# cDAC Build Tool## SummaryThe purpose of `cdac-build-tool` is to generate a `.c` file that contains a JSON cDAC contract descriptor.It works by processing one or more object files containing data descriptors and zero or more textfiles that specify contracts.## Running```console% cdac-build-tool compose [-v] -o contractdescriptor.c -c contracts.txt datadescriptor.o```## .NET runtime build integration`cdac-build-tool` is meant to run as a CMake custom command.It consumes a target platform object file and emits a C sourcefile that contains a JSON contract descriptor.  The C sourceis the included in the normal build and link steps to create the runtime.The contract descriptor source file depends on `contract-aux-data.c` which is a source file that containsthe definitions of the "indirect pointer data" that is referenced by the data descriptor.  This is typically the addresses of important global variables in the runtime.Constants and build flags are embedded directly in the JSON payload.Multiple data descriptor source files may be specified (for example if they are produced by different components of the runtime, or by different source languages).  The final JSON payload will be a composition of all the data descriptors.Multiple contracts text files may be specified.  This may be useful if some contracts are conditionally included (for example if they are platform-specific).  The final JSON payload will be a composition of all the contracts files.```mermaidflowchart TB  headers("runtime headers")  data_header("datadescriptor.h")  data_src("datadescriptor.c")  compile_data["clang"]  data_obj("datadescriptor.o")  contracts("contracts.txt")  globals("contractpointerdata.c")  build[["cdac-build-tool"]]  descriptor_src("contractdescriptor.c")  vm("runtime sources")  compile_runtime["clang"]  runtime_lib(["libcoreclr.so"])  headers -.-> data_src  headers ~~~ data_header  data_header -.-> data_src  headers -.-> globals  headers -.-> vm  data_src --> compile_data --> data_obj --> build  contracts ---> build  build --> descriptor_src  descriptor_src --> compile_runtime  data_header -.-> globals ----> compile_runtime  vm ----> compile_runtime --> runtime_lib```--- * add implementation note notes* add an emitter* read in the directory header* contract parsing* indirect pointer value support* move sample to tool dir* Take baselines from the docs/design/datacontracts/data dir  We don't parse them yet, however* Add README* fix BE   Store the magic as a uint64_t so that it will follow the platform endianness.   Store endmagic as bytes so that it directly follows the name pool - and fix the endmagic check not to look at the endianness* hook up cdac-build-tool to the coreclr build; export DotNetRuntimeContractDescriptor* cleanup; add contracts.txt* add diagram to README* move implementation notes* better verbose output from ObjectFileScraper* turn off whole program optimizations for data-descriptor.obj   On windows /GL creates object files that cdac-build-tool cannot read   It's ok to do this because we don't ship data-descriptor.obj as part of the product - it's only used to generate the cDAC descriptor* C++-ify and add real Thread offsets* no C99 designated initializers in C++ until C++20* build data descriptor after core runtime* fix gcc build* simplify ObjectFileScraper   just read the whole file into memory* invoke 'dotnet cmake-build-tool.dll' instead of 'dotnet run --project'* clean up macro boilerplate* platform flags* turn off verbose output* can't use constexpr function in coreclr   because debugreturn.h defines a `return` macro that expands to something that is not c++11 constexpr* Rename "aux data" to "pointer data"* rename "data-descriptor" to "datadescriptor"* simplify linking* cdac-build-tool don't build dotnet tool; turn on analyzers* rationalize naming; update docs; add some inline comments* renamce cdac.h to cdacoffsets.h* improve output: hex offsets; improved formatting* don't throw in ParseContracts; add line numbers to errors* change input format for contracts to jsonc* add custom JsonConverter instances for the compact json representation* simplify; bug fix - PointerDataCount include placeholder* one more set of feedback changes: simpler json converters* set _RequiresLiveILLink=false for cdac-build-tool.csproj   fixes windows builds:   error MSB3026: (NETCORE_ENGINEERING_TELEMETRY=Build) Could not copy "D:\a\_work\1\s\artifacts\obj\ILLink.Tasks\Debug\net9.0\ILLink.Tasks.dll" to "D:\a\_work\1\s\artifacts\bin\ILLink.Tasks\Debug\net9.0\ILLink.Tasks.dll". Beginning retry 1 in 1000ms. The process cannot access the file 'D:\a\_work\1\s\artifacts\bin\ILLink.Tasks\Debug\net9.0\ILLink.Tasks.dll' because it is being used by another process.    ---------Co-authored-by: Elinor Fung <elfung@microsoft.com>Co-authored-by: Aaron Robinson <arobins@microsoft.com>