conan-basic-usage

name	conan-basic-usage
description	Basic operations for the Conan C++ package manager. Use when the user explicitly asks to 'use conan' for tasks like creating projects, installing dependencies, or building packages, or asks for 'how to' guidance on Conan setup.

Conan Basic Usage

Overview

This skill provides guidance on using Conan, the C/C++ package manager. It covers project initialization, dependency management, and package creation.

Quick Start

1. Initialize a Project

To create a standard project structure for a C++ library using CMake:

mkdir myproject && cd myproject
conan new cmake_lib -d name=myproject -d version=0.1

This generates:

• conanfile.py: The package recipe.
• CMakeLists.txt: The build script.
• src/ & include/: Source and header files.
• test_package/: A consumer project to verify the package.

2. Install Dependencies

To install dependencies defined in conanfile.py and build missing binaries:

conan install . --build=missing

3. Create/Build Package

To build the package and export it to your local Conan cache:

conan create .

This runs the build() method in conanfile.py, creates the binary package, and runs the tests in test_package/.

Common Tasks

Managing Dependencies

• Install: Use conan install . to resolve and install dependencies. Add --build=missing to compile from source if binaries aren't available for your configuration.
• Inspect: Use conan graph info . to see the dependency tree.

Remote Management

• List Remotes: conan remote list
• Add Remote: conan remote add <remote_name> <url>
• Upload: conan upload <package_name> -r <remote_name>

Reference

• Project Structure: Best practices for directory layout. See project-structure.md.

• Configuration: Core settings, cache location, and profiles. See configuration.md.

• Runtime & Build Layout: Build directory structure and how to find shared libraries. See runtime-layout.md.

• Internal Files: Understanding conanmanifest.txt, conaninfo.txt, etc. See internal-files.md.

• Commands: Comprehensive list of common commands. See commands.md.