. This can be done by opening the Visual Studio Installer and selecting
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the "Desktop development with C++" workload.
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**Linux**
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You will need to install the GCC and Clang compilers. The compilers are usually
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installed either by default or by installing the necessary packages for your
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Linux distribution.
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For example, on Ubuntu, you can install the GCC and Clang compilers by running
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the following command:
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```bash
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sudo apt install build-essential clang
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```
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On Arch Linux, you can install the GCC and Clang compilers by running the
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following command:
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```bash
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sudo pacman -S base-devel clang
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```
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And on Fedora, you can install the GCC and Clang compilers by running the
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following command:
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```bash
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sudo dnf install @development-tools clang
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```
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For other distributions, please refer to your distribution's documentation.
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**macOS**
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You will need to install the Xcode command line tools. This can be done by done
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by running the following command in your terminal:
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```bash
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xcode-select --install
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```
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Afterwards you will need to install and enable [Brew](https://brew.sh/). This
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can be done by running the following command in your terminal:
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```bash
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/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
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```
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### 2. CMake
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CMake is a tool that is used to generate the compilation files for the Dawn
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project. In short this is used to create versions of the Dawn project that can
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be compiled on all different sets of compilers, so if you are compiling on, for
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example, Windows, you can use CMake to generate the compilation files for the
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Visual Studio compiler, or if you are compiling on Linux, you can use CMake to
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generate the compilation files for the GCC or Clang compilers, and so-on.
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To install CMake, please follow the instructions for your specific operating
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system. All other operating systems can be found on the [CMake downloads page](https://cmake.org/download/).
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**Windows**
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You will need to download and install [CMake](https://cmake.org/download/). The
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installer will guide you through the installation process and will install the
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CMake executable to your system. It is recommended that you add CMake to your
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system PATH if requested by the installer.
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**Linux**
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Like installing the C/C++ compilers, you will need to install CMake using your
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specific Linux distribution's package manager, there is also a chance that CMake
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can be installed using flatpak or snap. Please refer to your distribution's
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documentation for more information.
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For Ubuntu and other Debian-based distributions, you can install CMake by using
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the following command:
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```bash
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sudo apt install cmake
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```
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For Arch Linux, you can install CMake by using the following command:
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```bash
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sudo pacman -S cmake
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```
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And for Fedora, you can install CMake by using the following command:
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```bash
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sudo dnf install cmake
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```
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**macOS**
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You will install CMake using brew. We detailed how to install brew in the C/C++
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compiler section. To install CMake, run the following command in your terminal:
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```bash
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brew install cmake
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```
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### 3. Git
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Git is a version control system that is used to manage the Dawn project's source
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code. It is used to download the source code, and to update the source code to
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the latest version. It is also used to manage the project's dependencies. Git is
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a standard tool in the programming industry and is used to manage complex
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projects, especially those that are worked on by multiple people.
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Git, like all of the above tools, is installed slightly differently depending on
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your operating system. Please follow the instructions for your specific
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operating system.
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**Windows**
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You will need to download and install [Git](https://git-scm.com/downloads). The
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installer will guide you through the installation process and will install the
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Git executable to your system. It is recommended that you add Git to your system
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PATH if requested by the installer. You do not need to add the Context-menu
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items to your system.
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**Linux**
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Like installing the C/C++ compilers, you will need to install Git using your
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specific Linux distribution's package manager. It is also likely that git would
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have been installed by default. Please refer to your distribution's docs for
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more information.
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For Ubuntu and other Debian-based distributions, you can install Git by using
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the following command:
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```bash
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sudo apt install git
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```
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For Arch Linux, you can install Git by using the following command:
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```bash
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sudo pacman -S git
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```
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And for Fedora, you can install Git by using the following command:
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```bash
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sudo dnf install git
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```
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**macOS**
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You will install Git using brew. We detailed how to install brew in the C/C++
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compiler section. To install Git, run the following command in your terminal:
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```bash
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brew install git
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```
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### 4. An IDE
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An IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is a tool that is used to view and
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edit code of projects. While it is not required to use an IDE, it is recommended
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since it can make the process of editing and running the project much easier.
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There are many different IDEs available, and often people chose an IDE that will
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suit their preferences and needs, however if you are unsure of which IDE you
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should be using, the Dawn project recommends using [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/),
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not to be confused with Visual Studio.
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Visual Studio Code is a free and open-source IDE that is widely used in the
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industry for its simple, modern and configurable interface. For example you can
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configure VSCode to work on Web Projects, Game Projects, and more. It acts like
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a text editor with a bunch of extra tools.
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In addition to installing the VSCode IDE, we will add several recommended
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plugins that will make editing the Dawn project easier and more seamless.
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To install VSCode follow the instructions for your specific operating system on
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the [VSCode downloads page](https://code.visualstudio.com/download), as it can
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vary a lot between operating systems.
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After installing VSCode, you will need to install the following plugins, by
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clicking on the "Extensions" icon on the left-hand side of the VSCode window,
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and searching for the following plugins. You may also be able to click on the
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following links to install the plugins directly, but it may not work.
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- [C/C++](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode.cpptools)
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- [CMake](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=twxs.cmake)
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- [CMake Tools](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode.cmake-tools)
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## Downloading the Source Code
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Now that you have all of the necessary tools installed, you can download the
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source code of the project and using it to build. The source code contains all
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of the code of the project, as well as the assets and the build scripts. This is
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confidential information and should not be shared with anyone.
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### 1. Cloning the Repository
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We previously installed the git tool, which is used to download the source code
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of the project, and some third-party libraries. To download the source code, you
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will need to open a terminal and navigate to the directory where you want to
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download the source code to.
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Afterwards, you will need to run the following command:
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```bash
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git clone https://git.wish.moe/YourWishes/Dawn.git
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```
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This will download the source code of the project to a new subdirectory called
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"Dawn" and put all of the projects' source code within there.
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### 2. Installing the Dependencies / Libraries.
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I try to keep dependencies on third-party libraries to a minimum, however there
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are a few libraries that are required to build the Dawn project. These libraries
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are not included in the source code, and must be downloaded separately. This is
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done using the git tool.
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After you have cloned the above repository, you will need to open a terminal and
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navigate to the directory where you downloaded the source code to. Afterwards,
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you will need to run the following command:
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```bash
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git submodule update --init --recursive
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```
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This will fetch all of the third-party libraries that are required to build the
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Dawn project. This may take a while depending on your internet connection.
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### 3. Loading the Project
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This step is semi-optional. We are aiming to build the project using CMake, and
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the easiest way to do this is to use the CMake Tools plugin for VSCode that we
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installed earlier. This plugin will automatically detect the CMake files in the
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project and will allow us to build the project using the VSCode interface.
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If you opted out of using VSCode, you will need to set up your CMake environment
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to suit your IDE or needs. This is outside of the scope of this document, and
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you will need to refer to your IDE's documentation for more information.
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To load the project, you will need to open VSCode and open the Dawn project
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directory. Most operating systems will allow you to do this by dragging the
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Dawn project directory onto the VSCode window. If this does not work, you can
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open VSCode and click on the "File" menu, and click on "Open Folder". You will
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then need to navigate to the Dawn project directory and click "Open".
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Afterwards you will likely be prompted autometically to configure the CMake
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Tools plugin. If you are not, you can click on the "CMake" icon on the left-hand
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side of the VSCode window, and click on "Configure". This will configure the
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CMake Tools plugin to use the CMake files in the Dawn project directory.
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You may also be asked to select a compiler. If you are using Windows, you will
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need to select the Visual Studio compiler. If you are using Linux, you will need
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to select the GCC or Clang compiler. If you are using macOS, you will need to
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select the Clang compiler. If you are using a different compiler, you will need
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to select the appropriate compiler.
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If prompted to select a build type, select "Debug".
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## Compiling the Project
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Now that we have the project loaded into our IDE, we can compile the project.
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This is done using the CMake Tools plugin for VSCode. If you are not using
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VSCode you will need to refer to your IDE's documentation for more information.
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Firstly, you will need to create a settings file to configure the project. In
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VSCode you can create a new folder called `.vscode` (Including the leading `.`)
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in the Dawn project root directory. Afterwards, you will need to create a new
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file called `settings.json` in the `.vscode` directory. You will then need to
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paste the following into the file:
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```json
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{
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"cmake.configureArgs": [
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"-DDAWN_BUILD_TOOLS=true",
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"-DDAWN_BUILD_TARGET=target-liminal-win32-glfw",
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"-DDAWN_DEBUG_BUILD=true"
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]
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}
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```
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And save the file. You may want to alter the values to suit your needs. For
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example, if you are compiling on Linux, you will need to change
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`target-liminal-win32-glfw` to `target-liminal-linux-glfw`. If you are compiling
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on macOS, you will need to change it to `target-liminal-osx-glfw`. The specific
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configure arguments are outside of the scope of this document, and you will need
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to refer to the specific target documentation for more information.
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After you have created the settings file, you will need to configure and build
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the project. To perform the build you need to click "Build" button the bottom of
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the VSCode window. This will compile the project and will output the resulting
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binaries in to a "build" directory within the Dawn project directory.
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Upon clicking the "Build" button, you will see an output panel appear at the
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bottom of the VSCode window. This will show the process of the build, and will
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show any errors that may occur. This is used to debug and fix any issues that
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may occur during the build process.
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If the build was successful, you will see a "Build finished" message in the
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output panel, typically read as;
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```bash
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[build] Build finished with exit code 0
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```
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If you do not see this message, or if the exit code is not 0, you will need to
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debug the issue. The output panel will show the error message which is helpful
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so we can debug the issue. If you are unable to debug the issue, you can ask for
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help in the Discord server.
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## Running the built project
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After the build process succeeds you will be able to run the project. This is
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done by clicking on the Run icon, which looks like a play button, on the bottom
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of the VSCode window. This will run the project in production mode and will not
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show any debug information.
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If the program hangs, crashes or does not run, you can click the Debug icon,
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which looks like a ladybug, on the bottom of the VSCode window. This will run
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the project in debug mode and will show debug information and HALT the program
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if there is an error detected. If program HALTS in debug mode you can use this
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information to debug the issue. If you are unable to debug the issue, you can
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ask for help in the Discord server.
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