How to use the command conan (with examples)

Conan is an open source, decentralized, and cross-platform package manager that allows you to create and share native binaries. It provides various subcommands and features, and in this article, we will explore some of its common use cases.

Use case 1: Install packages based on conanfile.txt

Code:

conan install .

Motivation: Installing packages based on the conanfile.txt is a common scenario when working with Conan. The conanfile.txt contains the list of dependencies required for your project. By using the command conan install ., Conan will read the conanfile.txt and install the necessary packages according to the specified dependencies.

Explanation of arguments:

• install: This is the main command of Conan that is used to install packages.
• .: The dot (.) represents the current directory. In this case, it tells Conan to look for the conanfile.txt in the current directory.

Example output:

Installing packages...
Requirement conanfile.txt (ProjectName/1.0.0): Downloaded
...

Use case 2: Install packages and create configuration files for a specific generator

Code:

conan install -g generator

Motivation: Sometimes you may need to generate specific configuration files for a certain build system or IDE. The -g flag in Conan allows you to specify a generator that will create the necessary files. This use case is useful when you want to integrate Conan with a specific build system or IDE.

Explanation of arguments:

• -g generator: The -g flag is used to specify the generator to be used. Replace generator with the actual generator name, such as cmake, qmake, or visual_studio.

Example output:

Installing packages...
Generating files...
Generated files for 'cmake' in 'build' directory.

Use case 3: Install packages, building from source

Code:

conan install . --build

Motivation: In some cases, you may want to build the packages from source rather than downloading pre-built binaries. The --build flag in Conan enables the building from source feature. This use case is particularly useful when you need to customize the build process or debug issues related to the package build.

Explanation of arguments:

• --build: This flag instructs Conan to build the packages from source.

Example output:

Installing packages...
Building from source...
Package 'libpng/1.6.37' is being built...
...

Use case 4: Search for locally installed packages

Code:

conan search package

Motivation: When working with Conan, it is important to know which packages are installed on your system. The conan search command allows you to search for locally installed packages based on their names. This use case helps you to quickly find information about the packages you have installed.

Explanation of arguments:

• search: This is the command to search for packages.
• package: Replace package with the name of the package you want to search for.

Example output:

Searching local packages...
Found package 'boost/1.76.0':
    recipe: ConanCenter/boost/1.76.0
    binary: False
...

Use case 5: Search for remote packages

Code:

conan search package -r remote

Motivation: Conan allows you to use remote repositories to search for packages. The -r flag in the conan search command enables you to specify a remote repository to search in. This use case is helpful when you want to discover packages available in remote repositories.

Explanation of arguments:

• -r remote: The -r flag is used to specify the remote repository to search in. Replace remote with the actual remote name, such as conan-center or bincrafters.

Example output:

Searching in remote repository 'conan-center'...
Found package 'opencv/4.5.2':
    recipe: conan/opencv/4.5.2
    binary: True
...

Use case 6: List remotes

Code:

conan remote list

Motivation: As mentioned before, Conan allows you to use remote repositories. The conan remote list command lists all the configured remote repositories. This use case helps you to see the list of remote repositories and their respective URLs.

Explanation of arguments:

• remote: The command remote instructs Conan to list the configured remote repositories.

Example output:

Configured remote repositories:
    conan-center: <https://conan.bintray.com>
    bincrafters: <https://api.bintray.com/conan/bincrafters/public-conan>
    my-company-repo: <https://my-company.com/artifactory/api/conan/conan-local>
...

Conclusion:

Conan is a powerful package manager that simplifies the process of installing and managing native binaries. In this article, we explored various use cases of the conan command, including installing packages, generating configuration files, building from source, searching for packages, and managing remote repositories. Understanding these use cases will help you leverage Conan’s capabilities and efficiently manage your dependencies.