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 <packagename> -r <remotename>

Reference

• Project Structure: Best practices for directory layout. See [project-structure.md](references/project-structure.md).

• Configuration: Core settings, cache location, and profiles. See [configuration.md](references/configuration.md).

• Runtime & Build Layout: Build directory structure and how to find shared libraries. See [runtime-layout.md](references/runtime-layout.md).

• Internal Files: Understanding conanmanifest.txt, conaninfo.txt, etc. See [internal-files.md](references/internal-files.md).

• Commands: Comprehensive list of common commands. See [commands.md](references/commands.md).