Building a Branch

Overview

Building a branch compiles the current branch's source files into a deployable package. The build process validates the project's code, resolves dependencies, and produces an output that can be deployed to a target device. Building is a prerequisite for deployment - a branch must be built successfully before it can be deployed.

How to Build

To build the current branch, click the Build button in the file explorer toolbar. The build process runs on the platform's infrastructure and compiles the source files from the currently selected branch at its current snapshot. Build progress and status are tracked and displayed within the platform interface.

If the build completes successfully, the branch is ready for deployment. If the build fails, error details are provided in the build output, including specific error messages, file references, and line numbers where applicable. The build output can be reviewed in the Deployments Window (see Deployments Window for details).

Build Scope

A build always operates on the current snapshot of the selected branch. This means the build input is deterministic - building the same snapshot produces the same output. The snapshot hash displayed in the file explorer footer identifies exactly which version of the files was used for the build.

TIP

Record the snapshot hash from the file explorer footer when performing builds. This provides an unambiguous reference to the exact version of the project files that were compiled, which is valuable for troubleshooting build failures and for audit purposes.

INFO

Building a branch does not modify the branch's file system or create new transactions. It is a read-only operation that compiles the existing files without altering them.