FinalBuilder

FinalBuilder automates tasks that are a routine part of the software development cycle. Define a repeatable list of actions that can be executed in the same manner time after time. Traditionally, developers have used DOS batch files or general purpose scripting tools to automate builds. Batch files can be difficult to maintain and understand and suffer from a lack of proper error handling. It can take a long time to evolve a batch file to the point where it is reliable enough for use. FinalBuilder can be used to maintain a build process by automating builds in a GUI environment without requiring batch programming skills.

Key Features:

• Graphical Interface: FinalBuilder presents your build process in a logically structured, graphical interface. Any software developer can define and maintain their build with FinalBuilder, without needing to learn a new XML schema or language.
   
• 600+ Actions: With its extensive library of pre-written actions, FinalBuilder has an action to automate every common task in your build process. It also integrates with your existing compilers, version control systems and testing tools.
   
• Flow Control: FinalBuilder includes Try and Catch actions for localised error handling as well as all the loops and conditional statements you get in a full programming language.
   
• Scheduled Builds: FinalBuilder provides tight integration with the windows scheduling service, which allows builds to be scheduled to run daily, weekly or whenever you wish.
   
• Integrated Debugging: A debugging engine is fully integrated into the FinalBuilder IDE. You can step between actions, set break points and set variable watches to debug your build process.
   
• Detailed Logging: Output from all actions in the build process is directed to the build log. The log maintains the same tree structure as the action lists, which makes it easy to navigate the log file. Logs can be exported in HTML, XML or text formats.
   
• Email, MSN, FTP & SFTP Support: Your build process can email the results of the build to you. For example, if the build fails it can export the log, attach it to an email and send it to you. You can announce successful builds on NNTP news servers.
   
• Variables: Using variables is the key to making your build process dynamic. Use variables to pass information from one action to another and enable actions to build with user specific or machine specific values.
   
• Version Control Integration: FinalBuilder supports more than a dozen version control systems out-of-the-box, so it can get, checkout, tag and perform other build related operations with your existing revision control system.
   
• Scripting Support: Each FinalBuilder action exposes a number of script events, where you have access to all the properties of the action using VBScript, JavaScript, Powershell or Iron Python. In addition, the “Run Script” action allows you to perform specific tasks which might not be covered by the built in action types.
• Action Studio: Action Studio is an IDE for writing custom FinalBuilder actions. It provides a way to extend the built-in functionality in FinalBuilder. Action Studio is included in FinalBuilder and can be accessed under the “Tools” menu.