seed.conf Reference

Overview

The seed.conf file contains one-time configuration settings that define where source code, build artifacts, and installed binaries are stored. It also specifies which CMake generator to use and which version set file to apply.

File Location

The file is created in the build-steps directory:

miele-lxiv/
└── doc/
    └── build-steps/
        ├── seed.sh           # Creates seed.conf
        ├── seed.conf         # Generated configuration
        ├── Kconfig-seed      # Menu structure
        └── build.sh          # Uses seed.conf

Creation

The file is created by running seed.sh:

./seed.sh

This launches an interactive menu where you configure:

Directory paths
CMake generator
Version set file
Source sharing option

If seed.conf doesn’t exist, build.sh automatically runs seed.sh on first execution.

File Format

#
# Automatically generated file; DO NOT EDIT.
# Miele-LXIV - Once-only configuration
#
CONFIG_VERSION_SET="version-set-8.8.conf"
CONFIG_SRC_DIR="~/Downloads/source"
CONFIG_BLD_DIR="~/Documents/temp/build"
CONFIG_BIN_DIR="~/Applications"
CONFIG_GENERATOR_MK=y
# CONFIG_GENERATOR_XC is not set
# CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES is not set
TIMESTAMP=miele-easy-20210615_1423

Configuration Variables

Version Set Selection

CONFIG_VERSION_SET

string

required

Path to the version set file that defines all package versions.Default: version-set-8.8.confExamples:

version-set-9.0.conf
version-set-8.8.conf
version-set-7.3.46.conf
version-set-7.1.38.conf
version-set-custom.conf

CONFIG_VERSION_SET="version-set-8.8.conf"

This file is sourced by build.sh:

build.sh:34

source $CONFIG_VERSION_SET

Directory Paths

CONFIG_SRC_DIR

string

required

Base directory for downloaded source code.Default: ~/Downloads/sourceTilde expansion: The ~ is expanded to your home directory by the build script.

CONFIG_BLD_DIR

string

required

Base directory for build artifacts (CMake build directories).Default: ~/Documents/temp/buildNote: Can be large (several GB). Consider using a dedicated disk or partition.

CONFIG_BIN_DIR

string

required

Base directory for installed binaries and libraries.Default: ~/ApplicationsNote: This is where compiled libraries are installed after building.

CONFIG_SRC_DIR="~/Downloads/source"
CONFIG_BLD_DIR="~/Documents/temp/build"
CONFIG_BIN_DIR="~/Applications"

Directory Structure

The build script creates timestamped subdirectories:

build.sh:58-63

if [ $CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES ] ; then
    eval SRC=$CONFIG_SRC_DIR
else
    eval SRC=$CONFIG_SRC_DIR/$TIMESTAMP
fi
eval SRC_P=$CONFIG_SRC_DIR/$TIMESTAMP # patched packages

Resulting structure:

~/Downloads/source/
└── miele-easy-20210615_1423/
    ├── dcmtk-3.6.5/
    ├── VTK-9.0.1/
    ├── InsightToolkit-5.1.1/
    └── ...

~/Documents/temp/build/
└── miele-easy-20210615_1423/
    ├── dcmtk-3.6.5/
    ├── VTK-9.0.1/
    ├── InsightToolkit-5.1.1/
    └── ...

~/Applications/
└── miele-easy-20210615_1423/
    ├── dcmtk-3.6.5/
    ├── VTK-9.0.1/
    ├── InsightToolkit-5.1.1/
    └── ...

CMake Generator

CONFIG_GENERATOR_MK

boolean

Use Unix Makefiles generator.When set: GENERATOR="Unix Makefiles"Recommended for: Command-line builds, CI/CD, automated builds

CONFIG_GENERATOR_XC

boolean

Use Xcode generator.When set: GENERATOR="Xcode"Recommended for: Interactive development in Xcode IDE

# Unix Makefiles (default)
CONFIG_GENERATOR_MK=y
# CONFIG_GENERATOR_XC is not set

# OR Xcode
# CONFIG_GENERATOR_MK is not set
CONFIG_GENERATOR_XC=y

Only one generator can be selected. The choice is exclusive:

Kconfig-seed:25-35

choice
    prompt "CMake generator"
    default GENERATOR_MK
    
config GENERATOR_MK
    bool "makefiles"

config GENERATOR_XC
    bool "Xcode"
    
endchoice

Usage in build.sh:

build.sh:36-40

if [ $CONFIG_GENERATOR_XC ] ; then
    GENERATOR="Xcode"
elif [ $CONFIG_GENERATOR_MK ] ; then
    GENERATOR="Unix Makefiles"
fi

CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES

boolean

Reuse source code across multiple builds.When enabled: Unpatched packages are stored in $CONFIG_SRC_DIR (no timestamp subdirectory)When disabled: All sources go in $CONFIG_SRC_DIR/$TIMESTAMPDefault: disabled (not set)Benefit: Saves disk space and download time if building multiple versionsCaveat: Only safe for packages that don’t require patching

# Shared sources enabled
CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES=y

# Shared sources disabled (default)
# CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES is not set

How it works:

build.sh:58-79

if [ $CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES ] ; then
    eval SRC=$CONFIG_SRC_DIR
else
    eval SRC=$CONFIG_SRC_DIR/$TIMESTAMP
fi
eval SRC_P=$CONFIG_SRC_DIR/$TIMESTAMP # patched packages cannot be shared

SRC_DCMTK=$SRC_P/$DCMTK  # patched - always timestamped
SRC_GLEW=$SRC/$GLEW      # not patched - can be shared
SRC_GLM=$SRC/$GLM        # not patched - can be shared
SRC_ICONV=$SRC/$ICONV    # not patched - can be shared
SRC_ITK=$SRC/$ITK        # not patched - can be shared
SRC_JASPER=$SRC/$JASPER  # not patched - can be shared
SRC_JPEG=$SRC/$JPEG      # not patched - can be shared
SRC_OPENJPG=$SRC_P/$OPENJPG  # patched - always timestamped
SRC_OPENSSL=$SRC/$OPENSSL    # not patched - can be shared
SRC_PNG=$SRC/$PNG        # not patched - can be shared
SRC_TIFF=$SRC/$TIFF      # not patched - can be shared
SRC_VTK=$SRC/$VTK        # not patched - can be shared
SRC_XML2=$SRC/$XML2      # not patched - can be shared
SRC_ZLIB=$SRC/$ZLIB      # not patched - can be shared
SRC_APP=$SRC_P/$MIELE    # patched - always timestamped

Timestamp

TIMESTAMP

string

Unique identifier for this build, appended by build.sh on first run.Format: miele-easy-YYYYMMDD_HHMMExample: miele-easy-20210615_1423Purpose: Isolates builds from each other

TIMESTAMP=miele-easy-20210615_1423

Added automatically:

build.sh:24-26

if [ -f seed.conf ]; then
    echo "TIMESTAMP=$APP-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M)" >> seed.conf
fi

seed.sh Script

The script that creates seed.conf:

seed.sh:1-23

#!/bin/bash

# Alex Bettarini - 17 Mar 2019

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Once only, create symbolic links to patches to be reused

PATCH_FILE1a=openjpeg-2.2.0_miele-7.1.38.patch
PATCH_FILE1b=openjpeg-2.2.0_miele-7.3.46.patch

pushd patch

if [ ! -f ${PATCH_FILE1b} ]; then
    ln -s ${PATCH_FILE1a} ${PATCH_FILE1b}
fi

popd

#-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
export CONFIG_=CONFIG_
export KCONFIG_CONFIG=seed.conf
kconfig-mconf Kconfig-seed

Script Behavior

Create patch symlinks - Links newer patch to older patch if they’re identical
Set configuration prefix - CONFIG_=CONFIG_ (all variables prefixed with CONFIG_)
Set output file - KCONFIG_CONFIG=seed.conf
Launch menu - kconfig-mconf Kconfig-seed

Kconfig-seed Structure

Defines the menu structure for seed.sh:

Kconfig-seed:1-44

mainmenu "Miele-LXIV - Once-only configuration"

#--------------------------
config VERSION_SET
    string "version numbers"
    default "version-set-8.8.conf"
    ---help---
        Specify a set of version numbers which are known to work well together.
        The number in the filename is the version number of the VTK package

#--------------------------
config SRC_DIR
    string "sources directory"
    default "~/Downloads/source"
    
config BLD_DIR
    string "build directory"
    default "~/Documents/temp/build"

config BIN_DIR
    string "install directory"
    default "~/Applications"

#-------------------------
choice
    prompt "CMake generator"
    default GENERATOR_MK
    
config GENERATOR_MK
    bool "makefiles"

config GENERATOR_XC
    bool "Xcode"
    
endchoice

#-------------------------
config SHARED_SOURCES
    bool "Reuse available sources"
    default n
    ---help---
        For modules that do not require patching, place them in
        a shared parent directory, to avoid downloading them again.

When you run seed.sh, you see:

┌──── Miele-LXIV - Once-only configuration ────┐
│                                               │
│  (version-set-8.8.conf) version numbers      │
│  (~/Downloads/source) sources directory      │
│  (~/Documents/temp/build) build directory    │
│  (~/Applications) install directory          │
│      CMake generator (makefiles)  --->       │
│  [ ] Reuse available sources                 │
│                                               │
│       <Select>    < Exit >    < Help >       │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Entering String Values

For string options:

Navigate to option
Press Enter
Type new value (or accept default)
Press Enter to confirm

Selecting Generator

For choice options:

Navigate to “CMake generator”
Press Enter to open submenu
Select makefiles or Xcode
Press Exit

Reconfiguration

To change seed configuration:

Option 1: Re-run seed.sh

./seed.sh

This overwrites seed.conf with new settings.

Option 2: Edit Manually

Edit seed.conf directly:

# Change version set
CONFIG_VERSION_SET="version-set-custom.conf"

# Change directories
CONFIG_SRC_DIR="/Volumes/Storage/source"
CONFIG_BLD_DIR="/Volumes/Storage/build"
CONFIG_BIN_DIR="/Volumes/Storage/install"

# Switch to Xcode
# CONFIG_GENERATOR_MK is not set
CONFIG_GENERATOR_XC=y

# Enable shared sources
CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES=y

Path Expansion

The build script expands paths using eval:

build.sh:58-62

if [ $CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES ] ; then
    eval SRC=$CONFIG_SRC_DIR
else
    eval SRC=$CONFIG_SRC_DIR/$TIMESTAMP
fi

This handles:

Tilde expansion: ~/Downloads → /Users/username/Downloads
Environment variables: $HOME/source → /Users/username/source
Literal paths: /Volumes/Storage/source → /Volumes/Storage/source

Common Configurations

Default Setup

CONFIG_VERSION_SET="version-set-8.8.conf"
CONFIG_SRC_DIR="~/Downloads/source"
CONFIG_BLD_DIR="~/Documents/temp/build"
CONFIG_BIN_DIR="~/Applications"
CONFIG_GENERATOR_MK=y
# CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES is not set

Best for: First-time users, standard builds

External Drive Setup

CONFIG_VERSION_SET="version-set-8.8.conf"
CONFIG_SRC_DIR="/Volumes/Storage/miele/source"
CONFIG_BLD_DIR="/Volumes/Storage/miele/build"
CONFIG_BIN_DIR="/Volumes/Storage/miele/install"
CONFIG_GENERATOR_MK=y
# CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES is not set

Best for: Limited internal storage, large builds

Shared Sources Setup

CONFIG_VERSION_SET="version-set-8.8.conf"
CONFIG_SRC_DIR="~/SharedSource"
CONFIG_BLD_DIR="~/Documents/temp/build"
CONFIG_BIN_DIR="~/Applications"
CONFIG_GENERATOR_MK=y
CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES=y

Best for: Building multiple versions, saving disk space

Xcode Development Setup

CONFIG_VERSION_SET="version-set-8.8.conf"
CONFIG_SRC_DIR="~/Development/source"
CONFIG_BLD_DIR="~/Development/build"
CONFIG_BIN_DIR="~/Development/install"
CONFIG_GENERATOR_XC=y
# CONFIG_SHARED_SOURCES is not set

Best for: Interactive development, debugging in Xcode

Disk Space Considerations

Source Directory

Size: ~500 MB - 2 GB (compressed archives)
Growth: Grows with each build if not using shared sources
Cleanup: Can delete old timestamped directories

Build Directory

Size: ~5-20 GB (intermediate build files)
Growth: Largest directory; grows significantly with each build
Cleanup: Can delete entirely and rebuild from source

Install Directory

Size: ~2-5 GB (compiled libraries and headers)
Growth: Moderate; only final installed files
Cleanup: Can delete old timestamped directories; keep current version

Environment Variables

Alternatively, you can override settings via environment variables:

export CONFIG_VERSION_SET="version-set-custom.conf"
export CONFIG_SRC_DIR="/custom/source"
export CONFIG_BLD_DIR="/custom/build"
export CONFIG_BIN_DIR="/custom/install"
./build.sh

This doesn’t modify seed.conf but overrides its values for that run.

Commands

Configuration Files

Overview

File Location

Creation

File Format

Configuration Variables

Version Set Selection

Directory Paths

Directory Structure

CMake Generator

Timestamp

seed.sh Script

Script Behavior

Kconfig-seed Structure

Interactive Menu

Entering String Values

Selecting Generator

Reconfiguration

Option 1: Re-run seed.sh

Option 2: Edit Manually

Path Expansion

Common Configurations

Default Setup

External Drive Setup

Shared Sources Setup

Xcode Development Setup

Disk Space Considerations

Source Directory

Build Directory

Install Directory

Environment Variables

See Also

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Commands

Configuration Files

​Overview

​File Location

​Creation

​File Format

​Configuration Variables

​Version Set Selection

​Directory Paths

​Directory Structure

​CMake Generator

​Source Sharing

​Timestamp

​seed.sh Script

​Script Behavior

​Kconfig-seed Structure

​Interactive Menu

​Entering String Values

​Selecting Generator

​Reconfiguration

​Option 1: Re-run seed.sh

​Option 2: Edit Manually

​Path Expansion

​Common Configurations

​Default Setup

​External Drive Setup

​Shared Sources Setup

​Xcode Development Setup

​Disk Space Considerations

​Source Directory

​Build Directory

​Install Directory

​Environment Variables

​See Also

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

File Location

Creation

File Format

Configuration Variables

Version Set Selection

Directory Paths

Directory Structure

CMake Generator

Source Sharing

Timestamp

seed.sh Script

Script Behavior

Kconfig-seed Structure

Interactive Menu

Entering String Values

Selecting Generator

Reconfiguration

Option 1: Re-run seed.sh

Option 2: Edit Manually

Path Expansion

Common Configurations

Default Setup

External Drive Setup

Shared Sources Setup

Xcode Development Setup

Disk Space Considerations

Source Directory

Build Directory

Install Directory

Environment Variables

See Also