Build several CDT C++ projects from commandline

What is the best solution to build several CDT C++ projects from the command line? The projects have references and so it is not possible to just build single projects.

This feature has been added in CDT 6 (Final build due June 15th 2009). You can download the final release candidate from builds page: download.eclipse.org/tools/cdt/builds/6.0.0/.

Using a release of Eclipse 3.5 + CDT 6, you can import, build and clean-build projects and the workspace using the following options sent to Eclipse at the command line:

eclipse -nosplash 
        -application org.eclipse.cdt.managedbuilder.core.headlessbuild 
        -import {[uri:/]/path/to/project} 
        -build {project_name | all} 
        -cleanBuild {projec_name | all}

On Windows, use eclipsec.exe instead of eclipse.exe to have build output written to stdout/stderr and so that the call blocks until completion.

The '-application' switch instructs Eclipse to run the CDT headless builder rather than starting the workbench. The other switches can be used individually or together. This means you can checkout a project using a shell script of your own, '-import' it into a workspace, and '-build' it using the Managedbuilder's headless builder.

Use the '-data' switch to specify the workspace to use, which can be an empty temporary directory, see the runtime documentation for other switches supported by the platform runtime: help.eclipse.org/galileo/index.jsp?topic=/org.eclipse.platform.doc.isv/reference/misc/runtime-options.html

See bug 186847 comment 24 and onwards for more detail on the committed functionality.

Pre CDT 6 you could use the JDT's AptBuilder (included with classic Eclipse, for example).

This lets you build an already configured workspace. So you: checkout your source, configure a workspace which points to the checked-out projects. Your automated build scripts can then update the checkouts and run the AptBuilder without needing to start the GUI.