Please refer to the main article published on the CERN ROOT blog.

This repository demonstrated how to convert a ROOT script (meant to be executed with Cint interpreter) into a ROOT-based program that can be compiled into an executable and used with a debugger.

Copy your ROOT script(s) and place them in next in the src/ project folder. Include your ROOT script in the src/main.cpp file and call your script entry point function from main() in src/main.cpp:

// Include your script file
#include <yourRootScript.C>

int main(int argc, char **argv) {
	...

	// Call your ROOT script entry function
	yourRootScript();

	...
}

For the build to succeed, we need to satisfy following criteria:

• As opposed to running your ROOT script with Cling interpreter, standalone build requires to include headers #include <...> to be explicitly defined in the src/yourRootScript.C file for every class used in the program.

• Depending on your script code, extra ROOT libraries may need to be specified in CMakeLists.txt with CMake list(APPEND LIB_NAMES "<root-library-name>") command. List of available extra ROOT libraries can be found here.

• Some of the ROOT classes require generation of dictionary and shared library. These are: GUI classes that utilize signals and slots functionality; classes with implemented ClassDef and ClassImp directives (that use functions like ClassName(), InheritsFrom() etc...); custom RooFit PDF classes inherited from RooAbsPdf, etc. For every such class, add a corresponding line in the src/LinkDef.h file: #pragma link C++ class MyClassThatRequiresLibrary+.

• If adding new C++ and header files to the project, simply place them under the src/ folder. CMake will find them automatically.

Now your ROOT script is transformed into a ROOT-based program that is ready to be set up in Eclipse IDE with CMake4Eclipse plugin.

Feel free to continue reading setup instructions of a CERN ROOT-based project in Eclipse IDE on the ROOT blog.