5.4Building every commit
Turn a pipeline's auto-build on and every push becomes a build.
Section 4 of 4 in this chapter
Every pipeline has an Auto-build switch. With it on, a push to the pipeline's branch queues a build automatically. With it off, builds start when someone presses Build now.
The live queue in the dashboard shows what is waiting, what is running on which machine, and how far through it is.
A setup that works
You do not need to build everything on every commit, and on a game project you actively should not — a full cook is measured in tens of minutes and a queue that never drains tells you nothing.
The arrangement that works for most teams is two pipelines:
- A compile check on auto-build, so a commit that breaks the build is caught within minutes of landing and the person who broke it is still thinking about it.
- A package pipeline you trigger by hand, when you actually want something to play.
Add editor binaries on auto-build the first time an artist waits on a compile. Add a nightly package once the team is large enough that somebody always wants yesterday's build.