Build Management for AspectC++∗

In large software systems the build process often takes a very considerable amount of time. When some source code files are modified, partial rebuilding of only the affected system parts is desired. For many years tools have existed, which can automatically detect dependencies between source code files and perform partial rebuilding. However, no common tool is currently able to deal efficiently with the crosscutting nature of aspects in aspect-oriented programming (AOP). As a result, changes to a single system aspect often trigger a full system build process. In this position paper we present our experiences with using AspectC++ to build large software systems. We present an approach to speed up the rebuild process by specifying aspect and component code dependencies in a declarative manner.