Using vcpkg with Continuous Integration Systems

Using vcpkg in a continuous integration (CI) environment allows you to automate the installation of dependencies and ensure consistent builds across different machines. Here's a general approach to using vcpkg in a CI setup:

1. Install vcpkg: In your CI configuration file (e.g., .travis.yml, appveyor.yml, or azure-pipelines.yml), add a step to clone or download the vcpkg repository.
2. Bootstrap vcpkg: Run the bootstrap-vcpkg script to build vcpkg itself.
3. Install dependencies: Use the vcpkg install command to install the required packages for your project. You can specify the packages in a configuration file or directly in the CI script.
4. Integrate vcpkg: Run vcpkg integrate install to set up the necessary environment variables and integrate vcpkg with your build system.
5. Build your project: Proceed with building your project using the appropriate build commands or scripts.

Here's an example of how you can set up vcpkg in an Azure Pipelines configuration file:

1steps:
2- task: Git@2
3  displayName: 'Clone vcpkg'
4  inputs:
5    repository: 'https://github.com/Microsoft/vcpkg.git'
6    path: 'vcpkg'
7
8- script: .\vcpkg\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
9  displayName: 'Bootstrap vcpkg'
10
11- script: .\vcpkg\vcpkg install spdlog
12  displayName: 'Install dependencies'
13
14- script: .\vcpkg\vcpkg integrate install
15  displayName: 'Integrate vcpkg'
16
17- script: msbuild your_project.sln
18  displayName: 'Build the project'

Adjust the steps and commands based on your specific CI system and project requirements.

By incorporating vcpkg into your CI pipeline, you can ensure that the necessary dependencies are installed and the project builds successfully in the CI environment.