Independent Thoughts

At regularly scheduled intervals, the automated process should access the most recent set of source files from the source control system and then perform all tasks needed to build the application, including compilations, initialization, linking, transfers and other tasks needed to construct the application. Depending on the nature and complexity of the application being built, the automated build could take a long time and could involve multiple machines. If multiple versions of the product must be built, the build automatically should construct all required versions. In any case, messages related to build completion and issues should be made available to a designated team member; for example, results could be directed to a file or e-mailed to that team member.

If you are working on n-tier applications such as Web-based applications, the automated build process should be capable of building the application on a staging server as well as on the production server. The purpose of a staging area is to provide a safe zone where the application modifications can be exercised and tested thoroughly before they are made live. This way, errors can be found and fixed before they reach the public. Some files, such as images and static pages, can be tested thoroughly without a staging area, but those with dynamic functionality–such as programs, database connections and the like–cannot. The staging area should look like the actual application but should contain copies of the same components used in the actual application.

Builds can be automated using scripts, makefiles and build tools such as Ant. Once you have a process for automating all build tasks, you can use utilities such as cron to ensure that the necessary tasks are performed automatically at the same time each day.