Build Process & Development Guide

This guide explains how to build the Cake Planner Backend from source and how to package it as an AppImage.

Prerequisites

The project requires a modern Linux environment with C++23 support.

System Requirements

• Linux: (Ubuntu 24.04 recommended)
• CMake: 3.23+
• Compiler: GCC 13+ or Clang 16+ (Must support C++23).
• Build System: CMake 3.24 or newer.
• Dependencies:
  • Qt6: Modules Core, Sql, Gui.
  • OpenSSL: libssl-dev.
  • Git, Make, wget (for fetching resources).

Installing Dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential cmake git
sudo apt install qt6-base-dev libqt6sql6-sqlite libssl-dev

Building from Source

The project uses CMake as its build system.

1. Clone the Repository:

    git clone https://github.com/Zheng-Bote/cake-planner-backend.git
    cd cake-planner-backend

1. Create a Build Directory:

mkdir build
cd build

1. Configure the Project:

cmake ..

Note: Dependencies like Crow, spdlog, etc., are automatically fetched via CMake FetchContent.

1. Compile:

make -j$(nproc)

1. Run:

./CakePlanner

creating an AppImage

The project includes a script to package the application as a standalone AppImage.

Script: create_appimage.sh

This script automates the following steps:

1. Rebuilds the project in Release mode.
2. Creates an AppDir structure.
3. Copies binaries, icons, and .desktop files.
4. Downloads linuxdeploy and the qt-plugin.
5. Generates the final .AppImage file.

Usage

Run the script from the project root:

chmod +x create_appimage.sh
./create_appimage.sh

Result

After successful execution, you will find CakePlanner-x86_64.AppImage in the root directory. You can run it directly:

./CakePlanner-x86_64.AppImage

Note: AppImages require FUSE to run. On newer Ubuntu versions (22.04+), you might need to install libfuse2: sudo apt install libfuse2