zig compile_commands.json

A simple zig module to generate compile_commands.json from a slice of build targets.

Intended for Zig v0.14.0 (Older versions available, check commit history)

Relies on static variables to store the targets, so that the make step can access them.

Example Usage

First, build.zig.zon:

.{
    .name = "your-project",
    .version = "0.0.1",
    .minimum_zig_version = "0.14.0",
    .dependencies = .{
        .compile_commands = .{
            .url = "https://github.com/the-argus/zig-compile-commands/archive/1a71188d1816cc0741785d4694f790a1106a150a.tar.gz",
            .hash = "1220fd24e1b2dbdcdd90041c83243277435a3a7d333f42b20b8d165fee27d66096f7",
        },
    },
    .paths = .{"src"},
}

Then, bring that into your build.zig:

// import the dependency
const zcc = @import("compile_commands");

pub fn build(b: *std.Build) !void {
    // make a list of targets that have include files and c source files
    var targets = std.ArrayList(*std.Build.Step.Compile).init(b.allocator);

    // create your executable
    const exe = b.addExecutable(.{
        .name = "my-project",
        .optimize = mode,
        .target = target,
    });
    // keep track of it, so later we can pass it to compile_commands
    targets.append(exe) catch @panic("OOM");
    // maybe some other targets, too?
    targets.append(exe_2) catch @panic("OOM");
    // if this is an output, append it. but if exe or exe_2 links it, then it
    // will get pulled in automatically
    targets.append(lib) catch @panic("OOM");

    // add a step called "cdb" (Compile commands DataBase) for making
    // compile_commands.json. could be named anything. cdb is just quick to type
    zcc.createStep(b, "cdb", targets.toOwnedSlice() catch @panic("OOM"));
}

And you're all done. Just run zig build cdb to generate the compile_commands.json file according to your current build graph.