The xPack buildConfigurations definitions

During development, it is usual to build separate debug and release binaries, with different configurations, like different preprocessor macros, different compiler options, different optimisation levels, etc.

Extensive testing also requires building separate binaries, possible targetted to different architectures, and using different toolchains, even different versions of the same toolchain.

The build configurations address exactly this need, and allow to define multiple different actions to run different builds and/or tests.

Build configurations can define their own properties, actions, definitions and devDefinition which take precedence over definitions with the same names defined at the project level.

To avoid redundant definitions, build configurations can inherit properties, actions, definitions and devDefinition from one or more other build configurations, and redefine some of them, as needed.

A build configuration can inherit from multiple other build configurations. The inherit array defines the list inherited build configurations; the common definitions are collected in the listed order, with later entries overriding earlier ones.

Example:

{
  "xpack": {
    "buildConfigurations": {
      "common-dependencies": { "...": "..." },
      "common-actions": { "...": "..." },
      "common-actions-native": { "...": "..." },
      "common-docker": { "...": "..." },
      "darwin-x64": {
        "inherit": [
          "common-dependencies",
          "common-actions",
          "common-actions-native"
        ],
        "devDependencies": {
          "@xpack-dev-tools/clang": "16.0.6-1.1",
          "@xpack-dev-tools/realpath": "9.4.0-1.1",
          "@xpack-dev-tools/sed": "4.9.0-3.1"
        },
        "actions": {
          "build": "caffeinate {{properties.commandBashBuild}}",
          "build-development": "caffeinate {{properties.commandBashBuild}} --develop",
          "build-development-debug": "caffeinate {{properties.commandBashBuild}} --develop --debug",
          "build-development-tests-only": "caffeinate {{properties.commandBashBuild}} --develop --tests-only"
        }
      },
      "darwin-arm64": {
        "inherit": [
          "darwin-x64"
        ]
      },
      "linux-x64": {
        "inherit": [
          "common-dependencies",
          "common-actions",
          "common-actions-native",
          "common-docker"
        ],
        "devDependencies": {
          "@xpack-dev-tools/gcc": "13.2.0-2.1",
          "@xpack-dev-tools/patchelf": "0.18.0-1.1"
        },
        "properties": {
          "dockerImage": "ilegeul/ubuntu:amd64-18.04-xbb-v5.2.2"
        }
      },
      "linux-arm64": {
        "inherit": [
          "linux-x64"
        ],
        "properties": {
          "dockerImage": "ilegeul/ubuntu:arm64v8-18.04-xbb-v5.2.2"
        }
      },
      "linux-arm": {
        "inherit": [
          "linux-x64"
        ],
        "properties": {
          "dockerImage": "ilegeul/ubuntu:arm32v7-18.04-xbb-v5.2.2",
          "force32": "linux32"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

The "hidden": true definition can be used by GUI tools (like Visual Studio Code) to filter out internal definition when rendering trees of action, for example.