What is CMake and CTest (builds and tests)

Where it helps a business

• A calculation is embedded into production software, and people other than its author must be able to build it.
• A formula error is expensive, found only at cutting time, so formulas must be checked automatically.

How we use it

The FEFCO box die-line library for a packaging manufacturer builds with CMake 3.14 or newer on Linux, macOS and Windows, with no external dependencies. One command builds the library, a utility for manual calculations and the tests. Tests for the formulas, nesting, input validation and style-code parsing run through CTest. The reference values (a 300×200×150 mm box in 3 mm board gives a 1047×356 mm blank) were verified by running the code.

Calculation services for manufacturing are under Automation.

Common problems

• Spreadsheet calculations. Before the library, errors came from spreadsheet formulas: board thickness is easy to forget, and every style has its own formula. Code with tests catches such errors before cutting.
• A test checks the formula, not the plant. The creasing allowance is an approximation and is checked against a specific plant's tooling.

When you do not need it

Python scripts and bots do not need CMake: they have their own build and test tools.