name	xmake-basics
description	Use when the user is starting a new Xmake project, installing Xmake, or needs the minimal xmake.lua structure. Covers installation, `xmake create`, the project layout, and the smallest valid xmake.lua.

Xmake Basics

Xmake is a cross-platform build utility based on Lua. A project is driven by a single xmake.lua file at the repository root.

Verify with xmake --version.

xmake create -l c++ -P hello        # C++ console app
xmake create -l c -t static hello   # C static library

Templates: console (default), static, shared, binary. List with xmake create --list.

add_rules("mode.debug", "mode.release")

target("hello")
    set_kind("binary")
    add_files("src/*.cpp")

That is enough to build with xmake and run with xmake run hello.

mode.debug / mode.release are built-in rules. Switch with:

xmake f -m debug     # or release
xmake

myproject/
  xmake.lua
  src/
    main.cpp
  include/
  tests/

add_files("src/*.cpp") globs source files; add_includedirs("include") exposes headers.

name	xmake-basics
description	Use when the user is starting a new Xmake project, installing Xmake, or needs the minimal xmake.lua structure. Covers installation, `xmake create`, the project layout, and the smallest valid xmake.lua.