# Build System Documentation Index

The Helix Ribosome build system is a set of programs written in the Python programming language which provide a common interface to retrieving, and building programs from source code stored in a CVS repository. The build system is made up of two basic subsystems. The first is the component which calculates the dependencies of a target, retrieves the source code, and runs commands to build that source code in the correct order. This is the program build. The second component in the build system is umake, a cross-platform Makefile generator. Umake can be used independently from the build program.

### Index

- Python Programming and the Build System
- Build System Supported Platforms
- Build System Installation
- Build
  - Build Overview
  - Build Command-Line Usage
  - Minimal Rebuilds
  - Build Information Files (.bif)
  - Build System Plug-ins
  - The Buildrc File
- Umake
  - Umake Overview
  - Umake Command-Line Usage
  - Writing Umakefil/*.pcf Files
  - Umake profiles
  - Multi-Target Umake files
  - The Umakerc File