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Build automation is a common practice in software development, using a scripting language to link modules and processes. It ensures better quality software by running test scripts before integrating code modules, and allows tracking of historical builds. It increases productivity and ensures a higher quality software product.
Build automation is the technique used during the software development lifecycle in which the source code of the software conforms to the machine language code of the computer with an automation build script. This build automation process has become common practice as complex software paradigms have evolved. As software evolved from top-down structured programming into object-oriented distributed modules, build automation became a critical dependency in managing those components.
There are several steps in the development lifecycle for complex software applications. First, the software code is developed, tested and integrated in a self-contained development environment. Once the code is completed by the developer, it is integrated into a shared environment, where it must interact with other software components that may be built by other developers. Before code is integrated into a shared environment, several precautions must be taken to ensure that newly developed code does not affect the code of other developers within the software development team.
Typically, build automation is accomplished using a scripting language that allows the developer to link other modules and processes within the build process. This scripting language encapsulates the manual tasks required to generate a quality software product. These activities include documenting, testing, compiling and distributing the binary software code.
Build automation is well known as a best practice for software code generation as it provides the ability to ensure better quality software. Code test automation is the main reason for this improvement. By forcing test scripts to run before integrating code modules into compiled code, your software project is likely to contain fewer errors during the deployment cycle.
As build automation advances, the scripting languages used by software developers for compiling source code have also advanced. During the early years of build automation, many tasks were completed by dedicated build experts who ran build scripts from an operating system’s command line. Today, these build scripting languages are actually built into most Integrated Development Environment (IDE) packages.
Another key benefit of build automation is the ability to track impacts to your code based on historical builds. A task within the build script includes generating a version number for the code. This version number gives the software developer and testers a point of reference as to when a new bug has been introduced into the production environment.
Build automation has made the software building process easier to manage within software development teams. This process increases productivity and ensures a higher quality software product by allowing reusable scripts for all software builds.
