@bcindex c['builders']

The @code{c['builders']} key is a list of objects giving configuration for the
Builders.  For more information, @xref{Builder}.  The class definition for the
builder configuration is in @code{buildbot.config}.  In the configuration file,
its use looks like:

@example
from buildbot.config import BuilderConfig
c['builders'] = [
    BuilderConfig(name='quick', slavenames=['bot1', 'bot2'], factory=f_quick),
    BuilderConfig(name='thorough', slavename='bot1', factory=f_thorough),
]
@end example

The constructor takes the following keyword arguments:

@table @code
@item name
This specifies the Builder's name, which is used in status
reports.

@item slavename
@item slavenames
These arguments specify the buildslave or buildslaves that will be used by this
Builder.  All slaves names must appear in the @code{c['slaves']} list. Each
buildslave can accomodate multiple Builders.  The @code{slavenames} parameter
can be a list of names, while @code{slavename} can specify only one slave.

@item factory
This is a @code{buildbot.process.factory.BuildFactory} instance which
controls how the build is performed. Full details appear in their own
section, @xref{Build Factories}. Parameters like the location of the CVS
repository and the compile-time options used for the build are
generally provided as arguments to the factory's constructor.

@end table

Other optional keys may be set on each Builder:

@table @code

@item builddir
Specifies the name of a subdirectory (under the base directory) in which
everything related to this builder will be placed on the buildmaster.
This holds build status information. If not set, defaults to @code{name}
with some characters escaped. Each builder must have a unique build
directory.

@item slavebuilddir
Specifies the name of a subdirectory (under the base directory) in which
everything related to this builder will be placed on the buildslave.
This is where checkouts, compiles, and tests are run. If not set,
defaults to @code{builddir}. If a slave is connected to multiple builders
that share the same @code{slavebuilddir}, make sure the slave is set to
run one build at a time or ensure this is fine to run multiple builds from
the same directory simultaneously.

@item category
If provided, this is a string that identifies a category for the
builder to be a part of. Status clients can limit themselves to a
subset of the available categories. A common use for this is to add
new builders to your setup (for a new module, or for a new buildslave)
that do not work correctly yet and allow you to integrate them with
the active builders. You can put these new builders in a test
category, make your main status clients ignore them, and have only
private status clients pick them up. As soon as they work, you can
move them over to the active category.

@item nextSlave
If provided, this is a function that controls which slave will be assigned
future jobs. The function is passed two arguments, the @code{Builder}
object which is assigning a new job, and a list of @code{BuildSlave}
objects. The function should return one of the @code{BuildSlave}
objects, or @code{None} if none of the available slaves should be
used.

@item nextBuild
If provided, this is a function that controls which build request will be
handled next. The function is passed two arguments, the @code{Builder}
object which is assigning a new job, and a list of @code{BuildRequest}
objects of pending builds. The function should return one of the
@code{BuildRequest} objects, or @code{None} if none of the pending
builds should be started.

@item locks
This argument specifies a list of locks that apply to this builder; @xref{Interlocks}.

@item env
A Builder may be given a dictionary of environment variables in this parameter.
The variables are used in @pxref{ShellCommand} steps in builds created by this
builder. The environment variables will override anything in the buildslave's
environment. Variables passed directly to a @code{ShellCommand} will override
variables of the same name passed to the Builder.

For example, if you a pool of identical slaves it is often easier to manage
variables like PATH from Buildbot rather than manually editing it inside of
the slaves' environment.

@example
f = factory.BuildFactory
f.addStep(ShellCommand(
              command=['bash', './configure']))
f.addStep(Compile())

c['builders'] = [
  BuilderConfig(name='test', factory=f,
        slavenames=['slave1', 'slave2', 'slave3', 'slave4'],
        env=@{'PATH': '/opt/local/bin:/opt/app/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin'@}),
]
@end example

@item mergeRequests
This boolean defaults to True, which means that the Builder might
attempt to merge @code{BuildRequest}s into a single build. If False,
the Builder will never attempt to merge requests.

Merging requests helps to reduce the total number of builds, but loses
information about which exact change might have caused a build
problem. Requests can only be merged for compatible SourceStamps, for
example two Changes that occur on the same branch, or two requests to
build 'HEAD' (i.e. the latest checkin) on the same branch.

The buildmaster's @code{c['mergeRequests']} hook function is evaluated
only if the Builder's @code{mergeRequests} key is True, so merging
only takes place if both allow it. @pxref{Merging BuildRequests}.

@item properties
A builder may be given a dictionnary of @pxref{Build Properties}
specific for this builder in this parameter. Those values can be used
later on like other properties. @pxref{WithProperties}.

@end table



