CDash:FAQ

General information and availability

What is CDash?

CDash is an open source, web-based software testing server.

CDash aggregates, analyzes and displays the results of software testing processes submitted from clients located around the world. Developers depend on CDash to convey the state of a software system, and to continually improve its quality.

CDash is a part of a larger software process that integrates Kitware's CMake, CTest, and CPack tools, as well as other external packages used to design, manage and maintain large scale software systems. Good examples of a CDash are the CMake quality dashboard and the VTK quality dashboard.

Can I customize CDash?

Yes. CDash is written using XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language), therefore you can customize it fairly easily.

• Individual pages can be customized by putting the corresponding .xsl files in the local directory of the main CDash installation.
• Header menus can be customized directly. Just make sure the header.xsl as the following lines:

  <xsl:include href="headscripts.xsl"/>
  <xsl:call-template name="headscripts"/>

Can I create private and public projects on the same server?

Yes. CDash supports mixing private and public projects via user login. If you have very sensitive project you might want to setup another CDash with restricted access (via .htaccess or other mechanisms).

Two things to keep in mind when creating private projects in CDash:

1. RSS feeds for private project are not created (this might be a configuration option)
2. The backup directory which is by default in CDash/backup is still writing the XML files. It is recommended to limit the access of the backup directory via a .htaccess on the web server or move the backup directory to another location (outside of the web server root)