Command Reference

CForge provides a comprehensive set of commands for building, testing, and managing C/C++ projects.

Core Commands

Command	Description	Example
init	Create new project/workspace	cforge init --template lib
build	Build the project	cforge build --config Release
clean	Clean build artifacts	cforge clean
run	Run built executable	cforge run -- arg1 arg2
test	Execute tests (CTest integration)	cforge test --filter MyTest
install	Install project binaries	cforge install --prefix /usr/local
deps	Manage dependencies	cforge deps --update
package	Package project binaries	cforge package --type zip

Developer Tools

Command	Description	Example
fmt	Format code with clang-format	cforge fmt --check
lint	Run clang-tidy static analysis	cforge lint --fix
watch	Watch files and rebuild on changes	cforge watch --run
doc	Generate documentation with Doxygen	cforge doc --open
bench	Run benchmarks	cforge bench --filter BM_*
tree	Display dependency tree	cforge tree --depth 3
new	Generate code from templates	cforge new class MyClass
completions	Generate shell completions	cforge completions bash

Project Management

Command	Description	Example
add	Add a dependency to the project	cforge add fmt
remove	Remove a dependency	cforge remove spdlog
update	Update dependencies	cforge update
lock	Lock dependency versions	cforge lock
list	List variants, configs, or targets	cforge list variants
ide	Generate IDE project files	cforge ide vscode
vcpkg	Manage vcpkg integration	cforge vcpkg install

Utility Commands

Command	Description	Example
version	Display version information	cforge version
help	Show help for commands	cforge help build

---

Global Options

All commands accept these global options:

Option	Description
-v, --verbose	Enable verbose output
-q, --quiet	Suppress non-essential output
-c, --config	Build configuration (Debug, Release, etc.)

---

Command Details

init

Create a new cforge project or workspace.

# Create a project in current directory
cforge init

# Create a named project
cforge init my_project

# Create with options
cforge init --name=my_project --cpp=20 --with-tests --with-git

# Create a workspace with projects
cforge init --workspace my_workspace --projects app lib tests

Options:

Option	Description
--name	Set project name
--workspace	Create a workspace
--projects	Create multiple projects
--cpp	Set C++ standard (11, 14, 17, 20, 23)
--template	Use template (exe, lib, header-only)
--with-tests	Add test infrastructure
--with-git	Initialize Git repository

build

Build the project using CMake.

# Debug build (default)
cforge build

# Release build
cforge build --config Release

# Verbose output
cforge build -v

Output:

   Compiling my_app v1.0.0
   Compiling src/main.cpp
   Compiling src/utils.cpp
    Finished Debug target(s) in 2.34s

run

Build and run the executable.

# Run the default target
cforge run

# Pass arguments
cforge run -- --help --verbose

# Run specific target
cforge run my_target

test

Run tests using CTest.

# Run all tests
cforge test

# Filter tests
cforge test --filter "Unit*"

# Verbose output
cforge test -v

fmt

Format source code using clang-format.

# Format all files
cforge fmt

# Check formatting (no changes)
cforge fmt --check

# Format specific path
cforge fmt src/

Requirements: clang-format must be installed and available in PATH.

lint

Run static analysis using clang-tidy.

# Analyze all files
cforge lint

# Auto-fix issues
cforge lint --fix

# Specific checks
cforge lint --checks="modernize-*"

Requirements: clang-tidy must be installed and available in PATH.

watch

Watch for file changes and automatically rebuild.

# Watch and rebuild
cforge watch

# Watch and run after build
cforge watch --run

# Custom poll interval
cforge watch --interval 2

Press Ctrl+C to stop watching.

doc

Generate documentation using Doxygen.

# Generate documentation
cforge doc

# Initialize Doxyfile
cforge doc --init

# Generate and open in browser
cforge doc --open

Requirements: Doxygen must be installed and available in PATH.

bench

Run benchmark executables.

# Run all benchmarks
cforge bench

# Filter benchmarks
cforge bench --filter "BM_Sort*"

# Output formats
cforge bench --json
cforge bench --csv

# Skip build step
cforge bench --no-build

tree

Display the project's dependency tree.

# Show dependency tree
cforge tree

# Limit depth
cforge tree --depth 2

# Show all details
cforge tree -v

Output:

my_app v1.0.0
├── fmt (10.1.0) [vcpkg]
├── spdlog (1.12.0) [vcpkg]
│   └── fmt (10.1.0) [vcpkg]
└── my_lib (local) [project]

new

Generate code from templates.

# Create a class
cforge new class MyClass

# Create a header file
cforge new header utils

# Create with namespace
cforge new class MyClass -n myapp

# Create a test file
cforge new test MyClassTest

# Available templates: class, header, struct, interface, test, main

completions

Generate shell completion scripts.

# Bash
cforge completions bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/cforge

# Zsh
cforge completions zsh > ~/.zfunc/_cforge

# PowerShell
cforge completions powershell >> $PROFILE

# Fish
cforge completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/cforge.fish

ide

Generate IDE project files.

# VS Code
cforge ide vscode

# CLion
cforge ide clion

# Visual Studio
cforge ide vs

# Xcode (macOS only)
cforge ide xcode

deps

Manage project dependencies.

# Show dependencies
cforge deps

# Update all dependencies
cforge deps --update

# Check for outdated
cforge deps --check

add / remove

Manage dependencies in cforge.toml.

# Add a vcpkg dependency
cforge add fmt

# Add with version
cforge add "spdlog@1.12.0"

# Remove a dependency
cforge remove spdlog

package

Create distributable packages.

# Create a ZIP package
cforge package --type zip

# Create installer (platform-specific)
cforge package --type installer

list

List project information.

# List build variants
cforge list variants

# List targets
cforge list targets

# List configurations
cforge list configs