ThordekkCore/BUILD_QUICK_REFERENCE.md

TrinityCore Build System - Quick Reference Card

🚀 Most Common Commands

Daily Development Workflow (Playerbot Module)

# Edit your code, then:
build_playerbot_and_worldserver_debug.bat

# Deploy and test:
cd M:\Wplayerbot\bin
worldserver.exe -c worldserver.conf

Performance Testing

# Switch to Release build:
configure_release.bat
build_playerbot_and_worldserver_release.bat

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📋 Build Commands Overview

Command	Purpose	Build Time	When to Use
configure_debug.bat	Setup Debug build	2-3 min	First time or after CMake changes
configure_release.bat	Setup Release build	2-3 min	For production deployment
build_playerbot_and_worldserver_debug.bat	RECOMMENDED: Build Playerbot + worldserver (Debug)	5-10 min	Daily development
build_playerbot_and_worldserver_release.bat	Build Playerbot + worldserver (Release)	5-8 min	Performance testing
build_debug.bat	Full solution build (Debug)	20-40 min	Complete rebuild needed
build_release.bat	Full solution build (Release)	15-30 min	Production build

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⚡ Quick Decision Tree

Need to build? Start here:
│
├─ Changed Playerbot code?
│  ├─ Development/Testing? → build_playerbot_and_worldserver_debug.bat ✅
│  └─ Performance Test? → build_playerbot_and_worldserver_release.bat
│
├─ First time building?
│  ├─ configure_debug.bat
│  └─ build_debug.bat
│
├─ Switching Debug ↔ Release?
│  ├─ configure_[debug/release].bat
│  └─ build_[debug/release].bat
│
└─ Build errors?
   ├─ Try: Clean build (rmdir /s /q build)
   └─ Then: configure_debug.bat && build_debug.bat

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📊 Configuration Comparison

Aspect	Debug	Release	Notes
Binary Size	76 MB	25 MB	3x smaller in Release
Build Speed	Slower	Faster	~25% faster in Release
Runtime Speed	Baseline	+20-50%	Significant improvement
Debugging	Full	Limited	Choose based on need
Memory Usage	Higher	Lower	20-40% less in Release

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🔧 Essential Troubleshooting

Build Failed?

1. First Try:

   # Clean and rebuild
   rmdir /s /q build
   configure_debug.bat
   build_debug.bat
   

2. Linking Errors (LNK2038)?

   • Check: type build\CMakeCache.txt | findstr "Boost"
   • Debug libs should have -gd- suffix
   • Release libs should NOT have -gd- suffix

3. Missing Libraries?

   # Install vcpkg dependencies
   C:\libs\vcpkg\vcpkg.exe install tbb:x64-windows parallel-hashmap:x64-windows
   

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📁 Key File Locations

Build Outputs

• Debug worldserver: build\bin\Debug\worldserver.exe
• Release worldserver: build\bin\Release\worldserver.exe
• Playerbot library: build\src\server\modules\Playerbot\[Debug/Release]\playerbot.lib

Configuration Files

• CMake cache: build\CMakeCache.txt
• VS Solution: build\TrinityCore.sln
• Build logs: build_*_output.txt

Dependencies

• vcpkg: C:\libs\vcpkg
• Boost: C:\libs\boost_1_78_0
• MySQL: C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 9.4

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🎯 Best Practices

DO:

✅ Use build_playerbot_and_worldserver_debug.bat for daily development ✅ Clean build directory when switching configurations ✅ Check CMakeCache.txt if library errors occur ✅ Use Release build for performance testing

DON'T:

❌ Mix Debug and Release builds in same directory ❌ Skip configure step after pulling CMake changes ❌ Use Debug build for production ❌ Ignore linking errors - they won't fix themselves

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💡 Pro Tips

1. Faster Builds: Reduce /maxcpucount:2 to /maxcpucount:1 if running out of memory
2. Debug Symbols: .pdb files are huge but essential for debugging
3. Incremental Builds: Only rebuild what changed - much faster!
4. Release Testing: Always test Release build before deployment

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🆘 Need Help?

1. Check BUILD_DOCUMENTATION.md for detailed explanations
2. Review build_*_output.txt for error details
3. Verify libraries with C:\libs\vcpkg\vcpkg.exe list
4. Ensure Visual Studio 2022 Enterprise is installed

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📈 Performance Metrics

Build Type	Full Build	Incremental	Module Only
Debug	20-40 min	5-10 min	2-5 min
Release	15-30 min	5-8 min	2-5 min

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🔄 Version Info

• Visual Studio: 2022 Enterprise (v17+)
• CMake: 3.24+
• Boost: 1.78
• MySQL: 9.4
• C++ Standard: C++20

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Last Updated: 2025-10-16 Quick Tip: Bookmark this file for instant reference!