Optimizing Dependency Builds

Oct 13, 2025 by magicalceylontours.com 123 views

Overview

In this article, we will explore the implementation of a watch mode for acton build and acton test. This feature will enable the acton CLI to continuously run and watch for changes to files, rebuilding or retesting as necessary. We will discuss the potential benefits of this feature, including improved performance in projects with multiple dependencies.

Benefits of Watch Mode

The watch mode will provide several benefits to users of the acton CLI. Firstly, it will enable faster rebuilds and retests by only recompiling or retesting dependencies that have changed. This is particularly useful in projects with multiple dependencies, where the time spent building dependencies can be significant.

Optimizing Dependency Builds

One of the main benefits of the watch mode is that it will optimize dependency builds by only recompiling dependencies that have changed. This is because dependencies that use a URL and hash (and no --dep override) do not need to be recompiled unless the compilation options change. This can significantly speed up the build process in projects with multiple dependencies.

Zig's Watch Mode

Zig, the build system used by acton, has a built-in watch mode. However, it is primarily designed for Zig code and may not work as well for C code. We will need to investigate whether Zig's watch mode is useful for our purposes and whether it can be integrated with the acton CLI.

Implementation

To implement the watch mode, we will need to add a new command-line option to acton build and acton test. This option will enable the watch mode and allow the acton CLI to continuously run and watch for changes to files.

Command-Line Options

We will need to decide on the command-line options for enabling the watch mode. Two options are:

acton build watch
acton build --watch

We will also need to add a similar option for acton test, such as:

acton test watch

Implementation Details

To implement the watch mode, we will need to:

Add a new command-line option to acton build and acton test to enable the watch mode.
Modify the acton CLI to continuously run and watch for changes to files.
Implement the logic for rebuilding or retesting dependencies that have changed.
Investigate whether Zig's watch mode can be integrated with the acton CLI.

Implementation Code

The implementation code will depend on the specific requirements of the watch mode. However, here is an example of how the code might look:

// acton/build.go
func build(watch bool) error {
    // ...
    if watch {
        // Enable watch mode
        watchChan := make(chan struct{})
        go func() {
            // Continuously run and watch for changes to files
            for {
                // ...
            }
        }()
        // ...
    }
    // ...
}

// acton/test.go
func test(watch bool) error {
    // ...
    if watch {
        // Enable watch mode
        watchChan := make(chan struct{})
        go func() {
            // Continuously run and watch for changes to files
            for {
                // ...
            }
        }()
        // ...
    }
    // ...
}

Conclusion

Implementing a watch mode for acton build and acton test will provide several benefits to users of the acton CLI, including improved performance in projects with multiple dependencies. We will need to add a new command-line option to enable the watch mode and modify the acton CLI to continuously run and watch for changes to files. We will also need to investigate whether Zig's watch mode can be integrated with the acton CLI.

Future Work

Future work on the watch mode will include:

Investigating whether Zig's watch mode can be integrated with the acton CLI.
Optimizing the watch mode to improve performance.
Adding additional features to the watch mode, such as the ability to specify which dependencies to watch.

References

Zig's Watch Mode
Acton CLI Documentation
Q&A: Implementing Watch Mode in acton build and acton test ===========================================================

Q: What is the purpose of implementing a watch mode in `acton build` and `acton test`?

A: The purpose of implementing a watch mode in acton build and acton test is to enable the acton CLI to continuously run and watch for changes to files, rebuilding or retesting as necessary. This will improve performance in projects with multiple dependencies by only recompiling or retesting dependencies that have changed.

Q: How will the watch mode improve performance in projects with multiple dependencies?

A: The watch mode will improve performance in projects with multiple dependencies by only recompiling or retesting dependencies that have changed. This is because dependencies that use a URL and hash (and no --dep override) do not need to be recompiled unless the compilation options change. This can significantly speed up the build process in projects with multiple dependencies.

Q: What command-line options will be used to enable the watch mode?

A: We will need to decide on the command-line options for enabling the watch mode. Two options are:

acton build watch
acton build --watch

We will also need to add a similar option for acton test, such as:

acton test watch

Q: How will the watch mode be implemented in the `acton` CLI?

A: To implement the watch mode, we will need to:

Add a new command-line option to acton build and acton test to enable the watch mode.
Modify the acton CLI to continuously run and watch for changes to files.
Implement the logic for rebuilding or retesting dependencies that have changed.
Investigate whether Zig's watch mode can be integrated with the acton CLI.

Q: What is Zig's watch mode, and can it be integrated with the `acton` CLI?

A: Zig's watch mode is a built-in feature that allows Zig to continuously run and watch for changes to files. However, it is primarily designed for Zig code and may not work as well for C code. We will need to investigate whether Zig's watch mode can be integrated with the acton CLI.

Q: What are the benefits of implementing a watch mode in `acton build` and `acton test`?

A: The benefits of implementing a watch mode in acton build and acton test include:

Improved performance in projects with multiple dependencies
Reduced build times
Increased productivity

Q: What are the potential challenges of implementing a watch mode in `acton build` and `acton test`?

A: The potential challenges of implementing a watch mode in acton build and acton test include:

Integrating Zig's watch mode with the acton CLI
Optimizing the watch mode to improve performance
Adding additional features to the watch mode

Q: What is the next step in implementing a watch mode in `acton build` and `acton test`?

A: The next step in implementing a watch mode in acton build and acton test is to investigate whether Zig's watch mode can be integrated with the acton CLI and to optimize the watch mode to improve performance.

Q: How can users of the `acton` CLI benefit from the watch mode?

A: Users of the acton CLI can benefit from the watch mode by:

Improving performance in projects with multiple dependencies
Reducing build times
Increasing productivity

Q: What is the expected timeline for implementing a watch mode in `acton build` and `acton test`?

A: The expected timeline for implementing a watch mode in acton build and acton test is dependent on the complexity of the implementation and the availability of resources. However, we anticipate that the implementation will take several weeks to several months to complete.