balscm_version

Detailed Description

Outline

• Purpose
• Classes
• Description
  • Usage
    • Example 1: Embedding Version Information
    • Example 2: Accessing the Embedded Version information

Purpose

Provide source control management (versioning) information.

Classes

• balscm::Version: namespace for versioning information for bal

Description

This component provides source control management (versioning) information for the bal package group. In particular, this component embeds RCS-style and SCCS-style version strings in binary executable files that use one or more components from the bal package group. This version information may be extracted from binary files using common UNIX utilities (e.g., ident and what). In addition, the version static member function in the balscm::Version struct can be used to query version information for the bal package group at runtime. The following {Usage} examples illustrate these two basic capabilities.

Note that unless the version method will be called, it is not necessary to "#include" this component header file to get bal version information embedded in an executable. It is only necessary to use one or more bal components (and, hence, link in the bal library).

Usage

This section illustrates intended use of this component.

Example 1: Embedding Version Information

The version of the bal package group linked into a program can be obtained at runtime using the version static member function as follows:

      #include <balscm_version.h>
 
      assert(0 != balscm::Version::version());
 
      bsl::cout << "BAL version: " << balscm::Version::version()
                << bsl::endl;

Output similar to the following will be printed to stdout:

      BAL version: BLP_LIB_BDE_BAL_0.01.0

The "0.01.0" portion of the string distinguishes different versions of the bal package group.

Example 2: Accessing the Embedded Version information

The versioning information embedded into a binary file by this component can be examined under UNIX using several well-known utilities. For example:

      $ ident a.out
      a.out:
           $Id: BLP_LIB_BDE_BAL_0.01.0 $
 
      $ what a.out | grep BAL
              BLP_LIB_BDE_BAL_0.01.0
 
      $ strings a.out | grep BAL
      $Id: BLP_LIB_BDE_BAL_0.01.0 $
      @(#)BLP_LIB_BDE_BAL_0.01.0
      BLP_LIB_BDE_BAL_0.01.0

Note that ident and what typically will display many version strings unrelated to bal depending on the libraries used by a.out.